I want you to know right from the start that I earn 100% of my income from affiliate marketing and I make it a point to never take advantage of anyone.
I could earn more if I promoted the latest flash-in-the pan products, membership sites, giveaways, and all the other sites and programs that over-promise and under-deliver, if they deliver at all.
But, I won’t do that.
The extra income would be nice, but I’d rather be able to look myself in the mirror every day with a good, clean conscience.
If I don’t use it myself, I won’t promote it to you.
While that sounds like it may put me in the poor-house, that isn’t the case.
I have joined hundreds of affiliate programs and have found a dozen or so that offer outstanding, top-of-the-line products and services and have affiliate programs that match.
As time goes by, I find links to programs I no longer promote and take them down. If you see me promoting something and you have any questions about it, please comment here and I’ll do my best to answer your questions. Please give the exact URL that you found. If that product no longer measures up, I’ll delete it and I’m thanking you in advance.
I also have a 21st Century Affiliate Marketing lens on Squidoo.com. You are invited to come and vote in the polls and join the duel. What do you think about affiliate marketing? Share your opinions and thoughts in the guestbook.
You’ll need to be a member of Squidoo to comment and, of course, it’s free. In fact, if you become a skilled lensmaster, you can earn money from your Squidoo lenses.
Are you an expert on something? Build your own Squidoo lens and tell the world.
If Squidoo is part of your marketing mix, you’re invited to join my Squidoo Marketing Community where you can share your experiences with other lensmasters who love marketing with Squidoo.
OK. That’s more than enough introduction. Where’s the beef?
My number one affiliate program recommendation: SiteSell’s 5 Pillar Affiliate Program
I know you’re asking yourself why I’m promoting Site Build It! and what makes it so special. After all, there are thousands of ways to build a website and most of them cost a lot less than an annual Site Build It! subscription.
If it weren’t for Ken Evoy and his SiteSell business, I would not be a full-time affiliate marketer working from the comfort of my home in the mountains of western North Carolina, about 100 miles from the nearest traffic jam.
I knew how to build websites before I met Ken, but I didn’t know how to build successful websites that actually sold things and earned regular commissions.
Way back in the 20th century, I bought a copy of his outstanding ebook, Make Your Site Sell!, and that changed everything.
(By the way, Make Your Site Sell! is now free. Why don’t you go download a copy now, while you’re thinking about it. The link opens in a new window or tab.)
I rebuilt all my websites using what I learned in that book, and within weeks I started making money. Regular money from sales and commissions from various affiliate programs.
It wasn’t too long before I subscribed to Site Build It!, and I’ve never looked back. I never question if it’s worth the $300 annual fee. That’s a no-brainer. I earn back much more than that every year from my SBI site, Act On Your Dream!, and I’m just getting started with that site. I have a lot more to say and the site definitely will grow over time.
I hope you’ve noticed that I’m promoting a service I use myself and I am happy to recommend Site Build It! to you, too.
But, for now, let’s get back to their affiliate program.
Why do I recommend it?
Because I get very nice checks on a regular basis and I love depositing them into my checking account.
For every sale that is made through one of my links, I earn $75. And it’s not hard, either.
SiteSell doesn’t give you a session-only cookie, or a 24 hour cookie, or even a 30 day cookie. As soon as someone buys from one of your links, SiteSell sets a permanent cookie. That person is now your lifetime customer. Every time they renew their SBI subscription, you’ll earn a commission - with no further work on your part.
Most Site Build It! subscribers renew every year and many of them buy several sites.
Even if someone doesn’t buy anything, but chooses to join the 5 Pillar affiliate program, that also sets a permanent cookie, and you’ll earn a commission if the new affiliate ever purchases anything from SiteSell.
But, it gets even better.
Since the 5 Pillar program is a two-tier affiliate program, you earn a commission every time an affiliate who joined from your link sells something at SiteSell.
The more people who become an affiliate after learning about Site Build It! from you, the more you will earn as they make sales.
So, what’s the catch?
What happens if someone clears their cookies or buys a new computer? That’s the end of those recurring commissions, right?
No.
SiteSell doesn’t depend only on cookies. They have a sophisticated method of matching phone numbers, addresses, and other information in their database to make sure you are credited with sales. If there is ever a question about not receiving a commission when you’re sure you earned one, just contact support, and they’ll sort it out for you.
Unlike other affiliate programs that go out of the way to make sure you don’t earn a commission you are rightfully due, SiteSell goes the other way. They want you to earn that commission and they want to pay you larger and larger checks as time goes by.
SiteSell offers several ebooks that you can give away, or, if you prefer, you can rebrand them and offer them from your own sites.
There is a regular newsletter for 5 Pillar affiliates and all the back issues are available.
You’ll receive training in how to promote Site Build It! and there is a members-only forum where you can get support from other affiliates and the affiliate managers.
In fact, the training I get from SiteSell’s 5 Pillar program is better than any other affiliate program I have ever joined, and I use what I learn from them to earn higher commissions from the other dozen or so affiliate programs I promote.
As I said earlier, it was only after meeting Ken Evoy (online, not in person) that I started earning regular commission checks. Ken still takes an active interest in helping subscribers and affiliates and I enjoy receiving his newsletters and reading his posts on the SiteSell forums.
Everything has a down-side, doesn’t it?
Yes, it does.
Over the years that I’ve been a subscriber and an affiliate, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by all the things the folks at SiteSell do to help me succeed. They invented the phrase, “under-hype and over-deliver.”
But, one thing bothers me now and then.
There is a formula for calculating your affiliate commission check, and it is highly weighted in terms of making new sales. You’ll get your check when you accrue $100 in earned commissions.
However, you need to make at least one sale before the renewals and team earnings are counted.
In order to earn the maximum check, you need to make two sales per month to receive all the commissions you’ve earned.
It sounds terrible, but in practice it’s a little better.
You never lose all your commissions. They accumulate until you reach $100 and then you get the check. However, that check may be for a portion of your earnings if you haven’t sold at least $500 worth of services.
Now and then, I don’t get all I earned, but they always follow the formula exactly and I have no right to gripe, since I knew the situation before I joined as an affiliate.
Even if I miss out now and then on a bit of the commissions, those sales still count towards future renewals.
So, I try pretty hard to sell (at least) two new subscriptions per month, and the more I sell, the larger the checks.
Why does their compensation plan work like this?
SiteSell wants active affiliates who are continuing to bring in new business. New customers are the life-blood of every business and are necessary for the business to grow and thrive.
Ken doesn’t want someone to work hard, make a few sales, and then forget about it - yet still earn regular commissions on old sales.
So, the formula stresses making at least one new sale before you can get a check for your past efforts. If you make at least two new sales, you’ll receive a check for all you have earned with no deductions, and that includes residual commissions for renewals and your part of your team’s earnings. This can quickly grow to hundreds of dollars or more.
I think it’s reasonable to require ongoing promotions and advertising to bring in new customers if you want to earn residuals on past efforts.
So, if you join the 5 Pillar program, be sure to read the details on how commissions are calculated. It’s all there, and it isn’t too hard to understand.
After all, I’d rather get a check for over $100 from SiteSell than a few dollars from Amazon.com. Wouldn’t you?
(Actually, I prefer getting a check for several hundred dollars from SiteSell and a check for a few dollars from Amazon every month.)
The 5 Pillar Affiliate Program is free to join and I urge you to do so right now.
Don’t pass up this opportunity to learn how to become a successful affiliate marketer and to help your customers find more success with their online businesses.
Act on your dream!
JD
