$340.45 $188.64 However, unfortunately for the participant, the last two had to be swapped for him to earn his $50 prize. We had no winners. Theoretically, you may run a lottery based on 12 numbers. However, considering that the total number of possible sequences is more than 479 million, I do not recom- mend it, regardless of how large a prize you offer. A lottery based on seven numbers with a large prize would probably be the largest I would run. The factorial of seven is 5,040. Let Them "Test-Drive" It If you are selling a product/service that can be used by affiliates, let them "test-drive" it. If it is multidomain hosting, you do not have to offer affiliates full 10- or 20-domain packages but can create a custom affiliate package with a hosting capability of two or three full domains. If it is gum, send them a sample to try once they send in their first or second sale. If it is coffee, send them coffee. If you are printing business cards, print a certain quantity for each affiliate free of charge. You do not have to do any of these "test-driving" promotions just for the sake of the test-driving. In fact, I believe they should never be detached from your ultimate goal--to get your affiliate program to generate sales. When you are giving anything away for free, there is a very big chance that the giveaway will diminish the value of what is given away. It may also lead some to assume that the quality of what is being given away is not as high if it is free. This latter possibility will ideally be waived once they actually try it (again, I am assuming you are selling a quality product), but to stress the value of your products/services, attach an affiliate action to the "test-drive." It may be a sign-up for your affiliate program and putting up one or two quality links on their website; or the "test-drive" may be attached to the first or second sale. If you are selling furniture, fireplaces, or any other bulky and expensive products or services (travel, for example), neither the sign-up and activation nor the first sale bonus structure will work for you. However, this does not mean you should completely disre- gard this idea. Think further, and I am confident you will be able to modify it to fit your context. Take this idea and make it conditional on your affiliate reaching a particular monetary amount in gross sales sent to you. For example, if you are in the travel vertical, you could be giving away round-trip airfare tickets or trips for two. Just imagine what a promo that would be! Do the math, calculate what will work for you, and go for it. 383 O F F E R 10 0 - P E RC E N T C O M M I S S I O N S Offer 100-Percent Commissions Needless to say, promotions that have "100-percent commissions" in the title look attractive. If you are promoting an affiliate program for the manufacturer of a product or a direct supplier of a service (not a subcontractor or reseller), such offers may be