If you’re able to create a motivated affiliate sales force, you’ll essentially have a whole virtual team of people selling your products for you – at zero financial risk to you.

The key is motivation. Affiliates have the choice of selling your product or anyone else’s. Why should they sell yours? How can you get them to be actually excited to sell yours?

Here’s how.

==> Pay Them Well

Most importantly, make sure your pay is competitive. If everyone else in the industry is offering a 70% commission and you’re only offering 50%, you’re going to get run over.

If you can, try to top your competitors. Pay as much as possible to your affiliates. That’s how you attract the “super” affiliates. Though you might make less per sale, you can make up for it in volume.

==> Test It In House First

Affiliates don’t want to test new products and new sales funnels for you. They want to know that a successful sales funnel already exists and that all they need to do is to send traffic.

Before opening products for affiliate promotion, make sure you promote it with SEO, AdWords or your in-house list first. Make sure it converts before passing it on to your affiliates.

==> Keep Them Up to Date

Get the email addresses of your affiliates when they sign up for your affiliate program. Then keep them up to date about what kinds of products and promotions are coming out in the future.

When you’re writing to your affiliates, write your emails as you would any other kind of marketing copy. You need to get them excited to promote your products. Write using power words and infuse passion into your writing.

==> Call Your Top Affiliates

Develop a personal relationship with your top affiliates by calling them from time to time.

Remember, world class affiliates can easily take their traffic and go somewhere else. But they won’t if they’re friends with you.

Try to cater to their needs. If they have special requests, like tracking pixel installs or custom landing pages, go out of your way to help them.

==> Give Away Free Products

Give away free products to proven affiliates. This does two things.

First it helps create a sense of loyalty. They’ll feel like you’re taking care of them. Usually if they’re promoting your products, they have some interest in the field you’re in as well.

Second, it allows them to be able to honestly review your products. Many affiliates simply won’t promote something unless they believe in it. Giving them your product helps them do that.

Getting your affiliates motivated is a key part to any affiliate program. Build a personal connection with them through email and phone, pay them well and cater to their needs. In return, they’ll send you risk free profits month after month.