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Trust: The Glue of Cooperative Programs
by Paul "the soaring" Siegel
Without trust there is no cooperative program. Without trust, people don't want to be affiliated. Without trust, those who joined by mistake, will cause conflict.
With trust, program initiator and affiliate are bound to each other in a common endeavor. If, as program initiator you are seeking an affiliate, first build trust. If, as a company you are searching for a good cooperative program, first look for trust.
(As I discussed in the last issue, the other major elements of a good cooperative program are strategic fit and community.)
What are the major elements of trust? After some thought I advance the following five:
- SUCCESS - Is the company a success in some area? I
believe one of the big reasons people are joining the
amazon.com affiliate program, is because of the
success amazon.com has achieved.
- HONEST ADVERTISING - When I'm told that I may
double my income in three months or that I could make
thousands of dollars without much work, I stay away.
When I hear of an MLM system, I stay away. Recently I
visited a site which said essentially, "It's OK for you, as
an affiliate, to spam; but don't mention our name when
you do so." When I hear this, I RUN away.
- REPUTATION FOR HONESTY & RELIABILITY - You
may find information about a company on a mailing list
or in other literature. But the best way is through word-
of-mouth. Next best is to contact clients and associates
of the company and get their opinion.
- TRANSACTION TRANSPARENCY - There are many
ways of keeping affiliates informed about transactions
and earnings. A company you can trust has a system
which every affiliate can check on any time. Also each
affiliate is sure the statistics are correct because he has
alternate means of checking.
- AFFILIATE RESPONSIBILITIES - Beware of the
company that says you need not do anything except
post a banner and collect checks. In a cooperative
endeavor, everyone should have some responsibility,
things they must do.
Whether you are a program initiator or a program seeker, you need to be concerned with all the details of the plan. But for evaluation purposes, concentrate on:
- Strategic Fit
- Community
- Trust
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