Think Tank Merchant Review Checklist for Affiliate Attendees

[BillyKay]

If you're not a repeat TT attendee, here's some things that work when reviewing merchants. I'll split it up into separate posts.

Checklist for "Grilling" ThinkTank Merchants

1. Commission Rates
Compare the commission rate to a few competitors - let them know where they stand. Amazingly, a lot of merchants never do this. TELL them their competitors if they don't get it

2. Cookie Duration
Do the same as cookies

3. EPC
Compare theirs to a few competitors and let them know where they stand. If you see something odd -

the merchant I'm reviewing says 7 Day $0.00 - make sure you ask why they haven't had a sale in a week.

4. Reversals
Do the same as EPC. My merchant has 30 day reversal 2.60 %. I'll be asking them about that.

5. Merchant provided description
Read it. Get thier tone. Do they sound affiliate friendly... or are they cubicle cronies passing down informatiuon from a higher up.

Look for discrepancies in their pitch, with what SAS offilially states. My merchant's pitch says

offers a tiered commission structure where you can earn between 10% - 15% of every sale

yet SAS says Sale Commission: 10.00 % to 13%

and their stats page says Commission Structure: 10 % Per Sale

That's THREE different rates! I'd like to know what they actually pay

6. Send an email to the AM... any silly question... just to see if you get a response

7. Apply to the program
Check the welcome email to see the merchant's tone.

I applied... waited a few days... got an email saying "How to you plan on promoting us?"

I replied "With the links and banners available in Shareasale" (LOL)

They responded with "we need more info before we approve"

We went back and forth a few times, and I finally responded with "Look! I just joined 'cause I'm reviewing you at ThinkTank!"

8. Time permitting, stall on making links until you get a newsletter, as that also says a lot about a merchant. Time NOT permitting, when you're in SAS click the link that says View Recent Newsletters

9. Glance at the Merchant's Terms of Service
If you've been doing this for 3 months, you can quickly spot if it's a default TOS, or if the merchant actually has a lot of rules.

LOL! Glad I glanced at my merchant's TOS. I just found what the commission rate is: 10% for normal linking... 12% if you put them on your homepage. Let me count the ways I don't like that!

10. Decide who runs the affiliate program. Is it an AM (employee) of the company? Is it an OPM firm? An OPM firm with a good track record? Is it the owner of the site? Is it the webmaster? I'm not a fan of store owners who also run the aff program. I think it should be separate.

11. Probably not enough time before TT, but try to establish a relationship with the AM before promoting. If you picked Angel or Kim4checks, they're public... you already know where they stand.

But it is very important to put the merchant thru a job interviiew (without them knowing). Do their prices change too often? Do they have plans on merging with another company? Do they HAVE to host their graphics on Yahoo - so we can't use them? Do they have private offers if you do well? Will they share what works and what doesn't? Do they even KNOW what works and what doesn't? Etc.

In my next post, I'll bullit list rating the links and banners and other creative

[Daniel M. Clark]

This is going to be my first TT - and this thread is going to be invaluable to me... thanks, Billy!

[BillyKay]

Commissions, cookies etc are all irrelevant if the merchant doesn't have the tools you need to promote them.

Look at their get links section. What follows is just MY opinion, what "I" look for.

1. Banner Sizes
If a merchant thinks a banner is important enough to make, they need to make it in ALL sizes. Nothing worse then an important banner you need, like "Halloween Sale", and they only make it in two sizes, neither of which you use.

2. Banner Categories
Do they have banners that match their own categories? If their site says Mens Shoes... Women's Shoes... Childrens Shoes... do they have banners that say the same? A merchant needs a banner for each and every category on their site.

3. Banner Quality
Did a professional make the banners - or some neighborhood kid using PSPro for the first time? The first effect everyone falls in love with using PSPro is the "Buttonize" efect. If the merchant has a bunch of banners with this effect...lol. Are the banners gonna enhance your site, or make you great looking site look like pooh?

4. Animated Banners
Work on some sites... not on mine. Animated banners need to be made available in static form.

5. Does the merchant have Seasonal banners? Halloween? Christmas?

6. Does the merchant change banners without telling anyone?
For example, you put up a banner that says "Grandfather Gift"... go to your website the following week, and the banner you haven't touched now says "Fisherman Gift"

7. Are the graphics current?
If there's a bunch of banners that say Christmas 2004... it tells you to swap out to another merchant!

8. Are the banners relevent?
LOL! One of the merchants I'm reviewing is Calandars.com. (Which is also dogbreed.com). So how many non-related dog breed banners am I forced to look at while trying to find a Barbi Twins Calander?

9. Are there coupon banners?
Obviously if you have a coupon site, you'll need them

10 Product Links?
If you have a product site and just need one product, it's a must have. Also, if they have this option, it means they also have the "Link to any page on our site" option, which I use all the time.

11. Datafeed
For the more experienced affiliate, a great tool. Merchants should have it. Even if you're not ready today, if you decide to start a feed site in 3 months, spend $100 on WebMerge... you'll need it.

12. Text Links
Same requirements as banners

13. Widgets?
Widgets seem to convert better then banners, so I think all merchants should have them by now - with about a dozen widget choices to start

14. Dynamic Links
The kind that update automatically. I haven't had to update my Crazyforbargains banner since the day I joined... and it's always current. You just need to carefully choose where to place them.

15. Video Ads
Too new to tell, but if a merchant offers them, it definately tells you the merchant is on top of things.

16. Other Creative - GoldenCan and Popshoppes
If you're new and just toss up a GC page, you'll be dissapointed. But, if you do your own hard work and promotion, and plop it in the middle of your other work, they do really well having an entire store on your page.

17 LAZY Banners...
No matter which category you click on, it's just their logo! Chrismas is a red logo. St patricks is a green logo. Halloween is an orange logo. Yech!!!


Edited to add: The banner and text links must go to the appropriate landing page!!! If the link says "Women's Shoes", it can't go to men's sneakers... or the home page. I just chastised someone who goes to all these TT's... should know better... they had FIVE links... THREE went to the wrong landing pages.

[BillyKay]

I didn't know you were coming to TT Daniel! Way Cool!

Next two checklists are...

Viewing the merchant site as an affiliate...

and Viewing the merchant site as a customer. Scooter usually makes test purchases from all the mechants and tracks everything right down to the delivery, product satisfaction, return policy. But he can't make it this year... and I don't think there's enough time to make test purchases.

Will post tonight... off to the Midway at Circus Circus

[JimLillig]

Great checklist. I would just add in reference to landing pages, are they split tested. And ask to see the ones that didn't make it just to make sure they are not just saying they did. Most program providers I have dealt with simply put up a page from some designer and never split test it.

Thanks again for this invaluable set of questions.

Cheers,

Jim Lillig
www.jimlillig.com

[7 Days Ron]

I don't think it was mentioned above, but I also suggest you go all the way through to the shopping cart and checkout to see what you find. A great site and great affiliate tools will mean nothing if the merchant loses most of their customers at checkout. I was impressed at my first Think Tank by those who actually bought things from the merchants and commented about the checkout as well as the delivered products.

And what does one look for in the checkout? Well, you don't want pages and pages of checkout screens. You don't want to be entering the same information over and over. You don't want to be giving any more information than needed (some look like they are just trying to get information for a mailing list sometimes). Was it easy, was it fast, and were the items you ordered there where you could easily see them. Can you easily remove an item or the number of items?

It's the affiliates job to lead the customer by the hand to the merchant site, but it's the merchants job to walk them in as straight a line as possible from whatever door the affiliate brought them in to the exit with their credit card at the ready.

[7 Days Ron]

Let me also add, don't be afraid to give the merchant suggestions outside of the affiliate program. I've seen some small merchants so caught up in the big picture of their site that the often miss some of the little things. Suggestions in the past have been very well received and I've seen many implemented.

Again, you want to help the merchant complete the sale (and for you, obtaining the commission).

[BillyKay]

Viewing the Merchant Site as an Affiliate

1. Is there a toll-free number? How big is it? Is it on every page? If so... do they offer phone tracking? If they don't, the merchant needs to know how we feel about giving them FREE orders for our efforts.

2. Is the site professional looking? Creates a sense of security? (People are ALWAYS hesitant when shopping online).

3. Are there too many gadgets and blinky things?

4. If the first thing you see is in bold red at top "15% off all orders"... did they have that special as a link for affiliates?

5. Does the special on their site MATCH the one given to affiliates?

6. How's the navigation? The site I'm looking at right now... the left nav has well over 100 categories... it goes on forever!

7. Does it look like a poorly done datafeed site? You know the ones I mean. Affiliates can get away with that, but not the merchant.

8. Are there leaks? We do all the work to attract a customer, send them to a merchant, only to have the merchant send our hard earned traffic somewhere else.

9. Is the merchant also an affiliate? This is sooo wrong. I'm on a merchant site - an SAS merchant, and there's a Linkshare affiliate link - lol - er - aargh!!!

I just checked another ThinkTank merchant, and there's a link to SanFran Music Box Company on EVERY page of their site!

10. Does the site have phrases GUARANTEED not to give you credit?
Hubcaps.com just went offline, but they were famous for having a line that said "Manufacturer won't let us print the price, please call to order" (and no, they didn't have phone tracking)

another favorite: Out of stock, please place order on phone as we can't do out of stock orders online

11. READ a few product descriptions
They HAVE to be complete. Does it say if it's real wood or veneer? Does it give the dimensions. There has to be NO REASON for a customer to call (you loose the sale) with a question

12. Does the site time out or is slow?
I speak from experience here. If it takes toooooooo long to place an online order, they'll give up and call it in

13. Place a test order (as far as you can go without charging your card)

If you see "Shipping is 7 days. CALL for expedited shipping"... run away!

If you see " Enter Coupon Code: " and you didn't see a coupon link in SAS... contact the merchant. That's another lost sale.

How much info do you have to give before they tell you the shipping charges?

Is there any upsell that will boost your commission?

Are you on a https page?

I just got to the part where the want my CC info, so I'll abandon the cart. We'll see if they email me - now that they already have my personal info, even tho I didn't buy anything.

I have one merchant who sends an email that says "We noticed you didn't complete the sale. Use this coupon for 20% off and complete the sale" (And I still get the commission

14. Post Sale experience
You won't see this unless you actually complete a sale, but some merchants final page says

"Save 10% on this sale and enjoy future rewards" click YES

They're actually giving your personal info to a 3rd party rewards company, and if you're customer clicks YES, you'll never see them again, as these companies send then enough emails that they won't need your site ever again.

[BillyKay]

Watch for "subtle" leaks

A SAS merchant has a link to their blog on every page - which is a quasi-leak in itself - and once you get to the blog, there are affiliate links all over it.

[jgoode]

thanks so much... great list, i needed this!

[SunshineGirl]

Thank you! This is extremely helpful.

[Nancy]

A SAS merchant has a link to their blog on every page - which is a quasi-leak in itself - and once you get to the blog, there are affiliate links all over it.

Would it be a disservice to the community to post these findings in a particular thread so folks could check it before signing up? I've seen a few doozies. If there were a searchable thread here people might find it useful.

Many things are not "Make or Break" deciding factors stuff but information to help others know what to expect. A "Unfriendly Practices Showcase"?

One recent example looked too good to be true on all the important stats; they had the normal email signup and a little news corner. Visiting the news corner you see that they are delivering visitors to a loyalty program type group where members all buy from member merchants. Like a mini ebates club. I had already wasted 3 days untangling their grotesque datafeed and couldn't wait to quit the program. I had checked their site before but not every corner of the site.
There are many affiliates with the assumption that the network checks out all the merchants before adding them to the network. This is not true. SAS is one of the best networks but there are some rotten apples in there too.

[BillyKay]

Actually Nancy,

One of the first forums I created here was the Merchant Focus Forum at

http://www.affspot.com/forumdisplay.php?f=220

The idea is to start a thread called "MerchantName",

then everyone posts theor opins, expieriences, etc... so if someone's thinking of joining their program, there's ONE place to look, rather then getting pieces here and there from 50 different threads

Pick a merchant - any merchant - and post Good. Bad. Indifferent. Doesn't matter.

[BillyKay]

This year's format of intimate one-on-one feedback sessions with merchants sounds great.

But, I've discovered things about some of the merchants that should be public... things that will peobably only change if the merchant gets a consensus from 50 affiliate attendees, rather then just me

It would be a shame if a merchant just shoved a problem under the rug because I was the only one who mentioned it to them. The merchant with Linkshare links... my feeling is that those links won't go away without a group consensus... EVERYONE at Think Thank telling them it's wrong

[Aunesty]

[jangro]

So I applied to a program so I could give it a thorough review at thinktank.

I wrote in the note on the application indicating clearly that's why I'm applying.

DECLINED.

oh well.

[BillyKay]

LOL

I was wondering if that would happen - and to who

[Kellie AFP]

I want to listen in on your review Scott.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the banners for one of the merchants I'm reviewing. Maybe they can explain it to me in SD.

[Aunesty]

Note to self - - - don't ask Billy, Scott or Kellie to review my programs....oh wait Billy can only review his own....

[BillyKay]

One of my merchants... this is amazing...

7 Day EPC = <$1.06>
Which, instead of EARNINGS per click means LOSS per click

and 7-day revarsal is 175.00 %

In case you think I make this stuff up...

[Kellie AFP]

Ok. I seriously want to know this. How can you get a negative EPC and a reversal rate greater than 100%? Were commissions already paid out reversed?

Aunesty, I'll explain in SD about my merchant. I don't want to publicly say it becasue folks are there to improve their program. And my feedback will be constructive...at least I hope it will.

[jgoode]

i can go back and read the agenda and clarify or i can choose to ignorantly post right here right now.. im on a roll with my anti-productivity today so i choose the latter ---

i was under the impression that the meetings with the merchants weren't one on one but small groups.. maybe a handful of people.

now im nervous as hell to sit by myself and chat... it works so much better to bounce ideas off of more than one person at a time. see if others can back you up or expand on an idea or see an angle you missed.

please tell me i read something wrong some where and my merchants arent going to be stuck with the penguin girl for 15 minutes.... alone. i should bring snacks.

[jgoode]

curiosity got the best of me and i had to go reread the agenda. LOL

i'm excited to see how this new format works, instinctively im inclined to think there will be a disconnect in more of the brainstorming discussion atmosphere. but i could be wrong, its been known to happen (shhh, dont tell dave). or maybe thats the point, less brainstorming and more itemizing priorities. what im envisioning is booths of anxious merchants, excited to sales pitch their programs and we show up anxious and excited to show them what to improve or give them kudos on the job well done. so its almost like a mismatch communication line because the goals aren't in sync.

throw something at me on saturday... im speculating when i should be sleeping

[jangro]

Originally Posted by Kellie AFP

Ok. I seriously want to know this. How can you get a negative EPC and a reversal rate greater than 100%? Were commissions already paid out reversed?

It is the 7-day numbers and since transactions lock only once a month, it was probably a few weeks of transactions that got reversed before they were paid out on.

I see negative EPCs in my daily stats all the time when a merchant reverses out canceled orders for the month all in one day.

[Kellie AFP]

Thanks Scott. 7 days is hilighted isn't it? I was doggedly thinking 30 days.