I just got a chuckle, looking at ABestWeb, one of the biggest forums in the affiliate marketing industry.

Kevin, one of the moderators discussed his experience when he applied for and was turned down (incorrectly) for an affiliate program:

So what? Don’t take it personally. Here’s my latest example.Signed up (applied) for a merchant I really wanted to work with at CJ, because they’re great for my vertical.

A few days pass, and I get the “We regret to inform you…” email in my CJ inbox.

So rather than coming here and blasting the merchant (even though my main website listed is a great fit for them), I did the human, common sense, friendly thing to do. I emailed them at the address provided at CJ.

Dear merchant:

I get 30 to 50 people a day looking for XXXX specifically. What say you reconsider?

Thanks,

Kevin

48 minutes later, I have an offer in the CJ interface. Done and done. Links are going up in a minute.

Now, this is obviously also a good merchant: attentive, responsive, and looking for value added affiliates. So it won’t always be like this, but do the smart thing before you start torching people. Send an email, pick up the phone, whatever….

I loved this post because I  feel in a lot of ways the “level of discourse” in our society and in our business is really going down the tubes.  If someone feels slighted in any way, instead of making a polite email inquiry or phone call to look into the issue, or ask for reconsideration, they launch into an angry diatribe on an industry forum or a blog.

As Christians, I think we need to set the tone here and make sure that we’re treating folks like “neighbors” even if they make a mistake that we can’t understand.   We need to take a deep breath,  maybe step away for a coffee ( sorry - was raised Lutheran,)  then respond by extending some grace.

Trust me, I know as much as anyone that it is easy to rip someone in a blog post, etc.   But we should always try to lead with some love and understanding first.

Way to go Kevin!

God Bless,

Wade