I wish Affiliate Programs...

[corpfan1]

We can use this thread to create a list of what we wish AFFILIATE PROGRAMS did (or at least did more consistently) to improve their programs...

I will start things off!...


I wish Affiliate Programs...

- Had a nice chart-style list in the backend of bonus/promo codes the affiliate has tracked to them as well as all the links/campaign links. Also most importantly the list should INDICATE THE PLAYER BONUS ATTACHED TO THE BONUS CODE OR TRACKER! It would be so nice if there was an easy to find chart liket his in the backend of every program!

[Ridge]

They would actually read emails before responding, I know its a lot to ask. Oh and actually pay payment on time instead of making it their lowest priority.

[Planet Mark]

- Would embrace a comittment to quality in their IT projects - a few high profile sackings of these low-grade so called 'IT project managers' who disrupt service while implementing new systems / upgrades could help sharpen minds as to why this is important!

- Would respect the fact that not all of their affiliates are 17 year old poker players fresh into the world of business. While I genuinely try hard, it is sometimes difficult to remain humble when the person patronizing you would have at least been 4 management levels lower than you from a previous life and is anything up to 20 years younger (obviously only applies to certain programs!)

- Would make more of an effort to warn their affiliates of upcoming promotions and special offers... especially when these are bigger than the offers that just took a week to highlight through my network (ie, with some proper warning that a bonus / ticket offer would be temporarily superceded I could postpone highlighting the regular offer while the bigger one is running).

Sure there are 100's more... fire those rubbish PMs!!!

Mark

[Unknown Webmaster]

- Would reply to the emails I send them, even if it is a "no sorry, we can't do that" or "hmm, I'll have to speak to the manager about that".

- Make a 15 minute video showing exactly how the backend works and how to get the most out of it. Sure, it isn't rocket science, and we will all figure it out, but I don't like spending 1-2 hours going through stuff and test it, just to be sure that it works like I think it does.

[KevinMcC]

- Would all make payments within 5 business days of the next month

[Ridge]

- Would all make payments within 5 business days of the next month

Amen to that!

[corpfan1]

- Would be SEPARATE from player accounts.

Why should we have to have a player's account in order to be an affiliate?

I don't mind if PLAYER'S ACCOUNT is one option to cash out our affiliate revenue, but why can't we just cash out of our affiliate account via normal methods (e.g. cheque, wire transfer, etf, etc...).

We are in BUSINESS - not in gambling...and it is a shame that a business affiliate has to go through the same problems with payments, etc.. that a player does when the affiliate doesn't even gamble for example.

[Mark]

Thank you for the information affiliates. I have bookmarked this thread.

Mark

[TheDonk]

- Treat us as they would like to be treated themselves, meaning - be honest, do things the way they should be done. Taking fees off the bottom line of an aff's earning is not honest. If we're supposed to be getting 25%, then we should be getting 25%, not 25% minus all the bullshit they want to take from us. They love to call us 'partners' when we all know that is patronizing bullshit.

- Stop treating us like we're enemies, and start treating us like we're an asset to their company. We are assets, yet most of them act like we're just a nuisance. Hey poker rooms - you guys get roughly 75% for the players we choose to send you, how about treating us a little better? I don't care how big your room is, nobody is the only game in town.

[RockbetJohn]

I would like to hear more suggestions and I completely agree about the video. I'll do my best to get around to that for my program. Once I get my new macbook and a few new programs I'll make an instructional video.

TheDonk: By no means am I picking a fight with you but you mentioned that poker rooms get 75% of the player profits. None of this is pure profit and a lot of fees, royalties, marketing dollars and salaries have to come out of this. With pokerrooms it's a little different because there is less competition but with casinos that 25-35% commission an affiliate makes is mostly profit while if you cut up the remaining left for the casino most of the time there is less for the program. I know many affiliates think that the real money is in being an operator but I'm not as convinced. The next month players end up winning well that's 0 payment for the affiliate and more $ to pay the player, plus you're always paying fees, royalties, marketing dollars and salaries. I recently wrote an article for IGamingBusiness that I think should be published in the next magazine. The article discusses starting a casino verses starting an affiliate site. This is a whole new discussion but it caught my attention, I don't mind discussing it on anther thread but if casino and poker rooms were truly raking in all that $ you would never see any program go belly up.