One way to increase your sales is to start offering an affiliate program, or improve your current one.

Some people complain that paying others to promote their products cuts into their profits. But that’s such a rather short-sighted view. Here’s why.

• As Dan Kennedy says, you’re not gaining a sale, you’re gaining a customer. People who buy from you once will often do so again and again. So don’t think about what’s left after the affiliate commission–think about what you’re ultimately getting over the lifetime of that customer.

• You’re getting sales you wouldn’t otherwise get–last time I checked that adds to your bottom-line, not reduces it! People buying from that affiliate link either don’t know you from Adam (or Eve). Or even if they’ve already looked at the product, something about that message compelled them to take action now. If it hadn’t, they probably would have kept procrastinating until they forgot all about it.

• Research shows affiliate referrals tend to be high quality prospects. Which makes sense because they’re being referred by someone they trust. So they tend to convert more, buy more and return less.

Who to Affiliate With

The best affiliates will be people who know you and can endorse you–including people who have bought the product. One smart strategy is to include a message in your post-sale autoresponder series asking buyers if they’d be interested in earning commissions by recommending the product to others.

Another good source are people who serve the same customers you do, but don’t directly compete with you. Is there an industry heavy hitter you want as an affiliate? Look for a seminar where you can meet them in person instead of just sending an email.

Or ask if you can interview them for your list so you can start building a relationship with them. But know that most big players won’t even consider an affiliate proposal unless they’re making at least $100 a sale.

Maximize Your Chances of Success

Here are some more tips for making the most of your affiliate program:

Make it as easy as A-B-C. Create a sales page and post as many materials as possible for affiliates to use for promotion–emails, audios, articles. And instead of putting your own web address on any of the items, prompt them to insert their affiliate link.

Give’em a long lead time.Ideally, you want to give affiliates at least a 2-3 week heads up about an upcoming campaign, longer if possible. People often need time to work around other promotions they’ve scheduled so they’re not overwhelming their list with too much at once. (But remind them a day or two before the campaign starts as well.)

Start with a freebie. If you’re promoting something with a significant price tag, the best strategy is to give them something free to promote to their lists–such as a report or series of preview calls–where you can have more opportunity to make a case for the purchase. And if you have them opt-in for the freebie, you’re also building your list.

Do check to make sure this will work with your affiliate program though. If you’re using 1ShoppingCart or Infusion, you should be fine because it will cookie people  the first time they click on the affiliate link–so your affiliate referrer will be credited for any future purchases they make.

Note: I’m in the midst of building out my affiliate program right now, but if you’re interested, 7 Steps to Creating Copy that Speaks Your Client’s Language So You Land More Clients and More Sales is available with a 50% affiliate commission through Clickbank–just click here. (If you’re not a Clickbank member, there’s no cost to join and become an affiliate for others’ products.)

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