As an affiliate, we appreciate proactive affiliate managers and one of the best things an affiliate manager can do is pick out his (or her) affiliates that haven’t been pushing any sales and give them a gentle nudge perhaps by starting a relationship, offering content or offers and so on.

I get a lot of e-mails from networks and programs and although I often don’t read them all, this one caught my attention. Titled ‘Important Affiliate Notice’, I opened it and read as follows:

Dear Phil,

You have joined TotallyGifts.co.uk affiliate program some time back.

We have noticed that you are not participating in promoting TotallyGifts.co.uk using the methods you mentioned at the time of joining.

We will like to discuss how we can help you in order to start promoting TotallyGifts.co.uk website.

Please respond us by Tuesday 30^th June 2009 with the proof of promotional activities otherwise your account might be suspended.

Look forward for your response.

Thanks & regards

The e-mail starts off innocently enough, but I’ve bolded out the points where the e-mail seems very accusational and perhaps cheeky. First of all, what the hell is this supposed to mean: “We have noticed you are not participating in promoting TotallyGifts.co.uk using the methods you mentioned at the time of joining”? Have they decided that I am promoting the site via other, unscrupulous means? If I am, I’m not doing a very good job of it because the total number of sales I’ve generated for them are none which I’m fairly certain wouldn’t be ringing many bells on an affiliate managers fraud-o-meter.

Secondly I’ve joined the program on an account called “thediscountblog.co.uk” where my methods of promotion are described as “discount voucher sites”, “blog” and “seo”. If we take a look at the only place I am promoting them, you’ll see a highly neglected page on The Discount Blog for Totally Gifts voucher codes:

That seems fairly accurate to me.

So next they want me to prove how I’m going to promote them. Well I’ve just proved where I’m promoting them currently, but if you really want to know, I have three other sites in development that would be a reasonably good match for the program as they will be targeting kids toys, gifts & gadgets and experience/activities respectively. But if I don’t e-mail back and tell them this, they will suspend me? Forgive me, but this sounds a little hostile and also, why do affiliate managers cull affiliates for no reason? I have three other sites in development that are a great match and therefore could be generating sales come the Christmas peak period but hey, I might be suspended and my sales will have to go to their competitors. It’s a pretty competitive market too.

Did you receive this e-mail or was it really just me? What did you think if you did? Personally when I develop these future sites, I’ll be promoting the old favourites in the gifts and gadgets market.