Getting Help Selling Ads Via Phone/Email

[yoyo8]

I have a website with over 1 million page views per month. Recently I put an 'Advertise with Us' box which links to an email address and haven't received any contacts.

Well, an acquaintance who is a marketing/sales type person offered to attempt to find advertisors for a commision. Since there would be no base paid out, he suggested 50%, which would decline over time.

Since I am just awful with this kind of marketing thing, I'm considering doing it. I am already using Adsense so this would be in addition to that.

Is this a fair deal or should I pass and try on my own a bit more?

[ziggystardust]

In my book 50% of something is better than 0% of nothing... I'd give the guy a chance, you've got nothing to lose.

//ZS

[universetoday]

I'd jump at 50% too. It lets you focus on your work and gives this guy a real incentive to sell. Selling is hard work and should be compensated appropriately. I wouldn't even have it deteriorate over time; that would just make him consider taking his advertising customers elsewhere.

[jcoronella]

Ditto... 50% seems fair to me.

[yoyo8]

"that would just make him consider taking his advertising customers elsewhere."

Well, I agree but don't understand one thing. Once they make the sale, aren't I the one who gets paid and then pays the commision out? And so I would also receive the contact information for the advertiser. How does that whole process work? The commision gets paid out forever as long as the ad from same company continues to run?

[universetoday]

You can handle it however you like. He charges the client and then passes along a commission to you; or you charge them and then give him a cut. However it works, he's going to only be motivated if he sees this turning into a regular revenue stream for him. Once they're through the door as a customer, they still have to be serviced month by month, so it's better for you to have someone motived keeping an eye on them.

Obviously, you can sign whatever deal you like, but the bottom line is that selling advertising is hard, thankless work. You need to seriously compensate people to bring in the business.

[firstmark]

If you are offering someone 50 percent commissions on the ads they sell for your site why not just join an adnetwork?
Adnetworks have ads and have smaller commission rates usually?
Whats wrong with Fastclick, Tribalfusion, or Burst?
No one is going to get top dollar for your site's ads on a commission basis only. The incentive is to sell everything cheap and get the easy comission. This is what adnetworks do.

[yoyo8]

"Whats wrong with Fastclick, Tribalfusion, or Burst?"

I'm looking for a text link or small logo placement, not large banner/skyscraper ads. This would only be for main page. All other pages do use an ad network, Adsense.

[Lundy]

Recently I sent out about 40 emails to sites that sold goods or services that were very appropriate for the content of one part of one of my sites. I got two replies---both bought ads. One required long telephone conversation. Now if they continue the ads,it was worth it. $60 a month.

I did same thing on another site and the guy pays me like $70 a month for small graphic ad, he is happy, says he gets good ROI, but if I sell more ads to people selling same type product it will dilute his sales I think. He won't be so happy, might not continue. So a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush to me. I will move on to a different site or different part of a site and send 40 more emails to try to attract long term advertisers there.