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First you have an affiliate network. Then you have the Internet which is booming with websites created by affiliates to steer visitors to advertisers’ websites. This is the simple elegance of affiliate programs. Create a website, sign up as an affiliate with an affiliate network. Find companies which sell products you like, then sit back and watch the money pour in. At least that is the theory. The truth is that many affiliates make the one mistake which most hurts their business the most. That mistake is that they fail to pre-sell their customers.

Creating a website which is one big sales letter is not going to lead to huge sales. Why? Because visitors are programmed to resist your sales pitch no matter how enticing your website may be. As a result, they will not be likely click through to the advertiser’s site. Even if they do click through, they will be faced with another sales pitch, possibly with some of the same wording. By selling you are actually hurting your chance to make a profit. What you need to do is allow your visitors to let their guard down so that they will be susceptible to a sales pitch.

If this does not make sense, keep in mind why people in the millions everyday go onto the Internet. They are looking for content. They want to learn something, or they are looking for help with a problem, or they have some other need.

The last thing that someone who is seeking information wants to be presented with is a sales pitch. For this reason, your website must become an information resource for such individuals. Such information will spark the interest of your visitors and garner their trust. As your visitors see that your website is offering them great information, they will be more eager to click through to the advertiser’s website in a state in which they are ready to pull out their check card and make a purchase.

What we have just described is what is known as the pre-sell. The pre-sell is conducted by the affiliate. It is a method by which you provide your visitors with a wealth of information on their topic of interest. Doing this places your visitor in a positive mindset, which opens them up to the advertiser’s sales pitch.

There are two important things to remember to effectively pre-sell your visitors:

1. Carefully craft your site to the theme of your advertisers’ products or services.

For instance, if you are promoting a myriad of gaming download advertiser products, your website must center on game consoles, accessory reviews, and anything else associated with gaming such as news, cheat codes, walkthroughs, strategy guides, etc. It is really up to you at this point. You just have to ensure that you cover topics which are in demand with your niche market.

2. Put yourself in your visitor’s shoes.

This is not the easiest thing in the world to do. People put a lot of work into their websites, and have an emotional attachment. As such, it is often difficult to be critical and see things as visitors may see them. If possible, now is a good time to get a fresh set of eyes to look at your website. If at all possible, so not let the individual know that this is your site so that they will not be partial. You have to know whether the navigation is easy to follow. You also must determine if the website adequately conveys to proper theme, and if it gives the visitor the information that they have been seeking. If you can truly say to yourself that the website accomplishes its intended purpose, then it is a pre-seller. Note that you will have gained your visitor’s trust by becoming a valuable source of information, and they are likely to take you up on your product or service recommendation.

Hopefully you can see why this method works so well. Essentially, it comes down to the two step process. The first step is where you, the affiliate, are of the utmost importance. Your website is the one which gives the visitor the information which they have been searching for on the Internet. Having received this information from you proves to the visitor that you are well versed on the subject matter. This garners trust in the visitor. As a trusted resource, the visitor is receptive to your product or service recommendation, and will visit the website which you recommend. Of course, the website which you recommend is one for which you are an affiliate. Since the visitor’s mental state is one which is not that of a guarded buyer, they are receptive to the advertiser’s sales pitch.

Just remember that the job of your website is to provide the information. This is the pre-sell which we have been talking about. Leave it to the advertiser to do the selling on their website, as this is their role in the affiliate network.

Becoming a member of an Affiliate Network is a great start. The next step is to pre-sell your Affiliate Programs to create interested buyers. Stop by and see us at SOSComplete.com.