Finding and nurturing vendors and merchants

[crabjack]

I have several noobie questions, but one at a time. I have developed several websites: I am comfortable using HTML and CSS as well as several WYSIWYG editors. I have found a niche ("Follow Your Passion"), and have a good idea of what my website will look like. I am writing up a business plan, and am targeting a fairly large and fast-growing population. Preliminary research indicates there is a lot of interest and very little competition.
Initially I will be selling existing products to a population that the products were not designed for. (I want to expand this eventually). Helping to open a new market should interest merchants, and I have a list of companies that fit my need. Unfortunately, very few of them have an affiliate program, and I haven't found any vendors with programs and product that I want. Do I approach them with the idea of going affiliate? Has anyone approached a company with the idea of bringing them into the affiliate marketplace? Will I have to go in a non-affiliate direction with this business?

[Linda Buquet]

Hi crabjack,

Boy that's a tough one.

Knowing everything I know about affiliate programs, having been an affiliate manager, having started affiliate programs myself and having consulted hundreds of merchants about starting an affiliate program...

IF I were an affiliate and found a merchant with a product I really wanted to promote, if they didn't have an affiliate program, I wouldn't even try to talk them into doing one.

That's not to say you shouldn't, that's just me from everything I've been through. Even merchants that really GET it and really WANT an affiliate program have a hard time following through and everything that needs to be done to do things right sometimes. I just don't think the time and energy you'd put in would be worth it.

I would think if you look hard or maybe look outside the box there are probably affiliate programs already.
If not a direct fit, then closely related enough that it would work. For instance vacations/travel - promote luggage, something travelers would be interested in.

[crabjack]

Thanks Linda -- I continue to look for merchants with appropriate products and an affiliate program, but this is one of those cases where 'close' is no cigar. In fact, I will eventually have to have certain items re-packaged, and will even need someone to manufacture products of my own design. I would like to start as an affiliate marketing business, mostly for financial reasons, before I expand. I'll keep looking, and advise or experience from anywhere else will be appreciated.

[Linda Buquet]

Now if you're a pretty savvy marketer and know how to build sites and do ecommerce, I have a pretty slick idea for you - for a merchant that does not have an affiliate program. You basically don't talk him into an affiliate program or talk in those terms, but in essence you become his only affiliate.

I need to go try to find my blog about it. Hope I can hit the right search terms to bring it up.

[Linda Buquet]

Easier to find than I thought. Here it is, may give you some other ideas.
Be the Merchants ONLY Affiliate - Make $ on EVERY Sale they Make

[crabjack]

This looks really great, potentially anyway. My situation is a little different. The companies I am looking at all have good looking eCommerce sites, and the products I need are not digitizable. But it definitely gives me another way of looking at and thinking about my 'challenge'. I will give this some thought; and start drafting a letter.

Thanks again