On August 1st, I received an email promoting the Super Affiliate Handbook (included at the bottom of this post), purportedly from the affiliate manager at MP3Dollars. I paid little attention to the email, thinking it was perhaps valid as I was once an affiliate of theirs and also have a friend who used to work for them.
I was later contacted by the real MP3Dollars affiliate manager who told me that the affiliate responsible for this email (CB affiliate ID mycpa2003) had in fact busted into their email server and sent the message out to all of their affiliates. Well, it turns out that he busted into the Kowabunga system as a whole and sent that email to affiliates of many of their merchants. I'll say this about that.
I hate spam. I don't do it, nor do I condone the actions of those who spam to make money online as affiliates. I find this case particularly abhorrent as this idiot's actions affect me personally.
Clickbank has been informed of the problem and at very least the affiliate will be black-listed from promoting the Super Affiliate Handbook. I do however hope that Clickbank acts on my recommendation to terminate the spammer's account.
Ultimately, it would be wonderful to see networks such as Clickbank, Commission Junction and Linkshare work together to share such information and terminate all of this affiliate spammer's accounts.
In reviewing my records, Clickbank affiliate mycpa2003 sold 14 copies of the Super Affiliate Handbook between August 1st (the date the email was sent) and August 12th.
So as not to profit from the avails of spam, I made a donation of $658.00 (the total amount of sales and double my earnings from those sales) to one of the many charitable organization that I regularly sponsor. It would be my wish that mycpa2003 change his cheating and lying ways and do likewise.
This is the email that was sent out:
Hi,Rosalind Gardner
This time I HIGHLY RECOMMEND “Super Affiliate Handbook”
The Authors is one of our super affiliates.
Read the amazing true story of how one woman, with no previous business experience, earned $436,797 in 2006 from our affiliate program and now earns MUCH MORE than that … just by selling other people's stuff online!
In her down-to-earth, sincere and often humorous style, Rosalind Gardner guides you through the entire process of building an affiliate marketing business on the ‘Net.
Frequently revised and updated to reflect industry changes, the Super Affiliate Handbook now consists of 235 pages and 116 screenshots words that will show you step-by-step how to become a Super Affiliate.
You'll learn how to install a blog, pick the most lucrative programs, negotiate a commission raise and save time, money and effort on everything from affiliate software to web hosting.
To learn exactly how she does it, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you visit:
“Super Affiliate Handbook”
Affiliate Team
Rosalind,
After reading your affiliate spammer article, I was reminded of an affiliate program offered to me earlier this year. This program involved businesses that will rent you names to send your offers to via e-mail. I thought this was great
Not knowing what I was doing and not having a list I had written to a successful doctor online who sold products and had an affiliate program available to me.
I could use his very professional websites, his company delivered the products and took the orders. I could even have a one level affiliate program earning commissions from people who signed under me as an affiliate. I wouldn’t make much from them, but it would be the start of a list and I could build a relationship with them.
What was nagging at the back of my mind was spamming. If I rent a list of names for people who have bought products in my niche from a company, how is it not considered spam when I send them my unsolicited offer? I would think this method would be highly used if it was a successful method and if it was honest and legitimate. I’m just learning and I don’t want to start out on the wrong foot.
Please tell me what you know about these companies as far as legitimacy and the successful or unsuccessful use of them. I recieved the offer from a highly successful Internet marketer, but I am fast becoming disillusioned with them when I almost feel like a pin cushion due to the continuous flood of offers they send me.
I appreciate your input. Thank you.
Michael
Hi Catherine,
You’re right. What these guys do IS scary… especially from the perspective that they apparently don’t give a rat’s butt about whom they hurt.
As for what he wrote, he used the standard copy available on the affiliates’ page at http://superaffiliatehandbook.com/affiliates.php … yet another good reason not to use merchant copy, eh? 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
I hate spammers too Rosalind, and I’m glad this one has been banned. It’s scary that they can hack into mailing lists like that though. You know – the first part of what he’s written sounds identical to what I wrote about the SAH. I don’t remember if it was in a blog post, or newsletter or what. Maybe he, or she steals content too? Or maybe I just didn’t write something original enough!