[jserpa]

Wanted: Affiliate Program Coordinator
Company: Maps.com - Santa Barbara, CA

We are seeking a completely un-motivated and mediocre individual to do nothing with our affiliate program. Wait, that's how we have been treating our program for the past several years. Maybe we should try something different for a change.

Here’s the deal: Maps.com has been in business since 1991 (originally Magellan Geographix – thankfully we ditched that name in 1998) and have had an affiliate program since 1999. I would argue that we have the largest selection of map products available online (over 20,000 SKU), the best domain for selling maps, and our competition (National Geographic and Rand McNally) treats ecommerce as an after thought. While total ecommerce sales grew by 30% this year, our affiliate program has been generating a lack luster total of 10% of ecommerce sales for the past several years due to neglect and a lack of a super brilliant, creative, driven person at its helm – this is where you come in.

The proper candidate is: super brilliant, creative, and driven to succeed (translation: wants to make money). Yes, we want the same things other people look for in a candidate like multi-tasking, ability to work under tight deadlines, attention to detail, blah, blah, blah…What we are really looking for is someone with a proven track record for growing and sustaining successful affiliate programs and who is looking for an undeveloped and growing market.

We are located in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA (it’s currently 68 degrees at 5:00 pm as I write this help wanted ad), but we are open to a remote working situation for the right candidate (it’s about results – not location for us). The position is full-time, salary + incentives, with medical and dental benefits.

Interested parties email your questions and resumes to john@maps.com.

John Serpa
Maps.com

[lockman]

sorry i hava a job but can u give me just the "dental benefits" ?

[7-days]

Can one still run their existing affiliate sites if they are hired? Some companies allow it, some don't.

[Greg Rice]

We are seeking a completely un-motivated and mediocre individual to do nothing with our affiliate program.

You had me going there for a second. I'm not familiar with your program but it's nice to see a merchant make such statement want to improve. Best of luck with your new hire. Should make a requirement he/she keep active here :D

[Donuts]

CJ choice, phone and banners and other ad leaks (especially driving dir section), circular self-ad links (very bad stuff!) need to be addressed before you land a serious candidate.

Good luck!

[jserpa]

sorry i hava a job but can u give me just the "dental benefits" ?

Lockman, you bet but the "dental benefits" would be me wielding a pair of Craftsman pliers. I model my dentestry approach after Steve Martin in "Little Shop of Horrrors."

JSerpa

[jserpa]

Can one still run their existing affiliate sites if they are hired? Some companies allow it, some don't.

7-days, I don't care what a person does on their spare time as long as they are getting results with our affiliate program.

JSerpa

[jserpa]

You had me going there for a second. I'm not familiar with your program but it's nice to see a merchant make such statement want to improve. Best of luck with your new hire. Should make a requirement he/she keep active here :D

Greg, Thanks for the words of encouragement. I agree about the person being active in this forum.

JSerpa

[jserpa]

CJ choice, phone and banners and other ad leaks (especially driving dir section), circular self-ad links (very bad stuff!) need to be addressed before you land a serious candidate.

Good luck!

Donuts, All good feedback and the reason we are seeking an experienced person to take over the direction of the program and make it successful.

JSerpa

[loxly]

Donuts, All good feedback and the reason we are seeking an experienced person to take over the direction of the program and make it successful.

JSerpa
Exactly! The Aff Manager you hire should know what leaks are and how to plug them!!! Good luck, I think a couple people I know might be contacting you. Telecomuting is popular among the aff manager community. And with trips to Santa Barbara tossed in......... :)

[Donuts]

Why don't you give some thought to outsourcing it to an OPM - there are several really good ones here at ABestWeb. A lot of folks who could do a great job for you are allergic to shackles of being employees and prefer to be paid based on performance, which also happens to be a good deal for you as well.

I saw you're a member of the affiliate managers forum, ask around there about how long it can take to find (and keep) the right person inhouse.

No doubt there are plenty of inside AMs worht their weight in gold, but if your program is stalled, as you said it was, I think the quickest way might be OPM (Outsourced Program Manager). I do understand the business owner thinking of inhouse, but perhaps using an OPM for a year, then moving inhouse, would be a better plan.

Sort of sprinter to start your race, then once up to speed, switch to marathoner.

As a heavy-spending ppc affiliate, I have run into far too many circumstances where I can't wait for a new or somewhat new inhouse AM to come up to speed...

[Donuts]

In any case, good luck and glad to see you at ABestWeb! Love your print products - we Floridians like to post them to the wall in the garage and throw hurricane darts at them while we drink beers from the cooler.

By the way, you need a new category of maps... Weather... big niche! Pilots, storm chasers, boaters, garage-dart-throwers, etc... Your wall map quality and size rocks! I wish you's make something like this...

Take the NOAA landfall hurricane landfall map:
http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00538-POS-A0001

Expand it to wall map size...

Add the caribbean and gulf of mex...

make sure long/lat lines are marked...

call it a hurricane tracking map...

revise each year with mark ups of latest landfalling storms...

and offer it with accompanying beer cooler...

:-)

[Donuts]

and some darts...

[or_wa]

Great job announcement! If I had the necessary experience I would apply just because the announcement was so whitty!

[jserpa]

Why don't you give some thought to outsourcing it to an OPM - there are several really good ones here at ABestWeb. A lot of folks who could do a great job for you are allergic to shackles of being employees and prefer to be paid based on performance, which also happens to be a good deal for you as well.

I saw you're a member of the affiliate managers forum, ask around there about how long it can take to find (and keep) the right person inhouse.

No doubt there are plenty of inside AMs worht their weight in gold, but if your program is stalled, as you said it was, I think the quickest way might be OPM (Outsourced Program Manager). I do understand the business owner thinking of inhouse, but perhaps using an OPM for a year, then moving inhouse, would be a better plan.

Sort of sprinter to start your race, then once up to speed, switch to marathoner.

As a heavy-spending ppc affiliate, I have run into far too many circumstances where I can't wait for a new or somewhat new inhouse AM to come up to speed...

Donuts, I was contacted by several very qualified people inlcuding some great OPMs. I narrowed it down to an OPM and a "on staff" candidates and on Monday hired the "on staff" candidate. It was a very close call and in the process met some outstanding OPMs and would be very open to working with them in the future. Thanks for insight.

[jserpa]

In any case, good luck and glad to see you at ABestWeb! Love your print products - we Floridians like to post them to the wall in the garage and throw hurricane darts at them while we drink beers from the cooler.

By the way, you need a new category of maps... Weather... big niche! Pilots, storm chasers, boaters, garage-dart-throwers, etc... Your wall map quality and size rocks! I wish you's make something like this...

Take the NOAA landfall hurricane landfall map:
http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00538-POS-A0001

Expand it to wall map size...

Add the caribbean and gulf of mex...

make sure long/lat lines are marked...

call it a hurricane tracking map...

revise each year with mark ups of latest landfalling storms...

and offer it with accompanying beer cooler...

:-)

Donuts, I don't know how you Floridian's cope with the Hurricane Seasons. Wait, you just told me -- beer!

We've experimented with Hurricane tracking maps in the past. The limiting factor back then was printing a map that would need to be updated the next week. We now have print-on-demand technology that enables us to produce laminated wall maps (great for darts) from digital files, but not have to print a map until it is ordered (don't have to sit on inventory). Be on the lookout for Maps.com's 2006 Hurricane Tracking Wall Map!

[jserpa]

Wanted: Affiliate Program Coordinator
Company: Maps.com - Santa Barbara, CA

We are seeking a completely un-motivated and mediocre individual to do nothing with our affiliate program. Wait, that's how we have been treating our program for the past several years. Maybe we should try something different for a change.

Here’s the deal: Maps.com has been in business since 1991 (originally Magellan Geographix – thankfully we ditched that name in 1998) and have had an affiliate program since 1999. I would argue that we have the largest selection of map products available online (over 20,000 SKU), the best domain for selling maps, and our competition (National Geographic and Rand McNally) treats ecommerce as an after thought. While total ecommerce sales grew by 30% this year, our affiliate program has been generating a lack luster total of 10% of ecommerce sales for the past several years due to neglect and a lack of a super brilliant, creative, driven person at its helm – this is where you come in.

The proper candidate is: super brilliant, creative, and driven to succeed (translation: wants to make money). Yes, we want the same things other people look for in a candidate like multi-tasking, ability to work under tight deadlines, attention to detail, blah, blah, blah…What we are really looking for is someone with a proven track record for growing and sustaining successful affiliate programs and who is looking for an undeveloped and growing market.

We are located in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA (it’s currently 68 degrees at 5:00 pm as I write this help wanted ad), but we are open to a remote working situation for the right candidate (it’s about results – not location for us). The position is full-time, salary + incentives, with medical and dental benefits.

Interested parties email your questions and resumes to john@maps.com.

John Serpa
Maps.com

1/31 Update
Thank you everyone (especially 'Donuts') for your feedback and encouragement. We made a decision last week and they are up and running! Be on the lookout for great things from Maps.com's Affiliate Program. - John Serpa

[Donuts]

Eggsellent! Congrats to the tapped individual.

Next steps...

Pay Haiko for a forum here (for recruiting) and introduce the recently promoted staff member to post here so the collectively drying behind his/her ears can begin.

Send the new AM to Andy Rodriguez's seminar for AM's in Miami in early April (to learn the ropes from the best) and send him/her with some beer money (for me).
http://www.andyrodriguez.com/Affiliate-Manager-Certification-Miami-05.html