Sometimes working with affiliate partners is a frustrating experience. There are so many ways merchant partners drop the ball and unintentionally sabotage a potentially profitable relationship. Dan Kennedy refers to this type of thing as the “Sales Prevention Department.”

Here is what one of our new members experienced while applying for affiliate partners in Commission Junction:

Here is my response:

A -

You are not alone in your bewilderment here!

Unfortunately merchant partners fail to see the potential in developing affiliate relationships. To understand this, first let me explain the nature of the affiliate relationships.

First, an advertiser – also known as the “merchant” decides they want to have affiliates promote their products. Because running an affiliate program is a full-time job, the advertiser will then look for an affiliate network to operate their affiliate program.

In this case, the advertiser decided to hire Commission Junction. Commission Junction then takes care of all the day-to-day managing activities of the program, such as tracking sales, issuing commission checks, etc.

In return for this work the affiliate network takes a cut of all the sales generated by its affiliates. For example, if you are getting paid $10 for a sale, Commission Junction may be taking $3.

Affiliate networks, like Commission Junction, are a necessary evil. You will discover that other than issuing your commission check, large networks including Commission Junction do nothing to deserve their high fees.

They provide zero support and often fail to recognize when good affiliates apply to join a program. In any event, here are some suggestions on what to do if your application is denied:

1. Consider contacting the merchant company directly. You can usually find some contact information right on the company’s website. Explain to them that you have an affiliate site, how you plan on promoting their products, etc.

2. Consider joining other affiliate networks outside of Commission Junction. In Chapter 4 of The Online Entrepreneur – available to members in our training center – you will find a large list of other networks. Often these networks have the same program or comparable programs.

3. Write an email to the merchant via your Commission Junction account. You can usually contact the advertiser via CJ. Just look for the merchant’s contact information in your CJ account. This is probably a last resort type of thing because it may take up to a week for CJ to route the email onto the advertiser – if they bother to do so at all.

Remember, don’t get too caught up on a specific program. There are likely similar offers available who are ready, willing, and eager to have you as their affiliate!