Ignorant Affiliates

[MMM]

Yep, it is a little demotivating when affiliates don't reply, but I can totally see why they don't. It's just a shame that we all have to be put in the same basket. It is what it is though and I don't see anything changing anytime soon. You'll get used to it Jelena

I am sure it is, but to encourage you a bit (I meant Jelena, Renee seems to be always encouraged) is that despite what it seems, we do not always place all AM's in the same basket.

If you do your homework, come with valid points appreciating that we have a business to run, and reply to "tougher" emails as fast as you send the promotional ones - it will be noticed. Maybe not immediately, but you will get there.

Think of it as google sandbox, it takes time, but if you do your work well, it's just a matter of time.

[baldidiot]

If we replied to every random email we received I'd get nothing else done...

I actually will respond to relevant personal requests that come through the correct channels, but 99% of times they're:

- Template messages (I know because we often get 10 identical emails through various sites)
- Completely irrelevant to the site (don't email my football betting site asking to promote bingo on it)
- The wrong market (don't email a .uk site looking to promote a non UK licensed brand on it)
- From the same damn people (we respond to a company once with a no and that's it, I'm not)

It also really matters to me how we're being contacted. If you email me through a contact form that specifically says no marketing requests (which most do), then it's getting ignored.

My big pet peeve is when it comes through a private email - such as ones we only give out to programs we work with, or even our accounting emails. In that case the senders email is getting blocked as those addresses are a) private and b) for priority response and I don't want that inbox being cluttered with crap.

[baldidiot]

Btw, wasn't there someone here that charged an assessment fee for new brands? Was a couple of years ago but if memory serves they said they wrote up a report on the brand for a fee, with the decision on whether or not to promote based on the outcome of the report.

Wasn't a bad idea, and would thin out the irrelevant rubbish.

[Syndicate]

I believe Gooner ''hit the nail'' on the head, and Racing Jim picked up on the moral of the story. The fact is their mail was contradictory/lying in that:

Their was going to be a simple ''yes or no'' answer coming.

And, ''Can’t help me to help you and do high CPA + revenue share just until end of May and then we will discuss June?'' ---- which contradicts what they already supposedly agreed ''Very happy to agree to flat for June.''

That brings me onto the next question - Is it racist to profile people/companies on the base of nationality? - suffice to say this was from a country that has a bad reputation for ''bullshitting'' everyone!

ps : This is not against the likes of Jelena or Renee - You represent yourselves in a much better way. You give back to the forum, assist were you can and don't waste peoples time - their is a big difference in class!

Now i must also say when i joined this forum about a year back i got a mail '' we are going to make big money together'' - get in touch from one of the contributors here --- That i find sleazy!

[Miles_FTA]

@ Syndicate ps : "This is not against the likes of Jelena or Renee - You represent yourselves in a much better way. You give back to the forum, assist were you can and don't waste peoples time - their is a big difference in class:

Are you saying I have no class lol .. Kicker .. anyways NUFF SAID ..As an affiliate you are well within your rights not to answer anything you deem Spam or irrelevant its your business and your money at the end of the day and as affiliate managers we need to respect that but we too have jobs and family's etc and this is our business and part of being an affiliate manager is hunting new potential deals or partners and that's what we are after partners..I have had many emails from affiliates with NO as an answer and appreciate the fact they have responded .. I know how good i am at what I do and so do the affiliates i work with if you choose other partners again its your choice and i can only wish you all well with your business and what ever the futures holds for all of you hopefully ist great success but i wont apologize for how i do my Job its My Job and i need to do it to the best of my ability be it negative or positive.

I go about my Business in a way i feel is tasteful and professional i may send 100 emails a day but never BCC and always take the time to review the sites im looking at first in order to make sure they fit what we are looking for . I try not to but in times i may have sent a few emails to one person and this could be seen as spam but its unintentional and is usually because that same person owns numerous websites. I am never pushy , rude or offensive as a smaller operator we have to work a little harder than the big boys who get referrals etc to find new partners so we have to do everything we can that's fair and not illegal or unfair towards affiliates to make our business succeed.

@ Syndicate I have had a few emails from affiliates also in the 12 years i have done this job that can be deemed as just pure Nasty and Sleazy and had a distinct Lack of class and where very Little tact had been shown so its a too way street just saying...people make mistakes and learn form them everyday as i do also . We are all part of the human race





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[ElaineGardiner]

I've been following this thread for a while now and thought I'd chip my 2 cents in...


The spam from AMs is like all those Viagra emails, if you send enough of them you'll get a reply at some point and it's easier to send 1000 emails bcc'd than it is to take time to review an affiliates website and find out where you'll be a good fit for the brand. But in this game it has to be quality over quantity.


While acquisition is part of the job it doesn't mean it always need to be done by pushy tactics done via email. Personally for me I work hard with our current affiliates, I fix any issues they have straight away, I'm always available, I’m on the forums and ensure that our program has fair terms and conditions and IF and WHEN an affiliate is looking for a new program, one of our affiliate will refer them or they'll come to us....and then you know that affiliate WANTS to work with you and will be more valuable than the 10 small affiliates you pushed to sign up via thousands of spam.

To reiterate Renee's previous post - we also get AM's emailing us.....to send them traffic,. Its these guys / gals that clearly have no idea what we do, haven't checked any sites etc which really pull the rest of us down.

[TheGooner]

That brings me onto the next question - Is it racist to profile people/companies on the base of nationality? - suffice to say this was from a country that has a bad reputation for ''bullshitting'' everyone!

The short answer is of course it is.

But we are all racist / sexist / heightist / many other-ists depending upon the life experiences that we've had.

I know the group you mean - and it is my experience too that many AMs / programs from there have very "sharp" business practices and frequently go back on agreements without any apparent concern for their word of honour. Cash rules - honesty suffers.

It doesn't stop there ...

I've automatically banned emails from .cn, .ru, .in and .ng too. GASP! Clearly racist !
I've also banned all emails from hotmail too! GASP! Clearly hotmail-ist!

It really does not matter what a 3rd world SEO expert with a gmail account puts in their email to me - as I will delete it without reading it ... and I no longer believe anything that ANY Nigerian businessman / prince says to me without double verification ...


I know it's stereotyping and "all-sorts-of-ist" - but I think many internet workers do have procedures based on previous experience.

[Renee]

Btw, wasn't there someone here that charged an assessment fee for new brands? Was a couple of years ago but if memory serves they said they wrote up a report on the brand for a fee, with the decision on whether or not to promote based on the outcome of the report.

Wasn't a bad idea, and would thin out the irrelevant rubbish.

From memory I think that was thePOGG?

The short answer is of course it is.

But we are all racist / sexist / heightist / many other-ists depending upon the life experiences that we've had.

I know the group you mean - and it is my experience too that many AMs / programs from there have very "sharp" business practices and frequently go back on agreements without any apparent concern for their word of honour. Cash rules - honesty suffers.

It doesn't stop there ...

I've automatically banned emails from .cn, .ru, .in and .ng too. GASP! Clearly racist !
I've also banned all emails from hotmail too! GASP! Clearly hotmail-ist!

It really does not matter what a 3rd world SEO expert with a gmail account puts in their email to me - as I will delete it without reading it ... and I no longer believe anything that ANY Nigerian businessman / prince says to me without double verification ...


I know it's stereotyping and "all-sorts-of-ist" - but I think may internet workers do have procedures based on previous experience.

I can't believe you'd block the Nigerians offering you tens of millions of dollars to help them out with a bank transfer!
I don't know anyone at all who has gotten cheated by a Nigerian prince.... in fact my Nigerian friend has promised me that he will split 40 million with me once I give him my bank details :/

[Miles_FTA]

No More Affiliate Management for you then Renee when he Pays out ... Spend your Millions Wisely and remember the little guys lol see you in Amsterdam and have safe travels

[AE-Stephen]

I've been following this thread for a while now and thought I'd chip my 2 cents in...


The spam from AMs is like all those Viagra emails, if you send enough of them you'll get a reply at some point and it's easier to send 1000 emails bcc'd than it is to take time to review an affiliates website and find out where you'll be a good fit for the brand. But in this game it has to be quality over quantity.


While acquisition is part of the job it doesn't mean it always need to be done by pushy tactics done via email. Personally for me I work hard with our current affiliates, I fix any issues they have straight away, I'm always available, I’m on the forums and ensure that our program has fair terms and conditions and IF and WHEN an affiliate is looking for a new program, one of our affiliate will refer them or they'll come to us....and then you know that affiliate WANTS to work with you and will be more valuable than the 10 small affiliates you pushed to sign up via thousands of spam.

To reiterate Renee's previous post - we also get AM's emailing us.....to send them traffic,. Its these guys / gals that clearly have no idea what we do, haven't checked any sites etc which really pull the rest of us down.

This.

I get emails from Aff managers telling me they like MY site and they would like to be in my "top 10"

Its obviously a blanket mail and somehow I am on their list. When I have time I sometimes troll the aff manager until they realise then go quiet.

100's of useless emails or 1 well written personalised email, there really is only 1 winner.

[Triple7]

So you are getting divorced soon. I would not do my employees to handle my mailbox and I sometimes hate them significantly.

Gooner: those adcompanies are plague. It is their habits that are spread into affiliate business. Sadly I indirectly cooperate even with them and with very rare exceptions it is just horrible. Which means even affiliate biz will be just worse.

One "funny" story. Monday morning, I wake up, checking emails. Idk if you know device called "fitbit", it is a thing that measures sleep, steps etc. My resting heart rate is about 50 BPM. Only checking the email today caused my BPM to go to 80 instead of the 50. That is pure physiological reaction to bullshit.

Haha, I hope not. The mailbox she's handling is the mailbox where are landing mails from contact forms on my websites. It are (I) usually people wanting to sell links, seo-crap, webdesign, (II) players that have comments on online casinos like casino A is scam, casino B is crap and casino C does not pay out or (III) affiliate managers mailing.

(I) are deleted, (II) is asked what happened. First, I want a complete story before I can contact the online casino. In 99% of all cases, a player does not respond anymore, is not able to tell concrete what has happened or it is obvious that it is it's own mistake (Hey, I made an account under a false name and now the casino does not want to pay out). (III) is divided into people that haven't read the website, are marked as spammers or scammers and 'others'. 'Others' do get a mail with the requirements for a placement. 95% doesn't respond after that, which says enough about their intentions. Requirements aren't even though.

The it's passed to me. So I just get the serious things. And if affiliate managers want to lose their time with discussion requirements, while they know they will never ever meet them, go ahead. I also never ever forget affiliate programs that threated me like **** when I just started.

I never heard of "Fitbit", but I can image what it is. True, it is 100% irritation when you get the mail # 500 of some new clown working at Affiliates United or of notorious scammers that didn't even notice that you trashed them at a blacklist page. It's not a job for in the morning I guess


__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________


That assessment thing that is talked about here, I understand that. 99% of all programs that are emailing and emailing.... When you have a look at their casino, you'll find a lot of complaints on major portals, dodgy terms, not-working or unresponsive helpdesk, bogus licenses, etc. Why spend a lot of time on a review if the casino did not make some efforts to create a reasonable product? Sometimes they ask for feedback. For some brands we're able to make more than a full page with required improvements. I understand that The Pogg is asking money for that. It was their job. Why should you do it for free?

It all starts with offering an attractive looking casino with reasonable terms, a decent bonus, etc.

[Miles_FTA]

I agree with you 100% here Steph "100's of useless emails or 1 well written personalized email, there really is only 1 winner" Only thing is its very difficult to personalize an email when you dont know who the owner of a site is ?

Does it then become Dear Webmaster ? Or Dear BestCasinoBonuses.com .

I am with you and always take the time to review the site first and then my email is personalized by the fact that i have actually looked at the site and taken note of if its in fact a site that would promote us or not .

I may send 100 emails a day but never the same email always tweaked and only because i am reviewing 100 sites day and dont have random lists i hit.

[AE-Stephen]

When I say personalise, I don't mean talk about their pets, what they got up to weekend or their favourite tipple.

I mean you scour their website, find an "in" that matches their site to your affiliate program and discuss why you are a good choice for them.

Don't just ask for exposure, give good reasoning why its a good business decision for them based on what you know.

[Triple7]

I agree with you 100% here Steph "100's of useless emails or 1 well written personalized email, there really is only 1 winner" Only thing is its very difficult to personalize an email when you dont know who the owner of a site is ?

Does it then become Dear Webmaster ? Or Dear BestCasinoBonuses.com .

I am with you and always take the time to review the site first and then my email is personalized by the fact that i have actually looked at the site and taken note of if its in fact a site that would promote us or not .

I may send 100 emails a day but never the same email always tweaked and only because i am reviewing 100 sites day and dont have random lists i hit.

It's indifferent to me if you write me a mail with Dear Webmaster, Hi there, Hello of Good morning Triple 7. It is all about if you know your product and saw my website. A cooperation must have any sense. For example,if I have a no deposit bonus website, you're having a no deposit bonus and writing that to me. Then you saw that I am targeting no deposit bonus seekers and that you're product fits into that.

That's personalized enough and very ok to me.

What bothers a lot of people is bingo programs asking for exposure at a blackjack website or asking for being on a no deposit bonus website, while the casino is not having such a bonus, asking for being at a website which targets a heavily regulated market while not having such a license, etc.

[casinopapa]

Hi Jelena!

Reaching our on Skype first is a good way to go, or to quickly take it from email to Skype.

I like to hash out a deal quickly and then move on, with so many emails coming in - many of them get shelved away by rules I setup to clear out spam and junk so one way to reach me is by using your personal email to contact me (not that you've struggled before).

This way it won't get picked up by a filter I setup.

[Miles_FTA]

@ Stephen - I see you had a good teacher in Martyn - Wise Man ..its what i said and thought you meant just wanted to see how you address the email more than the content but as Triple 7 says it doesn't really matter as long as your relevant and have had a look at the site and its not a bulk or generalized email . My English teacher always said if you dont Say Dear John and Use to Whom it may concern then that's not personal is all and hence i asked

[universal4]

So is a personalized email to a purchased/rented/traded/compiled list of potential players considered spam when the complaints start flying in?

Would the affiliate that did such be in jeopardy of losing their affiliate account and future commissions?

Rick
Universal4

[Muppet]

My English teacher always said if you dont Say Dear John and Use to Whom it may concern then that's not personal is all and hence i asked

I'm glad you learned something from her at least. She would be rolling in her grave trying to decipher some of your posts!

[AE-Martyn]

From my point of view, there is a fine line between what is spam and what is a genuine attempt to contact a site owner (affiliate). We as affiliate managers are fully aware that affiliates get nailed by loads of aff managers looking for coverage. We know it's annoying but at the same time we have a job to do, but it's how you do it. It is however, down to the affiliate to decide whether or not to reply. If they don't, they're not necessarily ignorant, maybe just busy, nothing to offer or your email went to spam?

If I were to make contact with an affiliate on GPWA by use of PM, I don't see that as spam, a cold call maybe, but as a sponsor of the forum and with the affiliate being a member here that shouldn't be an issue in my eyes. I'd like a response but if I don't get one, I take the hint.

Speaking of affiliate lists, we will never sell or trade a list of affiliates signed up to our program, even if an aff manager that I'm friendly with asked me for a contact for a particular affiliate, I'd go to the affiliate and let them know that this person wants to talk with them and here is their contact info. If the affiliate gives me the thumbs up to pass on contact info, I would do, but only with permission. It makes no business sense to give away your list

I learned a long time ago that personalised emails are the way forward, it is a long slog and one that can kill your motivation, but mass emails do not work. It's fine for newsletters and promotional items, but not for the 'please can I get #1 spot on your site' type emails.

[-Shay-]

What is the policy here (at GPWA) regarding out of the blue PM's trying to drum up business?