02 - How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing

[Vita_Vee]

If you landed directly on this page, please make sure you start by reading the 1st article of this "how to make money online" series:

01 - What You Need to Know About Business Success.

PART 2 - Making Money Online With Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing appeals to people at all stages of experience for different reasons. But essentially everyone who likes it does so for the obvious reason that product creation is eliminated. The entry level marketer can choose a product and only worry about how to make money with it. Highly successful product creators have the entire marketing machine in place. So for them it is a lot like fairly easy product expansion. Plus they already have at least one email list created.

But the stark reality of affiliate marketing is an extremely high percentage of people either give up or fail to achieve a meaningful income.

Rest assured, there are concrete reasons why that happens.

But each person has the ability to prevent that from happening. The “catch,” and another word is “key,” is each person must unlock their own ability to succeed. Yes, that implies each person must assume responsibility for their own success.

All anyone who teaches affiliate marketing, or any other subject, can do is point the way and describe the path. A teacher can tell you what to do and how to do it, but as you know even that is not enough to ensure success. Only you hold the key and can unlock your own success.

I realize most of you know what affiliate marketing is all about. But there are members who are brand new to online/internet marketing who may not know.

Affiliate marketing is very basically a business arrangement between you and established businesses of all sizes. You market, advertise, sell their products and you are paid a percentage commission for each sale. You are responsible for "your end" of the business which means you do what you have/want to do in order to make sales.

That is affiliate marketing in the smallest nutshell I could find. Of course there are tons of nuances, techniques, strategies, and so much more. But if you are new it is best to eat affiliate marketing in small portions to avoid brain indigestion.

Naturally, everybody in business or who desires to earn money wants to know the bottom line. The bottom line means that which is most important to people. As it concerns affiliate marketing, you may want to know about matters concerning money.

* How much can you really make with affiliate marketing?

* What are the realistic income possibilities with affiliate marketing?

* What are the dangers in terms of what can happen or how much can you lose?

Those are all important and legitimate questions, and I'll offer a few words on all points. So let's talk about the best one first which is the first question:

What is possible with affiliate marketing?

I will give you the most extreme (and factual) example that I know. There are two gentlemen who started an affiliate business related solely to financial products. They made their website and set out for affiliate marketing glory. That was a little over ten years ago. Well, not too long ago it was reported in the Sunday Times newspaper, in London, that their "little" financial affiliate business was valued at just over $900 million. That was reported several years ago, so I presume it's worth more now.

They have been doing affiliate marketing in one single market for ten years. Granted, the financial market is perhaps one of the most profitable markets. But that does not really mean much - it is not an excuse of any kind. They were not lucky, either. They just worked hard with total committment.

What are the realistic income possibilities with affiliate marketing?

Realistic income possibilities... That is a tricky one because the definition of "realistic" can be both universal and unique at the same time. Indeed, you can point to the $900 million business, above, and say that is realistic. It exists; people have done it, so theoretically it is a realistic possibility. There are caveats attached to it, to be sure. If you are just starting out today, then it will be harder to do. There is more competition, for example. But on the other hand, today you have far more - vastly more resources than they had when they started.

Today there are millions of products available to promote via affiliate marketing. So I will never tell anyone that they cannot build an affiliate based business to a level where it is worth almost a billion dollars. I will not tell you that you cannot do that... because you can do that if you want.

But we must talk about the unique definitions of "realistic income possibilities." By that I mean as that applies to each person; how that applies to you, generally speaking.

Here is the rock-bottom truth about that.

You... only you are able to define and ultimately determine what you can realistically earn with affiliate marketing. If you tend to be unmotivated, a bit lazy and all those things, then you will realistically and most likely not do well in business - affiliate or any other kind.

A person who is willing to work hard, be committed with a willingness to learn and persist can very realistically earn a six figure income. There are many things that will make that easier or more difficult, but that is a doable and fair statement. You can use the affiliate marketing model and earn in the low six figure range in a reasonable amount of time.

What are the dangers in terms of what can happen or how much can you lose?

The worst case scenario in terms of dangers is you can lose all you have. But that does not mean you "have" to operate within that risk category when you do affiliate marketing. The way people have lost all they have is when they were reckless, took too many risks with their money, and had unrealistic hopes and attitudes. In other words...

They did it to themselves. They ruined their condition in life (lifestyle, etc) not because of affiliate marketing. They did it because of their mindset and attitude toward life and business. They could have been doing anything in business, and the result probably would have been the same.

The lesson is that you need to approach your affiliate business as a real business. You are not "doing" a hobby. This is not a game, and it is not a hobby. I do not care if you are just starting out and making nothing. You absolutely "must" approach what you are doing with as much seriousness as you can muster.

So you also have to employ common sense in all you do.

Manage your money, time, and resources because if you do not, then you will be dancing with too much risk. You can take intelligent and controlled risk, and we all do that in business. Only you know what is common sense and smart for your financial situation and what is going too far.

You have to make that call for yourself.

If you want to be an affiliate marketer, then you will need to take time and consider a few important points. I strongly suggest you avoid basing your decisions solely on making the most money as fast as possible. The reason for that is your judgement will become clouded, and you may very well make decisions you otherwise would not. What that means is your decisions may not be in your overall best interest.

There are many ways to make money online, and affiliate marketing is just one of them. But going deeper, it is important you understand that all the "ways" to make money online often have many things in common. I am referring to marketing and advertising because in the end that is how you get traffic, maybe build an email list, and ultimately convert visitors and prospects to customers.

So with affiliate marketing, you basically choose products to promote and then decide how you will promote them. The second part concerns marketing, advertising, and the rest that are all universally used in online business.

You find affiliate products to promote at affiliate networks, and there are a lot of them. Some are very well known within the IM world such as Clickbank, Commission Junction, ShareASale, Plimus, and many others. Some of them concentrate on digital products such as Clickbank, as most of you probably know. Or you can promote physical products using Commission Junction and Amazon, and there are many others to choose from.

Let's not forget there are other forms of affiliate marketing such as CPA (Cost per Action), CPL (Cost per Lead), as well as others of a similar nature. This is an entirely different universe, it seems, from the usual type of affiliate marketing many people tend to think. I will only mention CPA affiliate advertising in case you have not heard of it, before. Truly, a great deal can be said and discussed in this area. There are many CPA network providers and two majors are Epic Direct Network (previously known as Azoogleads) and MaxBounty.

Seriously, there are hundreds of affiliate networks of all sizes. I would offer a cautionary note that you may want to stick with the more established networks. I only say that because they are so large and recognizable. A few main benefits is they will have very good resources in place that will help you with your marketing. Plus, there is the accountability factor inherent with highly recognizable names.

Yes, they are large corporations with huge annual revenues. What that also translates to is they do not want to do anything that can potentially tarnish their reputation. They are big 900 pound gorillas. They have a business reputation that must be protected. So you can be assured that your commissions will be paid, and that will give you a high degree of confidence and peace of mind.

Let's have an example of the generally typical life of an affiliate marketer.

There is no one single description that will cover all the possibilities. The reason for that is many of your affiliate business tasks will depend on a number of factors. Some of those factors are: operating budget, available time, experience, whether you outsource or not, marketing/advertising methods, degree of committment, and your goals.

So I will choose a random affiliate marketer who wants to use article and email marketing to promote affiliate products. That is a very realistic and often chosen affiliate model.

The entire process begins with choosing a product to promote. So let's say this person finds a digital product at Clickbank and gives it a thumbs up after it passes certain criteria. You must carefully choose any digital product (ebook, video) according to certain criteria. But as you know, it is important to take care with affiliate product selection regardless of digital or physical product. A large part of that consideration concerns the market for that product and degree of difficulty for your marketing and advertising.

The basic strategy will be to write articles to drive people to a squeeze page for optins. There will be an 'ethical bribe' for signing-up to the list for email marketing purposes. The subscribers will be treated to high quality email content with some emails being more promotional than others. The subscribers will be sent to the vendor's sales page from the promotional emails.

As an article marketer, you have two main choices regarding strategy with your articles.

You can write articles that are search engine optimized for keyword phrases that have a good chance for ranking in Google. Or, you can ignore that and write specifically for other webmasters who want to syndicate articles on their sites.

The latter approach will dictate you write the highest quality articles. These articles will tend to be longer, perhaps 700-1000 words, and the content must be completely solid. I would advise against using information found in the common places and also used by other article marketers.

The implementation of this strategy is pretty simple and straightforward. You write articles each day, preferably, and submit them to Ezinearticles, Buzzle, GoArticles, and perhaps the larger secondary article directories. But there is an extremely important point to make here.

You also want to create your own hosted wordpress blog for this campaign.

Write approximately, or at least, ten unique articles to put on your site. Then you make your site gets indexed with a few authority backlinks.

At that point, then you submit your articles as mentioned above. What you will do after that is simply rinse and repeat. You can write articles each day or on your own schedule. But the best approach, maybe, is to write one article per day. You can do that five days a week and take the weekend off.

So you produce one high quality article a day and publish to "your site" and get it indexed. Then submit to the article directories (preferably a modified version of your article). You should also start backlinking the articles on your own site as well as the article page in the directories. You will benefit from the PR passsed through your link in the article bio box to your site.

I recommend you find a successful product to promote before getting too involved with campaign creation. But that is up to you, really. You can choose several products to promote and test them. The way you do that is writing a set of articles and use a top level domain name to redirect to the vendor sales page. You want to see if the product sells before committing to doing all of the above. But once you are confident a product is selling, then you can roll-out the above strategy.

There are many products available for learning various aspects of affiliate marketing. I have noticed that many of these products often focus on certain techniques involving different aspects of marketing and advertising. So while they may be positioned as affiliate marketing related, they can also be used for promoting non-affiliate products or services.

I have not reviewed the first product cited below, but I am mentioning it because it seems to be highly regarded in the general consensus. Keep in mind that no product is perfect, but clearly some are much better than others and have minimal negatives.

The first product I want to tell you about came out a long time ago in the early 2000s. It was created by Rosalind Gardner, and it is called "Super Affiliate Handbook". But do not be fooled and think it is not relevant because it was published so long ago. The book is based on her experiences with building her affiliate business to half a million per year in revenue in a short period of time. I recommend this book because it focuses on the principles of marketing and advertising plus working with the affiliate marketing model. Her book was hugely successful for many years and is still a respected source of knowledge.

Another product I am familiar with is the Commission Blueprint series.
I have published a review of the Commission Blueprint 2 product that was released not too far back. This product focuses on certain marketing approaches such as search engine optimization and several others. But it does give a specific treatment for promoting affiliate products at Clickbank and Commission Junction. This product was also very widely received, in a positive way, and the creators are well respected online business owners.

The last product I want to mention is special in a lot of ways. The product is called "The Affiliate Black Book", and was created by Mr. X. Many of you may have no idea who that is, and that is understandable. Mr. X appeared a few years ago, maybe in the mid 2000s with an Adwords related product. He only sold something like 200 copies of it for a price that at least one hugely famous "guru" type person said no one would ever pay for an ebook. The ebook sold out pretty quickly. Mr. X is a successful affiliate marketer who has made a lot of money, and he operates totally below the radar. He shuns publicity and is not so interested to produce a lot of his own products. What you will find in The Affiliate Black Book are things you will likely not find anywhere else.

Personally, I think that affiliate marketing is a tremendous method for creating a business and making money. It really all depends on what you like to do and what appeals to you. The field is wide open due to the incredible number of products to promote. Plus you can promote them any way that pleases you.

Realize that you should be careful about automatically "doing" something just because everybody else is doing it. Take a look at it, and if it "speaks" to you, then give it a test and see how it goes. But stay away from following the crowd because you may assume that the crowd knows best just because "they all" are doing it.

You have to find your way, and that really speaks to finding, or discovering, what makes you happy. That is one of the keys to whatever success is. Miserable and unhappy is miserable and unhappy; regardless of having money or not.

Talk soon,
Vita Vee

PS: If you enjoyed reading this post, please link to it from your blogs, from twitter, from facebook, from other forums etc... I would appreciate it a lot.

PPS: Click here to read the 3rd article of this "How to Make Money Online" series.

[Infinity]

Thanks for the great post!

---

I would like to add:

1. Be a risk-taker, not a gambler.
2. Start with the end in mind, and know what you really want as your outcome. It's not just about money.
3. Find something you are passionate about, and have a clear purpose for yourself.

[pcmarket]

Wow.. That was even better than the first article in this series. I was just asking someone about affiliate marketing today and then you publish this. Some say nothing in life is ever a coincidence. Thank you.

[Alex]

Great article as usual! Thanks Vita, very powerful stuff!

[dimmy]

(12-14-2010 06:41 PM)Vita_Vee Wrote:  They were not lucky, either. They just worked hard with total commitment.

You... only you are able to define and ultimately determine what you can realistically earn with affiliate marketing. If you tend to be unmotivated, a bit lazy and all those things, then you will realistically and most likely not do well in business - affiliate or any other kind.

A person who is willing to work hard, be committed with a willingness to learn and persist can very realistically earn a six figure income. There are many things that will make that easier or more difficult, but that is a doable and fair statement. You can use the affiliate marketing model and earn in the low six figure range in a reasonable amount of time.


The lesson is that you need to approach your affiliate business as a real business. You are not "doing" a hobby. This is not a game, and it is not a hobby. I do not care if you are just starting out and making nothing. You absolutely "must" approach what you are doing with as much seriousness as you can muster.

Great quotes
TNX V2

Cheers,
dimmy

[Rep Ola]

Thank you, Vita! This is even better than the first article! I strongly agree with you that we need to avoid making decisions ONLY on making the most money as fast as possible. If so, we would do something crazy!! Thank you again, Vita!!

[Nik]

Thanks Vita,

Very well put together post. Like always you have good information to provide to your readers.

Nik

[Catseye]

Great stuff Vita... Thanks for taking the time to share your Wisdom with us.

Quote:You have to find your way, and that really speaks to finding, or discovering, what makes you happy. That is one of the keys to whatever success is. Miserable and unhappy is miserable and unhappy; regardless of having money or not.

I love the above quote...
It is so important to focus our efforts on what makes us happy because it is impossible to fake passion or sincerity.

We must be able to clearly see who we are, what we like and why we like it.
Then we can add our own unique perspective to it and passionately bring this perspective to the marketplace.

Can't wait for the next lesson!

Cheers
Chris

[Infinity]

(12-14-2010 08:58 PM)Catseye Wrote:  Great stuff Vita... Thanks for taking the time to share your Wisdom with us.

Quote:You have to find your way, and that really speaks to finding, or discovering, what makes you happy. That is one of the keys to whatever success is. Miserable and unhappy is miserable and unhappy; regardless of having money or not.

I love the above quote...
It is so important to focus our efforts on what makes us happy because it is impossible to fake passion or sincerity.

We must be able to clearly see who we are, what we like and why we like it.
Then we can add our own unique perspective to it and passionately bring this perspective to the marketplace.

Can't wait for the next lesson!

Cheers
Chris

Yes, I agree with that. So many people make the mistake thinking that money equals success. But in reality, you can be making a ton of money yet hate doing what you're doing.

I like the way Eben Pagan said it best when he said that we need to bridge the inner game and the outer game of success. Both sides need to be in alignment. Passion, peak performance, and purpose need to be aligned.

Sometimes it can take some time finding something that you like doing, whether online or offline. But once you've found it, you'll enjoy it.

Cheers,
Infinity

[wkm3]

Thanks Vita,

I think I have found my mentor.

Looking forward to your next post in this series.

Walter

[Lloydh]

Great articles Vita.

A good guide for those starting out and an even beter reminder for those more experienced.

Thanks

Lloyd

[chuawenching]

Thanks for sharing Vita.

Like to check. Is the "The Affiliate Black Book" still valid (updated) for now and also with your video courses you teach at Niche USA? Hope the methods they teach is white hat though

Well if it works, i will purchase it the sales letter looks really interesting though, wonder the dell script still works now.

I had Ros's course, but I still prefer Niche USA video ... more detail

Commission Blueprint 2, just too expensive!

[frank-k]

Hi Vita,

I've been following you for about a month now and you are one of the few email marketers whose emails I actually open.

I liked how your talked about a following a system to build your business and not chasing fast money. I'm currently coaching a family member and I was just telling him to focus on the tasks that grow your business and spend less time checking you affiliate and traffic stats.

I believe many people make the mistake of looking at affiliate marketing as a hobby and not a business.

If you treat affiliate marketing like a hobby it will pay you like one. If you treat it like a 6 figure business BEFORE your making 6 figures, then you're more likely to build a 6 figure business.

I'm always inspired by your sincerity and commitment to your customers.

I've been an affiliate marketer for about a year now, it took me 6 months to quit my job and go full time. I'm proof that the affiliate marketing dream is still alive and well.

All the best,
Frank

[youproblog]

hehehe vita you're clearly going for the holy grail keyword, i hope you will succeed. Nice strategy on changing the forum concept a bit so you can rank for it as well as gain many newcomers.

[graysqwrl]

I'm genuinely and continuously impressed with the quality of your writing. I really enjoy this forum.

[thriftgirl62]

Everything you said is true. All of it but I have a couple of questions and observations nobody wants to discuss like the difference between giving up and quitting. When the fine line between impossible and unreasonable is crossed, it's time to cut your losses and try something else.

Unreasonable is gambling. Impossible is taking a risk. Unrealistic is another word for both and not knowing the difference between the three will cause failure. You've confirmed everything else so I'm hoping you will confirm or correct what I believe is critical for getting to the next level.

Starting the new year off on the right foot is the confidence that will direct all of us towards the narrow path 95% won't find. I don't even know how I ended up here but I only decided to join because I saw Vita Vee and it reminded me of the I Love Lucy vitamin commercial - a good sign and sure enough, out of nowhere I was in the right place.

Learning to recognize signs and listening to yourself - you covered that. But what about paying more attention to what is NOT being said and who is NOT involved and asking why so you get a better picture and recognize things not being talked about or advertised aka the missing pieces.

Having unwavering faith in yourself allows you to recognize and act on whatever potential you see even when nobody else sees it - yet. And like you said, don't do what the crowd does. That's critical.

Reasoning: People tell you what they want you to know using words with different meanings depending on what context they decide to use in addition to hype and rabid buyers blowing up servers. This makes crowds of people follow each other using the age-old that many people can't be wrong. Just because everyone else has support from people you've heard of telling everyone how right they are, doesn't mean you must be wrong. That's what they want you to think.

They do that by keeping people separated because they know that many people together won't be wrong which translates to "that many people can't be wrong" so the majority follow the crowd without thinking or speaking to anyone else. They are alone against professional marketers and don't stand a chance unless their internet goes down or they run out of money or someones shows them different - another critical point.

PEOPLE. People working together with common goals is the answer. Why don't more leaders make that happen without the $1997 price tag? It seems like people with money are trusted more than others. Isn't that the reason that guy "made-off" with all that money?

I've got big plans that will make people in the same niche, even competitors start working together instead of fighting for the same business. The end result will be better products and services for better results. Money is a result and everyone here knows that, thank goodness for that!

When you make money your main reason for doing something, people can tell and even if they like your offer, they won't buy it because they don't like the reason for your offer. People buy why you do something, not what you do.

[Vita_Vee]

(12-14-2010 06:58 PM)Infinity Wrote:  Thanks for the great post!

---

I would like to add:

1. Be a risk-taker, not a gambler.
2. Start with the end in mind, and know what you really want as your outcome. It's not just about money.
3. Find something you are passionate about, and have a clear purpose for yourself.

Thanks for the additions Infinity. Point n°2 is of upmost importance!

(12-14-2010 07:23 PM)pcmarket Wrote:  Wow.. That was even better than the first article in this series. I was just asking someone about affiliate marketing today and then you publish this. Some say nothing in life is ever a coincidence. Thank you.

Thank you I agree with you, there's no coincidence, ever.

(12-14-2010 08:58 PM)Catseye Wrote:  Great stuff Vita... Thanks for taking the time to share your Wisdom with us.

Quote:You have to find your way, and that really speaks to finding, or discovering, what makes you happy. That is one of the keys to whatever success is. Miserable and unhappy is miserable and unhappy; regardless of having money or not.

I love the above quote...
It is so important to focus our efforts on what makes us happy because it is impossible to fake passion or sincerity.

We must be able to clearly see who we are, what we like and why we like it.
Then we can add our own unique perspective to it and passionately bring this perspective to the marketplace.

Can't wait for the next lesson!

Cheers
Chris

Thanks a lot Chris! Next lesson is for today

(12-15-2010 05:21 AM)wkm3 Wrote:  Thanks Vita,

I think I have found my mentor.

Looking forward to your next post in this series.

Walter

Thanks Walter for giving me your trust!

(12-15-2010 05:55 PM)chuawenching Wrote:  Thanks for sharing Vita.

Like to check. Is the "The Affiliate Black Book" still valid (updated) for now and also with your video courses you teach at Niche USA? Hope the methods they teach is white hat though

Well if it works, i will purchase it the sales letter looks really interesting though, wonder the dell script still works now.

I had Ros's course, but I still prefer Niche USA video ... more detail

Commission Blueprint 2, just too expensive!

Yes the aff blackbook is still valid. Actually when you're an apostle (name of his subscribers) you get access to an updated blog where X shares his latest discoveries.

I must say that some of his techniques are quite blackhat though, not all of them but for my part I know that I will never use some of the methods.

(12-15-2010 09:14 PM)frank-k Wrote:  Hi Vita,

I've been following you for about a month now and you are one of the few email marketers whose emails I actually open.

I liked how your talked about a following a system to build your business and not chasing fast money. I'm currently coaching a family member and I was just telling him to focus on the tasks that grow your business and spend less time checking you affiliate and traffic stats.

I believe many people make the mistake of looking at affiliate marketing as a hobby and not a business.

If you treat affiliate marketing like a hobby it will pay you like one. If you treat it like a 6 figure business BEFORE your making 6 figures, then you're more likely to build a 6 figure business.

I'm always inspired by your sincerity and commitment to your customers.

I've been an affiliate marketer for about a year now, it took me 6 months to quit my job and go full time. I'm proof that the affiliate marketing dream is still alive and well.

All the best,
Frank

Hi Frank,

Thanks a lot for your feedback! Only 6 months to replace your dayjob? Awesome! You are one of the few exceptions and this proves that treating this affiliate thing as a real business (with what this implies in terms of decision making) is the key.

(12-19-2010 05:14 AM)youproblog Wrote:  hehehe vita you're clearly going for the holy grail keyword, i hope you will succeed. Nice strategy on changing the forum concept a bit so you can rank for it as well as gain many newcomers.

LOL - A tough keyword but hopefully it will be worth it

@thriftgirl62 Thanks for your (many) observations and more precisely:

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  Everything you said is true. All of it but I have a couple of questions and observations nobody wants to discuss like the difference between giving up and quitting. When the fine line between impossible and unreasonable is crossed, it's time to cut your losses and try something else.

The difference between giving up and quitting? I'm not sure I see a difference between the two. It's not merely having a common "end result," either. When you decide to give up, you quit. You stop doing something.

Also, regarding the fine line between impossible and unreasonable is interesting, as well.

Impossible and unreasonable are often times, if not always, highly subjective terms assigned either by the person in question - and very often by other people either within that person's circle of influence or external to it.

We are speaking in general terms here without referencing a specific set of circumstances. So we need to bear that in mind, please.

Who determines what is unreasonable and impossible for you or anyone else?

Who "should" make those determinations?

I believe they are choices, definitions, and determinations that are the individual responsibilities of each person. Granted, a person's situation will be influenced by mitigating factors such as the presence of a family and other personal responsibilities. So what is unreasonable for a single person with no family responsibilities will be much greater than the person who has a family to care for.

These are personal choices that are part of what we do in business. They come with the territory. I may do something that others may call going beyond what is reasonable and possible. That is fine. But it does not matter as long as I have a good enough reason for "me" to continue. Others are free to describe it as they see fit.

That also holds true for everybody else out there.

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  Unreasonable is gambling. Impossible is taking a risk. Unrealistic is another word for both and not knowing the difference between the three will cause failure. You've confirmed everything else so I'm hoping you will confirm or correct what I believe is critical for getting to the next level.

I would say you really can only ascribe such conclusions as they pertain to you and your personal situation. Generally speaking, all businesses take a certain amount of risk. You do not know for sure that everything you do in business will be successful. So given that, then since you are venturing into the unknown, then you are taking certain risks. You are risking your time, effort, and perhaps money that what you attempt to do will succeed.

But I think perhaps we are talking about "degrees," here.

I also would further refine my comments about "realistic" and "risk" by stating (as I implied/stated in the thread) that each person has the responsibility for operating within safe parameters. Any person needs to avoid causing harm to themselves and certainly others by their actions.

If a person is charging everything to a credit card(s) and rationalizing it by thinking once he/she starts making money, then the cards will be paid off - that is a high amount of risk. The plan is probably unrealistic. Probably - but not 100% unrealistic because I know of people who have done exactly that. They worked hard, it worked out, and they paid their credit card bills and kept on going forward.

As you well know, that is an extremely risky thing to do. Perhaps they were going against the grain of what is realistic, but that was their personal choice and decision. Some would say that is an impossible thing to do, and maybe they say that because it "seems impossible for them." But I personally know it is "not" impossible.

I also do NOT advise anyone - ever - to do that!

I hope that sheds some light on your thoughts and concerns?

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  Starting the new year off on the right foot is the confidence that will direct all of us towards the narrow path 95% won't find. I don't even know how I ended up here but I only decided to join because I saw Vita Vee and it reminded me of the I Love Lucy vitamin commercial - a good sign and sure enough, out of nowhere I was in the right place.

I'm very sorry, but I'm not so familiar with the commercial you mention! I have heard of "I Love Lucy," and it was a TV show from the 50s or 60s in the US? I live in France!

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  Learning to recognize signs and listening to yourself - you covered that. But what about paying more attention to what is NOT being said and who is NOT involved and asking why so you get a better picture and recognize things not being talked about or advertised aka the missing pieces.

I see your point, and it is a valid point.

I believe it's important to realize that all people are of varying degrees of experience and knowledge as it concerns IM. So I would think that many people do not quite know what they should be paying attention to that is "not" being said.

For many, and perhaps all, it comes down to doing the very best you can as it concerns being careful. We all must operate and live (ultimately) according to what we have to work with. I don't say that from a perspective of not caring. But it's true that we all have to face life, make our decisions, and live with the consequences. Of course that holds true for me just as much as it does for everybody else.

I would always encourage anyone to pay close attention to what ever they do in business. If a person is reading a sales letter, then yes of course we all must carefully weigh what is going on as much as possible.

If a person doesn't know what to pay attention to, what questions to ask - or even the important questions to ask - then they do not know. If that person doesn't suspect anything to be wrong, then they simply do not suspect.

Unfortunately, for all of us - including me, very often we have to learn (sometimes) the hard way. We have to make our mistakes, and no one gets excused from making them. As much as we can try to help people, we can't protect people from all things in life or business.

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  Having unwavering faith in yourself allows you to recognize and act on whatever potential you see even when nobody else sees it - yet. And like you said, don't do what the crowd does. That's critical.

I agree. Most people don't have unwavering faith, but that's ok! We move forward and learn to have it to some degree or another.

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  PEOPLE. People working together with common goals is the answer. Why don't more leaders make that happen without the $1997 price tag? It seems like people with money are trusted more than others. Isn't that the reason that guy "made-off" with all that money?

I don't have an answer for that. I can't answer why they do what they do. I can tell you they want to make money, obviously. But keep in mind that they must have assessed the reasonable value of their products. Also, do bear in mind that all prices are determined by "what the market will bear."

I don't offer that as an excuse for high prices. No, no

I say that because it's a fundamental principle of economics, and it operates in every market on the planet.

Yes, regarding the issue of trust with people who have more money than others. It's often earned, rightly, and people make a connection that if someone has earned a lot of money in a particular business, then that person must know something about what they're doing. That person is viewed as an expert to some degree. Did that person get lucky all those times? Probably not.

You state that "People working together with common goals is the answer."

Ok, I see your point. But are you sure everybody else feels that way?

I don't offer that as a criticism. But rather, I make an observation and it's a neutral observation - there's nothing right or wrong about it. You can gather like-minded people who feel that way and accomplish something. Right? It's up to you.

(12-26-2010 08:44 PM)thriftgirl62 Wrote:  I've got big plans that will make people in the same niche, even competitors start working together instead of fighting for the same business. The end result will be better products and services for better results. Money is a result and everyone here knows that, thank goodness for that!

When you make money your main reason for doing something, people can tell and even if they like your offer, they won't buy it because they don't like the reason for your offer. People buy why you do something, not what you do.

I wish you well and much success with your plans!

There will be many more threads to follow in the coming weeks and months. Please feel free to return and share your thoughts with us. You are always welcome, here!

[jay13]

I admit I'm on my last leg in Affiliate marketing. The money I've made compared to the efforts I've put in is ridiculous. You provide great value to the IM world, and I see many people who do make money in the IM online... selling to the IM world. Now there's nothing wrong with that, it's just that I thought I could do it without that (I'd hate to sell money making tips when I haven't made much myself), and my pet peeve, without using "fake stories" to sell digital products. (Are there no ethics online?)

I've made most of my money this year selling golf clubs and gardening equipment. Let's just say that November and December were VERY lean months...

Even though I've been in financial services before, I'm not a people person per se, but seeing nothing but a damn screen for 3 years is getting to be too much for me. Servicing people and clients is at the same time at pain in the ass but brings in some great moments as well. Even when I've made some money online, there's no much satisfaction.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but my plan was to find one or two ways I could reproduce and make money, so that I could do something else to make the income and outsource the needed repetitive tasks - as I fully realize now I lack the trait of doing repetitive tasks day in and day out - to build an automated online business model. I'm not even sure I know how do that anymore.

I guess I'm about to "quit". To me, it's more like getting some sanity back in my life. Of course, the nagging feeling that I was just about to breakthrough will always be there but sometimes you've got to burn your bridges.

[Ken Thompson]

(12-27-2010 07:01 PM)jay13 Wrote:  I admit I'm on my last leg in Affiliate marketing. The money I've made compared to the efforts I've put in is ridiculous. You provide great value to the IM world, and I see many people who do make money in the IM online... selling to the IM world. Now there's nothing wrong with that, it's just that I thought I could do it without that (I'd hate to sell money making tips when I haven't made much myself), and my pet peeve, without using "fake stories" to sell digital products. (Are there no ethics online?)

If you do not mind, I would suggest you are right to avoid the IM niche when you do not have a strong track record of IM. But that's fine because there are a million other niches available to you.

Quote:I've made most of my money this year selling golf clubs and gardening equipment. Let's just say that November and December were VERY lean months...

Not surprising, and it is excellent feedback for you. Nov and Dec are early winter months for many people. So it is natural for sales in those two markets to be down.

The thing you want to do is become involved in markets that are active all year round. Or, you can enter markets that are more active during the winter such as winter sports related markets. Or, winter outdoor related markets - anything related to winter.

You can do that plus build in markets that are active all year. Then you will have the entire year covered in several ways.

Quote:Even when I've made some money online, there's no much satisfaction.

You can derive satisfaction by knowing your service is helping other people. Not only are you helping the business owner, but you are making a positive impact on all the people in the person's life. There is satisfaction there to be enjoyed if you look for it. Just a suggestion.

Quote:I guess I'm about to "quit". To me, it's more like getting some sanity back in my life. Of course, the nagging feeling that I was just about to breakthrough will always be there but sometimes you've got to burn your bridges.

Sometimes it is helpful to take a hiatus to clear the mind. You have gained a lot of experience, plus you have learned about yourself. That is priceless in many ways.

If you are thinking that you are "just about" to break through, then you will become stuck there - always close but never there.

So, instead try seeing yourself differently and do not become fixated with the vision of always being close but never there. Truthfully, once you are 'there' you will not stay there. You will want to move on in some way. We are all never static, really.

Focus on doing things, set goals and work toward them each day.

I believe Vita discussed a few of these points in this series.

Ken

[Jack]

Great thoughts Ken, Thanks!