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

Afraid of Recession?
Get A Recession Repellent (Have a Spray or Two)

First, there's something I need to get off my chest before my head pops off my shoulders. OK ...

I'm really sick of hearing one particular word every time I turn on the TV. The word I'm talking about is recession. Don't you get a sense that most of these "pundits" on TV don't really have any clue what they're talking about?

I mean, not even economists agree on the definition of a recession, or if it's even a significant event at all.

Ah, anyway ... ! I'll get off my soapbox.

What's important is this: When you strip away all of the hype from what is supposed to be fact-based news, there are some things happening that should cause us all to be a alert. Alert.

Not, so scared out of our wits that we can't think straight.

Warren Buffett, the greatest investor who ever lived, recently revealed at the latest Berkshire shareholders meeting that, the worst of the crisis in Wall Street is over.

Contrast that with the high-drama about a pending financial melt-down the pundits are yammering on about.

Who to listen to? The greatest investor who ever lived or some TV blow-hards? Not a hard decision!

Yet, a clever investor is never complacent.

So, that's why I'm going to spray myself with a whiff or two of Recession Repellent. Don't laugh.

This may sound like something silly, but it's not. Far from it!

• Warren Buffett has done it.
• Bill Gates has done it.
• So has Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and just about every other billionaire you can name.

So, what is it?

Can you name a group of people who, year in and year out, weather the toughest financial storms?

Even if they lose everything these guys can get it *all* back without breaking a sweat.

They're not doctors. They're not lawyers. Nope, they're most definitely not stock-brokers. Who are they? OK ...

They are best-selling authors.

You're about to understand why this fact cannot only cause an immediate cash windfall for you now, but also "set up" you and your family for bedrock stability, year after year, no matter what happens.

In the next 90 seconds, you're about to get an education that has taken others decades to learn. And sadly, some never get this education at all.

Consider these facts:

FACT: A best-selling author can, because of his or her celebrity status, get in front of large audiences almost anywhere in the world, sometimes within hours of picking up a phone.

FACT: Best-selling authors can get instant traffic, any time day or night, like flipping a switch.

FACT: Best-selling authors have instant trust and credibility with their audiences.

FACT: Products from best-selling authors are "pre-sold" so you can sell without selling.

People often ask, "If Donald Trump has so much money why does he keep writing books?"

And now you know why.

Not only does he get a tidy flood of cash from the sale of his books (and the additional products he sells to his readers), but he enjoys limitless "ripple effects" that churn more and more profit out of every nook and cranny.

Well, it gets better. What if I told you that *you* could be a best-selling author?

And what if I told you that ...

• you don't have to have any business experience
• you don't have to have a "list"
• you don't even have to write a book!

And what if you could do all of this with minimal cash outlay?

One young man from Singapore, with barely a penny to his name, followed a similar plan and made 100K (US currency) within weeks.

Pretty cool, huh?

Well, it gets even just a little bit better.

This system comes with a high price tag (if you had such a system that actually *worked* wouldn't you expect that?), but if you act quickly, you can get it on a drastically reduced price with a payment plan that makes it affordable for even someone on a "minimum wage" budget.

Do yourself a favor and at least test this out. You'll know instantly after reading that page (it's actually fun to read and you'll learn a ton more) that it's all on the up and up. Here's the link:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/bestsellingauthor.html

Today's Tip On the Tool Worth Having

Build Flash Headers For F.R.E.E.!
This site has made it easy to build flash, and they are giving it away for free!

I came across a site that I thought I should tell you about. It doesn't happen very much in this industry that a tool comes along that is so different and so cool that you just know that everyone and their sister will be using and joining this site.

If you have a website, and you do not use this tool, people may not respond as good as they once did. Most people leave a webpage within the first 7 seconds. You have that long to grab their attention. That's why you see all these videos at the top of salesletters now a days. They want to grab your attention and make it easier to keep you there and move to their call of action. Think about it and start doing something about keeping your visitors on your site.

Here you have a great opportunity to stop losing your visitors. This tool is revolutionary and easy even for a novice to use it to drastically change the appearance of any website almost effortlessly and instantly.

Join here by clicking here!

Today's Tip On the Software Worth Using

Site Building Can Be Time-Consuming.
Not With New Website Builder!

The other day I received an email from Jerrett Taylor of Bravenet. I expect you know whom I'm talking about. I've been using their tools since I am on the Net. Now they are coming with a new website builder. I believe it will be the same great as any od their other tools for webmasters and that's why I want you to know about it.

Jarrett says: we've been very busy at Bravenet lately, working on a brand new Website Builder. This new CMS (Content Management System) is called Viviti, and it will allow everyone to quickly and easily create fully dynamic websites, and keep them up to date with no programming skills required! You will be able to add blogs, photos, RSS feeds, custom content, all your Bravenet tools, and much more! And to make things even easier, it's fully hosted, so all you'll have to do is signup and start building.

We've tried our best to make sure the builder is super easy to use, so that anyone can build a good looking, dynamic website. But don't worry, those that like to tinker around with HTML and CSS, the system has been built with you in mind. You can dig right in and edit the code for any template of your choice, or you can even create one from scratch and take full advantage of the dynamic nature of the CMS. This of course also means that if you find templates elsewhere on the web, with a little know-how or help, you can get them working within the Viviti builder. For small businesses, this means you can even hire a graphic artist to build you a custom design (or use one you already have) and then save on maintenance costs by easily keeping it up to date yourself!

We have separated the new Viviti Builder onto its own domain, but it's all fully developed and owned by Bravenet. We wanted to separate it so it's simple, clean, new, and easy to use. And, as a special thanks to all of you loyal Bravenet members, you guys get to be the first to know about it, and the first to use it!

We are now in the final stages before Beta, but we will keep you posted over the next few weeks and let you know when it's ready to use. So be ready!

If you're a member of Bravenet, go there and get your Beta key. IF not, you can get a free membership here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/freetools.html

Today's Tip On Learning

Does Piracy Boost Sales?
Mark Joyner is running a rather controversial experiment that has already sent the marketing experts into a tizzy.

You've probably heard of his book The Irresistible Offer. It's what some call one of the top 5 marketing books ever written and has been one of the best-selling marketing books of the last 3 years week after week.

Mark thinks that by giving it away in ebook form he is actually going to boost sales of the book.

Is he right?

Only time will tell, but he makes some really good arguments - even if they seem to fly in the face of what many people have been saying over the last few years about the relationship between digital downloads and print media.

I'll be watching this one closely, and so should you.

Meanwhile, you should also definitely grab the download.

Dr. Joe Vitale said that the book is the first breakthrough in over 50 years and it seems the entire pantheon of marketing gods are in agreement.

It's a deceptively simple read, but well, that's what Mark is famous for :-). Click here.

Today's Promotional Tips

Seeking More Sales?
Start With Spot Runner!

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Spot Runner is the first Internet-based ad agency that makes it easy and affordable for local businesses to advertise on TV. With Spot Runner's revolutionary approach to commercial production, media planning and media buying services, you can now have access to a powerful marketing tool that was previously out of your reach.

Advertisers can choose from a comprehensive library of professionally produced ads which can be viewed, purchased and personalized in a simple process online. With its proprietary media planning engine, Spot Runner also creates customized media plans by using some basic information entered by the advertiser, such as their industry, target demographics and budget. The entire process, which can traditionally take months and hundreds of thousands of dollars, now takes just days and at a fraction of the cost. Spot Runner manages each account by securing the ad buy, placing and tracking the ads, and analyzing viewership and demographic information. All of it is available online - a simple mouse click away.

With Spot Runner, you can:

• Generate significant dollars in incremental on-brand local TV advertising
• Help local affiliates increase sales
• Align local and national messaging
• Create goodwill by empowering local affiliates with their own TV advertising
• Manage your brand message and integrity across local markets
• Gain visibility into local affiliates' advertising activities
• Manage administration of co-op marketing and market development fund programs

The right program for you: Spot Runner is revolutionizing TV advertising and opening up the world of TV advertising.

Find out how you can put your business on television by clicking here:
http://www.spotrunner.com/

Today's Useful Tip

More On Flock!
Some time ago I invited you to join Flock, now I have more good news: Flock 1.2 Is Out!

Flock 1.2 integrates even more great services: Digg, Pownce, and AOL Mail have been added to the browser. Digg's integration is especially fun; in addition to the People sidebar, you can also load your friends' Dugg stories in the Media Bar.

Plus, the new Diggman icon allows you to instantly Digg the page you're on or see the top 5 stories on Digg.

Click here to download your Flock:
http://www.flock.com/fsbeta/download/index.html

Today's Special

More Promotional Opportunities For Your Home Business!
Viral-Money-List has released a new Viral List Concept...

that allows you to email a Fresh Different List of Prospects with every promotional email that you send.

You can even promote to this list if you have NO LIST of your own!

This is offered at a variety of Membership Levels that Every Marketer can afford.

Watch The Video and Join Free Today. Click here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/virallistmoney1.html