Generosity as Business Strategy
Bob Dunlap, ClickBank's Director of Marketing

Ever wonder why some products are wildly successful while others struggle? Not an easy question to answer, but successful products do share a number of characteristics.

First and foremost, they all meet a specific need or solve a current problem for the prospective consumer. Additionally, they all deliver real value, are well positioned and marketed, and are priced right.

With ClickBank products, there is one other critical consideration -- will affiliates promote the product?

Virtually all best-selling ClickBank products benefit from a significant number of affiliates actively promoting them. These affiliates risk their own resources, both time and money, to drive qualified traffic to products that convert and return a profit. These affiliates have a huge variety of products to choose from, so make sure yours gets their attention.

Remember, affiliates are looking for products that sell to a specific niche, offer good quality and value for the consumer, convert well, and, last but not least, pay enough commission to earn the return on investment they require.

When you are new to ClickBank, you may be thinking "I can't afford to offer 50% or higher commission to affiliates." The real question you should ask is, can you afford NOT to? Here are some statistics that deserve careful consideration. Listed below are the average commission percentages for ClickBank accounts with affiliate-referred sales in 2007:

• Top 10 selling accounts- 74% commission

• Top 100 selling accounts- 69%

• Top 1000 selling accounts- 60%

• Average for all accounts- 55%

Commission offered to affiliates is not a singular determinant for product success. With that said, I believe this data speaks for itself.

So remember, if you're a ClickBank product publisher just starting out, or if you're looking for ways to improve existing sales, take a second look at the commission rate you offer affiliates. Generosity is often rewarded.

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Resource: this article first appeared on the ClickBank Blog. http://www.thecassiopeia.com/ClickBank.html