Of course there’s a lot of free information available online. I used Google, YouTube and other social media platforms to help find answers to questions I had. But the thing which is missed from this approach is that as a beginner you don’t know what you don’t know. Therefore, you don’t know the best questions to ask.

I had a little bit of knowledge from a course I did back in the early 2000’s and went off with high hopes only for them to be dashed to the ground! It wasn’t until 2014 when I found an affiliate mentor that things began to change for me. I wasn’t looking for a mentor, nor did I know how to find an affiliate marketing mentor. But that is what I needed! Here’s some of what I learned.

Why A Mentor Is So Important For Success Online

One of the first things I learned was to build an email list. Looking back now I am shocked at how little I actually knew. My approach initially was to attempt to get traffic through ranking niche websites online on the search engines. This strategy was flawed and I didn’t really have much luck with it. I was selling directly from a website but didn’t have much traffic. I was also selling products from Amazon, such as books. So the odd sale I made was only for peanuts!

My whole strategy was flawed and I didn’t even know it. I learned to not only build a email list of subscribers (which gives you more control over traffic) but also to promote subscription based digital products. A digital product pays much more than a physical one in percentages of the sale value. A physical product from Amazon, for example, pays between 1% and 10% commission. Whereas a digital product pays between 30% and 40% commission. With a subscription based product I could earn recurring commissions from each sale.

With this information alone I made giant leaps in my affiliate business. What a lot of time I had wasted previously! I also learned to promote high commission affiliate programs and subscriptions or membership affiliate programs which carry recurring commissions. Just these small points have made the world of difference to me as an affiliate:

• Build a list – puts you in control of your traffic
• Use high ticket products
• Sell membership affiliate products which carry recurring commissions.

Why A Mentor Is So Important For Success Online – Support & Encouragement

A mentor, or community can give you support, direction, accountability and inspiration. Without it, you’re on your own. In fact, I’d go so far as to say you’re less than on your own because when and if you do reach out for support (from a family member or a friend), they are reluctant to understand your dilemma. In fact, they are more likely to talk you out of affiliate marketing altogether! Most people fear anything new and an entrepreneurial endeavour is cloaked with words such as “scam”, “pyramid scheme” and the like. Most of your friends would rather you were “like them” and got a nice, safe job.

So talking to a friend who isn’t an entrepreneur is likely not going to help you at all but rather hinder you. I soon discovered that I was better off going it alone than asking a friend for advice.

A mentor/coach is different. They have already committed to the entrepreneurial path and succeeded in it. So they know it can be done and see the pitfalls and hurdles before you come to them. Here’s a few of the possible pitfalls which you may encounter (or might have already encountered as an affiliate).

Why A Mentor Is So Important For Success Online – Potential Pitfalls For Affiliates

There’s several pitfalls with affiliate marketing which you should be aware of. To be informed is to be forearmed of these potential problems. Here’s just a short list of some of them:

• Shiny object syndrome – the belief that the “magic bullet” exists and you only need to push a few buttons for success. This belief keeps you endlessly jumping from course to course but without ever gaining any traction in any direction before you’re on to the next course (shiny object).
• Being a busy fool – being a busy fool relates to the actions you carry out when working on your online business. For a long time I worked on pointless activities such as making my website look nice, when I had zero people finding it, for example. Focusing on activities which “move the needle” of your income should be a priority for affiliates.
• Getting stuck in learning mode. Initially you’ll be spending 80-90% of your time in learning mode. This is addictive and you can easily get caught up in this stage, endlessly watching more and more videos but never taking any practical action. Once you know something, shift to 80% action taking and 20% learning.
• Procrastination – finding your path as an affiliate can be hard. But it’s important to take action and make good habits out of doing so. Don’t get caught up in procrastination spending dead time procrastinating. Better to change your state of mind by taking a break and shifting focus.

Highs And Lows Of Affiliate Marketing

There’s definitely highs and lows of affiliate marketing and you’ll know it when you hit a low. This is where a good mentor can lift you out of your funk. A good mentor can inspire you to take even the smallest of actions, just to start building momentum again.

Affiliate marketing is going to be a challenge and so you need to be prepared for the difficulties when they come. Learn when to step away and look at the bigger picture but also to focus on taking tiny steps to build momentum.

When you have had enough, learn to rest, but never quit. Having a mentor and belonging to a community can give you the help and support you need when the chips are down. Affiliate marketing is also a very forgiving business and you can always start again, this time from a place of better knowledge and understanding.

Learn to “fail forwards” which means to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Only by “failing” will you learn anything. Sitting in your comfort zone will never bring you the results you desire.

You can find affiliate marketing coaches here.

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