Vendor or Affiliate Who Gets the Real Cream?
Posted on June 28, 2007 by
Adie 
Affiliate Marketing, Internet Marketing 
5 Comments
Clickbank Affiliates = Short term Success
It’s the Real Business Vs Make Money scenario.
By becoming an Affiliate, especially with Clickbank, you’re not building a solid sustainable/scalable business in my view. Some will disagree I’m sure, I know there are some great Affiliates out there but how many make a decent living?
All I’m saying is, Affiliates struggle and I’m willing to take a punt that 90% do!!?? the Vendor/Merchant always get the cream if they have a great product.
Affiliates will always be chasing the next product, eBook/Software to make the quick sale while the product is still HOT. Being an Affiliate is not easy, you need to able to adapt, act fast and have an excellent Marketing plan to make it work.
The Majority use PPC why? because it’s the fastest way to the consumer, and they’re lazy. I don’t blame them really if it’s there, use it. The sad thing is, most struggle and lose to never return. I took part in an Affiliate Census recently and one question was “What is your most popular way to promote a product for a merchant” I wasn’t surprised to see that the successful one’s said the long term organic Search Engine Optimisation worked best for them.
This takes time and huge effort which most Affiliates don’t like, they want immediate results they don’t want to waste hours/weeks/months marketing a website aimed at a merchants product(s) to find out all their hard work flopped! it does work though and if done right pays off big, especially if you target the merchants best performing keyword(s).
Creating a product is the hard part and that is probably why becoming an Affiliate sounds the easy way out right? wrong! it’s just as easy to be a Vendor. Ok..you’ll get the customer service emails and the product support questions but all that is easy to handle when you know you have at least 100+ affiliates doing the real work “Marketing Your Product” for you while you sip “English Tea” with your feet up. It’s a nice position to be in let me tell you and I should know as I’ve managed over 2000+ Affiliates and I loved them all.
Well…the ones that worked hard, the whole 80/20 rule comes into play here.
I’m going to throw myself in at the deep end and attempt to create a product that I will eventually sell on Clickbank/Pay DOT COM to show you what these guys (Vendors/Merchants) get up to and how they make great money being the Vendor and not the struggling Affiliate.
Step One: Find the market
Step Two: Ask the questions
Step Three: Create the product/sales page/payment
Step Four: Create Buzz / JV Maybe?
Step Five: Launch Product
Step Six: Collect cash/deliver product
As soon as I start I will keep you all informed of progress.
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Great post. It made me think about the great benefits of having your own product as opposed to selling someone else’s. I’m halfway to creating my first info product and I totally forgot about affiliates. Doh!
I think an affiliate system is similar to a pyramid scheme on a smaller level. The people at the top never has to pay the people on the bottom unless the people on the top gets paid first. The people on the bottom (affiliates or recruiters) do all the work (marketing, paying the costs, etc) while the people up top just wait for the sales to come rolling in. Surely there are affiliates who make alot of money, as there is people in MLM or pyramid schemes who make alot of money, however its safe to say that the one on top takes the cake.
Nice analogy, Danny. I never thought of it that way. I think it’s because I’ve been an affiliate for so long!
it’s true, by becoming an affiliate; you aren’t building your own business, however, you can earn just as much as a vendor.
Why? List-building.
Most affiliate marketers don’t build their own lists, so they aren’t building a business. If you’re building a list, then your creating a business.
How many vendors actually cash in big?
Very few, I bet….
and how are they going to find people to market their product?
By doing the same thing affiliates are doing…marketing the heck out the product.
Becoming a vendor’s great; but I know of many affiliates who make more than most vendors.
To add to that last comment.
to put it simply….
I truly believe a person who can create products - but doesn’t know how to market…
…Is like an affiliate marketer who markets other people’s products - but doesn’t build his or her own business.
A vendor who knows how to market is products and create a system of sub-affiliates…
…Is just as great as an affiliate marketer who has the ability to build massive lists & actively take part in Joint Ventures.
the real question isn’t
Vendor or Affiliate
…but rather…
True Dedicated Internet Marketer or Average Joe Trying to Get A couple Dollars