Sometimes Affiliate Managers fail to perform as they should. It’s an unfortunate part of business and life.

 

When frustrations run high, many business owners don’t realize they may be contributing to their Affiliate Managers lack of performance and ultimate reason for leaving.

 

Here are three big reasons why Affiliate Managers don’t perform, as well as suggestions for improvement to managers and business owners.

Like any other employee, you can’t give your Affiliate Manager a butter knife and expect them to build a brick house.

 

The first thing Ryan and I do when we meet with every client is determine:

- Do they have a high converting offer and what is the CPA?

- What is the offer demographic?

- Does the client have an affiliate platform?

- Does the client have an in-house or contracted copywriter?

If you don’t have a high converting offer and a competitive CPA, it’s going to be very difficult for your Affiliate Manager to do their job.

 

Your Affiliate Manager also needs copy resources to keep an offer from fatiguing. New email copy will keep affiliates excited. Having a steady rotation of new copy will prolong the life of an offer by weeks and even months.

 

Finally, Affiliate Managers need an accurate tracking platform such as Digistore24, HasOffers, or Everflow. 

These platforms allow Affiliate Managers to monitor and evaluate every email campaign all in one place. It also gives affiliates easy access to their commissions without having to reach out to the Affiliate Manager.

 

As we used to say at Agora, COPY + TRAFFIC = BOOM

 

If you don’t have a high converting offer at a competitive payout...

 

Or you don’t have the right software to monitor your email traffic...

 

Not only will your affiliate program stall, but your Affiliate Manager will probably leave as well.

Great Affiliate Managers are like unicorns. They're impossible to find.

 

A+ Affiliate Managers are detail oriented, organized, eager to learn, and have great written and verbal communication skills.

 

They also need to be very outgoing and feel comfortable talking and networking with strangers.

 

Oftentimes you’ll get someone organized but not outgoing.

 

Or someone who is very social but unorganized and can’t execute.

 

If this is the case, your Affiliate Manager is in the wrong position.

 

As a manager, you should evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, and performance. It could be they need to move to another position, not that they aren't a good employee.

Affiliate Managers talk. It’s their job to know what offers are working, what offers aren’t working, who is attending what conference, and so on. So don’t act surprised if they compare compensation plans.

 

The salary range for an Affiliate Manager depends on their experience and connections in the industry. That’s why more experienced Affiliate Managers are so expensive. You’re paying for their rolodex.

 

Just as important as salary is an Affiliate Manager’s bonus structure and opportunity for growth within the company.

 

I always joke that no good Affiliate Manager wakes up and thinks, “I want to be an Affiliate Manager for the rest of my life.”

 

Almost all Affiliate Managers at some point in their career want to grow into another position (like a copywriter, marketing director, operations manager, or offer owner). 

 

That’s why having a clear path to career growth is so crucial.

 

This path should include a challenging but achievable bonus structure.

 

I could write about bonuses for an entire blog post (and I might in the future!). But for now know that if you haven’t outlined a bonus plan for your Affiliate Manager, you should immediately consider one.

 

Why would an Affiliate Manager stay loyal to your business if they knew they could make more money elsewhere?

 

Not all the reasons I listed above are reasons why your affiliate manager didn't work out.

 

Sometimes they don’t work out because they straight up don’t perform.

 

But as a manager, it’s also important to look inward to see where the disconnect lies and how you can fix it.

 

...Hopefully before it becomes too late for you and your Affiliate Manager.