Affiliate Marketing: The Art of the Close

Affiliate marketing is not your typical sales job. But if you do not incorporate tried-and-true sales techniques into the "closing time" aspect of your affiliate marketing operations, you will make less money through affiliate marketing than you could and should be making.

And that is unacceptable.

Figure out how to close a sale or else exit the affiliate marketing business ASAP.

The Warm-Up

It is necessary, especially if much of your traffic comes through natural search results, to invite visitors into your content with some level of tact. Immediately slamming people in the face with hype-drenched sales language is a real turn-off for natural search visitors.

Successful affiliate marketing-based websites tend to use non-commercial headlines as the first step towards making their sales. For example, a dating website might speak to a target demographic initially by addressing the dreams of that demographic directly.

Such as:

Do you ever suspect that there is someone out there for you, that could be a partner in your life and maybe even the love of your life, but you are having trouble finding this person? Have you ever thought about trying out a dating website, but don't know where to start?

You have said nothing about your recommended products, but you have, hopefully, made a connection with the visitor. Now, hopefully, your visitor is ready to listen.

Early Entry Points

Unlike a direct mail letter that may take a while to ask for the sale, building the case, building the case, affiliate marketing via Internet media seeks to capitalize on the fact that, if everything is constructed right, a good portion of visitors will want to buy something rather soon.

Consider inserting a couple early entry points that enable the purchase-minded visitor to go straight to buying. Hyperlink a couple early keywords directly to the sales page. If your visitor isn't ready to buy, they can simply click back. No sweat off their back.

But the ones that are ready to buy can buy now, which is always a lot better than buying later. The Internet is an ADD environment. People lose interest. People leave, quick.

Before anyone leaves your website, they should see your sales page, if at all possible.

Close Like a Champion

The best salespeople acknowledge that the buyer has other options. In fact, talking about your competition, and why you're more right for this situation, is a stellar sales technique.

But let's be honest: when it comes right down to it, you need to be able to close a sale. Even if you're using a lighter touch throughout your site, never, ever apologize for marketing the products and services that pay you commissions. Ask for the order.

Then ask for the order again. People respect passion. Show passion in your sales pitch and tell your visitor what you want them to do. Call for action once, twice, three times.

Affiliate marketing is not always blatant, but being shy rarely pays.