Affiliates Take Action

Guest Post by Affiliate Manager Matt McWilliams

“When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.” -Colleen Barrett

Are you an architect or a bricklayer?

Recently I received an interesting email from an affiliate. I tried my best to reply in detail and truly help the affiliate, but in the back of my mind I wondered if it was truly worth it.

What this affiliate wanted to know was how to go from being a newbie, which he is, to being a $100,000/month affiliate. Of course, we all want to know that, right?

What this affiliate failed to understand, and it is the harsh reality of…well, any business, is that most people don’t go from a newbie to making $100,000/month. They make $1,000/month, $5,000/month, $20,000/month, and so on.

This affiliate had a list of approximately 20 questions. He had all the best intentions in the world. He reads all the blogs and probably all of the forums, but what I often fear with affiliates like this, is that he will have a failure to actually take action!

As the great German writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe says, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply!”

I see so many affiliates who suffer from the proverbial “paralysis by analysis” and it is unfortunate because these affiliates truly have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to achieve. But too often, they live by fear. Fear of failure, fear of taking the wrong action, and often a fear that they are missing out on the latest news, trends, or tip that is going to make them an instant millionaire. All the while, they are missing out on actually doing. They are failing to act.

When I am asked for tips on how to market a program, I always make sure to end my 3-5 major bullet points with this simple piece of advice:

Be sure that your immediate to-do list is no more than five items long. In order to add a sixth item, something on your list must be done or eliminated. Don’t allow your to-do list to become a mountain of things that you never even get to.

Leave a spot on your to-do list open for new ideas too. If you read of a new idea and want to try it, try it! Don’t wait…take action!

The marketing world, and particularly the affiliate world, is full of ideas. Crazy ideas, weird ideas, revolutionary ideas, and plenty of “why did I not think of that?” ideas. A lot of them really work. A lot of them fail miserably. How many times have you failed? If the answer is not “a lot,” then you are probably not taking enough action.

Let me be clear, there is a time for planning and brainstorming and certainly researching. There is a time to be an architect. But Mrs. Barrett is right when it comes to affiliate marketing, we need more bricklayers. That is the true secret to success.

What are you waiting for? Take action now!

Matt McWilliams is the award-winning Affiliate Manager for the Learn and Master Learning Courses, whose products include guitar, piano, drums, and dance training, online at http://www.learnandmaster.com/affiliates.