Years ago, I woke up one morning and found almost $900 in my account.
One sale. Overnight.
I don't even remember what the product was. But I remember what happened next.
The phone call
For whatever reason, I ended up talking to the buyer on the phone. An older lady.
It didn't take long to realize she had no idea what she'd bought. Or what to do with it.
I sent her money back. She didn't ask for a refund.
👉 A sale isn't a success if the person who bought it isn't better off.
Ever since then, I've looked a lot harder at anything before I put my name on it.
The five questions I ask now
Before I recommend anything, it has to pass these:
1. Does the math make sense?
Is this real? If the promise only works with impossible numbers, it's not real. I'll put it on a spreadsheet if I have to.
2. Can you reach a real person?
When you get stuck, and you will, is there someone to ask? Not a bot. A person.
3. Is there real training?
Not a sales video dressed up as a lesson. Actual steps you can follow.
4. Is there a community?
Other people doing the same thing, so you're not figuring it out alone.
5. What problem does it solve?
And does the person I'm recommending it to actually have that problem?
If it fails one of those, I don't recommend it. No matter what the commission is.
Say it plainly
When I do recommend something and earn a commission, I say so. Right there, next to the link. Not buried at the bottom.
Something like this:
I'm an affiliate for this, so if you buy through my link, I earn a commission.
That's it. No legal language. No hiding it.
People can tell when you're hiding something.
Why honesty is the long game
Here's a number I'm proud of.
On my other newsletter, Retire & RISE, about half the people I send it to open it.
It used to look even better. For a while it showed over 60%.
Then I found out some of those "opens" weren't people at all. They were email scanners, programs that check incoming mail and count as an open when nobody actually read anything.
So I cleaned them out of my list. The number went down to about 50%.
👉 I'd rather have an honest 50% than a pretty 60%.
That's the same rule I use for recommendations. The real number beats the flattering one, every time.
Before → After
Before: Will this sell?
After: Will this help the person who buys it?
One quick question
Hit reply and tell me: what's one thing you'd never promote, no matter the commission?
A few words is plenty. There's no wrong answer.
— Bob