I got asked yet again to promote someone's product here on my website.

For doing this, I'd make about 40% of the product's cost. All I had to do was setup a link and that's it - the cash would start rolling in.

Affiliate marketing - the wave of the future? I dunno - I'm not so sure.

I do know that from a manufacturer / developer point of view, it's great. You get an army of eager salespeople pushing your product. For free, basically (just set your price so the commission doesn't bite into your planned profits.)

But you know, there's something about affiliate marketing from the "affiliate" point of view that bothers me... follow me for a second.

I remember once a friend asked me to attend a meeting to see this new business opportunity. Essentially, people would buy and sell products to/from each other, and make a little commission in the process. Hey, you were going to have to buy toilet paper anyway, why not you and a friend make a small commission off of it?

In other words, I attended an Amway meeting.

And that's what bothers me about this. Listen, I wouldn't mind promoting a product that my particular website audience might be interested in. A product that I actually used and liked. That I have no problem with.

But this affiliate thing is just out of hand - it seems every other website I go to has tons of links to products and/or other websites. It's annoying. In fact, some are nothing more than "affiliate websites" with no real content save for affiliate links. In short, the website in question has nothing to offer except links to products. Ok, it works for "Amazon dot com". But I expect that when I go there.

I know the internet has been full of commerce for years now, but recently it seems to me that all of a sudden, it has turned into a giant Amway business. Everybody is buying and selling stuff for a small commission. Affiliate marketing has turned into the new "get rich quick."

I don't know if affiliate marketing is ultimately going to turn into something as far as a moneymaker (I doubt it - just like Amway, a scant few will make money, and a million other poor souls have little more than huge cases of toilet paper.) But I DO know that I don't really like it as a money-making venture. If I see a bunch of affiliate and obvious "money making" links on a website, I tend to trust the site less.

Again, this is in an overall sense. I have no problem with someone (or myself) offering something they found useful, and is targeted to their website's audience. Perhaps a neat, problem-solving piece of software made by a small developer - hey, that's great. I think that was the intended spirit of affiliates in the beginning. But once the get rich quick brigade came in, it completely ruined it.

Now, here's a quick tip for those of you who do have affiliate links - make sure they open a NEW window. Because the little commission you make isn't worth sending visitors away from your website.

I have a policy here at Clear-Writing. If your project is going to be more than $1,000, I take a 50% deposit up front. If it is going to be *under* $1,000, I take full pre-payment up front.

This policy was developed after my first year in business. I noticed, far and away, the biggest source of payment problems were on tiny jobs where I'd split up a $500 invoice. Now, I don't want to make it sound like people don't pay - I would say 99% of the time, payment isn't an issue. But it wasn't just non-payment. Because these jobs were usually for small, startup entrepreneurs, the chance of the project being cancelled or whatnot was higher than if a larger company spent a few thousand with me.

Anyway, my policy has served me well. But yesterday, someone had a problem with it.

I was discussing a job with a guy via e-mail when he stated he would never prepay any amount (even a deposit) for anything creative until he liked what he saw. So basically, in a nutshell, he was asking me to audition - if he liked what I did, he'd pay.

No dice on my end. I just cannot do that.

Here's what I wrote him:

********************

Dear XXXX

We cannot do business then. I'm sorry.

Let me explain the payment issue: I am a member of the BBB, have an
impeccable record there, and can be looked up on Dun and Bradstreet, where I
have an exceptional rating. I have an extensive website that's been up for
years, and it includes plenty of links to satisfied clients. In all honesty,
I look at it the same way as you - I'm not going to take the risk of doing
work and have someone not paying me. You saying "I will pay if I like it"
isn't enough.

I take 50% deposits on any project over 1k. 100% prepayment under. It's too
much effort and chasing to invoice twice for little jobs. I've been doing
business this way for years, and never - not once - have had a problem.

If it makes you uncomfortable, that's fine and I respect that, but I do
think I provide enough material and credentials to judge whether or not I'd
be worth the risk.

***********************

Truth be told, I sort of wanted to say "hey, I pay to be a BBB member, I have a huge website that's been up for years, I have tons of client links, and I have a stellar DnB rating.... what do you have?"  

But I didn't - I'll kvetch here in the blog, but snotty / rude I am not (besides, we may very well still do business.) But it does puzzle me when someone just ignores the credentials I so carefully have established, offer none in return, and want ME to take the leap of faith. I guess that's part of business, but I will say that it's something we should all be mindful of - there are indeed times to "watch out", and there are times when it's ok to take the risk. Credentials help.

Anyway, I just needed to vent a little   Thanks for reading!

Just wanted to give a quick update - we are doing business. And are both happy about it.

I love happy endings!!

I've written about similar in the past, but things like this never cease to amaze me:

This is a phone call from two days ago, 7/3

Potential Client: Your price is too high. I've been quoted x for a letter by someone else.

Me: I'm sorry, that's my price. You'll have to use the cheaper writer.

PC: But I want your writing. It's better.

I always wonder when deadlines are real, or imagined.

What I mean is this - I had someone ask me last monday morning to do a rush project. HAD TO HAVE IT BY TUESDAY, he said.

Well, I couldn't drop everything and do it. I told him I couldn't. So he huffs and says "fine, I'll find another writer who WANTS to do it" (as if that will sway me.)

Comes back a day later (which is now Tuesday) saying the only other person he could find couldn't do it until Thursday. So could I please do it Wednesday?

Wednesday? What happened to the Tuesday deadline?

Had he said "Wednesday" IN THE FIRST PLACE, I could have started it Tuesday morning (you're still following this, right?)

It's annoying when when people do this - and it only hurts them in the end. Here I could have started this guy's project Tuesday if he wasn't so impatiently making fake deadlines. Just tell me when you need it, and don't be in such a rush - rushed work is never good work anyway. And I only do good work.

Heh heh, I actually feel there are people out there who would be surprised that I'm not sitting here with nothing to do, just waiting for their emergency project.