(potentially?) controversial topic - Sponsors vs Affiliates

[shaun]

Becky is it really that much to ask? A few fhgs, some banners of different sizes? Most serious programs are providing this anyway. Why does asking for it make me a bad webmaster or a "lazy overpaid" webmaster?

Ive asked programs for content before now, most just give me access to the site. They give me content and i make sales with that content. Its a good partnership. Whats wrong with that?

Mark - if its just you, and I can just give you access to the site, directions to the folders, allow you to send the traffic onto my site wherever you want... you are worth GOLD to me.

If, on the other hand, I have to hire an entire dept to build FHG's, free sites, FPA's - if I have to build this tour and that tour and another tour to fit in with YOUR business model, then I have to change the entire way I do business!

Give me 25 relatively focused sponsors who are self sufficient - and I will bend over backwards - But if I have 100's of affiliates, all wanting this and that and the other - than I got NO time to work on my site....

And just like in the real world, why would you want to franchise a product you dont believe in!

I must say though _ I absolutely respect the affiliate webmasters - it is something I could not do. The great ones have spent time, energy, attention - and I admire them. And I want THOSE kinds of webmasters working with me!

[shaun]

Another thing to keep in mind.... I will get more and better sales if I work WITH Corbin Fisher and Randy Blue and Manifest Men, and other paid sites that share my market base, than if I work with someone who is giving it away for free.

Corbin and Blue and Manifest have traffic that represents customers WITH credit cards and who have already proven to be BUYERS of adult material. A banner or link or members area gallery with convert EASILY into a sale for me. A FHG? I'm thrilled with a 1:10k conversion rate. Which goes down the more affiliates use it!

It isn't that all affiliates are LAZY (like Lee says....), just that they do not really understand how hard the teams at our sites work.... We have 5 sites, we release at least one full length movie a month - and there are only 5 people at our entire company - I don't have TIME to develop YOUR business model too!

So, it isnt that I don't like affiliates (I love them!) - but when I see someone who takes a couple of content sets and makes 22 sales in a couple of days, vs someone who yells at me because he sent me traffic and it didnt convert for him ---- who am I going to pay attention to?

[CorbinFisher_BD]

It isn't that all affiliates are LAZY (like Lee says....), just that they do not really understand how hard the teams at our sites work.... We have 5 sites, we release at least one full length movie a month - and there are only 5 people at our entire company - I don't have TIME to develop YOUR business model too!

So, it isnt that I don't like affiliates (I love them!) - but when I see someone who takes a couple of content sets and makes 22 sales in a couple of days, vs someone who yells at me because he sent me traffic and it didnt convert for him ---- who am I going to pay attention to?

That's totally it, Shaun. And you have to release that full length movie and manage those sites because those are what the customers pay for. The customers. Yet many affiliates expect you to sacrifice service to your customers for sake of service to the affiliates. A happy medium is what's key, but once you start abanding customers for sake of affiliates a real problem arises.

We produce 3 brand new videos per week released between our two sites. We have 24/hour support for our members. We respond to every e-mail we get from members (including feedback emails) and have been in constant contact and correspondence with hundreds of them for years! We tirelessly recruit, schedule, and film the models to deliver the produce - what is being paid for - to our customers. THAT is the priority.

The effort we put in to satisfying and retaining our members will always outweight what's put in to satisfying and retaining our affiliates because happy customers make for happy affiliates. If we can produce material that inspires someone to join and retain, that benefits the affiliates.