An affiliate manager is a marketing professional that identifies, connects and negotiates deals with marketing sources.
So what makes a great affiliate manager? Let’s take a look.
1. Industry Experience & Contacts
Whichever industry you’re in, an affiliate manager’s black book is their currency. Not to say that an experienced affiliate manager cannot bring you great results without relevant contacts. But let’s be realistic, if you’re a hiring manager, relevant connections are the first checkbox you’re looking to tick.
2. Technical Knowledge – Tools, Tools, Tools ….
Affiliates can come from any source. SEO, video, streaming, PPC, media buying, email lists, Etc. And the list just goes on. The perfect affiliate manager is always testing out new ways to source traffic. Jumping on the next wave before it goes mainstream is crucial to building long-lasting relationships & profitable deals. They look at data to estimate the value of an affiliate’s traffic & press on deals accordingly.
3. Sales Oriented
The perfect affiliate manager needs to know their ABC’s. ALWAYS BE CLOSING. Simply put, sales is not for everyone. You either have the drive, hunger and determination to always exceed your previous target, or cruise through quarters with slow and expected growth. The ideal affiliate manager will do almost anything to exceed targets met in previous periods. This hunger and can-do attitude is arguably the most important thing to look for in the perfect affiliate manager.
4. Great Social Skills
Events, conferences, VIP lounges. These are the settings you’ll find the perfect affiliate manager mingling in. Captivating attention and focusing on making the affiliates feel special. In the best cases, the perfect affiliate manager will develop true and long-lasting bonds with affiliates. People like doing business with people they like, that speak their language. Both figuratively and literally.
5. Focus on Customer Service
Keeping affiliates happy can be a full-time job in itself. Being meticulous enough that an affiliate never needs to come to you in the first place, that would be ideal. But in the real world, where media, campaigns, landing pages, and promo codes are constantly changing, you’re bound to see conversion rates dips at times. The perfect affiliate manager needs to fight for their affiliates to get what they need.
6. Number Driven Negotiator
It all boils down to numbers. Numbers, numbers, numbers. Without numbers, there is no value, no growth, no winning. Your perfect affiliate manager needs to understand the concept of P&L. Profit and loss. It’s what it all boils down to at the end of the month. The amount of money you have left after costs, to buy Mojitos with. If the numbers don’t add up, the perfect affiliate manager does not dance around the issue. They re-negotiate the deal or end it outright.
Final Thoughts
No matter what your industry is, you probably stand a better chance of finding a unicorn rather than the perfect affiliate manager. Which is exactly why we decided to do something about it.
At Gainchanger we are obsessed with unlocking new efficiencies, through Automation and AI.
We already rescue hundreds of affiliate managers every day, sparing them tedious and repetitive manual tasks. But we didn’t stop there! We can also provide you with superhuman powers to work better, easier and faster.
Presenting Gainchanger, the ultimate tool to help you discover and connect with hundreds of new and relevant affiliates, in any market or industry effortlessly.
So, whether you are struggling to find new affiliates or striving for perfection, get in touch and start closing more and better quality deals today! Our early bird program is available for a limited time only, so make sure to request access before it’s too late.
Gain Changer co-founder Sean Bianco is well-versed in determining market trends. Emphasis is placed on understanding relationships between technical problems and customer impact, resulting in customer-driven products and services.
