Mistake: assuming your commission rate is permanent

Mistake: assuming your commission rate is permanent
Hot reminder: programs cut rates retroactively, including on customers you already referred. "You earn 30% for the life of the customer" lasts exactly until they email "effective next month, all partners move to 20%."

Where it hurts:
— Your modeled lifetime value assumed the old rate. It just dropped a third.
— Existing recurring referrals re-price downward, not just new ones.

Fix: model every program at 70% of its current rate as your planning baseline — if it survives the haircut, great. Keep your audience and email list yours, not the program's, so you can re-point them to a competitor the day a rate cut lands. Owning the audience is your only leverage.

Verdict: the rate is a promise with no contract behind it. Plan for the cut before you get the email.