Affiliate Programs

The news started circulating last week about Linens N Things financial trouble and possibly filing for Bankruptcy protection.

I know some of you are Linen N Things affiliates and you can do whatever you want. However, if I were a Linens N Things affiliate, I’d certainly be thinking about how much money they owed me and how many affiliate links I have pointing toward their store.

I worry about my money anytime a merchant is having financial trouble. Makes you wonder why they can’t learn to do basic budgeting and watch their cost, not to mention finding out where all their money is going.

For any of you who have been affiliates when a business went bankrupt, you know what I’m talking about. Try losing several thousand dollars worth of commissions when a company goes bankrupt and it doesn’t take long for you to become gun shy when a company starts talking bankruptcy!

As the old saying goes, “The chances of you getting paid are slim and none and Slim has left town”

Tactics For Dealing With A Company Filing Bankruptcy

There are several ways you can handle a company that is in financial trouble.

1. You can do nothing, cross your fingers and hope they’ll pull out of it. I know it’s tough to jump ship when you making good money on a company, just beware of the risk.
2. You can find another similar company and switch out all your affiliate links. This can be time consuming, but sometimes it’s the only option.
3. Option 3 is what I normally do. I try and pin down the top selling items that my customers were buying from this merchant. Then I go and find the highest paying commission on that product with a reputable company. Then I replace the old merchant store links with specific item affiliate links from the new merchant.

For example, let’s say your customers were buying J.A. Henckel Steak Knives through your Linens N Thingsaffiliate links. Just start a search of companies who carry Henckel Steak Knives, find a reputable one and replace your generic Linens N Things affiliate links with J.A. Henckel links from Amazon (or whoever is paying the best commission with competitive prices)

I much prefer this method over just throwing up another generic store banner. There is some reason that people coming to that page are buying Henckel knives so you might as well increase your CTR.

I do hope Linens N Things can pull out of their financial troubles. I love to shop there (yes, a Guy who likes Linens N Things…I just go there for the Kitchen Appliances and Cutlery though…honest )

Companies that go belly up are just another thing that us affiliate marketers have to deal with in this game. You learn to watch for the trouble signs and hope you can make a clean break before you lose commissions. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. If Linens N Things goes bankrupt, I hope you’re not left holding the bag!