Dec 3 2005
How Business Should Work
- 17 Comments... Click to Contribute
After my recent complaints regarding fraudsters not paying their bills and lying and cheating to get more free work out of my business (sheesh, that angry emotion just doesn’t die easily does it!) I think this story is a nice counter-balance and should even up the karma a little bit. This is how business is meant to work.
I came home to my inbox after a podcast-filled power walk to three messages:
- A new client registration email from someone registering to use BetterEdit.com.
- An email from the new client with the document to be edited attached AND including clear guidelines for the editor having followed my instructions on the job submission page to a tea.
- A Paypal payment email stating that the client had made payment.
1-2-3 done! The website had sold the service without me needing to do anything. The client knew exactly what to do because he read and followed the instructions online and even made payment before I asked for it.
If it could always be so smooth…
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Yaro whats up with all this affiliate cramming all of a sudden?
You seem to be ramming these affiliate links down our throats its detracting from some of your good posts
Hi Phil – I don’t feel that I’m “ramming” these affiliate links down anyone’s throats and I’m sorry you feel that way. I hope there is enough valuable content for you to stick around.
Basically I’m testing how to monetize this blog. I’m not going to be able to spend 3 hours per day writing articles for this blog for nothing in return forever. Plus as I’ve said before, every affiliate product I link to is something I believe in as a quality product that people should be aware of if they are in the Internet business game like me. If they reach a point where a product I advertise might fulfill their needs and they decide to buy the commission helps keep this blog going – simple as that. As much as I’d like to blog for the greater good this world demands that I make money.
As a bonus as I learn how good affiliate programs are I will write new articles to share the results with all my readers – it’s a form of market research testing.
But hey if you don’t like where I’m going, I’m not forcing you to read my blog.
Nice story; hopefully most of your business is like that.
Hi Yaro,
I think Phil’s post is harsh but it does raise interesting questions. It’s funny how (otherwise perfectly reasonable) people expect things to be free on the internet, even though good content sites clearly cost money to produce as well as time, and lots of it to write articles etc.
I totally see your need to monetize this blog and I’d rather see affliate links for relevant products than random flashing banners.
I think a difficult problem is that people can be very cynical about others trying to make money. There is so much talk about dishonesty in the media that people forget that there ARE genuine people out there making money from selling and creating genuinely great products.
Why shouldn’t someone make money doing something they truely believe in?
The thing is, a regular reader of your blog like me may trust you and so try out an affliated product – but do first time visitors just see lots of affliate links and get turned off your site by them?
Hi Yaro – Keep the links please. I read your blog to get ideas and information. If you know of a good product or service I would expect you to mention it and link to it. If you can make a few dollars from that, well that’s all the better as far as I’m concerned.
It’s easy to pick a blog that is just pushing affiliate links and I don’t waste time on them. But when a blog has good content I also expect some links – affiliate or otherwise. If they don’t interest me I don’t have to click them.
Thanks for the back-up Hugo. You’re quite right about your last comment too, it’s a “what if” question.
Another “what if” I like is what if a casual first time browser comes to my site and instead of being turned off by the affiliate links follows one and buys something a few months down the track? It could work both ways.
I guess if I see my traffic halving and I believe it’s because of ads then yeah, I might be concerned about them, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
Then again I might discover a better, less intrusive way to monetize this blog (how about selling my own product – like a membership service on this blog?) and make changes again. It’s all about testing what works for me and what works for my audience.
Yaro,
Keep up the great work. The affiliate programs are an important part of funding your time for such a quality site.
Peace
Tyler at http://www.AutoApproved.com
Yaro,
I like your use of real life examples. It’s definately a good point to make about the difficulties us entrepreneurs encounter like people not following directions among every other things. I actually wish you would monetize and advertise this blog more so you could shift your focus.
If most of your customer orders are not going as smooth as this one — I wouldn’t complain, what I would do is maybe look at how your website/system is made — maybe it is not automated enough ..or the text isn’t clearly written — if most of your orders are not this smooth…I would re-examine your usability and nagivation — the basic over all layout of your system and site — to be honest…just looking at it…seems confusing to me ..even after the layout switch.
oh regarding the ads — ya they are getting a lil out of hand — why not implement a “Tipjar” with paypal — or paymate — I am sure if you keep the quality content flowing, people wouldn’t mind sending you tips to support your writting.
Gotta love the variety of opinions out there hey
I like dealing in business to business transactions just b/c it’s easier and you know that they know how to do business….don’t need to worry about funny stuff.
I once offerd a liberal payment plan for a product I was selling to the open market and had horrible things happen.
You’ed be suprised at how many people don’t respect a retailer that they are buying from…
B2B is the way to go….
Helping students buy their way to better grades (aka cheating) seems like a pretty bizarre thing to call ‘good karma’.
Hi, Yaro. I do not find the affiliate links intrusive. And I too prefer them to unvetted banner ads.
Furthermore, I look forward to when you can share with us the results of your experiences with affiliate programs. I on my site am also trying affiliate links, relevant to my content, as a means to generate revenue.
-TimK
Yaro,
I know this is not on the topic of the post, but I want to add my 2 cents to the affiliate link comment.
To borrow a phrase from your homeland:
GOODONYA!
All I have to say is that before someone can criticize you for plugging in affiliate links, they should try to produce the same amount of quality content that you do and see if they don’t find themselves wanting some payoff as well.
As to the proposed tip jar, I don’t see that providing enough to equal the value Yaro places on his time.
I don’t understand why affiliate links “detract” from the message if you have provided us quality insight and developed a relationship of trust with your readers.
Keep up the good work!
Jay
P.S. One idea, and you probably already know this, there are some ways to make the links less obviously “affiliate” with some redirecting. At least that way people might not bother you about it. But you seem to be able to take it.
As a subscriber to way to many email newsletters, I have developed an acute sensitivity to writers who just want to make the quick buck off of me by promoting affiliate products that are of questionable value. I quickly unsubscribe from those.
On the other hand as long as I feel that a writer has my best interest at heart, I don’t mind if he let’s me know about an affiliate product that can help my business. In fact I often appreciate the information.
For me that’s the distinction.
Greg
http://myhomestoreplus.com/home
The easiest home-based business you will ever work.
Nothing wrong with affiliate links as long as they other something to the visitor thats of use.
Many websites are one person operations and that person has to cost his time. If they have a day job in addition to their online presense then they earn a certain amount per hour. By trying to earn as much from their own efforts online as well as affilite commisions they effectively managing there time costs. You can only spend so much time offering free content without it affecting you personal and professional life.
If you dont value yourself how can your visitors value you.