No matter what language is used to pronounce the word it still carries the same significance to sales people the world over. It is my firm belief that it takes a certain type of individual to be a commission salesperson. That individual must be skillful enough to effectively convey a message in fifty different ways while understanding the odds that none of the message versions may result in a sale and his/her livelihood depends on each one being successful. The type of individual who understands the odds and is willing to take on the challenge anyway, and make the sacrifices that must necessarily be made.
The individual must be willing to share before he or she is successful, while having a clear understanding that sharing is not selling; selling only takes place when the transaction is closed and earnings are assured; for although selling can be defined as sharing, the reverse is usually not true – especially commission based selling which, in my opinion, is among the purest methods of selling.
I shared several things with customers throughout my years in commission sales. I shared my time, knowledge, office, car and even my opinions, among other things. What I never shared with my customers, was the product(s) I was selling to them. Had I shared that I would have had nothing to sell and therefore would have wasted thirty five years of my life without anything to show for it. Obviously, that is not the case because I supported my family throughout those years.
The point here is distinction between methods and techniques used by professional sales people (affiliates online/eCommerce market place) who earn a living from commission sales and those utilized at occasional tea parties where hobbyists exchange/share their favorite flavors, clothing styles, and scents, among other things. This is not a knock on hobbyists or tea parties, merely an observation of distinctions that exist.
The same distinction exists with online marketing, which encompasses affiliate marketers, merchants, and the methods employed to market and sell their products including article marketing, blog marketing and social network marketing, among others. So it is necessary to understand where information sharing ends and selling begins. The need to understand distinctions became even more relevant since the FTC introduced new rulings in its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising which took effect on December 1, 2009.
Sometimes the best way to achieve clarity is to convey a clear and concise message, and in the cases when clarity about an advertiser/affiliate relationship may not be best suited for bottom line purposes of the principals, it seems that other options are becoming scarce because according to Section 255.0 Purpose and definitions of the Guides ,
...any advertising messasage (including verbal statements, demonstrations, or depictions of the name, signature, likeness or other identifying personal characteristics of an individual or the name or seal of an organization) that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings, or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser, even if the views expressed by that party are identical to those of the sponsoring advertiser. The party whose belief, findings or experience the message appears to reflect will be called the endorser and may be an individual, group, or institution .
In addition to the above excerpted text, certain terms will be treated as the same under one umbrella term by the Commission. Those terms are product, service, company and industry. The umbrella term is product. Endorsement and testimonials will also be treated the same for enforcement purposes; and finally, an expert; defined as:
...an individual, group, or institution possessing, as a result of experience, study, or training, knowledge of a particular subject, which knowledge is superior to what ordinary individuals generally acquire .
The Commission, through the adoption of these new Guides argues that the consumer is better off because of the protection afforded by the Guides against deceptive advertising; but they are those who share differing opinions which, in effect, states that the consumer had ample protections under the 1980 Guides , but of course they did not win this argument so the safe harbor language is eliminated in the new Guides . Here is what remains perfectly clear to me; Commissioned salespeople will continue to promote, sell and earn a living.
They must! Therefore, if this requires a change in method and technique in delivering their messages to the market, those changes will be undertaken, enabling performance of professional duties within the confines of the law. Before concluding this article however, I must make one observation and it is this: Based on the interpretation of terms noted above as well as others contained in the Guides text, it seems to me that disclosure of commission earnings by professional sales entities as well as their advertising sponsors will be the only clear and unambiguous way to appease the Commission (FTC).
Author Resource:
Hi, I'm Tony! In this article I provide a perspective on what effect the new FTC 'Guides' will have on internet marketers, their promotions and sales activities. I recently published http://www.dollarcounts.com and redesigned http://www.intermarkeffiliates.biz - Take a look
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