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[Pavol Almasi Contribution Level: 2]

Quitting is sometimes the best thing one can do. Sometimes, trying to convince yourself that you can make it is simply not being realistic, and sticking to this conviction will eventually lead to disappointment, wasted time and money. The sooner one realistically looks into his/her own abilities, possibilities and opportunities, the sooner you can be on your way to success with something, you can actually succeed in.

This is particularly true in sports and arts, but it does apply to business too. Not every business is suited for everyone, in fact, not everyone is suited for business. There are countless of examples of people who were very successful in one thing, yet failed in others. The trick is to find the one thing that you like and that you can realistically succeed in (of course, success means a different thing for different people). You won't know until you try, that's for sure, but believing that determination in something you are not suited for determines your success is just not how real world works.

[Stas Chernihov Contribution Level: 1]

I agree with every word here and it really opened my eyes a little bit becouse i'm pretty much new at all this topic(affiliate marketing),so thank you very much for this helpfull information!

[andy sung Contribution Level: 1]

Hi. I am just about to start with affiliate marketing and still scrambling to absorb and learn everything I can. Taking my baby steps while I try to learn the ropes.

Thanks a lot for sharing this tips. It will be a big help to my learning.

[Gerald Gigerl Contribution Level: 2]

You stated some true points and by knowing
them and what to do, it´s easier to move on.

Gerald

[Joyce Penner Company: Life Force International Contribution Level: 8]

The company I joined has a promotion to get you going the first 90 days to make triple commissions. I didn't sign anyone up, yet. I was so excited and now I'm thinking about quitting. I have to buy about
$125.0 worth of products every month to stay a distributor. With winter coming I won't be able to keep that up. Thanks for the advice!

Joyce, this emphasizes something very crucial in our industry that is most often overlooked.

Think of yourself as a business. Brick and mortar businesses spend many thousands of dollars to get started. Inventory, location, staffing etc. Buying the inventory is a cost of doing business. Imagine if a local grocery store opened it then quit it 3 months later because they hadn't made enough money to cover the cost of their inventory.

You are in business without all of that hassle. All you have to do is buy $125 worth a product a month. In comparison, can you see how easy we as MLM distributors have it?

We can start a business on absolute peanuts plus we have the flexibility of working the hours we want, we can make money at home or at the grocery store, we can access the best training in the world right from our computer and the list goes on.

Business owners work longer hours than anyone else I know (just like MLM). Business owners realize they will need to do that for 4 to 5 years or more before they can realize the perks of owning a business (unlike MLM). Business owners often lose money the first two or three years of operation. (We don't have to take that long as our costs are much lower to break even and realize a profit).

I could go on but the point is, we are all business owners and need to start thinking like business owners.
So don't quit, get educated on what it takes to own a business. Then you'll see all the benefits without all the stress of a brick and mortar business owner.
Joyce

[Paul Mette Contribution Level: 1]

I fully agree with the '4 common mistakes' listed will apply to any business, on or offline. However from reading all these posts there are a number who refer to personal product purchase costs, sponsor responsibility etc. Those are mlm or network marketing. Since the title of the thread was 'affiliate marketers' for those new to this business I thought I'd just mention the 2 are different.

With mlm/network marketing you have upline or sponsors who directed you to the opportunity. And since your success is also theirs they should not only be willing to help you but offer support and encouragement as well. Depth is what creates the wealth in these programs. So it is more of a 'team' effort. These programs almost always (and I say almost because I found one that doesn't) require initial and/or monthly product purchases. This is the backbone that drives the growth. The more people you sign up the more you make. You can also profit simply from selling the products or services but that should only be an addition to sponsoring if you want to make good money.

Affiliate marketing on the other hand should NOT require any fees. Signup or recurring. As an affiliate marketer you are basically an independent sales rep for the company or site you are promoting. All you do is direct traffic to the company's website via your affiliate link. They make the sales, collect the money and you earn a percentage as specified in their affiliate deal. Some offer only 1 time payments and some offer residual income from repeat sales. Most affiliate programs are only 1 or 2 levels deep and you rarely ever know who sponsored you or how to contact them.

There are numerous other differences between the 2 but I hope I covered the main ones.

There are also 2 things I would like to add to the list of 4.

Budget: Whatever business you are getting into figure out your costs on a monthly basis. Program fees, website costs, advertising etc. Now say to yourself can I still eat, have power etc if I earn nothing in the first 6 months. I'm not saying you won't because you really should be but you are putting a lot less pressure on yourself if you don't feel rushed to produce results. Less pressure usually means better results.

Like what you are promoting or selling: If you were selling shoes but you have gone barefoot your whole life this is going to be a tough sell for you. For optimum results you should be picking what you yourself like or interests you. This way you always have an upbeat attitude or vibe that people can feel. Instead of feeling down or rejected by not closing a deal you take a more 'your loss bud' attitude and move on. You will also usually get better results. Picture a guy, any guy, selling lipstick or fishing gear. Which do you think he'd be more successful at? It's a no brainer! The more you know and like something the more money you will make because your pitch is more casual and upbeat.

These are just the opinions though of one old geezer so keep that in mind.

[kim kitchener Contribution Level: 1]

I made my first affiliate sale after 5 months of promoting the product and now get regular sales. I was targeting a highly searched for keyword and it took me 4 months and a lot of promotion to get this keyword onto the first page of google. Now it is there i am starting to reap the benefits, so do not be so quick to give up. Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick overnight scheme, it does often take a lot of hard work.

Regards

Kim

[Rada Francis Contribution Level: 2]

I agree, training is very important. I don't get it how people think that they have to go to school to be "trained" for their future job, but they expect to get into network marketing/mlm and don't think that they need to know anything about it. That's why so many people quit, they think it will be so easy to get the money but aren't willing to invest some time into their own home business and would rather work for someone else. Maybe its because people are simply lazy and like it when someone else dictates their lives.

[Edison Victorino Contribution Level: 2]

You can only make massive amount of money in the industry provided that you have the right skill and knowledge already. If you are just starting out, then you must be patience. There's no such thing as get-rich-quick scheme... only right information that's why you make quick bucks

[Lynda Cromar Company: Empower Network, LLC Contribution Level: 9]

I agree completely! This is what I have been preaching for some time now, don't let the hype get you down!

However, with your 4th point - if you've been in an MLM for example for 4 months with little results then it is time to quit.

I must be missing something, what do you agree completely on.