Until now, managing the administrative side of partnerships, whether it’s figuring out revenue sharing on a given sale or working with affiliate managers to determine the effectiveness of referred affiliates, has been challenging and time-consuming, if not impossible. With that in mind, ClickBank is very proud and excited to announce the availability of our extensive new Joint Venture capabilities.

ClickBank Joint Venture is a powerful new way to automate payouts, refunds, bonuses and more between multiple parties. It even allows for something which many ClickBank clients have wanted for a long time, which is 2^nd tier affiliate commissions!

Joint Venture includes four different types of JV contracts you can create, with each serving a unique and useful function:

• Traditional JV Contract- Allows a product vendor to give a portion of their earnings from a sale to another client, such as a partner, copywriter, designer, customer service manager, or anyone they wish.
• Upsell JV Contract- Allows a product vendor to upsell another vendor’s product and split the proceeds of the sale however they wish.
• Affiliate Referral Contract- Commonly referred to as 2^nd tier affiliate commissions, this type of JV allows a product vendor to share a portion of their earnings with an affiliate manager or JV broker who referred the affiliate that led to a particular sale.
• Affiliate JV Contract- Allows two or more affiliates to share the affiliate commission on a sale. This is a great way for affiliates to partner on an advertising campaign or collaborate on projects.

For more information on how to set up and use all the different kinds of Joint Venture contracts, please see our Joint Venture Help Center article!

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Affiliate Marketing Today Podcast: How to Attract Joint Venture Partners
2. 5 ClickBank Features That Will Rock Your Profits!
3. More Pitches, More Profits – Introducing the New PitchPlus™ Feature!

Having been a publisher, affiliate, and even an affiliate manager over the past 10 years, I’ve been able to get a unique perspective on what it’s like to be on both sides of the affiliate/publisher relationship.

Given that insight, I’ve noticed most publishers are leaving money on the table when it comes to recruiting, assisting, and building relationships with their affiliates. Therefore, I’ve put together some of the most important things a publisher should be doing in order to build and nurture their affiliate base.

Be Available – Many times I’ve been eager to promote a product or service and have a question about it, but I am unable to find an email, phone number, or any way to contact the publisher. Sometimes, even if I do find that information and contact the publisher, I never hear back from them. This doesn’t leave me with much confidence as an affiliate promoting their product. Don’t make this fatal mistake; be available in some way. One easy way is to place an email or contact box on your site and then use the phone to follow up and further your relationship with your affiliates.

Use The Phone – Don’t be afraid to talk to people on the phone. This doesn’t mean you need to post your phone number on the Web. However, it does mean that you should be using the phone to talk with potential affiliates and build relationships with them, as well as maintaining relationships with your existing affiliates.

As a publisher, you are most likely very busy, and most people don’t have the resources for a dedicated affiliate manager or the time to talk to every affiliate that emails them. However, keep in mind the 80/20 rule, which applied here dictates that 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your affiliates. If your time is limited, then at least make sure you’re talking with that top 20%.

Go To Conferences – This is the best place not only to learn, but also to meet potential affiliates and super affiliates. Going to an affiliate marketing conference like Affiliate Summit, for example, will allow you to meet new and existing affiliates, other publishers, and even people from ClickBank. When going to a conference, don’t try to recruit someone as an affiliate without getting to know the person first. Your purpose should be to get to know people and build relationships first, and then decide if they are a good candidate to be an affiliate for you.

Get Feedback – Now that you’re building relationships with your affiliates and you’re in regular communication with them, you’ll start getting priceless feedback. Listen to your affiliates, be proactive by encouraging feedback, and most importantly, take action on the feedback you get! The feedback you receive from your affiliates will help you to improve your products and services, conversions, and can give you numerous profitable insights.

As you can see, all my points are based around the same concept – the relationship. Affiliate management and recruitment is all about relationships. Whether you’re approaching potential affiliates in person or on the Web, or just working with existing affiliates, your approach should always be the same. You should work to build a great relationship with them. Not doing that is one of the biggest mistakes you could make as a publisher. Besides, you never know where that relationship might take you. I’ve known a few publishers who have even started new successful business ventures with one of their top affiliates.

Miles Baker has been marketing online since 1997 and has been a ClickBank client for almost a decade. He currently resides in Fort Collins, CO where he runs several online businesses and Web sites. You can reach Miles, learn more about him, and even view his live office cam at his Web site, MarketingWithMiles.com.

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Five Pitch Page Mistakes ClickBank Vendors Should Avoid
2. Download Our Recurring Billing Publisher Guide
3. 8 Key Differences Between Super Affiliates and Struggling Affiliates