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Getting back to the basics of affiliate marketing

September 24, 2009 by John Dilbeck
Filed under: Sitesell and Site Build It, Success and Failure 

I haven’t been doing much writing this month, but I have been doing a lot of thinking, reading, and planning.

As much as I love writing, it’s almost impossible for me to string two sentences together when I’m running a fever and feeling terrible. So, a whole month of fall allergies combined with some gut bug I can’t seem to kick have kept me off the computer for most of the month.

There is an upside to this, however.

Since I no longer get TV since the switchover from analog to digital, I don’t waste a lot of time watching TV.

I am a happy NetFlix member, however, so I’ve been rewatching the entire StarGate SG-1 series and the StarTrek Next Generation series. The beauty of this is that I can pick the time I want to watch, instead of being forced to watch on someone else’s schedule.

So, when I was feeling bad and could manage to stay awake for awhile, I’ve been watching a couple of my favorite science fiction series.

When I was feeling good enough to concentrate on something more serious, I’ve been re-reading three books that have made an incredible difference in my life over the years.

So, since I really don’t know where I’m going with my affiliate marketing business right now, I decided it was time to get back to the basics and rethink my goals and strategies to achieve them.

I’m not giving up on affiliate marketing. I enjoy getting paid to recommend quality products to people and I’ve earned thousands of dollars over the years as a result.

Even though I’m going through a slump, I won’t let it continue indefinitely.

So, what am I reading, and why?

Napoleon Hill

When I was a teenager, a friend at church gave me his personal copy of Think and Grow Rich. He was employed at IBM and knew that I was interested in computers. This was way back in the 1960s. He told me that what he learned in this book was one of the major reasons he was enjoying his career at IBM.

The book was full of underlines and margin notes. He had questions about certain paragraphs and notes about how important some of the main points were in his success and for others he knew who worked through this book.

Now, since I am a good affiliate marketer, here’s a link to MindPerk, where you can purchase several items authored by Napoleon Hill, including Think and Grow Rich.

I am happy, also, to link to a page on my Act On Your Dream! website that offers some quality quotations from Napoleon Hill and his best-selling books.

It’s easy enough to find. You can borrow it at just about any bookstore. I’m pretty sure there are free versions available online.

Or be nice to a struggling business in your town. Go to your local bookseller and buy a copy. If they don’t have it, they can order it for you.

When my friend gave me his copy of the book, he said there were two conditions. I had to actually read the book, work through the exercises, and apply what I learned to my own life. And, when I met someone at a crossroads in their life, that I would give them my own copy of the book, with the same conditions.

Over the decades, I’ve given away several dozen copies of that book and I’ll continue to do it as long as I’m able.

As much as I love what’s in Think and Grow Rich, however, I’m currently re-reading Napoleon Hill’s much larger book, Law of Success.

Earlier today, I was reminded of the self-assessment test in Think and Grow Rich, and it sparked an idea I’m going to put into action on my John Dilbeck And Friends blog.

There are fifty-four questions in that test, and I’m going to be giving my answers and thoughts on one or two of them as close to daily as I can manage. I may miss a day here or there, but I’m going to follow through until I reach the end of the test.

I’ve started the series of posts on John Dilbeck and Friends with:

Think and Grow Rich self-assessment test

I could do this just as well in private, but I’m going to answer the questions publicly. I may reveal more than I want about myself in a few of them, but that’s okay.

Even more importantly than giving my answers, I hope the series of posts will spark some intelligent discussions and maybe lots of people will benefit, instead of just me. We’ll see how it goes.

I plan to answer the first question or two this evening.

There are many, many good pieces of advice in Think and Grow Rich and Law of Success and I’ll be blogging about them, too. Even though some may be related to affiliate marketing, I think they’re better suited for my John Dilbeck and Friends blog than they are for here.

One reason I’m mentioning it here, though, is that Law of Success has been called a master course in salesmanship and I think there is a lot of truth in that.

So, who else am I re-reading?

Ken Evoy

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I am a huge fan of Ken’s Site Build It! service.

Currently, I’m using SBI to manage a couple of my static websites and I’m getting good results from both of them.

A Year From Now is a site where I talk about setting goals, and then acting on achieving your dream.

I haven’t done as much with that site over the last couple of years as I would like, but I’ll be adding more to it in the coming months.

One of the things I’ve discovered about myself while reading Law of Success is that my Definite Chief Aim is no longer what I thought it was a few years ago, and I’m going to be revising that.

I truly believe, if you are honest with yourself, assess your skills and limitations accurately, set goals you really believe in and want to achieve, plan how to approach all of it, and then act on your dream, that you can be substantially more successful a year from now.

So, I’m going to do that and apply it to my major websites and blogs, in the process.

My other SBI-powered site is MurphyGold.com and it is all about promoting some of the best small business owners in Murphy, NC and the goods and services they provide to our friends and neighbors in our small mountain community.

Even though the site is barely more than two months old, it’s already doing well and I have several more business owners I’ll be adding to the site in the next few days.

I liked the product so much I bought the company

I’m sure you’ve seen that commercial. It made a big impact on me the first time I saw it.

Victor Kiam was the man who coined the slogan, “I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company.” The company was Remington Products, a maker of razors and similar appliances.

I like Site Build It! so much that I’d love to buy the company, but that hasn’t been possible. So, since I can’t buy the company, at least I can help recommend the service and earn a commission in the process.

So can you.

But, first, I want to talk about a couple of ebooks that Ken Evoy wrote a few years ago that changed my life almost as much as Think and Grow Rich did.

A few years ago, I quit working as a computer consultant and systems analyst and intended to take life easy as an artist blacksmith. I started smithing Steel Roses That Never Wilt and wanted to sell them to as wide an audience as possible.

I added a section about blacksmithing to JohnDilbeck.com, but was getting practically no responses.

I don’t remember exactly what year it was, but it was about ten years ago when I stumbled across an ebook called Make Your Site Sell!.

It was written by Dr. Ken Evoy and sold for $17.

I didn’t expect much for that much money, but I bought the ebook, downloaded it, and started studying it.

I rebuilt my website, following his advice, and before I knew it I was getting requests for more information about my Steel Roses from around the world and I was selling as many as I could make to people across the USA and Canada.

That little investment brought in thousands of dollars of revenue. The ebook didn’t do it, however. I did.

I had to study it, learn the principles involved, and put them to work for me. So, in a way, it was a partnership between myself and Dr. Evoy.

I learned a lot from that book and it changed my life for the better.

Later, in 2002, the book was revised and the price was raised a bit. I bought the new book and put into practice what I learned from it, too.

So, how much does it cost now?

Not a single penny.

In fact, you can download Make Your Site Sell! at no cost, and you don’t even have to give your email address to join a mailing list.

The book was recently revised and now it tells how Site Build It makes much of the old tedious handwork obsolete.

In fact, that’s how Site Build It came about: to help people put into practice what Dr. Evoy covered in the book.

No matter how you build your website, or even if you prefer a blog, you can learn something of value from Make Your Site Sell!

But, don’t expect to discover the secrets of making a gazillion dollars with no work.

This ebook weighs in at about 1,500 pages over several PDF files. If you want to learn what it offers, you’d better set aside some time and be prepared to spend some effort.

Otherwise, don’t bother. It won’t do you a bit of good sitting on your harddrive.

I didn’t buy the business, but I did become an affiliate

If you know anything about me, you may know that I had to close my blacksmithing business in 2002 when I became the full-time caretaker for my mother, following her cancer surgery.

I cared for her 24/7 for over six years and I was as much of a shut-in as she was the last two or three years.

I had to find a way to make a living while not being able to leave the house, and affiliate marketing became the vehicle to make this possible.

Again, it was an ebook written by Ken Evoy that made the difference in my life.

Many people, including me, think that the Sitesell 5 Pillar Affiliate Program is the best on the planet. I’m happy to be one of their affiliates and recommend them to you.

Over the years, I’ve received thousands of dollars in commissions and I’m still earning for residual sales of annual resubscriptions from happy SBI webmasters.

I was a happy Sitesell affiliate long before Site Build It became available and I’ve earned a lot from Dr. Evoy about affiliate marketing from his weekly newsletter for affiliates, his frequent postings in the Sitesell forums and from his ebook, the Affiliate Masters Course.

This free ebook, which was originally available as a multi-email course, offers valuable advice for anyone who wants to be a successful affiliate marketer.

I’m re-reading it as part of my efforts to get back to the basics and redefining my marketing company and the goals I want to achieve.

I’ve read over a dozen books and ebooks about affiliate marketing, some of which cost over $100, and, to me, this continues to be the very best.

I can’t say that will hold true for you, but it seems that Dr. Evoy and I think quite a bit alike, even though he is a far better business owner, team builder, and marketer than I ever expect to be.

I don’t try to model myself on him and what he does, but I do try to learn from him and adapt what I can to my own business.

Over the years, Dr. Evoy has never lead me astray. He offers solid advice for building a real business and shares what he has learned about websites, blogs, and selling.

How much are you willing to invest in your future?

You can get Think and Grow Rich from your library, and you can freely download Make Your Site Sell! and the Affiliate Masters Course.

You don’t have to invest a single dime in a quality education, great advice, and information about the necessary skills you’ll need to become successful with affiliate marketing and selling from your own websites.

But, even though you won’t have to invest any money, you will have to invest time and effort and a lot of study if you want to learn all that is offered in these books.

Nothing works for everyone

Now, no matter how much I have learned from these books and how much my life has been made better because of them, the same may not hold true for you.

Each of us has our own skills and limitations. Things that work well for me may not work for you, and vice versa.

But, I believe it is true to say that nothing will ever work for you if you don’t learn how to focus on your goals and the plans you have made to achieve them.

If you flit from one thing to another, you’ll never become successful.

It takes a commitment and lots of work to achieve what you want.

Even though I’m not a glowing advertisement for affiliate marketing right now, I’ve been successful with it for years, and I fully intend to reinvent myself and become successful, again.

Getting back to the basics, redefining my goals, making new plans, and getting back on track to achieve those goals is what I’m working on right now.

What do you think?

I’m always interested in hearing your opinions and experiences related to what I write about.

Are you an affiliate marketer? How are you doing?

Are you involved in sales in other areas? How is it working out for you?

Do you have any advice you’d care to offer on affiliate marketing in the 21st century?

When you have to get back to the basics, what books do you read that inspire you to dig deep, reinvent yourself, and start working again?

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Act on your dream!

JD

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12 Comments on Getting back to the basics of affiliate marketing

  1. Think and Grow Rich self-assessment test - John Dilbeck And Friends - Recommendations, observations, and musings about Internet marketing. on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 10:01 pm

    2. [...] Earlier this evening, I wrote a post on 21st Century Affiliate Marketing about Getting Back to the basics of affiliate marketing. [...]

  2. Mitch on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:46 pm

    3. Hi John,

    You know, the interesting thing is that I have both of those books, along with lots of others, and I’ve just never had the free time to read them. Not that I haven’t read other books, because you know I have, but probably the only book I’ve ever read where I felt comfortable enough to put any of its concepts into practice was Adsense Secrets; isn’t that a shame?

    As I work hard to make a few dollars each day, I’ve restricted the amount of time I have to do any actual reading, or even planning for myself. That has to stop at some point; I’ll have to work on figuring it all out.
    Mitch´s last blog ..The Secret My ComLuv Profile

  3. John Dilbeck on Thu, 24th Sep 2009 11:55 pm

    4. Good evening, Mitch.

    I know exactly what you mean.

    When you’re focused on earning a living, it’s hard to think of reading as a necessary part of our work day.

    However, learning new skills and becoming better at what we do is at least as important as blogging, writing articles, and updating websites.

    Don’t you think that is true?

    I’ve found that I absolutely have to set aside an hour or two for serious reading every day. I try to spend another hour planning and revising.

    Sometimes it feels like I’m not getting anything done when I’m reading, but the truth is that these books, and others, have made serious changes in my life, for the better.

    I wonder where I would be now if I had not put what I learned from them into action over the years.

    Adsense Secrets is a good book and I learned quite a bit from it.

    I’m also reading Barbara Ling’s ebook, Income Fitness, and I’ll be writing about it when I finish it.

    I’m sure you’ll figure it out when the time is right for you, Mitch.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  4. Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 3:57 am

    5. I think this part “The ebook didn’t do it, however. I did.” is the most critical takeaway from your post – one’s success NEVER comes from what you learn! Instead, it comes from how you choose to apply it.

    Lots of empathy for what you’re going thru. The book I choose to read whenever I’m in need of inspiration is “The Light Bearer” by Donna Gillespie – it’s a historical fiction that takes place in Ancient Rome that literally changed my life when I read it back in 1993 (I adored it so much I even built my very first fan site in 1996 – http://www.lingstar.com/tlb ).

    And I’m glad you’re enjoying Income Fitness – hope it gives you wonderful take-aways too.

    Everything happens when it’s meant to be.
    Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..Today’s Earn Money Online Tip – Become THE Authority My ComLuv Profile

  5. Barbara the Virtual Coach's Journal - Page 14 on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 9:03 am

    6. [...] Don?t Be a Greedy Blogger How to Connect Your Mother to Me in 5 Random Steps ? AriWriter Getting back to the basics of affiliate marketing | 21st Century Affiliate Marketing Screw This Up and Your Web Sales Are Over | Maximum Customer Experience Blog Today – more of the [...]

  6. Web Traffic Generation Secrets » Blog Archive » 21st Century Affiliate Marketing on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 4:40 pm

    7. [...] Getting back to the basics of affiliate marketing [...]

  7. Mitch on Fri, 25th Sep 2009 5:55 pm

    8. Hi John,

    It’s important, but at the same time there’s reality. If I need $100 now, I have to do what I can to get that $100 now. Sure, I can read something and learn how to make $500 later, but it doesn’t help my “now”.

    It all comes down to budgeting time properly. I’m pretty good at it, but even I can’t fit more than 18 hours realistically into each day without eventually caving in.
    Mitch´s last blog ..Creating Your Own Products; Let Me Talk About Mine My ComLuv Profile

  8. John Dilbeck on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 3:49 am

    9. Good morning, Barbara,

    While I agree wholeheartedly that action is a necessary ingredient in our success, I do think that learning new skills and digesting lots of information related to what we want to achieve are also vitally important.

    I think your point was that we have to actually do something with what we learn before we can achieve what we want. I could read 100 great books and not accomplish anything if I didn’t put what I learned into action.

    Thank you for your support. I’m sure I’ll work through this. As you know, everything goes in cycles and I just happen to be in what I hope is the bottom of one of mine.

    I looked at your site about The Light Bearer and looked at some other reviews, too.

    What is it about the book that you find inspirational?

    From the synopses I read, it looks very interesting, and I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction based in Rome.

    I am enjoying reading Income Fitness and I’m going to recommend it, but there are a few things I either don’t understand or disagree with that I’ll write about soon. Of course, just because I may disagree with them, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong.

    I’ll be finished with the first read in a day or so, but I won’t write about it until I’ve read it again, to make sure I understand what you’re saying.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  9. John Dilbeck on Sat, 26th Sep 2009 3:55 am

    10. Good morning, Mitch.

    Yes, indeed, it does come down to budgeting our time properly, and that is something each of us has to work out for ourselves.

    As someone who regularly used to work 100+ hours per week, and rarely needed to sleep more than four hours per night, I’m not a good model for a well-rounded use of time.

    And, you’re absolutely right. Getting that $100 today that is needed right now sometimes trumps the $500 in potential earnings that may result from additional learning and planning.

    But, it all needs to be done, or otherwise we just don’t grow and improve.

    Finding the right balance for each of us is part of the secret to finding the success that we desire.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  10. Make Quick Money on Sun, 4th Oct 2009 7:50 am

    11. Hey John,

    I am also a proud owner of both the books that you have mentioned, but I because of my tight schedule I never get any spare time to read a single page of it. This is the life of almost every internet marketer.

    Anyways The book that I have read completely was Rich Dad Poor Dad, and it was at that time when I got my right arm fractured so I didn’t have anything to do then.

    Anyways getting back to the basics was interesting to read.
    Make Quick Money´s last blog ..5 Tips to Becoming a Better Leader My ComLuv Profile

  11. John Dilbeck on Mon, 5th Oct 2009 8:33 am

    12. Good morning, M.Q.M.

    You’re not alone in owning books you’ve never read. I hear people say that all the time, but I just never understand it.

    What’s the purpose in having a book if you don’t make the time to read it?

    For me, setting aside two or three hours per day for reading and planning makes sense for my lifestyle and my plans for the future.

    Many people don’t have that much time.

    But, why not set aside 15 or 30 minutes every day or so? Sure, it will take longer to read a book at that pace, but you’ll still get it done eventually.

    Or perhaps, you’re getting something out of owning the books even though you don’t read them. I’m not sure what that would be, but admit that it is a possibility.

    I enjoyed “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” but I enjoyed Kiyosaki’s other book, “Cashflow Quadrants” even more. It gave me an entirely different view of assets and expenses as they relate to my business than the traditional accounting model does.

    Thanks for your comment and your kind words.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  12. Meet People on Sun, 25th Oct 2009 10:50 am

    13. Thanks for sharing your amazing insights on affiliate marketing. You have been most helpful and your posts are always a really good read!

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