Q: I have been trying the affiliate thing for about six months now, and I am not seeing any kind of progress. And I have this fear that I am going to be stagnant and never really break out and make some more money to really support myself. Should I give up?
A: I hear this a lot, and the problem is that some people perpetuate affiliate marketing as being an easy route to riches.
The reality is that it is not. Affiliate marketing requires a lot of time with the learning curve and testing, as well as a financial investment for anybody hoping to see a grow their business quickly.
So, I guess it depends on your level of passion for it.
Are you doing something in this space that really matters to you, and you want to continue with it, or is it something where you are unsure about your future plans?
I think you really have to have it in your heart that you want to succeed as an affiliate.
Let me share a little story with you about following your passion.
My father often told me a story about how when he was younger, he wanted to go into advertising. He had a statistical background, but wanted to get into something more creative.
However the more interesting job paid poorly, and he went with the stable, boring job.
This decision haunted him for years… decades. He often wondered what if he had taken that job in advertising and done something where he had a passion.
Instead, he worked many of his years for the Federal government in a bland 9-5 day. He started counting down the days to retirement many years out, because he couldn’t stand the doldrums of his work.
And then, with about seven months to go before retirement, he passed away.
All of that time and regret that was supposed to result in a happy ending… well, it didn’t.
That had a great impact on me and pushed me to focus on doing work that was fun to me – essentially stuff that didn’t feel like work.
It can be scary and hard to go out on a limb and take that risk, but you’ve got to do it if you want to work on your terms.
As Bob Marley once sang, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.”
It’s not easy by any means, but if you find your place as an affiliate and you really enjoy what you are doing, it will be so fulfilling.
This all reminds me of the keynote address by Jim Bouton at Affiliate Summit 2006 East.
If you’re note familiar with Mr. Bouton, he’s a former New York Yankee, best-selling author, and the inventor of Big League Chew.
I stumbled on to the secret of success, and that is persistence.
I just kept going out for the team anyway, even though I wasn’t successful.
Every summer out there playing ball. Persistence… persistence was the key.
You don’t have to be educated, you don’t have to be talented, you don’t have to be rich, you don’t have to be lucky – it’s available to anyone.
I’m convinced most people don’t fail, they simply stop trying.
So ultimately, I would say you should not fear tomorrow, but rather embrace it and own it.
If you want to be an affiliate, then just make it happen.
Work a little harder, put a little more into it, and focus on something you care about, and it will happen for you.
Just be persistent.