I dunno what other folks do... but the effort put into any affiliate program (if you do this well), can be considerable.
Fundamentally, the choice of sponsors is crucial. All the verbal about good sponsors and bad sponsors may be true, tho it is not necessarily the most promoted sponsors which earn more on the bottom line.
Like anything in life... there is more than a grain of truth to shaving etc - sponsors are no different to any other biz. Other factors are obviously processors where life can be less than perfect, often thru no fault of the processor.
Another factor is marketing tools, - the more the better, tho there is little point in one million webmasters using the same tools and grabbing 1000 overused front ends and image galleries. Original promo material has gotta be better.
Only my opinion, but most of the image galleries offered are... well, damned poor, and unlikely to convert. They are just padding.
Bottom line? :-) Anyone who takes a load of 50 sponsors off a list and does not have the facilities to promote them HARD, is not going to be too successful.
Ask any sponsor how many of their affiliates earn money - the reply will be 5% do biz, the rest just waste time.
Hell.. that was a load of crap that had little to do with CCBill!
