Three P's of Affiliate Success

Last week I blogged about the three R’s of affiliate program management success. Today I would like to list the three P’s that I believe to be pivotal to one’s success as an affiliate. I have noticed these three things in every super affiliate I know, and today I would like to share my observations with you.

1) Persistence

Psychologists define persistence as “the continuation of an activity in the face of obstacles to the maintenance of the activity direction” (Chess & Thomas, 1995, Temperament in Clinical Practice, p. 278). Successful affiliates are both hard-working and strong in the face of obstacles. Persevering through hard times is one of the key components of every super affiliate’s success.

2) Perpetual Motivation

No, not from the external sources, but rather — from within. Successful affiliates exhibit high levels of self-confidence (which reflects deep psychological and professional maturity) and inherent motivation. This inherent motivation is also perpetual. From what I can see, they are gathering their inspiration from continuous self-improvement (through reading, study, on-going testing and enhancement), which, in its turn, contributes to their growth (both psychological and financial).

3) Progressive Marketing

Having discovered that The Weather Channel offers fishing forecasts, I have decided to test the system’s accuracy and went fishing this evening. It was raining (I normally don’t catch any fish when it’s pouring), but I was willing to give it a try as the forecast stated that this evening was an excellent time for fishing. After over a dozen of casts in the location where I normally catch fish, and not a single hit, I remembered what James said when teaching me to fly fish in Scotland. He said that one of the keys to success is in practicing “progressive fishing”, or moving along the river’s/lake’s bank when casts in one place do not yield results. Sure enough, with the progressive method, I finished my today’s fishing with 16 crappies and a largemouth bass in my bucket!

Super affiliates practice exactly the same method in their marketing. When something doesn’t work, they do not give up (read the previous two points), but move along trying new ways and methods. When they find the ones that do work, they replicate them, but do not stop at it. They are progressive marketers. So, sifting through the things that do and do not work, they are building a solid system of an ongoing revenue stream. It’s not as easy as some are trying to portray it. But it is doable, and I hope that the above three points will encourage you, and help you in conquering the heights of affiliate marketing.