Phone Number or no Phone Number

[mikearmstrong]

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Hi folks,

Can I canvass your opinion please?

We had a case yesterday (thanks Tim!) that brought to light that one of our affiliates wasn't linking to individual product pages because if he did so, the 'preferrential code' that appears next to our telephone number (so that the affiliate doesn't lose the sale) didn't show up. He has linked, therefore, to our index page which I think will spook some customers ('jumping' to a different website).

We thought long and hard about putting the phone number there in the first place and several affiliates supported our decision at the time.

I'm just wondering, however, if this is the reason why a lot of affiliates aren't using our site, even though we are offering 20% on the helicopter and simulator products.

Any thoughts please?

Thank you in advance.

[darrenw]

I think the idea of having the customer quote the affiliate code over the phone is a good one, but there needs to be a compelling reason for them to do so.

I've come across this in real life where my insurance broker gaev me a code to quote to a windscren replacement company (I presume there was commission of some sort involved). But I simply forgot to mention the code, possibly losing the broker some money.

There isn't an easy answer, but here's a possible idea...

Add 5% (or some other reasonable percentage) to all your prices. If the customer quotes the "special code" (i.e. the aff code) then they will get 5% off as a special offer. If someone comes to the site directly, not via an aff link, then put up a different code, but still give the same discount (5%). This would give the customer an incentive to quote the special code...?

Just a thought... And I may have missed a few key issues in the way that you do business, and oversimplified...

Thanks,
Darren.

[Ste]

The easiest way around it is to get your designers to implement a bit of code which does not display the phone number if the aff cookie exists.

But if no cookie exists, then print the phone number.

There are a lot of affiliates who will take one look at the site and see the phone number and then just dismiss it as its too much of a leek. Don't forget that when a prospective affiliate visits the site to see if the programme is worth joining, the code is not printed next to the phone number so there is no-way of knowing that the aff code is printed next to the number to log the commission to the affiliate for phone booking.

But this runs the risk of loosing the sale if the visitor wants to book by phone.

And its probably the worst place you could put the phone number for an affiliate but the best for yourself!

DarrenW is right, how many people will actually quote the aff code on the phone. I wouldn't unless I was asked for it.

[mikearmstrong]

All wise words so far guys; thank you.

If our customers ring and say they have just been looking at the website, we do ask them if they have a preferrential code (they still think that they are getting a special deal).

I'm actually gravitating towards removing the number completely (adjusting the coding proved problematic just to get it to do what it does now) for 2 main reasons:

1. You're right, a (good, i.e., professional) potential affiliate will dismiss our site because they only see the number (didn't think of that one, thanks)

2. I want that division of our business to become mostly web-based (to reduce the associated admin burden).

The only other problem I can think of is that if we remove the procedure that we have in place just now, there is a danger that a customer will call us anyway (either from finding the 'contact us' details or finding our number elsewhere [we advertise extensively]) and the affiliate will lose their commission.

Groan.......

[mikearmstrong]

And its probably the worst place you could put the phone number for an affiliate but the best for yourself!

If anywhere, where are Affiliates comfortable with having the number please Ste? (You're going to say nowhere! )

[Ste]

When I go to sign up for a new program, this is the first thing I look for. Some Merchants do it on purpose and use affiliates to drive traffic to their sites and then try and get a sale on the phone without the need to pay a commission.

Obviously you need to display a phone number and no-one can argue with that, but the best place is probably on a contact page or a couple of clicks away from the product.

Anywhere I guess, apart from the top of every page