How much interaction do you need to have with your affiliate managers?

That’s the question many affiliate should be asking yet many ignore the whole concept. Remember that as an affiliate you are in a business relationship with your merchant, and they are there to help you succeed so they succeed as a result. Now here is the thing. A lot of affiliates go days, weeks, and months without interacting with their affiliate managers. As a former affiliate manager, I can tell you now that I paid more attention to the success of the affiliates who looked more engaged. If you take time to set up a time with me to talk about strategies that we both can use to succeed together, you’ve got my attention. I did get a bunch of calls from people who were just interested in a higher commission rate, but overall there were a few affiliates (the very top ones) that truly cared about the relationship. So working closely with your affiliate manager could make a big difference.

Whether you are interested only in more money or just using the poor manager to get some favors done (e.g. customized banners), you should always set the stage before asking for things. You shouldn’t jump the gun and say, “hi there, can I get a higher commission?” That almost never works. But if you come up with a set of strategies (PPC, content, …) that have the potential to generate more sales, you can expect your affiliate manager to be more open to the idea of increasing your commission or doing other favors for you. Remember, you are in a business relationship. You need to nourish it! What have you got to lose?