Just one thing to add, and I am pretty sure it won't be very popular..... Affiliates are upset that they can lose sales when surfers get to the sites through a channel different than the path they have set-up. Certainly a concern and something I would be wanting to protect if I were an affiliate.
However, I don't think anyone ever addresses the fact of what other business/sales model do you know of where the "sales-person" gets a 50/50 cut with the business? Seriously??? My spouse has worked in Sales for 20 years now and her largest Commission rate ever was 10%. I heard of someone making 25% once and he covered 100% of his expenses which were far and beyond what I know any affiliate could blow on bandwidth.
I my experience, a 50/50 split with affiliates has meant approximately a 70/30 share over time. Some affiliates I assume are closer to 50/50 while others have traffic that bleeds out and doesn't get credited. As a program owner, I am fine with that share ratio and affiliates that complain about it need to look at the other side of the coin. Where else will you make 50% on a sale? If you know how to sell to your surfers, you won't have any bleeds and you will be better off than the next guy.
Just like in the mainstream world, if you can get another salesguy to do the same job for less, odds are you will take him instead of your higher priced previous one. If we as program owners setup sales rules and regulations that affiliates don't agree with, they can either accept them and make money together or you can go sell someone else that has rules/regs that you are happier with. Pretty simple concepts really.
With that in mind, I would never agree with an affiliate trashing my watermark. I put on it what I wish. You sell it if you want to. An agreement with an affiliate is not an equal partnership except monetarily (and many times an affiliate takes 60 or 70%). You are an independent contractor and have no say in how the program is run. Your sole purpose is to sell and in that purpose you make program owners happy. Believing that you get to make decisions which affect the operations of the program is silly. I would never come to you and tell you how to operate your TGP/Tube/Blog, etc.. you would tell me in no uncertain terms to GFY...
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