Learn From Your Mistakes
by Bob Osgoodby

Much of the "hype" concerning affiliate programs centers on the
anonymity of the web, and that you won't have to have a "face to
face" relationship with your potential clients. Let the
autoresponders do the work, have the money deposited in your bank
account while you sleep, yatta, yatta, yatta.

People want to do business with people. If you're in sales, and
can't stand "Rejection," you're in the wrong business. Trying to
market something online does not shelter you from this either.

People will contact you and not buy into your offer.

Worse yet, you don't even get any contacts. If this is happening,
you might want to ask yourself why. Many people will simply
"quit" and write it off as a bad experience. Those who succeed
find out why.

The first axiom of marketing is that people want to do business
with people. If their only contact is with an affiliate page
that may or may not bear your name, they will most likely "click
on by." Ask yourself - would you do business with someone you
never heard of, know nothing about, and have no way of
contacting?

Letting people know about you is one of the strongest statements
you can make about your business. If you give a short background
on yourself, with appropriate contact information, people most
likely will have the necessary confidence to proceed. I have
full contact information on my website, including a telephone
number they can call in the event of a question or a problem.

Now you might think that giving your phone number to the world,
is going to result in a lot of "bad things." Not true! In our
11 years of doing business on the Internet, I have never had a
"crank" call - never. I post the hours that people can call,
and receive very few calls outside of that time frame. After
hours, I turn on the answering machine and give them the hours
I'm available. I suggest a broadcast type of message which
doesn't allow the caller to leave a message.

Now the majority of people will never call, but will use the
email channels provided instead. The presence of a telephone
number, however, goes a long way in allaying their concerns. I
don't recommend an "800" number as people will think twice
before spending their own dime to call. I also give a mailing
address, and no, we haven't been visited by "stalkers."

Another nice touch is to include your photo with your Bio
information. As they say, "it's always nice to put a face with a
name." The more you can establish a personal bond with your
potential buyer, the greater your chances of success.

The second axiom of business is to learn from your mistakes, and
correct the things that you are doing wrong. During the Second
World War, when a group of young pilots in the RAF were fighting
for their lives in the air over England, they would often be hit
by enemy fire. Their engine would start to misfire causing it to
make knocking noises. Thus was coined the phrase "every knock
is one step closer to home." They had a great attitude.

We can take a lesson from them. If you can determine why your
offer is being knocked or rejected by your potential clients, the
closer you will get to attaining your goals. Rejection is common
in business, and even the largest companies do studies on every
ad campaign they conduct to make them better.

A simple statement on your web page to encourage feedback can go
a long way, but don't be discouraged by some of the remarks you
will receive. No matter how crude some may be, they are being
triggered by something, so don't take offense. Now while I
normally advocate the use of a form for sending information from
a website, here I do not. Let them be automatically transferred
by use of the "mailto:" command to their email account to write
the message, as you will then know the return address is valid.

Yes, they may wish to remain anonymous as well, but the use of a
form in this instance, which simply allows them to vent, will
serve little purpose. You really don't want to be influenced by
some bored grade schoolers with nothing better to do.

Follow up with all the legitimate replies you receive to find out
why they have reservations. Just this process alone may swing
them into your camp. Rejection is not always bad, and if you
learn from your mistakes, it just may prove to be a positive
factor.

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