Ever thought about joining our affiliate program but felt unsure about “selling”? You’re not alone, and you don’t have to be a salesperson to do it well.
I recently sat down with Wanda Allen, one of our longest-standing and most successful affiliates. If anyone knows follow-up, it’s Wanda: she’s an international speaker, coach, and corporate trainer, and the founder of Follow Up Sales Strategies. She’s built her whole business around a striking stat: 80% of sales are made between the 5th and 12th contact, yet only 10% of salespeople make three or more. A CRM is a key piece of her system for fixing that. Naturally, the one she uses herself and recommends to her clients and audiences is Less Annoying CRM, and she had so much practical wisdom for anyone just starting out that I wanted to share it here.
Why Wanda became an affiliate
Wanda was an affiliate for another CRM until they changed their program in a way that felt like “a bait and switch.” Around the same time, a client of hers (someone who wanted nothing complex or complicated) needed a CRM, and she’d heard ours was really user-friendly. She tried it herself first, and it was an easy switch:
“I just believe that less is more, simpler is better. There are so many people who have CRMs and don’t use them because it’s too complicated, too complex, they don’t have coaching, they don’t have live customer service. None of that exists with Less Annoying. I thought people were really missing the boat by not getting into Less Annoying.”
“There are two things that I love so much: number one, it is so user-friendly, and number two, the live, friendly customer service response. And that’s an easy sell.”
Follow-up, she says, is the number one way to get more business, and a CRM is what makes it stick:
“If you want to be serious about follow-up, which is the number one way to get more business, you’ve got to be serious and get a CRM. It takes so much pressure and stress off of you… you’re being reminded. It tells you what to do and when to do it. That’s the key.”
“I always say: get a CRM. That is the foundation. If you don’t have a CRM, you’re working on a shaky foundation.”
Why recommending it is easy
The thing Wanda kept coming back to: there’s no pressure, for you or the person you’re talking to.
“I don’t care if you use Less Annoying CRM. I just want you to get a CRM that you’re going to like. Because if you like it, you’re going to use it. That takes the pressure off them, they don’t feel obligated, and if they don’t like it, it didn’t cost them a dime.”
And it works. One of her coaching clients had never even heard of a CRM before Wanda introduced her to Less Annoying:
“Without a CRM she had people falling through the cracks, which resulted in a huge loss of business. … She got twenty customers her first month after completing my coaching program. A part of my program is get a CRM. And she went with Less Annoying.”
“I’ve had people say, ‘Oh my gosh, this has changed everything for me.’ They didn’t know about it… so if I hid it and didn’t share it, that’s a disservice.”
Wanda’s tips for new affiliates
- Come from a place of service, not sales. Don’t focus on making a sale or getting a commission. Focus on sharing something that genuinely helps people. Many folks have never even heard of a CRM.
- Take the pressure off. Lead with the free trial through your link: no credit card, no obligation, no cost if they don’t like it. That makes it an easy, honest recommendation.
- Listen for the opening. When someone mentions they’re struggling to close deals or stay on top of things, that’s your moment: “One thing that can really be helpful is getting a CRM. Do you have one?”
- Be confident. “When you’re not confident, you shrink. When you’re confident, you stand tall. You’re proud of promoting this really, really great business tool.”
- You don’t need to know the product inside and out. Wanda uses “a fraction” of the features. “I’m not really sure, but I can find out and get back to you” is a perfectly good answer, and our CRM Coaches handle the detailed questions for anyone who signs up through your link.
- Keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm people by explaining every feature. The whole point is that it’s easy to use.
Thanks so much to Wanda for taking the time to share all of this! If you want more of her follow-up wisdom, check out her site at FollowUpSalesStrategies.com, where she offers a 7-Day Follow-Up Success Challenge, group coaching, a free guidebook (7 Follow Up Strategies To Close More Sales), and a free 30-minute follow-up assessment call.
If you have questions about the affiliate program, or your own tips and success stories, post them in the affiliate section of our forum.