How do you avoid conflicts between direct and affiliate sales channels?
1. Define Clear Channel Attribution Rules
- Establish a transparent first-touch or last-click attribution model
- Use affiliate tracking links with UTM parameters to distinguish traffic sources
- Set cookie duration policies (e.g., 30 or 60 days) and communicate them clearly
- Avoid crediting both internal sales and affiliates for the same customer unless hybrid models are in place
- Use CRM and affiliate software integration to ensure accurate tracking and reporting
2. Create Dedicated Landing Pages for Affiliates
- Provide custom landing pages that are not promoted through direct campaigns
- Personalize content and CTAs to suit affiliate audiences and use cases
- Helps clearly segment affiliate-driven traffic from paid or organic channels
- Reduces overlap in campaigns and improves conversion relevance
- Strengthens affiliate ownership of their referral performance
3. Offer Channel-Specific Incentives and Messaging
- Design exclusive offers, bundles, or discounts available only via affiliates
- Create direct sales promotions that do not conflict with affiliate content
- Maintain distinct CTAs, content formats, and pricing strategies where appropriate
- Avoid using identical offers in both channels simultaneously without disclosure
- Encourage affiliates to promote long-tail or specialized products not heavily pushed by your sales team
4. Communicate Internally and With Affiliates
- Align your sales, marketing, and affiliate management teams on territory and campaign boundaries
- Notify affiliates in advance about product changes, direct campaigns, or limited-time offers
- Encourage collaboration between sales reps and top affiliates where it benefits both
- Provide a code of conduct or operating agreement to avoid channel cannibalization
- Foster trust through transparency and fair policies
5. Use Dual Attribution or Hybrid Commission Models (If Needed)
- Reward both sales reps and affiliates for shared deals using split or tiered commissions
- Track assisted conversions to identify cross-channel influence
- Useful for high-value B2B IT sales with longer cycles and multiple touchpoints
- Encourages collaboration rather than competition between teams
- Requires clear backend logic and approval workflows
