First you have an affiliate network. Then you have the Internet which is booming with websites created by affiliates to steer visitors to advertisers’ websites. This is the simple elegance of affiliate programs. Create a website, sign up as an affiliate with an affiliate network. Find companies which sell products you like, then sit back and watch the money pour in. At least that is the theory. The truth is that many affiliates make the one mistake which most hurts their business the most. That mistake is that they fail to pre-sell their customers.

One thing that every affiliate must realize is that their job is not to try and sell the potential customer with their website. In fact, this is the last thing that you want to do as an affiliate. The reason why is that customers are ready and waiting to resist your sales pitch. This is how we are programmed as consumers. Therefore, an affiliate with a great website which is focused too much on the sale will still have difficulty getting their visitors to click through to the advertiser’s website.

If this does not make sense, keep in mind why people in the millions everyday go onto the Internet. They are looking for content. They want to learn something, or they are looking for help with a problem, or they have some other need.

Hence, if you were someone simply looking for information, would you appreciate being bombarded with a sales pitch? Of course not. Therefore, rather than present the items that you want to sell to your visitors, you must present them with the information that have been seeking. Doing so will not only gain the attention of your visitor, it will also gain their trust. When someone sees that you know what you are talking about, and are answering their questions by bestowing your great knowledge upon them, they will trust your recommendations. Of course, your recommendations are the products which you are selling. Therefore, with knowledge in hand, your visitors are highly likely to click through to the advertiser’s website, through your affiliate link.

What we have just described is what is known as the pre-sell. The pre-sell is conducted by the affiliate. It is a method by which you provide your visitors with a wealth of information on their topic of interest. Doing this places your visitor in a positive mindset, which opens them up to the advertiser’s sales pitch.

There are two important things to remember to effectively pre-sell your visitors:

1. Your website must cover the subject matter of the advertiser products or services which you promote.

If you are signed up as affiliate with several dating sites, then your site should obviously be devoted to dating and getting people together, along with anything associated with relationships-flowers, candy, special holidays, jewelry, cards, or gifts. You name it. Be creative. Obviously a pitch for the greatest money-making opportunity will not fit.

2. Put yourself in your visitor’s shoes.

This is not the easiest thing in the world to do. People put a lot of work into their websites, and have an emotional attachment. As such, it is often difficult to be critical and see things as visitors may see them. If possible, now is a good time to get a fresh set of eyes to look at your website. If at all possible, so not let the individual know that this is your site so that they will not be partial. You have to know whether the navigation is easy to follow. You also must determine if the website adequately conveys to proper theme, and if it gives the visitor the information that they have been seeking. If you can truly say to yourself that the website accomplishes its intended purpose, then it is a pre-seller. Note that you will have gained your visitor’s trust by becoming a valuable source of information, and they are likely to take you up on your product or service recommendation.

Hopefully you can see why this method works so well. Essentially, it comes down to the two step process. The first step is where you, the affiliate, are of the utmost importance. Your website is the one which gives the visitor the information which they have been searching for on the Internet. Having received this information from you proves to the visitor that you are well versed on the subject matter. This garners trust in the visitor. As a trusted resource, the visitor is receptive to your product or service recommendation, and will visit the website which you recommend. Of course, the website which you recommend is one for which you are an affiliate. Since the visitor’s mental state is one which is not that of a guarded buyer, they are receptive to the advertiser’s sales pitch.

Just remember that the job of your website is to provide the information. This is the pre-sell which we have been talking about. Leave it to the advertiser to do the selling on their website, as this is their role in the affiliate network.

Joining an Affiliate Network is a great start. However, you must pre-sell your Affiliate Programs to generate interest from buyers. Visit us at SOSComplete.com.

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