Today I received an email from the aging web 2.0 darlings of the civilized world, 37Signals. Aging because, well, if Twitter isn't the new kid on the block anymore, 37s certainly isn't.
Anyway, they were advertising their affiliate program. Sell our products for us and you get a cut of the revenue. Seems pretty straightforward, if not a little MLM or door to door, but it's a determined business decision and corporate direction.
However, something in here just turned my gut. It almost made me feel sad and I'm not sure why. Check out the email they sent (blue emphasis added) and then let's talk.
I guess it's the "You could make thousands!" tone that sets me back. I get the affiliate idea. I get the word of mouth. But the 37Signals products have always seemed boutique and elegant and clean. This just feels... not that.
Maybe it's just me. Please comment and put me in my place. I mean chances are I'll sign up and see what's what. But icky and sticky are the new wiki.
I'm not sure why encouraging people to profit by promoting our products is jumping the shark. We'd love to see people making thousands per month promoting our products. With the new affiliate program in place it wouldn't be that hard. Giving a number example gives people a sense of the potential.
Lots of folks have emailed us over the years asking if they could build a business around promoting our products. Now they can.
Jason, his point isn't that you said it. It is how you said it. Yes, it comes off snake-oily like. You could say it a dozen different ways.
If I offered you my affiliate program and promised, "In only two weeks, you too could be making $1.5 million dollars like our 150 top affiliates!!!" what would your gut reaction be?
"If I offered you my affiliate program and promised, "In only two weeks, you too could be making $1.5 million dollars like our 150 top affiliates!!!" what would your gut reaction be?"
I didn't offer anything like that. I said with some work you could be pulling in thousands a month. That is not a get quick rich scheme (as you suggested by tying it to millions in two weeks!), it's "work". And it would not be hard to make a few thousand a month promoting our products if you put in some work. The suggestion that someone could make $1.5MM in two weeks is in an entirely different league.
Ben has it here. I've been a 37s fanboy from the start. Unapologetically. I even tried to get a job back in the day but I was overlooked for reasons of talent. But I've been using either the free versions or the paid versions of their products for over 4 years now (maybe 5 but that might be stretching it).
"It's not that you said it, it's how." Copy is king and it just rang wrong for me.