Exciting News

Attention all Nature Hills affiliates,

We are going to put together our first mail order catalog to be distributed late December for Spring 2005.

Within the next day or two, we are going to launch a free catalog request on our site that allows a user to subscribe to receive our free catalog.

But wait, before you get turned off and think we are trying to take $$ our of your hands, read the following:

- Affiliates earn 10 cents for each free catalog request that you generate. You have to do nothing, the tracking, etc. is in place. If you generate traffic to our program, this will be another way to generate some revenue for that traffic.

- But most importantly - We are tracking ALL catalog requests with your ShareaSale ID. When we print the catalogs and distribute them, your ShareaSale ID will be printed on the catalog and the catalog order form. This means that just like phone orders, catalog sales will be tracked and credited to you!

I don't know if any other affiliate program in any industry is doing this. However we are. I have validated and verified everything with our publisher. When our catalogs go into print and are delivered (first one will be late December for Spring 2005), the catalog requests that you generated will be printed including your ShareaSale ID as the SOURCE ID on the catalog. If someone calls in to place an order, we will ask for the SOURCE Id - as we do now. If they mail in the order form, the Source ID will be printed on the form.

We want you to get credit for the traffic and customers you deliver to us.

This is a very exciting and I believe to be a unique, addition to our program.

Again, our first catalog won't be distributed until December 2004, however, if you start building up catalog requests, you could see sales/revenue from this traffic when we distribute the catalogs.


Please do let me know your feedback on this new feature that will be launched on our site shortly.


Thanks,

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- - - - - - -
- But most importantly - We are tracking ALL catalog requests with your ShareaSale ID. When we print the catalogs and distribute them, your ShareaSale ID will be printed on the catalog and the catalog order form. This means that just like phone orders, catalog sales will be tracked and credited to you!
- - - - - - -

Wow, that's really incredible. I can't think of any other program that is doing that!

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"Because they don't make a 46."

Shawn, I'm flabbergasted!

Your program is setting the standard for everyone else in the industry, not just gardening merchants. You're certain to gain many loyal affiliates and the result will likely be that you'll bury your competition. (But that's probably what you're shooting for, right?)

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Retro Fridge Magnets Snarky T-Shirts Sports Fan T-Shirts Foodie T-Shirts Animal Lover T-Shirts

Shawn, I'm speechless!
You must be doing some kind of brainstorming at night.
Well, will be good to talk more about business.

This is outstanding!!!

Gee, could you manage the affiliate programs for a few of my independents???? They could really use something like this.

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Ron - 7 Days A Week Marketing
ABW Best *NEW* Affiliate Manager or OPM 2007
ron @ 7daysaweekmarketing.com | AIM & Yahoo: sevdayweek | MSN: 7-days
Managed Programs at SAS: HolmesStamp.com | Home Gallery Stores

Everyone,

Thanks for the kind words. If you send us good traffic, we want to make sure you are rewarded for your efforts!

We will continue to strive to improve this program and become the leader in our industry.

Thanks,

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You are developing quite the program Shawn. I look forward to promoting your products once I get my "plants" section up on my site.

Great idea.

Awesome Idea

Now that's what you call thinking of the future for good!

Thank you so much Shawn for thinking of your partners!

Okay back to work and make more pages for you!

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What COC stand for? Crooks Overwriting Commission
Don't worry tracking is Infected

Live life to the fullest, You only get 1 chance. Enjoy it while you can... Nothing last forever!

Kudos Shawn! That's what I call an affiliate-centered grand slam move. Way to go!

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Linda Buquet :: 5 Star Affiliate Programs
5 Star Affiliate Marketing Blog
Twitter @LindaBuquet

Kudos Shawn! Now, where are the catalog links?
Nothing like getting the ball rolling.

Gene
TCS

Thanks everyone!

Gene, I haven't made any specific catalog links. The catalog request is available on every page of our site, so any shareasale link will take them to a page that has the catalog request link available.

Do you see a need for a dedicate link/page for the catalog request?

Please let me know and I will see how we may work on this.

Thanks,

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The catalog idea is certainly great! It sounds like an original concept and one that seems to have a lot of potential. Too bad it will take a year to start seeing the results.

As for a catalog link, I quess it isn't really "necessary", but it would be nice. We could add a link directly to it that may lead people to order a catalog that otherwise may never click through to your site.

Personally, I would love to add a link directly to your catalog among the other links on the page I just finished creating for you a few days ago.

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Rick M.
I would rather have a bottle in front of me, than have a frontal lobotomy!
Does your bubblegum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?

A direct link to the catalog would be nice.

One thing I'm wondering though, is if people will hold off from ordering online in order to see the catalog. The part about it not coming out until December is in such small type in that popup that I think a lot of people will miss it! It would be nice if that fact was more visible, so no one tries to wait for it.

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There is no knowledge that is not power. ~Hemingway

Ditto.

Think it would be a great idea to have a direct link to your catalog order page.

Will come in handy from time to time in a wide variety of situations I believe.

Leader,

We have the small type on the submission form, and then on the thank you after the form is submitted, we have bigger type that states the catalog will be sent in December. So I do believe this relays the fact that the first catalog will be mailed in December, but I will consider changing the type on the form to make it more visible.

In addition, we feel there are customers who purchase online, but there are many who are used to the traditional mail order nursery. We have launched the catalog based on the feedback from customers requesting it. Some people just don't feel comfortable ordering nursery products online. I do not think this will adversely affect online sales, as I believe it opens the door to sales we are not getting. However, believe me, we are monitoring stats and if we see any adverse impact, we will examine how the catalog request is displayed, etc.

Also, I will work on getting a few direct links for the catalog request.

Thanks for all your input!

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Shawn,
I've seen a few 10 cent commissions in the last few days. Is that from catalog orders? I can't tell from the stats. I love this idea. I sure wish all merchants would do this.

epic,

Yep, those are the free catalog requests.

Thanks,

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> there are many who are used to the traditional mail order nursery. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It is nice to see the pix on good old-fashioned paper. Staring too hard at a screen is hard on the eyes (or maybe that's just because I look at the screen all day).

I just didn't want anyone to go, "Oh great, I can order from a catalog--I'll just wait a couple of weeks until it comes and..."

I'm glad the notice is bigger on the thank-you page! I could imagine people's eyes skipping right over that notice on the submission form.

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There is no knowledge that is not power. ~Hemingway

Leader,

I also bolded the notice on the request form to make it more visible. This should help as well.

Thanks,

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Just got my first 10 cent commission. So there's another catalog on its way. Can't wait for them to start shopping.

I'll add my thanks to all the others. You're setting a high mark for all others to reach.

Lily

Shawn,

Great idea...way back in the old days of FREE SHOP, Cooks Garden was doing the same thing except you got $1.00 for the lead.

The SO got over 1,400 leads the first week it was up and close to 5,000 total.

Capturing the visitors snail mail info is good.
Now if there was a way to code the affiliate with the snail mail person and give the affiliate say $1 for every order that comes from there snail mail receivers that would be awesome.

I have upped the ante on the PPC stuff I have up to send you traffic...if I get 20 people out of 100 to sign up for the FREE catalog, then I can use the $2.00 to buy more traffic and increase my sales potential.

Way cool, thanks.

BTW, here's an idea for a product you can sell.
STRAWBERRY TREES. No joke some nursery in Georgia has them...real trees that produce strawberries...you might want to check it out and do a google search for 'strawberry trees.'

I think they would be a HOT seller.

Plus, the SO say s to advertise your affiliate program as a MONEY TREE. .

Shawn,

At the bottom of your home page and the weekly special page there is a blank space.

Plug in a link for the catalog there so that if people are done looking at the stuff, they get reminded to sign up for a FREE catalog.

You get more names and we make more dimes....

Aunt Lily,

Congrats on your first catalog request, hopefully there are many, many more.

Jersey Jean

Thanks for the feedback, let me see what we can do on adding more catalog links on the site.

Also, we do have planned for late fall to add a small fruit section (various berries and stuff) so I will see if the strawberries are on that list.

As far as this
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Now if there was a way to code the affiliate with the snail mail person and give the affiliate say $1 for every order that comes from there snail mail receivers that would be awesome.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

not sure if you were asking me this. But, we are doing this, we are coding each catalog request/address with the ShareaSale affiliate. Better than $1 per sale, we are paying the same commission on the sales as you get from online orders.

A catalog sale (whether it be phone in or mailed) will be credited to the deserving affiliates by tracking with the ShareaSale ID.

I hope I answered your questions. Please let me know if I haven't.


Thanks,

Shawn

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