Jim Cockrum Blog

Amazon Selling Expert & Internet Marketing Thought Leader

You are here: Home / Categories / Grow Your Business / Affiliate Marketing / Affiliate marketing IS NOT a business

Affiliate marketing IS NOT a business

By 42 Comments

Check out what one of the MOST SUCCESSFUL affiliate marketers in the world just said a couple of days ago:

“Affiliate marketing is NOT a business.
As an Affiliate you:

  • Spend all your time in hopes of making money for other companies.
  • Spend your money testing various items in hopes of getting a positive return.
  • Do all the dirty work for them.

The companies who have the offers you are promoting sit back and love it because YOU are taking all of the risk to build their businesses!”

That sounds a lot like the stuff I’ve been saying for the last 3 years right?  I’ve been called “crazy”, “out of touch”, and even “irresponsible” for saying it in past posts right on this blog! After all, some of the biggest celebrity names in Internet marketing have fan bases of tens of thousands…all learning “affiliate marketing”.

To be clear, the above quote validates some things I’ve been saying steadily for two YEARS:

  • Newbies should avoid affiliate marketing like the plague
  • Affiliate marketing STARTS with genuine relationships or it fails miserably EVERY TIME
  • Too many gurus are getting rich selling “affiliate marketing training” to SUCKERS that aren’t making a dime!

This is quite a contradiction though isn’t it? Let’s clear this up…

So, who is the “big dog” in the above box quote?

Meet Jeremy (aka ShoeMoney). Jeremey is the guy that I’m quoting above from just a few days ago.  He has been the “main attraction” at nearly all major affiliate marketing conventions of the past two years! He has been the #1 affiliate marketer for eBay (millions monthly), he was brought in to help build Facebook’s affiliate marketing program, and he’s been on the cover of “Fast Company” magazine as the most influential guy on the Internet.

And he’s just said (and I quote), “Affiliate marketing IS NOT A BUSINESS“.

Good for you SHOEMONEY! I agree with you 100% and I thank you for making me feel VERY validated!  I want MORE of the online “gurus” to follow suit with some honesty!

ShoeMoney is now telling us all that a good use of any “traffic generation” skills you acquire is to grow YOUR OWN business – not someone elses! Capture the leads for YOURSELF, and THEN, ONCE YOU’VE EARNED TRUST and ENGAGED your audience, and ONLY then…sell something! (check out this blog post from a few months ago to get the full scoop on how I feel about affiliate marketing)

Two simple conclusions for newbies and veterans alike:

1.  Are you a “newbie” or feel burned by how you’ve spent your time and money learning online business?

Learn what actually works before spinning your wheels any more!

Stop building websites NOW and go read this simple book (or just grab the two free chapters here).

Not convinced yet?  It’s probably because you are too vested and have been drinking the “affiliate income” kool-aid for too long. I STRONGLY urge you to take a time out and jump over to SilentSalesMachine.com and grab my $5 book about what works and what doesn’t – because my instincts just got MAJOR validation from one of the biggest dogs in the game and I’ve been teaching this for YEARS. Don’t ignore BOTH of us!

If you don’t want to spend $5 on my book, then just grab the the two free chapters <-click here. One of the free chapters (chapter five) will wake you up to the truth of affiliate marketing!  This blog you are now reading has plenty of good content as well on the topic in the “affiliate marketing” category.  I’ve taught thousands how to build legitimate online businesses, and YES, there is a right way to do affiliate marketing, but you haven’t learned it yet (that’s why you aren’t making any money at it!)

 

2. Been around awhile?

If you’ve got some basic knowledge of affiliate marketing, but your average check is somewhere between $0.00 – $1.78 per month (like 99% of all other affiliate marketers), then you NEED OfflineBiz.com!  We’ve got over 10,000 happy members and numerous success stories of people ACTUALLY MAKING MONEY. To be blunt, unlike your current affiliate marketing “guru”, I’ve got a stack of success stories on my desk as opposed to the “pseudo-testimonials” that celebrity-gurus get from followers that think they are “cool”, “funny”, kind or even educational.  There’s nothing wrong with those things of course, but the point is,  I don’t have any edu-tainment for you – just results.

The fact is “Local Traffic Generation” is FAR easier to conquer than what you’ve been trying to do. You could be using your online “traffic” skills to help some of the millions of online and offline “clueless” businesses capture new business WITHOUT you needing any new “techie” skills!  This includes “Real World” businesses like restaurants, tattoo parlors, real estate agents etc.   You’ve got the knowledge already to hit a quick home run using simple strategies we’ll show you on OfflineBiz.com in just a few hours from right now!  ANYONE can do this – I truly believe that!

SIDE NOTE: The huge trend involving working with “real world” businesses is why I launched OfflineBiz.com THREE YEARS ago with a bunch of MEGA SMART online rock stars. At OfflineBiz we are now turning even “newbie” online marketers (like you and me) into HIGHLY PAID, in demand “offline experts”.  Members of OfflineBiz.com can help ANY traditional “offline” business with their online marketing needs and they get paid VERY WELL to do it. The fact is, there is no course, training, approach, expert or coaching that is cranking out ANYWHERE NEAR as many success stories as we already have at OfflineBiz.com! I’ll repeat – NOTHING COMES CLOSE! Our forums are STUFFED with insanely successful people just like you that openly share their success every day with other members.

And remember…

“Affiliate marketing (the way you’ve been taught it) IS NOT A BUSINESS!!”

Leave me any comments or questions – I’m here for you!

Comments

  1. I agree and disagree.  I think breaking into affiliate marketing as a newbie and getting past the time and lessons learned to make a decent income is extremely tough.  On the other hand, I make a pretty darn good passive income on some affiliate sites.

    Reply

    • You are right. It’s is tough, and it rarely works out. I’m glad to hear you are one of the few exceptions, but do you ever feel like it’s all at risk? (because it is). Passive income that can literally vanish overnight on a whim from Google, or an affiliate manager’s flip of a swicth IS NOT stable passive income in my opinion. Do you ever feel like you are building someone elses business? (because you are)

      Without constant updates, tweaks, LUCK and monitoring your income will eventually fade right? I’d love to hear your thoughts…and I’m 100% genuine in my congrats on your achievement.

      Reply

      • I’ll tell you what – I have learned more real genuine information about affiliate marketing reading this blog post and the comments than just about any crappy course out there..

        This is what I have been looking for – real, true information – no b.s….  Give it to me straight!

        Reply

      • To be honest, one of the better things I did was build a list from those affiliate sites.  I have had about 5 of these passive sites, all with good content, that I really haven’t done much to and they continue to be good earners.  I utilize my lists for relevant affiliate and CPA offers.  I’ve found as long as you give valuable information, usually in the form of short PDF’s, your readers will reward you.

        So I guess what I’m saying…I’m doing both traditional affiliate marketing (which does make some good money) with the combination of list-building to make some decent passive income.

        Did that post make any sense?

        Reply

      • One last tidbit – all of my “affiliate” sites sell physical products/goods…also, I am a heavy amazon associate and CJ user.  

        Reply

  2. Sorry Jim, but I have to partially and respectfully disagree. No less than the brilliant Jim Straw, who has been a successful marketer for over 50 years, has this to say on his website:

    “If I didn’t already have the line of information products I’ve developed over the past 30 years … if I had to do it all over again … I would never create my own products. — I would simply sell other people’s products and eliminate the hassles of production, fulfillment, inventory control, and other costs that eat away at profits.”

    Now I know that he has a great relationship with his list, perhaps this is where and why you added “the way you’ve been taught it” to your statement. I don’t remember you saying that before but I of course could be (and likely am) wrong.

    The point is, it can be done, if you do it right.

    Reply

    • We are more in agreement than you realize. Past articles on my blog regarding affiliate marketing “done right” will confirm that for you. The ONLY way to do affiliate marketing “the right way” is by building a genuine relationship with your ever growing fan base and audience! That’s “doing it the right way”. All other strategies are a waste of time, and ARE NOT a real business.

      Reply

  3. Jim. I appreciate your “no holds barred” style.
     
    I see why you are THE #1 most trusted I.M. authority online by IM Reportcard.

    As I read your blog post, I thought about something my mom used to
    tell me. “There’s nothing like having your own!”

    As an affiliate, you don’t really “own” your business.  You are basically
    “working” for someone else.

    I am striving for “ownership”

    I believe that building a list of loyal subscribers is THE first and
     most important thing to do online right now.

    Reply

  4. Jim,

    I do offline marketing and direct sales.  I have been interested in Affiliate Marketing for over a year and recently gotten underway.  Do you feel it is reasonable to explore affiliate marketing while continuing my other sales & marketing activities?

    Joe

    Reply

    • You will only be as good at affiliate marketing as you are good at building genuine relationships with your target audience.

      If you are good at building genuine relationships online, you will make a KILLING with affiliate marketing. If you try to be a “traffic driving”, constant website building, “I’ll sell anything” type of affiliate, then you will face a HUGE uphill battle and will likely be part of the 98% who never go far, or who only see a tiny, temporary reward for their efforts.

      Reply

  5. It should be obvious. Affiliate marketing is a sales job, pure and simple. You are a commissioned sales person. It turns into a business to the extent that you can build your own list in the process, and then you can sell them your own products, as well as affiliate offers. But you now have a sellable asset.

    And yes, it does take time and work.  And absolutely everything hinges on developing a relationship. A list is worthless unless it reflects a strong relationship with you, precisely.

    Reply

  6. I have fought your opinions on Affiliate Marketing for years but I see the light now! I actually make money selling real physical products online but am always chasing the Affiliate Marketing dream. In fact, just about the only 2 items I have sold as an affiliate is for MST and PAC (I will keep trying to promote these 2 sites a bit).

    Reply

  7. Building a bazillion web sites and trying to promote them in the engines and on social networks, building a list and treating it right and hoping to convert sales is an exercise in frustration. The conversion rates of most IM products are abysmal. Hop over to the Warrior Forum and all you see are gurus selling to midbys and midbys selling to newbies. It reminds of an elephant walk in a circus with each “marketer” holding the tail of the ones ahead of them.

    The tool set and skill set you need is enormous and changes almost daily with changes on the net. The competition is fierce, the products are often garbage or over priced hype. Much of the info is just plain wrong. Even worse you are often selling training to the people who will become your competition. 

    I have trained my share of IMers, I have worked with online and offline clients, and I have run a successful Amazon and eBay business. The only IMers I have seen succeed over time are those who develop their own products and get others to sell those for them.On the other hand the clients who sell hard goods on Amazon and eBay are holding their own and prospering.The people I have turned on to The Silent Sales Machine over the years are doing well. They aren’t millionaires  but they are no longer working other jobs and they are able to live a life style that is better than their former jobs provided.  

    The people trying offline marketing who don’t have the skill set to turn client promises into reality are out of business because they bought into the courses that only teach fluff and nonsense. Landing the client is only a small part of the battle  because after that you have to actually be able to do the work in a way that gets results.

    If you are new to the net or struggling with the same old stuff, do yourself a favor and pick up the Silent Sales Machine or the Amazon course and go out and make some real money.

    Jim did not pay me to say that, I a not his affiliate, and I seriously doubt he even recognizes my name. But the best advice I can give anyone online is stop dreaming and start doing and you won’t achieve that by buying over hyped, over priced Info Marketing products or by trying to sell those to other starrry eyed would be entrepreneurs.

    Reply

  8. Silent Sales Machine , I have read and enjoy it. I too have been trying affiliate marketing. No not making much. I will take your advice, Find products to sell on e-bay. Thanks Eric

    Reply

    • Selling on eBay is just ONE of MANY legit business opportunities online – any of which can grown into a real business with real long term stable HANDS FREE income.

      I’m glad you woke up to the reality of affiliate marketing though – it’s not the low hanging fruit that many well intentioned people would have you believe.

      Reply

  9. I’m always a bit suspicious of “absolute” assertions of any kind –  whether political, religious, economic or social (business being a social science in my view).  Even the so-called “hard sciences” have had their “whoopsie!” moments and subsequent retractions.

    I would agree that the affiliate model that we normally think of (throw up a 2-page site with a bunch of affiliate links) is dead.  However, there are richer, more sophisticated affiliate models that are anything but dead.  To paraphrase Mark Twain:  “The rumors of their death have been greatly exaggerated.”

    In one sense, unless we produce or manufacture a product ourselves, we’re all affiliate marketers to some degree.  In fact, when you think about one business model in particular – selling dropshipped products – you realize that this actually affiliate marketing with a couple of fairly inconsequential tweaks.

    For instance, I’m a member of several niche forums where I’m pretty certain that I’ve acquired sufficient influence that if I posted a blog link to a review of the “Five Books You Must Read Now”, together with plainly identified affiliate links to those books (Amazon, AbeBooks, etc.), I’d have a fair number of sales.  I could do the same with a post “Three Membership Sites You Should Join”, etc.

    But even that isn’t what I mean by a “rich” or “sophisticated” affiliate business model.  Here’s the sort of thing I mean:

    1.  Create a website as a directory in a large retail market space – for instance, radio-controlled toys.

    2.  Populate the directory with as many RC toys as you can find, with “bare-bones” descriptions. Each field in the description is searchable by your site visitors – so they can search on RC helicopters by size, by price range, by manufacturer or brand, etc.  You could probably easily find and create 20 to 30 entries per day for a month or so (don’t forget to pick up RC magazines for their ads!) and launch with 1000 entries, continuing to add more.  2000 entries might be your goal.

    3.  Build traffic to the site.  With a lot of entries in your database, this shouldn’t be difficult.

    4.  Invite RC toy manufacturers to create “paid” pages for their products.  These pages would add a photo of the toy, a more detailed description of it, and the manufacturer’s estimate of skill or age level.

    5.  The manufacturer could “pay” you in one of two ways:  $19.95 per month for the paid page, or through affiliate commissions if they sell direct to the public.  Each week (or month) you “feature” a manufacturer and all of their toys.

    6.  Sell space or banner ads to a whole host of related businesses – for instance, large RC retailers.  These could bring in good bucks.

    7.  Give RC clubs some space to post information about their events – for free.

    8.  NOW you would identify the myriad of potential affiliate opportunities that would cluster around this hobby – for instance, three great books about RC hobbies, “Build Your Own…”, etc.  Just make sure they’re quality products.  No one who’s interested will think a thing about clicking through your affiliate links any more than they would your banner ads, etc.

    This is just off the top of my head, but I bet it would work.  “Instant Affiliate Profits” it’s not.  But I can pretty much guarantee great SEO and never having to fear the dreaded Google-slap.

    So, how would you do this?  Well, with a simple website directory application like Turbo Seek, or it’s bigger brother, PowerSeek from Focal Media.  Turbo Seek is 79 bucks – and they’ll even install it for you for free!  Here’s the link:  http://www.focalmedia.net/index_tb.html

    IMHO, the advanced features of PowerSeek and more liberal licensing (use it on 10 domains for $399 – $40 bucks each), rebranding, lots of templates, etc. make it well worth it   PowerSeek has it’s own site:  http://www.powerseek.net.

    However, they both work great and the learning curve is low.

    …and by the way, those aren’t affiliate links, but they COULD have been (yes, they have an affiliate program), and I bet it would have gotten some sales.  Cheesy affiliate sites – yes, they’re dead.  Authoritative affiliate sources are not.

    Reply

    • We aren’t as far apart in our message as you might suspect, but I have a responsibility with a large audience that I take quite seriously. You are making my point for me that it takes work, time, energy and AUTHORITY to produce affiliate income of any significance. This IS NOT a game for newbies, and the reliance on “SEO” to get results puts you on the shakiest of foundations (I’ll be blogging about the “SEO myth” soon as well). Since the vast majority of “how to make money online” audience falls clearly in the “newbie” or “barely experienced” category I stand by my assertion that “Affiliate marketing (the way it’s being taught) is NOT a business” & your odds of success are 1-2%. Earning affiliate income is a very nice reward for gaining authority and credibility online, but pursuing the perks of being an ‘authority’ are not a business model.

      Reply

      • I’m not sure if I’m reading you correctly, Jim, but SEO is not optional.  Again – cheesy or “black-hat” SEO “tricks” – yes, those are shaky (and they rarely work anyway).  But it would be foolish to pretend that there aren’t specific, identifiable factors that impact page ranking either positively or negatively, or to fail to optimize the one while avoiding the other.  SEO changes, but it never dies.

        Here’s my philosophy about SEO:
        1.   I know that the search engines are trying their best to deliver highly-relevant search results.

        2.  I know that these are machine algorithms that, although quite complex, can be summarized as follows:  “Relevant sites tend to have (x, y, and z) characteristics; less relevant sites do not”.

        3.  If there were no search engines, I would want to create highly-relevant content anyway for the sake of my site visitors.

        4.  BUT, in doing so I have many choices as to how I create my content, and it only makes sense to create my content it in a way that acknowledges the concerns (and limitations) of the search engines.  In other words, I can OR I cannot use header tags.  I can OR I cannot include a text description with photos or images.  I can OR I cannot set up an internal link structure that the search engine can follow.  Any of these decisions – and many more – probably would not impact my readers one way or another.  But since they DO impact the way that a search engine “sees” my site, it would be nothing but sheer stupidity to ignore these factors. 

        Reply

        • SEO to me is the science of getting content ranked higher than it ought to be, and undeniable factors are making it increasingly irrelevant (SEO that is) and an unreliable ‘art’ that is lacking much science.

          The facts I see:

          1. It’s getting easier than ever before to vote on the content you like by linking to it (everyone has facebook for example) or by giving +1’s etc. 2. As the “voice of the people” becomes easier to hear in regards to where the “good content” is, the search engines (mainly google for now) will have an increasingly easier job of rewarding the great sites (even the simple sites that do nothing with SEO) while the task of punishing (lowering the pagerank) of sites that contain useless content (even those with robust SEO efforts) will also get easier.

          My theory is that the term “SEO” will fade away within a decade. Content will rule.

          It’s just a theory of course, but as evidence I have several Google ranked sites that are PR4 and PR5 with absolutely NO SEO efforts whatsoever. The only reason they rank well is that over time, several other credible sites link to them. Example: SilentSalesMachine.com

          Reply

          • Jim, proper SEO is NOT – definitively and emphatically NOT – the science of getting a ranking that a site doesn’t deserve.  You’re talking about black-hat SEO.

            SEO is merely doing the things that ASSIST a search engine (which is not a human being) to evaluate your site.  I gave an example in the form of setting up an internal linking structure that a search engine can follow in order to index the pages on your site.  The pages will still be evaluated in terms of their content and all you’re doing is making it possible for the search engine to FIND them. 

            Believe it or not, Google, Bing and ALL of the search engines APPRECIATE sites that are optimized for their spiders and have even gone to some lengths to explain how to do so.

  10. I’ll repeat – we are not as far off as you might think.

    Over time SEO efforts are WASTED on bad content, and GOOD CONTENT need not make any special effort to rank well. You can shave some time off the process by doing some “white hat” stuff like building in a link directory etc., but if I want an “authority” to find and like my content I’m not going to wait for Google to decide what they think of me. I’m contacting the authority directly.

    Again, I’ve done absolutely NO SEO of ANY KIND on any of my sites EVER and have achieved a following of hundreds of thousands on my email lists and membership sites etc. Arguably I could have achieved more with SEO, but the SEO “game” as I call it only delays or speeds up the inevitable…which is “content rules”.

    Reply

    • Contacting an authority about your website is one form of SEO, Jim.  It’s called off-page SEO and its purpose is to develop quality inbound links for your site. 

      And why would one do this?  Because Google rates quality inbound links very highly in its algorithm – it’s more or less a substitute for hiring a billion subject experts to rank sites “by hand”.

      Jim, you were able to build a large list, and you’ve undoubtedly enjoyed a certain degree of serendipity as well.  I give you full credit for capitalizing on these advantages.  But I do think it has somewhat skewed your perceptions.  I asked a question earlier that wasn’t answered, but I’ll try another:

      Visit the second and third pages of many search results and you’ll often find sites that are of equal or even better quality than some of the sites on the first page.  (When I do a deep subject search, I NEVER stop at the first page, and rarely on the second!) 

      Now, some of these sites have languished in these positions literally for years, despite your apparent belief that “good content” would naturally cause them to bubble onto the first page.  And when you look at those sites from the standpoint of SEO (or the eye of the search engine, if you will), you can clearly see why. 

      My question is:  Has Google been able to serve its intended purpose when it was unable to properly rank these sites, and if not, wouldn’t it only make sense for everyone concerned (Google, searchers and the site owners) for those sites to be optimized in order to align with the way that search engines work (and can’t work)?

      You know, Jim – just because email lists work doesn’t mean that’s the ONLY thing that works OR that that’s the ONLY thing that people should be doing.

      Reply

      • When I contact a radio host to gain exposure for my website I’ve never referred to it as “off page SEO”, but I have no problem with you doing so!
        Also – I could care less where Google ranks my sites on any given whim, day, algorithm tweak etc. because I have no reliance on them. If they like me, Great! If they don’t, I’m fine.

        My most profitable and frequently visited websites don’t show up on google for any significant keywords, and I refuse to try spin the wheel of fortune trying to achieve higher ranking on google. I don’t hold it against you that you would do so, or try to teach others to do so, and I wish you great luck in doing so, but it’s never worked for me. What HAS worked very consistently is 1)Finding “big hitter” partners and making them look like a champ while endorsing my stuff 2) creating great content and letting the message spread vially, and 3) email marketing so I can send eager prospects to relevant online offers in large numbers at any point

        It’s been a great debate! You’ve certainly earned a prize for making brilliant points and remaining very engaged and on target with your responses. If you want a free copy of my book drop me a line with you mailing address and it’s on the way!

        Reply

  11. Doing The Amazon Affiliate/Associate Program is the only
    Affiliate marketing I recommend to our coaching clients (After They have
    established themselves on eBay and Amazon). And my recommendation is to use it
    as a monetization tool to generate additional revenue and add value and
    relevant content to an existing offer or a blog.

    I agree with you Jim 1000% that affiliate marketing is the hardest way to make
    income online when you are starting out and I steer lots of people away from
    doing affiliate marketing all the time because as a newbie you will spin your
    wheels getting nowhere fast.

    I don’t see how getting into Affiliate Marketing
    without an established list or database of customers that you have built
    influence and trust with as well as the thousands of dollars you are going to
    have to spend to get traffic to your affiliate offers without a list is going to work or generate any real income. I have never seen it happen. If anyone can show me an example to teach me differently I am all ears.
     
    Not to say that people can’t make money with Affiliate
    Marketing. I’m just saying a newbie with no experience has a .03% chance of seeing a
    dime.

    I also have seen a lot of affiliate fraud in the last 15 years I
    have been building websites and marketing online which is a total turnoff for
    me in regards to doing affiliate marketing. I suppose the best way to go about using affiliate marketing is to create your own product and use sites like Clickbank and CJ.com to attract affiliates promote the offer.

    Nathan Bailey
    JimCockrumCoaching.com
    OnlineSellingCoach.com

    Reply

  12. Hi Jim
    As a complete beginner, I have repeatedly said that affiliate marketing is not for newbies. Newbies are unknown, have no brand and are competing against the big boys. You need to get yourself established first, but then why build someone else’s business or them instead of your own?
    Dee

    Reply

    • Newbies can try creating micro niche sites, which work well for affiliate marketing. But…it takes time. It’s not a get rich quick business.

      Reply

  13. Great to hear about your success! Drop me a personal email if you don’t mind letting me know more details of your success if you don’t mind. We can keep the specifics a secret, but I love to share success stories with others to inspire them!

    The “IDEA” of affiliate marketing is VERY appealing. That’s why thousands of people weekly dive into it…while only a handful ever wind up building something substantial. If you’ve built up a $1400 income stream I’d urge you to find a way to expand on that success in similar ways, and if (and only IF) you can start to grow an audience of eager readers/followers around that niche, THEN start playing with affiliate marketing.

    Reply

  14. Of all the affiliate programs out there that you could join Amazon.com is one of the strongest for sure, and Skip ONLY puts out quality content, but all that being said, I’m sure Skip would agree that for “newbies” it’s not the place to start. He’s also not going to tell you to start building a bunch of websites hoping for affiliate income. Skip and I might have slightly different takes on some issues as well and that’s ok too. We’ve both helped a lot of people make a lot of money online. It’s up to you to do your homework and pursue what works best for you.

    Reply

  15. SO TRUE. I recommend checking out the Oct. 27 post on the blog at seobook. The title is “Google Hates Affiliates”. Even with great content, these days Big G will look at a site with a gimlet eye, if it has affiliate links! They consider them as “sneaky” and “deceptive”. Unless of course, you’re a huge advertiser with Google. Then you’re considered a “brand”, and above reproach. Any small business foundation built on Google’s good graces will be a foundation built on sand.

    Reply

    • I’m happy to hear you are finding success with affiliate marketing, but I would venture to guess that you would not say it’s been “easy” to get there, and you’ve not seen a “steady” and sustained rise in your income month to month UNLESS you are pouring massive amounts of time, money, and science (tracking stats) into your efforts. Even then, it’s a business built on sand that must be constantly re-inforced, updated, and could vanish overnight for any given income stream. For the vast majority of those seeking affiliate income the first check bigger than $10 still alludes them. Also don’t make the mistake of thinking that I teach “ebay” as an alternative to “affiliate marketing”. The message I have is far more complex and varied. I teach my readers to go after the opportunities that predictably work, and eBay, when done right, works 100% of the time in generating profits and is just ONE of the multiple proven strategies I prefer over affiliate marketing done the way the “gurus” teach it.

      Reply

  17. I have an affiliate question.   I am preparing to begin offering auto responder and email management to local businesses.  Thinking about doing an email letter and some you tube videos for promotion.   I was thinking about becoming  silentjim and offline-biz affiliates and put links to them in the material.( Hey, I’ve learned from one of the best and most admired Internet Marketers who just happens to be a an author with at least two best selling books,)  Not sure if busy small businesses want to learn the ropes but the sites would give credibility.   Any thoughts about affiliate marking in this way? 

    Reply

    • Thanks for the kuddos and support. Affiliate marketing to an audience that you’ve grown yourself (and who loves you and depends on your info) is a FANTASTIC business model. Affiliate marketing to “strangers” that you are “driving” to your various websites hoping they’ll click a banner, or buy a book is NOT a business model that works. The other articles in the “affiliate marketing” section of my blog will help clarity the difference for you.

      Congrats on taking action – you’ve got a great biz plan (helping businesses with online marketing and email marketing is one of the best businesses you can possibly be in right now). I suggest you not try to sell them my stuff though…sell them YOU and leverage the fact that you are studying my stuff as you get to know them. OfflineBiz.com has resources that will really help you out.

      Thanks for the note!

      Reply

  18. I agree with you but Create a website as a directory in a large retail market space – for instance ,radio-controlled toys

    Reply

  19. SEO and Affiliate marketing are WAAAAYYY harder to accomplish now than they were three years ago…and the trend is that they will get WAAAAYYYY harder to achieve over the next three years. I’m out of the game entirely.

    Reply

  20. Lol, you know I have been looking into all sorts of so-called plans. Everyone seems to feel they have a bigger & better mouse trap to offer.
    I have been trying Click Bank, and they have some awesome products/vendors there. Yet, I haven’t made a dime. Its not for lack of effort either, I eat, sleep and worry marketing. Constantly trying to promote and generate traffic to equal sales. Still nothing, yet I get these dumb assed offers all the time and of course they want money too and money I just can’t afford to be throwing away. Let alone more wasted time. All to just find out they are full of crap like the last 100 or so plans I bought into or checked out. There is always hidden fees, something else you got to buy, and I am sick of the saying , ‘you got to spend money to make money’! The jerks who quote this are the same exact ones that want you to keep buying their worthless plans and systems that get and go no wheres.

    Reply

  21. Hello Jim,
    I am compelled to comment on this post even though I hardly do so. I also noticed that it is an old post, however, I think affiliate marketing is a business. You also mentioned affiliate marketers doing the dirty work and taking all the risks for the product owner(s), while they relax and reap the profit. I also disagree with that assertion, because, if you as an affiliate marketer does not appreciate what you are getting as your commission, you are free to create your own product and put it on the market for affiliate marketers to promote while you make all juicy profit, right?

    And one common thing that is also contributory to affiliate marketers failing is due to the fact that there are too many conflicting opinions and products as to how to excel in affiliate marketing by so called gurus on the internet, there by confusing a newbie and struggling affiliate marketers.

    One thing I would say to anyone that cares to listen is that affiliate marketing is a very good online business if done well by its rudiments, you will succeed and live a very decent and comfortable life. All it takes is hard work, patience and commitment and of course a blue print on how to make it happen.

    Reply

    • I welcome all opinions here – even those I disagree with! For the record, I’m not the only one who says, “Affiliate marketing is not a business model” – that’s a quote from one of the all time top affiliate earners online! I strong prefer biz models that add value to the customer experience through other far easier and far more rewarding models – but that’s just my opinion (after seeing thousands fail at affiliate marketing over the past 10+ years).

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *