Someone sent me a note after reading yesterday’s blog post. She’s discouraged and upset and is starting to pull all the affiliate products on her websites and replacing them with adsense.

I realize that when it’s come to your attention that some may consider you as dead weight in a program if you’re not the top 20%, it can be a blow to your confidence. In this case I don’t see it that way at all. For one thing it came from one person and yes, a few commentors. But they don’t represent everybody.

As affiliate marketers, we have no say in how a program is run. The merchant does. If they *really really* wanted only the top 5% or 20% involved in their program, they could definitely setup their program to be that exclusive.

Whining and moaning about all the flotsam and jetsam and dead weight in an inclusive program with no minimum activity requirements or minimum standards in place just seems–silly. At least to me.

I would not let any of that Mundane Affiliate stuff make you walk away from product sales altogether if you are a ‘low performing’ affiliate. If you’re not making top dollar sales (yet), you are still providing some value to that merchant by sending them some traffic, giving them some exposure (branding) and familiarity with a product. At no cost to the merchant.

BUT I don’t put all my eggs in the affiliate marketing arena either. Who knows when Crazy hits town and wipes out everyone but the elite. But can you imagine the power the top performing affiliates would have then? They could make or break a program at will. Almost makes me want to strive to be one :lol:.