This Chapter is very important. We are going to look at pre-selling. Pre-selling is an art, and often commands extortionate fees if you hire a professional to do it for you.

9.1. Pre-Selling v Selling

Firstly, what is pre-selling, and how is it different from selling?

Well, you can think of “pre-selling” as "selling foreplay". It is a way of warming your visitor to the idea of buying. You don’t directly try to sell an item to them, you just make that item sound irresistible, and something that they cannot do without. Once you have pre-sold your visitor, you can then direct them to a site where they can make the purchase (affiliate site). If you have done your job properly, your visitor will have their credit card at the ready, as they click your affiliate link ;o).

The better you pre-sell, the better your conversion rate, and your EPC (see last chapter).

As long as the merchant does his/her job properly (which is to sell), you have a very good chance of making the sale, and earning a commission.

The main pages of your site are the pages where pre-sell is important. It is here that you turn a visitor into an buyer, and send them on their way to a merchant.

Pre-selling is a lot easier if you have used the product yourself, and like it. You have the knowledge to pre-sell based on YOUR experiences with the product, not just what you have read about the product.

Now, with a lot of stuff you are going to promote in your affiliate career, you can’t (or don’t want to) buy the item before you try to sell it. In that case, you have to work a lot harder, do some research on the internet, and read what other people are saying about the item you want to sell.

My favourite tool for doing any kind of research online is Search Automator Pro. This tool makes it very easy and fun to find what you are looking for.

For those on a budget, there is a free alternative called Copernic Agent version 6.

I don’t have time or space here to show you how to use these tools, but they do come with comprehensive help.