Super Affiliate – My Definition

Jeremy Schoemaker’s recent post which included definitions of what super affiliates are, with its link back to his September Twitter poll on the same topic, encouraged me to entertain the question of super affiliate definition in my own blog.

As an affiliate program manager, I would define super affiliates in terms of the following three characteristics:

1. Maturity. Super affiliates always manifest high levels of professional, and psychological maturity. They are able, and confident in what they do.
2. Potential. One such affiliate can turn a whole affiliate program around. From what I have seen in the programs I manage, and also in the statistics reported by other OPMs (outsourced program managers), it is not unusual for 1-3 such affiliates in the program to be driving 50-70% of all affiliate program’s sales.
3. Income. They are steadily making at least five figures a month in gross profit, and can easily afford not to work anywhere else.

The “preferential treatment” I have seen mentioned by someone cannot be a part of the definition. It is rather a consequence of super affiliates being what they are. Also, personal traits, presence or absence of personal or professional blogs, public appearances or lack thereof, are not characteristics, but rather individual peculiarities tied to concrete objectives of concrete super affiliates.