Q: As a merchant who wants enter the affiliate market place to sell a service/product to generate $5000+ per month in sales (we design and make designer wedding albums) what reliable company[s] might you recommend to contact to help us enter this industry.
A: There are two players to consider here. You’ve got the affiliate networks, who will track your affiliate program, and I would also suggest getting an OPM (outsourced program manager) to spearhead your affiliate program.
There is a pretty good learning curve when you’re starting up an affiliate program, and an OPM can accelerate the progress of your program.
That said, you want to make the $5000+ sales per month, but you’re going to have costs chipping away at your margin, as you’ll have to pay the network, affiliates, and affiliate manager.
So, you need to work out a budget that includes these cost centers and still provides you with a profit.
Bear in mind that you’re not going to instantly have a huge amount of sales. It takes some time to recruit and active affiliates.
Expect a month to get the affiliate program set up and tested, and then gradual growth from there. It’s all based on relationships and they take time.