Business
Valuation Made Quick, Easy and Inexpensive!
10
Secrets of the Super Affiliate Mindset
By Anik Singal
Posted Dec. 30, 2004
Contrary to popular belief, super-affiliates don't
really DO things differently than affiliate underachievers.
Super-affiliates promote the same products. They
use the same SEO techniques. They have the same
headaches. And they work just as hard.
But super-affiliates THINK
differently. Their minds and attitudes go far
beyond the commission check. For them, affiliate
marketing is not just a business. It's a CAREER.
And that professional mindset makes a huge difference
in how and when they take action in the marketplace.
I've worked side by side
with many super-affiliates. I've even helped create
a few. They all share a special kind of mindset.
So as you read these 10 characteristics of affiliate
super-achievers, ask yourself, "Could I learn
to think this way?"
#1 - Super-affiliates think
creatively.
You know what you'll get
if you do what everyone else does? You'll get
what they get... only you'll be splitting it with
them, and all their imitators.
In today's Internet marketplace,
you need to be a leader, not a follower. So super-affiliates
don't follow the crowd. They sell TO the crowd.
They take the most successful marketing techniques,
apply them to selling the most popular products...
and then add a unique spin.
It could be as simple as
offering one unusual, but highly valuable bonus.
It could be as sensible as using low-cost offline
marketing, while everyone else is breaking the
bank on expensive PPC. It could be as innovative
as dumping the sales letter, and substituting
a quiz or contest. But super-affiliates always,
always, ALWAYS look for ways to be alittle more
creative than their competitors.
#2 - Super-affiliates learn
the hard stuff.
Less than 10% of people
who start their own business are successful. Why?
Most fail because they lack direct sales experience,
don't bother with a marketing and business plan,
or get into debt promoting products that don't
have a market. In other words, they flunk when
they get tested on the really tough aspects of
business.
Super-affiliates are different.
They learn how to do all the "hard' things
other people shy away from. They learn about selling
and they get good at it. They set goals, make
daily and weekly plans, and measure their progress.
They don't waste time creating huge content sites
unless they have hard evidence that those sites
will eventually bring them BUYERS (not just browsers
or researchers).
And most of all, they keep
their eye on PROFITABILITY. Not just traffic,
not just visitors. Super-affiliates look for a
return on their investment of time and effort,
as well as money.
#3 - Super-affliates follow
up.
Most affiliates can attract
prospects. A few can convert prospects into customers.
But only super-affiliates turn existing customers
into repeat customers.
Super-affiliates know that
the person who has already bought from you is
the most willing prospect for your backend products,
upsells, and cross-sells. These current customers
are also the cheapest to sell to. So super-affiliates
are always thinking of the lifetime value of a
customer... and always offering them the best
value and deals.
#4 - Super-affiliates give
before receiving.
Super-affiliates invest
time and money giving something of REAL value.
Before they ask for the sale... and before they
seal a JV. Maybe they give away useful content.
Maybe they offer a valuable resource. Maybe they
offer to put in some sweat equity for a piece
of the action. Maybe they offer customers a chance
to win something... or a smile.
But no matter WHAT they
give, super-affiliates do business in a spirit
of openness. It's not about beating the other
guy. It's about networking and making alliances.
It's about viewing the Internet marketplace as
one great big "small town." It's about
saying "let's talk." And it's about
putting something - money, effort, or reputation
- on the table BEFORE making demands.
#5 - Super-affiliates know
how to receive.
Giving is the best first
step - but it's only the beginning. Once they've
hammered out a deal or given something of value,
super-affiliates also know how to take what they
rightfully deserve.
That means they don't just
pre-sell... they ASK prospects for the sale. They're
not afraid to capitalize on a good deal. They
LIKE profits and don't apologize for being successful.
And if they're working on a JV, they state their
expectations clearly, forthrightly, without a
lot of fuss... and don't de-value their list or
reputation with cheesy offers.
Yes, the best super-affiliates
receive their just rewards graciously, without
throwing their egos around. And they not only
say thank you. They look for ways to turn a "thank
you" into an opportunity to generate more
customer loyalty and more sales down the line.
#6 - Super-affiliates think
strategically.
Affiliate marketing isn't
a game of chance. It's a profession. Super-affiliates
are just as savvy about their industry, and just
as uninvolved, as other expert professionals.
Which means super-affiliates
spend quality time thinking, planning, preparing,
and evaluating. They analyze their sites, products,
and sales. They try to understand WHY one technique
works and another doesn't. They think about trends
and ponder the mentality of their customers.
Bottom line is, super-affiliates
LOVE their work.
#7 - Super-affiliates test
and analyze.
Profit, profit, profit...
super affiliates are hard-headed about profits!
They split-test carefully. They think about WHY
one ad pulls better than another... and they try
to duplicate the results. They analyze their traffic,
stats, and user purchase patterns. They're fanatics
about knowing their visitor to sales ratio on
a daily basis. And they're obsessed with ROI.
If you want to say goodbye
to the ranks of affiliate underachievers, learn
to love the numbers like the super-affiliates
do.
#8 - Super-affiliates know
when to go for volume over commission.
Here's a very well-kept
secret of some super-affiliates: you can earn
a fantastic income from cheap untargeted traffic.
Believe it or not, not every super-affiliate is
brilliant at creating content or opt-in marketing.
Some just concentrate on traffic -- more and bigger
traffic -- and make money off of sheer volume
sales and contextual advertising.
Here's the basic formula,
oversimplified of course: Let's say that on a
given web site you get 1000 unique visitors per
day, or 30,000 visitors per month. If your average
monthly profit from that site is $1500, then each
visitor is worth 5 cents ($1500 divided by 30,000
visitors).
So in this example, if you
spend 5 cents to attract a visitor, all you can
do is break even. But if you can spend a lot less
to get a visitor -- say only 2 cents -- you've
got the potential to make some terrific profits
on cheap traffic! Sure, it's not going to be tightly
niched traffic. But it's also the kind of traffic
that fits well with products that have mass-market
mass-appeal, or even commodity products.
#9 - Super-affiliates work
a plan.
Successful affiliates have
a simple business model: they replicate their
success. Once they find something that works,
they tweak it slightly, test, evaluate, and repeat.
Some of the most profitable affiliate empires
follow this simple, repetitive pattern. Consistent
effort tends to yield consistent results, especially
online, where certain types of marketing (like
SEO) take time.
And more importantly, super-affiliates
follow a schedule. So much activity per month,
so many promotions, so many sales. When they fall
short of their goals, they figure out why. If
they can't, they cut their losses and try again.
Working a plan all boils
down to discipline. Organization, tracking, and
daily project management are a way of life for
super-affiliates.
#10 - Super-affiliates never
quit.
They may ruthlessly dump
under-performing products. They may cut their
losses if the profits don't flow. But super-affiliates
don't give up. They assume that they're going
to have some bumps and hard times. They look at
setbacks as essential learning experiences that,
in the end, help them build a stronger business.
Copyright 2004 Anik Singal
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This article is written by Anik Singal, founder
of AffiliateClassroom.com. Anik Singal has developed
his own system that made him over $10,000 in just
60 days. Now, he's looking for a few students
to train one step at a time. Sign up for a FREE
course and find out more: http://www.AffiliateClassroom.com
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