Hiring an Affiliate Manager

Who's done it? Was it worth it?

[chameleon]

I've got a small affiliate program for a program I've developed. I've run it myself for a few months, and had moderate success, but not nearly as much as I had hoped for. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time to spend on it each day that I really should in order to dramatically grow the program.

Yesterday I got a call from a company offering to manage my program for me. They would do the recruitment of affiliates, and in return take a percentage of the sales and a $1,299 fee per month!

That's a bit too steep for my blood. It's a $9.95 widget I'm selling, so they'd need to get me about 250 extra sales a month just to break even.

It did, however, get me thinking. Maybe a full time Affiliate Manager might be helpful -- if their rates were more reasonable.

Has anyone here used one? Was it effective? Can you share your experiences?

[edited by: eljefe3 at 2:51 pm (utc) on Feb. 26, 2005]

[hannamyluv]

A good affiliate manager is worth their wieght in gold, but finding one is a pretty tricky endevor. Just hiring an "affiliate manager" is not going to do it, they have to be good. A bad affiliate manager can do some serious harm to your program.

So what makes a good affiliate manager? Someone with sales experience. It may sound a bit off the wall, but an affiliate manager is alot like a sales person for your company. S/he is selling your company and the products you sell. S/he is keeping your sales force happy while making sure they don't take the shirt right off your back. It is a delicate balance.

[howiejs]

We just hired an affiliate manager / biz dev person. It is a TOUGH hire / important.

I went for someone super smart (100x smarter then me!) - and not really tech heavy.

I can train someone on the basic tech / reporting stuff that is easier vs. the strategic higher level work

[shangrilasofa]

I need one too

[Shawn Collins]

chameleon -

I know that pricing may sound high, but if you consider the cost of a full-time employee, that would be a whole lot more expensive.

And the $1,299/month rate is actually way below average for an experienced person to run an affiliate program.

That said, outsourcing your affiliate management can make a lot of sense if you find the right person.

The problem is that there are not a lot of skilled folks out there. If you hire somebody on an outsourced basis, be sure to get some references and look into their background/track record.