In the summer of 2017 I went to my first Clickbank Platinum Summit in Cancun, Mexico.

 

I was six months into my Affiliate Manager position at Agora Financial. Ryan was with me, and we were looking to get one of our health products up on Clickbank.

I was pumped for this trip because I knew a lot of the top affiliates in the industry were going to be there. And after months of emails and Skype chats, I was looking forward to meeting them in person.

 

The first night they held a cocktail reception at one of the outdoor restaurants. I showered and threw on a sundress to go mingle with the crowd. My personality was "on" and I was ready to flex my networking skills.

 

When I got there Ryan was already talking to one of our top partners and waved me over so we could meet.

 

Smiling and extending my hand, I introduced myself.

 

"Oh, you're Meghan Damico," he said. "I remember you now. You only email me when you need something."

 

Immediately my face fell and I felt the air get sucked out of my chest.

 

He laughed it off but I knew he was still serious.

 

To this day, this conversation still haunts me.

 

Because it's one of the most important lessons I've ever learned as an affiliate manager.

 

You never want to be that person who is always asking and never giving.

 

This is a relationship business. If you're in it for the money, the orders, or the commission...you're not going to get very far.

 

R.O.R. — or return on relationship — is one of the number one things Ryan and I teach in our Networking Masterclass and Affiliate Manager Masterclass.

 

R.O.R. is the organic engagement and value that occurs over time through connection, loyalty, recommendations, and sharing. 

 

But saying it and doing it are two completely different things.

 

If one of your top affiliates goes out on maternity/paternity leave do you write them off or do you send them a monogrammed baby blanket?

 

If one of your partners has a friend or a family member pass away do you say, "I'm sorry for your loss," or do you send them a hand written condolence letter?

 

R.O.R. is different from R.O.I. which is a fixed performance metric and is usually measured in dollars and cents. 

 

Don’t get me wrong...R.O.I. is an essential metric…

 

But R.O.R. is often the most overlooked metric. 

 

It requires you to always put your affiliates first and ask, “how can I help you?”

 

So the next time an affiliate has a last minute email placement they'll think of you first.

 

Or when you need someone to test a new offer ASAP, they'll do it for you no questions asked.

 

Relationships build influence, build power, but most importantly, they build a personal brand. 

 

Nurture your relationships, and you’ll not only see positive R.O.R. you’ll see a bigger increase in R.O.I., too!