Oh Crap...I'm An Affiliate Marketer...Now What?

33 replies
Well, here's another instance where I have to eat my words and retract a
lot of BS that I've been spewing for the last 3 years at least.

I have many Clickbank accounts. Each one, with the exception of the first
one I ever opened, back in the day when I was stupid, is dedicated to selling
JUST my own product. I do not mix in affiliate sells with those accounts. This
way I know exactly how many sales I have for each product.

Well, I didn't do this with one of my products. I was lazy when I created it
and decided that since I had a Clickbank account already opened for selling
affiliate crap that I would just submit it under that nickname. Truth is, I
didn't want to pay the extra fee. Yeah, I'm a cheap SOB.

Well, the downside is that I have to go through the account manually, doing
searches by product name in order to find out how many sales of each
product, including my own. It's a real pain in the rear end.

Anyway, over time, I've been promoting more affiliate products through
this account than when I started. At the beginning, I just promoted one
affiliate product.

Now, let's get back to the dumb ass thing I said when I was a "know it all"
marketer. Yeah, right.

My big spiel was, "You'll make more money selling your own products than
you'll EVER make as an affiliate marketer" and I gave all the dumb ass
reasons like, "you can get affiliates, you can control the sales page, the
price, the whole process." Yeah, blah, blah, blah.

I woke up today and first thing I did was check my Clickbank emails. They
all get forwarded to one account so it's very easy to do. And I noticed
sales for all my products except for one account, the one with the affiliate
products mixed in.

Now, this isn't so unusual because like I said, none of my products are
really big sellers. The reason I do so well is because I get drips of sales
come in from each sporadically. When you add them all up, it comes out
to a nice sum for the month. In other words, I don't have all my eggs in
one basket. If I did, I'd be broke.

Anyway, I decided to check the one account that didn't send me any
emails, just for the heck of it. I figured maybe I'd have an affiliate sale
or two. Remember, you don't get notifications of affiliate sales anymore
like in the old days. Oh how I long for those days.

Well, you can imagine my shock when I saw this huge 3 figure amount from
yesterday (actually early this morning) staring me in the face. I looked
at it and said, "What the F..."

I then decided to go through this account in detail for the month and what
I found nearly blew my head off.

I had more sales from affiliate products than from any one account,
including this one, for my own products. This is the first month in history
that this has happened.

Now, I know why it's happened and I also know that because of what I
am doing, it will be even more next month.

Crap...I'm an affiliate marketer. There is no way around it. I can't BS
people anymore and tell them that they can't make any real money unless
they sell their own products.

Chris Rempel is probably having one HUGE laugh right now because he's
probably known this for a VERY long time. Me? Well, I never really put too
much stock into affiliate marketing, but the truth is, the methods in a
certain book I came out with recently DO work. And no, I'm not going to
mention it here because I don't want to get this thread deleted and I am
also not including my signature in this post because it is imperative that
you get the message that I am about to admit freely. It takes a big man
to admit when he's so wrong it's almost criminal.

First of all, don't just take what somebody says as gospel. Test it out for
yourself.

Secondly, my experience now tells me that you CAN make a good living
JUST as an affiliate marketer. Why I was never able to do it before is
simply because I wasn't going about it the right way. Now that I am, and
yes, I do know EXACTLY why this is happening, it almost scares me to
think what I could accomplish if I outsource this whole bloody system. I
may actually be able to retire. Yeah, it works THAT well.

So there. I've come clean. I don't know it all. Sometimes I wonder if I
know anything at all. I've been under the belief of so many misconceptions
that it almost disqualifies me as an "intelligent" marketer. But make NO
mistake about it. I am documenting everything that I am currently doing, I
am looking at what works, why it works and figuring out how I can do it
more efficiently and double if not triple my profits JUST from affiliate sales
alone. As it is, I'm only putting in an hour a day into this system so if I
outsource some of the tasks, I can put in less time and make who knows
how much more money doing it.

Crap...I'm an affiliate marketer...Now what?
#affiliate #crapim #marketernow
  • Profile picture of the author RobinSkeen
    Waiting for the ebook Steven.

    Well? Is it done? When is the WSO?!

    I have no patience. I really would love to know how this is done because I haven't been able to do CRAP in affiliate marketing.
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    • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
      It must be annoying Steven,

      All this time we've been telling people that affiliate marketing is an easy way to get started and build your skills as a marketer so that you can be sure you can sell your own products, and you thought we were BSing?

      I remember my first affiliate sale of Corey Rudls big product when it came out - it was easy money as people loved it.

      I was wondering why people don't seem to "get it" when it comes to affiliate marketing as it's so easy, especially if you have half a clue about link building and traffic generation - especially these days with video sites doing so well and podcasts, articles and press releases all still being effective and cheap.

      Oh well - at least you're finally coming around.

      Andy
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      nothing to see here.

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      • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
        Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

        It must be annoying Steven,

        All this time we've been telling people that affiliate marketing is an easy way to get started and build your skills as a marketer so that you can be sure you can sell your own products, and you thought we were BSing?

        I remember my first affiliate sale of Corey Rudls big product when it came out - it was easy money as people loved it.

        I was wondering why people don't seem to "get it" when it comes to affiliate marketing as it's so easy, especially if you have half a clue about link building and traffic generation - especially these days with video sites doing so well and podcasts, articles and press releases all still being effective and cheap.

        Oh well - at least you're finally coming around.

        Andy

        And the best part is, I don't have to worry about customer service
        complaints, refunds, none of that crap. Hell, some of the stuff I'm selling,
        people don't even know my real name (okay, I might have just given
        away part of my strategy). Yeah, this is pretty easy money and almost
        headache free.
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        • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
          I spoke with a UK marketer about 4 years ago who had made over £175k (that's over $300,000) with one ebook of his own, but he did it leveraging a website with a massive list. That website made than that with their first affiliate promotion of his product since they were getting the majority of the money from the sale - for one email.

          That got me thinking seriously about affiliate marketing and whether you use a pen name for your articles, your link building and on your sites, it all still comes down to getting traffic - which is now a clear strategy that anyone can get on with for a little effort and some decent leverage.

          I still prefer to sell my own products as giving other people money that I could've had seems crazy unless they're offering something I don't want to or they've done such a good job it's crazy not to just send people to them.

          But the beauty of it is you have a choice - not every model suits every person and some people have no interest in affiliate marketing - which is fine. It's not a requirement or even a necessary addition.

          It's interesting to see that your recommendations are changing as your mindset changes.

          Does that make it more or less worthwhile to keep saying what's on your mind? If you keep realising you've been doing it wrong - does it make sense to tell others 'how to do it'?
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    • Profile picture of the author grumpyjacksa
      firstly, thanks for standing up. my dad always taught me a real man is one who has the guts to stand up and admit, and face the consequences. he also said that by the time i grow up i will find very few of them.

      secondly, correct me if i am wrong, but selling your own product is only easier if (a) you have a strong USP, and / or your product is (b) of similar quality compared to the affiliate products you are selling. a truly great product could be easier to sell, even as an affiliate.

      lastly - if the numbers are there on the paycheck, who cares whose product you sold to get it ?

      when i first started out as a salesman, we had a sign on the wall -----

      Happiness is : A positive cash flow.

      Be happy !
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      • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
        Originally Posted by grumpyjacksa View Post


        lastly - if the numbers are there on the paycheck, who cares whose product you sold to get it ?
        That's the question isn't it?

        Steven is saying that his previous words of wisdom to others were that they should create their own products in preference to affiliate marketing, and now he's changed his mind and in his words ' become an affiliate marketer' (the "oh crap" reflecting the low value he previously put on the approach because he didn't personally do it successful before).

        With the scenario seeming to be that we're now told that affiliate marketing is great and Steven will reveal his amazing strategy to support that in a soon to come wso.

        If we started from a position of - there are lots of ways to make money so see what fits for you, none of this would be an issue.

        So the reason it makes a different whether your own product or someone elses was sold is - because we're not talking about you and me, we're talking about Steven and his world and how his thinking has changed and why.
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        • Profile picture of the author Mary Gallivan
          Hi Steven

          Congratulations!! I Love the title too!!

          I'd also be interested to know what you had been doing and what you are doing now that has made all the difference. The 'before and after' story - I'm sure we could all learn something from it.

          Best wishes

          Mary
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          • Profile picture of the author Ken Leatherman
            Hey Steven,

            I wonder how many people are picking up on part of your marketing strategy in this post. For those that haven't he has started a "buzz" about the WSO that isn't yet.

            True he is revealing his mindset change, but he's also confirming there is a market for the new product he is getting ready to release. In addition he is building more trust in his customer base as being "big enough" to admit he's wrong.

            Does this mean he has an "ulterior motive" (more than likely or then again maybe not) because this boy is no dummy. He knows how to market to one of his customer list the WF.

            Read between the lines of the OP, you will see a good marketing strategy that works.

            Ken
            The Old Geezer
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            So Check Out My WSO
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            • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
              Almost all of my money every month comes from pimping other peoples products. I love it.

              Any day I want, I can have a couple thousand products at my disposal to sell and with everything I have learned, it is easy to do at this point.

              Welcome to the dark side, Steven!
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            • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
              Originally Posted by Ken Leatherman View Post

              Hey Steven,

              I wonder how many people are picking up on part of your marketing strategy in this post. For those that haven't he has started a "buzz" about the WSO that isn't yet.

              Read between the lines of the OP, you will see a good marketing strategy that works.

              Ken
              The Old Geezer
              In this case the lines aren't really that thin - they're almost transparent
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              nothing to see here.

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              • Profile picture of the author Ken Leatherman
                Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

                In this case the lines aren't really that thin - they're almost transparent
                Andy your right about that.

                Steven, I'm a bit of a skeptic, well more than a skeptic, and I tend to look for what's on the underside of the post. Do I do that with every topic? No, but I tend to be able to pick out the good, the bad and the ugly. (Clint Eastwood circa 1960's-1970's I think).

                Not picking on you either Steven. Go for it man.

                Ken
                The Old Geezer
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                So Check Out My WSO
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                • Profile picture of the author freudianslip27
                  I have my own products that I sell too, and that's definitely fun to do, but I am also a big fan of affiliate marketing.

                  It's refreshing to not have to go to all of that trouble of creating your own product. You can just get started right out the gate with something someone already did. And truthfully, some of the affiliate areas for some products are a lot nicer then what I could put together for my own product! Things like emails already written, convincing ads, etc.

                  Its also nice to test the waters with an affiliate product in a niche before spending all that time and resources developing a product, only to find the niche isn't biting.

                  Matt
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                  • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
                    Interesting observation. I started creating my own products earlier this year but I still create my affiliate review sites. The money from my own products hasn't been enough to give up affiliate marketing. So I think a combination of both is essential. Even super affiliates like Jeremy Palmer and Rosalind Gardner create their own products as well.

                    But perhaps it's also your well earned reputation as a product creator that has people buying the products you promote as an affiliate marketer?
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            • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
              Originally Posted by Ken Leatherman View Post

              Hey Steven,

              I wonder how many people are picking up on part of your marketing strategy in this post. For those that haven't he has started a "buzz" about the WSO that isn't yet.

              True he is revealing his mindset change, but he's also confirming there is a market for the new product he is getting ready to release. In addition he is building more trust in his customer base as being "big enough" to admit he's wrong.

              Does this mean he has an "ulterior motive" (more than likely or then again maybe not) because this boy is no dummy. He knows how to market to one of his customer list the WF.

              Read between the lines of the OP, you will see a good marketing strategy that works.

              Ken
              The Old Geezer

              Ken, I hate to disappoint you and everybody else, but there is no
              ulterior motive or subtle marketing message here or anything like that,
              which is why I didn't include a signature in the post.

              The product is already out the door and selling and the WSO has come
              and just about gone.

              If this came off as a brilliant marketing ploy, then it was purely by
              accident because I am not that smart. If anything, over the course of
              this past year, I have found out just how stupid I can be.

              I want to thank people like Andy Henry and John Taylor for making me
              realize that I'm not the "know it all" that I thought I was. You know, it's
              funny how success can go to your head, even if you don't want to admit
              it or even know it's happening.

              I'm a proud person. I admit it. Up until I finally had success in IM, I had
              failed in just about everything else in my life with the exception of my
              marriage, and even that was only because my wife is a saint.

              I couldn't hold a job to save my life, after 30 years of writing music I
              couldn't make one dime from the profession, I sucked at every sport I
              tried, and couldn't even be a good fund raiser for the charities I belonged
              to. If you looked up the word failure in the dictionary, there was a big
              picture of me right next to the definition.

              No Ken, no subtle message here. No marketing ploy. Now I have to read
              my post again to see what I did so that maybe I can duplicate it in the
              future should I ever try to do something so clever.

              You give me way too much credit.

              I'm still nothing more than just a hard worker who has a lot more to learn
              than he realizes.
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              • Profile picture of the author Ron Douglas
                Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim View Post


                No Ken, no subtle message here. No marketing ploy. Now I have to read
                my post again to see what I did so that maybe I can duplicate it in the
                future should I ever try to do something so clever.

                You give me way too much credit.

                I'm still nothing more than just a hard worker who has a lot more to learn
                than he realizes.
                No, actually you're an inspiration to a lot of newbies and people not making enough money online. They look at you like "if this guy can do it, I can also." They are inspired by the "average guy - failure at everything else, but success at IM" story.

                That's actually a brilliant strategy whether you know it or not. It's sort of like the "reluctant hero with magic powers" to steal a line from Frank Kern.

                You're also extremely transparent with your business, how much you make, and your methods. You've repeatedly claimed "success" at $100,000 a year - which is what many people here are striving for. I can see why, after a gazillion posts, people flock to you.

                That said, I think you have a higher responsibility not to make 'matter of fact' statements which are only based on your experience. Many of your followers take it as the bible.

                Your way works for you, but it may not work for someone who doesn't have 12 hours a day to write articles, post on forums, and learn FFA advertising. You've probably created a lot of frustrated followers here who are working hard to do what you've done because they think it's the only way. It's not.

                Personally, I'm too into quality of life to ever do what you've been teaching the past few years. I actually do the opposite of what you do in many ways and it works well for me. Different story, different philosophy, different business model. Less work, more money.

                I say that with all due respect. You've actually inspired me to get more involved in the IM market and start telling my story.

                After recently making a quick $15,428 in one weekend (from a list of 2,800) with my first IM coaching program, I'm starting to like this market :-). Now I can hire someone to write 1,000 articles, post on forums, and recruit affiliates.

                Hopefully I can make an extra $100,000+ in the IM market also this year. It will be a nice addition to my niche business income.

                Thanks for the inspiration.
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                • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                  Originally Posted by Ron Douglas View Post

                  No, actually you're an inspiration to a lot of newbies and people not making enough money online. They look at you like "if this guy can do it, I can also." They are inspired by the "average guy - failure at everything else, but success at IM" story.

                  That's actually a brilliant strategy whether you know it or not. It's sort of like the "reluctant hero with magic powers" to steal a line from Frank Kern.

                  You're also extremely transparent with your business, how much you make, and your methods. You've repeatedly claimed "success" at $100,000 a year - which is what many people here are striving for. I can see why, after a gazillion posts, people flock to you.

                  That said, I think you have a higher responsibility not to make 'matter of fact' statements which are only based on your experience. Many of your followers take it as the bible.

                  Your way works for you, but it may not work for someone who doesn't have 12 hours a day to write articles, post on forums, and learn FFA advertising. You've probably created a lot of frustrated followers here who are working hard to do what you've done because they think it's the only way. It's not.

                  Personally, I'm too into quality of life to ever do what you've been teaching the past few years. I actually do the opposite of what you do in many ways and it works well for me. Different story, different philosophy, different business model. Less work, more money.

                  I say that with all due respect. You've actually inspired me to get more involved in the IM market and start telling my story.

                  After recently making a quick $15,428 in one weekend (from a list of 2,800) with my first IM coaching program, I'm starting to like this market :-). Now I can hire someone to write 1,000 articles, post on forums, and recruit affiliates.

                  Hopefully I can make an extra $100,000+ in the IM market also this year. It will be a nice addition to my niche business income.

                  Thanks for the inspiration.

                  Ron, if you've read some of my more recent posts, I'm getting away from
                  the long work days and doing other things now. So I too am learning
                  that there is a better way to do things.

                  I still say that if you're just starting out, dirt broke and can't outsource
                  a lot of stuff or pay for advertising, my startup methods are quite
                  effective if you put in the time.

                  But definitely move away from them as you can afford to. That is the only
                  area where I've changed my thinking.
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                  • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
                    I got to hand it to steven.. he's really 'manned up' recently and admitted where he feels he could/should have done things differently.. and shared it openly. Not many people can do that - particularly when they are successfull.


                    However, this thread does read like a promotion (to me, at least). and here's why:
                    the methods in a certain book I came out with recently DO work.
                    I doubt I'm the only one who starts to take advice/experiences/etc with a grain of salt once their 'promotion radar' starts beeping. Your post would have stood just fine on it's own without that. As a matter of fact, reading that plants a few more seeds of doubt in my mind which did NOT exist before But I'm still a closet fan
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                    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                      Originally Posted by jasonl70 View Post

                      I got to hand it to steven.. he's really 'manned up' recently and admitted where he feels he could/should have done things differently.. and shared it openly. Not many people can do that - particularly when they are successfull.


                      However, this thread does read like a promotion (to me, at least). and here's why:

                      I doubt I'm the only one who starts to take advice/experiences/etc with a grain of salt once their 'promotion radar' starts beeping. Your post would have stood just fine on it's own without that. As a matter of fact, reading that plants a few more seeds of doubt in my mind which did NOT exist before But I'm still a closet fan
                      Jason, I'm sorry you feel that way. I even eliminated my signature from
                      the post and all subsequent posts so that there wouldn't be any reason
                      for people to think that I was pimping my signature.

                      But I guess people will believe what they want to believe and I just have
                      to learn to accept that.
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                      • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
                        But I guess people will believe what they want to believe
                        yeah, but why grease the rails for them?

                        I really liked your post, but once I hit that line I pointed out, it kind of took some of the wind out it's own sails.. maybe it's just me. In hindsight, I probably should not have posted it, as I certainly do not want to come across as antagonistic (a part of my personality that I struggle with :p )
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                        -Jason

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                        • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
                          Come on now. There are many different business models and styles. Steve has written often he's a workaholic and that he puts in 14 hour days writing and that his style might not be for everyone. He never sugar coats that fact.

                          He's also made it clear in previous posts that he wasn't a fan of affiliate marketing but now is changing his mind because he's starting seeing results. I didn't notice the hidden agenda others claim in Steve's post. He's always helping folks out here unlike other successful IM'ers who only show up here when they have a new launch to promote.
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                          • Profile picture of the author ExRat
                            Hi,

                            It's not complicated -

                            Some people just aren't cut out for creating a funnel, selling on the back-end and building up to a high-ticket crescendo. For them, affiliate marketing is great although they'll have to understand their position and accept occasional robberies.

                            Some people love creating the funnel and selling to the same person over and over. For them, their time is better spent away from affiliate marketing. It would be a sin.

                            Others combine both really well.

                            Take your pick based on what works for you. Become an expert. Work it well. Enjoy.

                            I even eliminated my signature from the post and all subsequent posts so that there wouldn't be any reason for people to think that I was pimping my signature.
                            When you say all subsequent posts, do you mean in this thread or forever across the whole forum?

                            If it's the latter then I'll be inspired by the content of your post. If it's the former then - I'd rather see the sig constantly and also see you keeping it real in the posts.
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                            • Profile picture of the author Pete Egeler
                              I find this post VERY interesting, Steve.

                              In your first post you've said, and I quote:

                              "I woke up today and first thing I did was check my Clickbank emails."

                              "Anyway, I decided to check the one account that didn't send me any
                              emails, just for the heck of it. I figured maybe I'd have an affiliate
                              sale or two. Remember, you don't get notifications of affiliate sales
                              anymore like in the old days. Oh how I long for those days."

                              Well, you can imagine my shock when I saw this huge 3 figure amount
                              from yesterday (actually early this morning) staring me in the face.
                              I looked at it and said, "What the F..."


                              I then decided to go through this account in detail for the month and
                              what I found nearly blew my head off.

                              I had more sales from affiliate products than from any one account,
                              including this one, for my own products. This is the first month in
                              history that this has happened.

                              Now, I know why it's happened and I also know that because of what I
                              am doing, it will be even more next month."


                              Then, in a later post you say:

                              "The product is already out the door and selling and the WSO has come
                              and just about gone."



                              My question is, how can you write and sell a product and WSO, which by your own words is "just about gone", when you didn't even learn what the results would be until by using your methods, until YESTERDAY?

                              You seem to imply that the results you received yesterday indicate that your product "worked", but you didn't know that until after the fact.

                              To quote you... "What the F....?"

                              Pete
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                              • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                                Originally Posted by Pete Egeler View Post

                                I find this post VERY interesting, Steve.

                                In your first post you've said, and I quote:

                                "I woke up today and first thing I did was check my Clickbank emails."

                                "Anyway, I decided to check the one account that didn't send me any
                                emails, just for the heck of it. I figured maybe I'd have an affiliate
                                sale or two. Remember, you don't get notifications of affiliate sales
                                anymore like in the old days. Oh how I long for those days."

                                Well, you can imagine my shock when I saw this huge 3 figure amount
                                from yesterday (actually early this morning) staring me in the face.
                                I looked at it and said, "What the F..."


                                I then decided to go through this account in detail for the month and
                                what I found nearly blew my head off.

                                I had more sales from affiliate products than from any one account,
                                including this one, for my own products. This is the first month in
                                history that this has happened.

                                Now, I know why it's happened and I also know that because of what I
                                am doing, it will be even more next month."


                                Then, in a later post you say:

                                "The product is already out the door and selling and the WSO has come
                                and just about gone."



                                My question is, how can you write and sell a product and WSO, which by your own words is "just about gone", when you didn't even learn what the results would be until by using your methods, until YESTERDAY?

                                You seem to imply that the results you received yesterday indicate that your product "worked", but you didn't know that until after the fact.

                                To quote you... "What the F....?"

                                Pete

                                Pete, I have been doing affiliate marketing for over 5 years and have
                                always gotten decent results. The product was based off of those results
                                which I was pleased with.

                                However, the figures that I woke up to today were staggering in
                                comparison and surprised even me.

                                So it seems that these methods, compounded over time and with some
                                recent twists that I've added, have taken my affiliate marketing stats to
                                a whole new level.

                                Hopefully, this explains my post a little better.

                                I never said I was a failure with affiliate marketing until now. All I said was
                                that my results were even better than usual.

                                With that, I expect my results to be even better as the months go on.

                                Does this mean I didn't "play up" my product enough when initially created
                                and probably should have charged more for it? Probably. But what's done is
                                done. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

                                I'm not sure if this clears up any confusion for you or not, but for anyone
                                looking for conspiracies or whatever, knock yourself out. I'm not playing
                                that game anymore.

                                Like I said, people will believe what they want to believe.
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                                • Profile picture of the author Jared Alberghini
                                  I am more of a programmer at heart, but I have been intently studying Internet Marketing for quite a while now and I totally agree and have the same, ah crap feeling now, because for too long of a time, I have had all my eggs in one basket, just selling my own product but not promoting other affiliate products.

                                  When I first started out online (11yrs ago, in 1997), the first money I made was from affiliate banners that produced a sale, as well as ads that paid per click.

                                  The most money I was making online was when I was doing both, selling my own products combined with promoting related products (YES, MY COMPETITORS)

                                  I just realized how stupid I've been by only promoting my own products, for fear of losing business to a competitor... DUH... even if they go to your competitor and purchase, YOU STILL GET PAID!

                                  How simple it that.

                                  No need to read into Steve's "Genious Trickery & Alterior motives", they don't exist... he's speaking the TRUTH.

                                  I'm off to create some great affiliate marketing material and Pimp someone ELSE's products ALONG SIDE of My OWN Products!

                                  - Jared Alberghini
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                                  Join The Future: Telekinetic Marketing

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                                  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
                                    Steven Wagenheim is the devil. I'm almost sure of it.

                                    I decided today that I would buy NO MORE WSOs, no more eBooks, NOTHING until I've finished reading and putting to use what I already have.

                                    Guess what WSO I just HAD to buy tonight?

                                    Watch this one. If he's not the devil, he may have signed a pact with him.

                                    ;-)
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                                    Dan also writes content for hire, but you can't afford him anyway.
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                                    • Profile picture of the author jhongren
                                      Hi, Affiliate marketing really works and if you want to learn from Steven, all you can do right now is to wait patiently for his WSO.

                                      I am sure it is going to create BIG IMPACT!

                                      I cant wait too. Give your diary to me NOW, Steven!

                                      Hehehe... :p

                                      Cheers,
                                      John
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                                      • Profile picture of the author Terry Hatfield
                                        Hi Steven,

                                        I know you don't want to share your whole wso or book with us, but how about giving us a hint at what the twist your talking about?

                                        You have got my curiosity aroused. Please do tell.

                                        Thanks,
                                        Terry
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                                        • Profile picture of the author Terry Hatfield
                                          Hey,

                                          What was the twist Steven?

                                          You got a breakthrough share it with us.

                                          Thanks,
                                          Terry
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                                          • Profile picture of the author summer07
                                            Hey Steven,

                                            You've cleared up something I've been wondering about for 2 years:
                                            If (as a lot of marketers say) the best way to make money is to sell your own product,

                                            and the best way to sell your own product is to recruit affiliates to sell it for you,

                                            and the best way to recruit the affiliates is to offer a split of 50% or more....

                                            why is it better to be the one who owns the product? Especially after all the time and money you just spent creating the product and all of the affiliate support materials?

                                            Thanks for talking about how you've changed your mind. I hope to be changing mind my on a regular basis, for the rest of my life, as I discover new information. I like to call it "lifelong learning"....

                                            audre

                                            (always check your guru's shoe size because...unless the guru has the same size feet as you, wearing his shoes will be painful!)
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                                            • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
                                              Ahh...the really sweet model is to...

                                              1. Add value to your marketplace - content, reviews, product summaries, updates, application of techniques, etc...

                                              2. Market affiliate products to get a good sense for what sells

                                              3. Discover opportunities for killer products that either leapfrog or enhance existing products.

                                              My first infoproduct that made a big splash online back in 2000 came from building an IM list and marketing Corey Rudl's "Secrets" manual - then identifying a gap in the marketplace at the time. Corey's product was all about A-Z internet marketing, what was missing is that most people didn't know what to sell - so along came the "Information Entrepreneurs's Idea Guidebook". Since then, many other products in other niches started in the same way.

                                              The BIG business view is to mix affiliate marketing, your own products and higher-end training through coaching, membership sites, seminars, etc...

                                              Jeff
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                                              • Profile picture of the author ExRat
                                                Hi Steven,

                                                When you say -
                                                Now, let's get back to the dumb ass thing I said when I was a "know it all"
                                                marketer. Yeah, right.

                                                My big spiel was, "You'll make more money selling your own products than
                                                you'll EVER make as an affiliate marketer" and I gave all the dumb ass
                                                reasons like, "you can get affiliates, you can control the sales page, the
                                                price, the whole process." Yeah, blah, blah, blah.
                                                I wonder whether you still feel that way if you go and read -

                                                http://www.warriorforum.com/war-room...marketing.html

                                                Interesting...
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                                                Roger Davis

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                                • Profile picture of the author Pete Egeler
                                  Thanks for clearing that up, Steve. Got a handle on what you are saying now that you've replied.

                                  Since you don't want to post any of the information here, feel free to PM me so I can pick up your product and/or WSO.

                                  Thanks.

                                  Pete
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                • Profile picture of the author clawson44
                  Banned
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