Targeting Competitors Affiliates

healymedia · 07-05-2009, 09:12 PM

So I'm wondering, when you launch a product and you're looking to build affiliates, is it ethical to search out and contact sites that are promoting your competitors products in order to try and sway them over to promoting your product instead?

I don't see any reason why this would fall out of the realm of standard competition, but for some reason it just seems a bit raw.

Any thoughts?

Andy Crofford · 07-05-2009, 09:21 PM

Looks like you answered the question yourself, seems like standard competition to me. Places I have worked in the past received calls frequently from competitors of a service we were using. I never considered it unethical then.

Tom Brite · 07-05-2009, 09:29 PM

Why ever not?

If you can offer them something better in their eyes then of course they are going to promote you over them. However if you are paying them or whatever or deliberatly sabotaging your competitor's efforts then no!

It's all down to if you can sleep well at night or not! Only you can tell that.

But simply by informing them of the benefits of promoting your product over their competitors and making them aware of your product should be enough.

Tom Brite

CurtisN · 07-05-2009, 09:32 PM

Just curious: are you in direct competition with this other person? Because if you're not, you could just ask this other product owner to be your JV partner.

To answer your question, I don't think it would be unethical to contact potential affiliates like that, but I don't think the affiliates would like it very much. You don't have an existing relationship with these people and to ask them to be your affiliates out of the blue would be pretty forward of you. It's basically like "hey I'm _____ wanna promote my stuff?"

But that's just my opinion

Curtis

Shaka · 07-05-2009, 10:05 PM

It’s not unethical at all. A salesman’s job is to sell and open new accounts and you’re the salesman for your product. Rest assured your competition will do the same thing to you. Just be able to offer something that is an improvement over the competition and don’t mislead anyone.

07-05-2009, 09:12 PM	#1
healymedia HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Posts: 288 Thanks: 56 Thanked 56 Times in 37 Posts	Targeting Competitors Affiliates - Ethical or Not? So I'm wondering, when you launch a product and you're looking to build affiliates, is it ethical to search out and contact sites that are promoting your competitors products in order to try and sway them over to promoting your product instead? I don't see any reason why this would fall out of the realm of standard competition, but for some reason it just seems a bit raw. Any thoughts?
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07-05-2009, 09:21 PM	#2
Andy Crofford SEO Enthusiast War Room Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 176 Thanks: 0 Thanked 28 Times in 24 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Targeting Competitors Affiliates - Ethical or Not? Looks like you answered the question yourself, seems like standard competition to me. Places I have worked in the past received calls frequently from competitors of a service we were using. I never considered it unethical then.
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07-05-2009, 09:29 PM	#3
Tom Brite Banned War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK and France Posts: 1,127 Thanks: 267 Thanked 189 Times in 100 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Targeting Competitors Affiliates - Ethical or Not? Why ever not? If you can offer them something better in their eyes then of course they are going to promote you over them. However if you are paying them or whatever or deliberatly sabotaging your competitor's efforts then no! It's all down to if you can sleep well at night or not! Only you can tell that. But simply by informing them of the benefits of promoting your product over their competitors and making them aware of your product should be enough. Tom Brite

07-05-2009, 09:32 PM	#4
CurtisN Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada. Posts: 836 Thanks: 66 Thanked 90 Times in 81 Posts Social Networking	Re: Targeting Competitors Affiliates - Ethical or Not? Just curious: are you in direct competition with this other person? Because if you're not, you could just ask this other product owner to be your JV partner. To answer your question, I don't think it would be unethical to contact potential affiliates like that, but I don't think the affiliates would like it very much. You don't have an existing relationship with these people and to ask them to be your affiliates out of the blue would be pretty forward of you. It's basically like "hey I'm _____ wanna promote my stuff?" But that's just my opinion Curtis
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07-05-2009, 10:05 PM	#5
Shaka Carpe diem War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: U.S.A Posts: 62 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Targeting Competitors Affiliates - Ethical or Not? It’s not unethical at all. A salesman’s job is to sell and open new accounts and you’re the salesman for your product. Rest assured your competition will do the same thing to you. Just be able to offer something that is an improvement over the competition and don’t mislead anyone.