In our new Meet The Manager series, iGB Affiliate aims to find out what makes managers tick. To kick things off, we spoke to Katrina Dallmair from Comeon Connect about her motivations, passions and how she got into the industry in the first place.
If you had a free ad to sell yourself as an affiliate manager in 10 words or less, what would it say?
Dedication, motivation and friendliness combined with German efficiency.
Where are you based for work? Show us the view from your desk!
I’m based in Malta.
What is the one thing you love most about working for Comeon Connect?
In my opinion, one of the most important things an employer can do is to make you feel valued. Comeon Connect makes me feel seen and not just a number. It is not unusual for the CMO himself to reach out and celebrate my success with me and I have rarely seen that in the industry.
How did you get into the industry?
I wanted to escape the cold weather of Germany so I did some research and found lots of opportunities for German speakers in Malta, starting with customer service and ending up in affiliation.
Which are your favourite partners to work with and why?
Affiliates looking to develop a long-term relationship, which is beneficial to both sides, are amazing. That’s not always the case.
How is Comeon Connect unique in the industry?
I think it’s the people that make Comeon unique, we have the best teams in the industry working together. I may be biased, but the affiliate team here are supportive of each other and everyone shows passion in what they do. We continue to work on new brands and find the best offering for players in each of our markets.
What do you see as the most important skills and qualities for an igaming affiliate manager to be successful? To be approachable and open; you won’t get far if you're not friendly and care about what you do. While it’s about business at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean we can’t have relaxed conversations and share ideas with affiliates.
Being open to affiliate feedback is important too. If they make a suggestion about how they think we can improve conversion, then let’s listen. Being analytical is vital too.
ChatGPT – job killer or overhyped tool?
I'm sure it can help and make some processes easier, but I'm not afraid it will replace me (hopefully, ha ha!). In the end, it’s about building and sustaining relationships, which can’t be done with AI.
Creating content is great and ChatGPT can make a big difference to affiliates. In terms of our general communication to affiliates, i.e. newsletters, maybe it could save time, but we’d always want to make sure Comeon Connect’s personality comes across.
Any time saved means we can use that time elsewhere so there will always be a need for people. People are what makes the affiliate channel work. Analysing data and using that to optimise results is something that is bigger than just AI writing content.
“You don’t get really far if you’re not friendly and care about what you do”
What is your biggest current challenge as an affiliate manager?
We have a lot of brands and operate in a lot of big markets. Compliance is vital and we spend a lot of time ensuring our products and marketing communication are following guidelines for each market, but unfortunately, not all affiliates take the same care. It can be a big job trying to ensure all our partners are keeping up to date with the changing rules.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you or would be surprised to learn.
I like to repair stuff. Before coming to Malta I enjoyed repairing phones so if you need anything fixed, send it my way!
Describe your perfect day off…
Sleeping in, going to the beach with some friends, having a few beers and laying in the water with no responsibilities, then going home to watch Friends and snacking.
Where can affiliates find you online?
Reach out to me on LinkedIn.