Posted by Let’s say your electricity is on the fritz. One of your circuits is fried, and now the lights don’t work in the bathroom. You need an electrician. You search online and find more electricians than you know what to do with. They all have great ads and they all say they are the best, the fastest, the cheapest and the highest quality.
Cripes. If you choose the wrong one, it could cost you a fortune and then they still might not get things right.
It’s too much, so you put the decision off and you go to the pub to have a beer. There you run into a friend and you have a drink together. You tell him about your electric woes and he says not to worry, he knows exactly the man you need. He introduces you to a friend of his, and says, “This guy does all my electrical work, been in the business for 20 years and knows his stuff. Plus, his rates are reasonable and he gets the job done fast.”
Your problems are over. You’ve got your electrician and in days the problem is sorted and you’re happy.
What’s the difference between all those ads online and your friend’s personal recommendation?
The difference is your friend presold you on the idea of using this person. You saw this electrician’s ad online along with all the others, but you didn’t call him. Only when your friend made the recommendation did you use his services.
But there’s a hidden reason here as well, and it’s an important one: By going with your friend’s recommendation, you are no longer responsible if things go badly. If the job turns out great at a good price, it’s because you’re smart about who you hire. But if the job turns out poorly, it’s your friend’s fault for recommending this guy.
How can we use this tactic online?
By preselling anything you recommend. Buy the program or software and use it yourself. If you love it, recommend it. If you don’t, then don’t recommend it.
Your job as an online marketer and especially as an affiliate marketer is to presell, recommend, introduce and advise. Have that beer with your prospects and tell them why this product or software is exactly the one they should buy, just like your friend told you why to hire that particular electrician.
Instead of sending traffic straight to sales pages, put up a presell page where you tell why YOU love the product.
Instead of sending your list a one paragraph email telling them to grab a product, send them an honest list of reasons why you’re recommending this product.
You take the responsibility for the decision this way. And as long as you only offer products that are truly excellent, you will make far more sales than simply slapping up an affiliate link and shouting at your visitors to go read the sales page.
Bonus: Here’s how to kick this up a notch and become the only person your customers buy from.
This takes guts, but it can be super lucrative if you do it right.
Make a personal guarantee on everything you recommend. If the product isn’t everything you say it is, and if for any reason they don’t get their money back from the original seller, you’ll refund them.
Yeah, it sounds scary. But if you’re only recommending great products that YOU believe in, and if your guarantee period is the same length as the guarantee on the product, you will almost NEVER have to pay out on this.
But it will set you apart from every other affiliate marketer in your niche because it shows you 100% stand behind your recommendations.
And it’s a great way to build trust and loyalty with your customers.