Xigaware

Many people in affiliate programs seem to think that once the sale is made, their work is done. Affiliate Programs are highly dependent upon developing a motivated and knowledgeable downline. The initial sale is not the end of your involvement, rather it is the beginning of a longer process of coaching and team-building.

People joining affiliate programs tend to have big dreams, but sometimes they fail anyway.

Reasons Why People Fail to Become Successful Affiliates:

There are three main reasons why people fail to adapt to change, especially technological change:

1. Lack of Skills
2. Lack of Knowledge
3. Fear

Adopt the “Coach” Role & Mindset:

If you adopt the mindset of a “Coach,” you can dramatically improve your Downline’s performance along all three lines.

When someone joins an affiliate program there is generally a fairly big learning curve to overcome – new product(s) such as the just-released MaxPro System, new technology, and virtual relationships, all of which are especially problematic if your new recruit is a novice in the world of internet marketing (or marketing in general).  There will be a whole new language to learn, new tools and techniques to master, not to mention becoming an expert on the product they will be marketing.

The extensive learning curve can be very frustrating to your new recruits, so help them.  In fact, it can become so frustrating that many of these new affiliates will simply drift away, and never do anything to add to your bottom line.

Wouldn’t you be a lot better off to spend a little time with your new Downline members helping them to get off to a good start.  Take the initiative to help your recruits learn about your products, technical support and other resources available to them.

Chances are very good that you’ll also need to spend some time helping them learn how to market the product in this new Web 2.0 internet world of Blogs and Social Networks, which are unfamiliar to many.

Don’t just sit around waiting for your downline to contact you for help, take the initiative and offer them help, especially at the beginning of your relationship with them.  Take the initiative to help your new recruits overcome their fear and buyer’s remorse.

Coaching is easier than you might think – you just need a positive attitude and a desire to build up your team members coupled with initiative and action on your part.  The small investment of your time to coach your team will pay you big dividends.

One very good starting place for securing all the rest of the understanding about internet marketing that they will need is to have them sign up for the Online Success for Beginners course.

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Do you find that you are just plain overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of internet marketing information there is available?You have lots of company.In reality, that’s the most common problem voiced by new entrepreneurs attempting to create a meaningful income online.

Today, we are going to discuss a few of the best ways to stay focused and cut through all the noise.

First, it’s essential to be aware that “internet marketing” is a truly massive expression.So massive that, in-essence, it truly becomes meaningless.

It is of the utmost importance for you to look at the field in manageable pieces.  You need to specialize.  For example, let’s deal with a subset of the huge internet marketing pie: Affiliate Marketing.Granted this sub-niche is still MASSIVE, however we’re beginning to get increasingly manageable.  

What’s the next step?

Well, if you’re a budding information marketer just getting started consider getting specialized help from an established Affiliate Marketing Master.

But, even before this crucial step of soliciting expert advice ask yourself these basic probing questions, and make sure that you can answer them all clearly and succinctly.

What is Your Prospect Truly Searching For?

If you don’t know the answer to this before you begin you are really just wasting your time.

  You have to empathize with your customers and be able to provide real value. Otherwise you will ultimately not succeed.

Assuming that you have the prospects real best interests at heart, what then?

In order to be able to become profitable and, therefore, be able to stay in business and continue to provide excellent value to your customers you must get a wee bit self-centered for just a moment as well.

So, ask yourself the question:
What is the Purpose of This Particular Affiliate Product?

This is the root of your profitability, because your entire marketing strategy depends on it.

Let’s illustrate, if your chosen affiliate offering is simply a lead-in to attain clients for, say, consulting, speaking or different follow up business ventures, you don’t need stress too much about the initial price.

But, if selling the affiliate information is your exclusive profit center, you need to sweat the pricing level details a lot more intensely in order to maximize your profit.

That points to the next logical progression.

What Other Products That You Can Sell Will Provide Additional Value To Your Clients?
This is really critical because in the vast majority of cases, “affiliates” do not make a lot of money on their first sale.

  Often, Up-sells and Continuity Programs are where the real money lies.
Therefore, developing a portfolio related to your primary affiliate product is a critical step in making your affiliate marketing business successful for the long term.

In-summation, at the end of the day, your affiliate-marketing business depends on completely understanding the answers to the above questions.

If you can get a handle on these difficult questions right at the very beginning you are well on your way to maximizing your long-haul profitability.   However, if you disregard them you’ll certainly leave a lot of money on the table and, perhaps, even more importantly you’ll be inadvertently short changing your clients as well.

At the end of the day, putting together the correct team and affiliate-marketing pieces – initially – are essential pieces in achieving affiliate mastery!

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One of the master small business networking experts is an entrepeneur named Jon Berghoff. Jon is founder of Global Empowerment Coaching and has a record of teaching leadership, creating sales, and causing business success through ‘harmonic influence,’ which gives you control over yourself, your customers, and the world in general. Jon Berghoff is speaker and bestselling author of the “Cutting Edge Sales Book.”

This post is a response to a question that came in from Mike in Fredericksburg, VA, after listening to the telephone seminar, “Becoming Wealthy During Turbulent Economic Times”. To listen to the replay, go to www.geconnection.com/turbulance.html.

To receive the FREE gifts that are listed during the teleseminar, go to www.geconnection.com/testimonial.

How can I use your tool of “farming” to breakthrough my current plateau of sales in my job?

“I really got a lot out of your perspective on hunting vs. farming as a way of attracting new prospects and business. I’m really stuck though because I always have believed in the concept of giving value first, asking for business second, yet my annual sales revenue has flattened out and I can’t seem to break through to the next level. My question is, how can I use this “universal” or “spiritual” principle to really grow my sales again, not just to feel good about what I’m doing?”

Mike B. CPA, Fredericksburg, VA

ANSWER: Jon Berghoff

Mike, you are right on in searching for a way to use this spiritual principle to increase your success.

Most critical is understanding that it takes creativity, proactive effort, and old-fashioned hard work to create value for others. It can’t simply be an emotion or an attitude. The emotion, or attitude is required, but only useful when backed up with action. You might remember in the teleseminar that I mentioned the importance of behaviors, not just thinking, to elevate results.

I would pose this question:

What are some ways that you could be adding value that are easy to do, that you have allowed to become easy not to do?

This is a good starting place. If this triggers anything, than put it to work. You might take the three areas from the call: gift giving, distributing information, and problem solving, and ask yourself; what are the easiest, fastest ways you could apply these secrets. I use the words “fast” and “easy” because most people over-complicate the process of farming (giving value first, asking for business second).

It might be as little as making sure your assistant answers every phone call in a positive and uplifting way, vs. an unmonitored non-emotion-inducing approach.

It could be the difference between sending out a packet of complimentary, useful information to your prospects before you meet them for a sales presentation, so they are trained early on to see you as an authority or expert.

Maybe it means hosting a phone group call for everybody in your sphere of influence, teaching them 4-7 ways to save money during tax season, or the 5 most common mistakes made by others in their field.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

One of the top small business networking experts is an entrepeneur named Jon Berghoff. Jon is founder of Global Empowerment Coaching and has a history of teaching leadership, creating sales, and causing entrepreneurial success through ‘harmonic influence,’ which gives you control over yourself, your business, and the world in general. Jon Berghoff is speaker and bestselling author of the “Cutting Edge Sales Book.”

This post is a response to a question that came in from Mike in Fredericksburg, VA, after listening to the telephone seminar, “Becoming Wealthy During Turbulent Economic Times”. To hear the teleseminar, go to www.geconnection.com/turbulance.html.

To receive the FREE gifts that are offered during the teleseminar, go to www.geconnection.com/testimonial.

How can I use your tool of “farming” to breakthrough my current plateau of sales in my field?

“I really got a ton out of your perspective on hunting vs. farming as a way of attracting new prospects and clients. I’m really stuck though because I always have believed in the concept of giving value first, asking for business second, yet my annual sales revenue has hit a plateau and I can’t seem to break through to the next level. My question is, how can I use this “universal” or “spiritual” principle to really grow my sales again, not just to feel good about what I’m doing?”

Mike B. CPA, Fredericksburg, VA

ANSWER: Jon Berghoff

Mike, you are completely correct in searching for a way to use this spiritual principle to increase your business.

Most important is knowing that it takes creativity, proactive effort, and old-fashioned hard work to create value for others. It can’t simply be a feeling or an attitude. The emotion, or attitude is required, but only useful when backed up with action. You might remember in the teleseminar that I mentioned the importance of behaviors, not just thinking, to improve results.

I would pose this question:

What are some ways that you could be adding value that are easy to do, that you have allowed to become easy not to do?

This is a good starting point. If this triggers anything, than put it into practicez. You might take the three areas from the call: problem solving, distributing information, and gift giving, and ask yourself; what are the easiest, fastest ways you could apply these tips. I use the words “fast” and “easy” because most people over-complicate the process of farming (giving value first, asking for business second).

It might be as little as making sure you answers each phone call in a positive and uplifting way, vs. an unmonitored non-emotion-inducing approach.

It could be the difference between sending out a packet of free, valuable info to your prospects before you meet them for a sales presentation, so they are conditioned from the start to see you as an authority or expert.

Maybe it means hosting a telephone conference call for everyone in your sphere of influence, teaching them 4-7 ways to save money during tax season, or the 5 most common mistakes made by others in their field.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!