The biggest problem newbies experience, is that after spending hours developing a solid landing page, getting a keyword list, finding the best offers, and coming up with a solid ad variation – they run their campaign, blow through their money without a single lead to show for it. They then quit on their campaign as they haven’t even sniffed a positive result from hours of effort. This happens to almost everyone – so don’t worry! The following is a list of key points that all newbies should strive to attain, and to know when their campaign really wasn’t a waste of time:

1.) Make sure you have a good niche! How can you expect to get hundreds of leads a day when you don’t even know if there is that many people looking to buy your product? Sure you can be the first to exploit a niche, but leave that to the big guys. If you are just starting out, you don’t need to make things any harder than they have to be.

2.) Find the leads! Regardless if you spent $100 or $1000 on your campaign, if you haven’t generated any leads – then all you know is that atleast ONE variable within your keywords, landing page, offers, ad variations, bid price, and ad position combination does NOT work. You need to distinguish what variables need adjustments and which doesn’t, and the only way to do this is to compare results between what is working. The problem is that if you don’t have any leads to use with your data – it’ll be very hard to make adjustments because in essence – you have no idea what is working. The first step in the right direction is to FIND as many leads as you can, and try to optimize your efforts to more leads in that realm. This is why it’s important to make sure you are promoting a hot niche. You KNOW the leads are out there… Go find them!

3.) Don’t give up – I can’t stress this enough. The only real money you lose is when you don’t learn from your mistakes. Keep grinding until you’ve tried every combination of keywords, ad variations, landing page, offers, position and bid price as you can.

The big thing ALL newbies should know, is that if you just keep at it, you will hit your campaign! Even if it takes 20 swings until you hit, that hit will be ever so sweet. Once you hit your first campaign, everything starts to make alot more sense in your mind, and your experience starts to kick in. Affiliate marketing is like developing an extra muscle in your brain. It’s tough at first, but once you get the hang of it – it becomes much easier to hit more campaigns. Enjoy the ride!

Remember how it was like back when you thought that making $100 or $200 per day online was next to impossible? Remember that “wow, making that much or more would motivate me to work and work… and work!” way of thinking which seemed logical at that point?

Well, as most of you will probably confirm, things definitely DON’T stand that way. We humans are an interesting bunch: you’d think that a person who has managed to reach a certain financial goal (let’s say making $200 per day online) would be willing to work like a maniac in order to continue earning $100 per day, $200 per day or whatever but that’s not how things stand. In fact:

Things Will End Up Seeming Boring… FAST!

Ok, you’ll feel all motivated and everything. Great, you’ll continue working like a maniac and making $200 per day for a week. Two weeks, maybe three. But after a certain point, things will definitely start seeming boring and making those 200 bucks per day will end up seeming like a chore. Here’s why:

****you start taking things for granted

****that initial excitement is no longer there

****the financial “shock factor” is behind you, $200 per day doesn’t seem all that impressive anymore

Reaching one goal or another is NOT enough, thinking that you’ll feel happy and just as motivated after reaching a goal and without setting higher ones is just plain wrong. If you don’t see the big picture, it’s just a matter of time until you’ll end up feeling burned out and the most important question arises:

What to Do?

First of all, you need to understand that you have to keep things fun and exciting. Always set higher short-term goals and always be guided by your long-term ones. It’s really not rocket science.

Being an affiliate marketer is tricky because on the one hand, it’s great that you have all of the freedom in the world but on the other hand, things will quickly get out of hand if you don’t organize your time accordingly. If being an affiliate marketer starts seeming like a job, you’re doing something wrong. Not a lot of people have the opportunities we take for granted, most of the people who are trapped by a 9 to 5 lifestyle can’t even understand how someone can make a lot of money yet still have as much freedom as we do.

A lot of people think that pushing your own product is the best way to make serious cash. In theory, it all sounds great: you won’t have to worry about networks running away with the cash or otherwise acting shady, you won’t have to worry about merchants pulling a fast one and the list could go on and on.

But there’s more to being the merchant than meets the eye and, while it’s true that you’re eliminating a lot of problems, it’s just as true that those will quickly be replaced by others. Don’t just think that pushing your own product is a piece of cake because it isn’t. In fact, get ready to work harder than you’ve ever worked before.

Work Harder? Seriously?

As an affiliate marketer, you’ve probably built an image of the “average” merchant in your head: those cheap bastards who always want to screw you over. In some cases it’s true but that doesn’t mean that you should forget about the fact that it’s not all fun and games for them either.

Think about it: all you have to do is push traffic to and offer and get paid. In their case, things are a bit more complicated. They have to deal with customers, they have to answer calls and reply to emails, they have to ship the product, they have to manage their relationship with the networks and so on. Again: there’s more to being the merchant than meets the eye.

Is It Worth It?

Only the merchant has enough data to tell for sure. It all depends on your way of doing business. In most cases, the margins merchants have to work with are not as great as you think. Oh and one more thing: sure, you have to deal with a lot of shady networks and merchants but the merchants themselves have a lot of “obstacles” to overcome: leads which aren’t backing out, fraudulent traffic, networks which have never heard about the term “win-win” and so on.

Is being a merchant worth it? For most people, probably not! There’s a lot of work involved and since most affiliate marketers enjoy their lifestyle and wouldn’t be willing to say no to some/most of the things they currently have time for, they’re better off sticking with what they do best. Lots and lots of freedom: doesn’t sound all that bad, does it? Didn’t think so!

If you’re a person with an above average IQ, you probably have several amazing ideas each day. On the one hand, it’s a huge advantage but on the other hand, it’s also something that can work against you if you’re not careful.

No matter how successful or well organized you are, a day still won’t have more than 24 hours and your budget will probably never be limitless either. Yes, it’s true that you need to diversify but that doesn’t mean that you should go overboard. Spreading yourself too thin is just as bad as keeping all of your eggs in one basket.

In Case You Forgot: Focus, Focus, Focus

Most people get really excited about a project at the beginning but end up being distracted at one point or another. The brainstorming process is almost always a lot of fun but when you start implementing everything, things tend to get a bit boring. It’s like that for everyone and it’s perfectly understandable.

While it is understandable, that doesn’t mean that you have to start finding excuses. So you have great ideas? Well, what good will it do if they don’t materialize? Writing stuff on a board or on a piece of paper is great and everything but making money would be kinda-sorta nice too, wouldn’t it? If you always jump from one idea to another, you’ll end up with a lot of “concepts” but no money in the bank. So, what’s the solution?

You’ve Guessed It: Focus, Focus, Focus

Keep your eyes on the prize and be sure to set goals. Reaching a goal always gives you a nice little boost, probably more than enough in order to make it to the next one and so on. Don’t forget to reward yourself, keep it fun!

Ok, so focusing is important. But does this mean that you should let ideas with a lot of potential go to waste? Of course not, be ready to always write a great idea down. Be organized, you’ll thank yourself later on. Notepad is your friend, seriously! Why complicate things? Create a folder, call it “ideas” or something and whenever you think that you’ve discovered the best thing since sliced bread, open notepad or an editor of choice for a moment and let your imagination run wild. Then get back to work, rinse and repeat. That’s really all there is to it.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to be a rocket scientist in order to make $200 – $300 per day online. Anyone with half a brain can pull it off and even if you’re a complete beginner, you’ll probably be able to start making $6k – $9k monthly without working all that hard fairly soon.

Starting out is always hard but once things are on the right track, you’ll have your first “hey, I’m making some decent cash by only working a couple of hours/day” moment. You’ll be able to start taking advantage of all the free time you have at your disposal and that can be extremely dangerous.

Oh Really? Why?

Three words: the comfort zone, the place which keeps most people from tapping their true potential. Human nature at its best! After all, why hustle and hustle and hustle when you can make enough money to live a comfortable life without working all that hard? Time to take your foot off the pedal, right? Wrong!

While it may be true that you’ll feel “content” at the beginning, it’s only a matter of time until regret starts kicking in. Sure, your life is fairly comfortable but what will happen when you find out that the guy you’ve been talking to on AIM back when both of you were beginners is now banking $3,000 per day while you’re still stuck at the $250 level?

Why Sacrifice the Future for a Comfortable Present?

The opportunities you have now will not stay around forever. Maybe you’ll come across better ones but you probably won’t. That’s why the ability to make the most of what you have is ultimately what separates winners from losers. If you can make $500 per day, make $500 per day. Even if it means not hanging out with friends as often watching less TV! Guess what: your friends will never pay your bills and neither will your favorite TV host.

Never make the mistake of letting the comfort zone hold you back. It’s easy to let the thought of making money without working all that much seduce you, especially after you’ve invested a lot of time in a certain project and think that you’ve had enough. Once you make one compromise, others will follow and it’s only a matter of time until things get out of hand. Is being content really enough for you? It definitely shouldn’t be!

Cash flow problems have the bad habit of turning something good into a very stressful experience. Instead of enjoying the ride once you’ve finally found a campaign you can scale, you have to try your best to find enough cash to keep that campaign alive.

You can either pause the campaign and wait for some money from the network(s) you’re working with once you run out of funds or you can be smart about it and try your best to get your hands on some money fast. What will it be?

Ok, I Need Some Cash: Where to Start?

Well, why not start by asking the other party who has a lot to gain if you keep the campaign alive for assistance? Networks are basically middle men, it’s in their best interest to help affiliate marketers whenever they’re dealing with cash flow issues.

If you have a decent track record with the network(s) you’re currently working with, convincing them to send some money your way shouldn’t be all that difficult. Pick up the phone and give your AM a call or contact him/her on AIM. If you don’t have a lot of history with the network(s) in question, you can at the very least ask: it definitely can’t hurt! Explain your situation in detail and focus on the part a network is always more receptive to, the “what’s in it for me” one.

It’s a perfectly understandable way of thinking because let’s be honest, we’re all here to make money. This isn’t ballet class, business is business and numbers talk. Bug your AM, explain and even threaten to take your business elsewhere as a last resort. You need thick skin to survive in this industry, don’t take no for an answer.

Are There Other Options?

If the network(s) in question are not willing to pay you a bit sooner then sure, there are other options. From asking some of the people you know offline for a loan to selling stuff for some fast cash, there are lots of more or less creative solutions to cash flow problems.

Obviously, convincing the network(s) to pay you sooner is the best solution but if that is out of the question, you need to put your thinking shoes on. When you don’t have a huge budget at your disposal, you need to hustle. There’s just no other way. Be proactive and again, don’t take no for an answer: now go get ‘em!

Remember the first site you’ve ever published? You know, that ugly template-ish thing you spent so much time putting together and which never converted (then again, you probably didn’t even know what conversions are back then)?

The beautiful thing about having money is that you will never ever have to go through something like that again. You have an idea, then pay a designer and a writer to make things happen: bam, there’s your site! There’s so much competition out there that freelancers are working for practically nothing these days.

Finding Freelancers Who Know What They’re Doing

It’s perfectly natural to want things on the cheap but seriously, don’t go too far. If you always chase after bargains, you’re going to end up working with people who don’t have a clue and that’s always bad for business.

Think about it: let’s assume that a decent designer (lots of positive testimonials, an impressive portfolio and so on) charges $100 for a fully coded landing page and that lots of beginners (no portfolio whatsoever and maybe a couple of testimonials) only charge $40. If you go with the person with a great track record, you’ll probably receive a landing page which converts (we can assume that based on the fact that the reputable designer in question has worked with a lot of affiliate marketers) but if you want to save a buck and choose to go with a beginner, it’s hit or miss.

Good Case Scenario, Bad Case Scenario

If the beginner does a great job, you’ve saved $60 but if not, you’ll probably lose a lot of money. Aside from the fact that you’ll have to pay for another landing page at the very least (if you continue to work with the beginner, you’ll probably have to order a handful of landing pages until he finally gets it right), you need to also take the money spent on traffic (probably a good chunk of change) into consideration.

Is it really worth it? Sure, you can save 60 bucks but you’ll probably lose hundreds of dollars as well as time by not working with people who know what they’re doing. Do yourself a favor and learn from the mistakes others have made. You’re better off hiring freelancers with a proven track record, far less variables involved. Given the fact that you probably have a lot on your mind as it is, the last thing you have time for is babysitting a beginner.

Most people start out by thinking that being an affiliate marketer is a piece of cake: sitting in front of your computer for a while, checking your stats and… well, that would pretty much be it according to most folks.

In a way, they’re actually right. There are a handful of marketers out there who have decided that they no longer want to hustle, that they want to take it easy and limit themselves to simply keeping their current projects alive. Sure, that involves work as well but still, we could say that these people are “living the live”.

But Can You Do That?

Probably, but definitely not right from the beginning! The problem is that the affiliate marketers who have decided to take it easy are a minority and that getting there was anything but a walk in the park.

Most (probably all) of the people who are now “living the life” have started out as workaholics, there’s just no other way. Learning the ropes, banging your head against the wall, making mistakes: it’s all a part of the game! Some people quit, others keep on hustling. The world can sometimes be a painfully simple place, there are winners and there are losers.

Adapt or Give Up

Unfortunately, nobody really cares if you think that life’s hard. The world is what it is, the Web is what it is. There are lots of life-changing opportunities out there and it’s ultimately your responsibility to make things happen. Ask any successful (online or offline) business owner out there, you simply have to suck it up and hustle when you’re starting out.

After one of your businesses (maybe a site, maybe a campaign, maybe several campaigns) is pretty much on autopilot, then maybe (just maybe) you can afford to take it easy for a while and reap the rewards of your hard work. After the (short) celebration though, it’s back to hustling if you want to stay on top.

If making lots of money online were as easy as most people think it is, everyone would be doing it. Why work 9 to 5 if you can make 10x more money just like that? Here’s the thing: yes, there are countless “harder” careers out there but this doesn’t mean that anyone and his dog can make it as an affiliate marketer. In fact, most people fail miserably because they’re not willing to keep at it when things get tough. Adapt or give up, what will it be?

A lot of people complain about the fact that the most popular networks out there are no longer offering the support that made them famous and, naturally, start shopping around for alternatives. Given the fact that you’ll be facing a lot of competition as an affiliate marketer, everything counts and your relationship with the network(s) you’re working with makes no exception.

Are new networks the best solution out there? Will they end up representing the breath of fresh air you so desperately need? Let’s find out.

The Good

Let’s start by analyzing the role networks have in the ecosystem. Here’s how things work: most affiliate marketers don’t have a huge budget at their disposal and most advertisers are not willing to do things like pay on a weekly basis. The need for a middle man arises. Networks are, in theory, here to help you keep your campaign active by paying you more often, even before they receive the money from an advertiser.

They receive a cut, you get to keep your campaign(s) active and the advertiser takes advantage of your traffic. Everyone’s happy, right? Not always. As with everything else in this world, there’s a certain degree of risk involved. Unfortunately, not all advertisers are reasonable and as a result, it’s not at all uncommon for networks not to be paid.

New networks have to offer weekly wires to stand out. Otherwise, people will simply look the other way. Let’s leave the fact that some owners start out with shady intentions aside and assume that most of them want to start a legitimate business. Let’s also assume that they have a 5 figure budget at their disposal, are really excited and offer weekly wires as well as outstanding support via phone, email and AIM. While everything may seem great on paper, problems are bound to occur at one point or another.

The Bad

Most people who start a network assume that advertisers will always pay them. Huge mistake! If that were the case then yes, everything would run extremely smoothly. But unfortunately for them and for the affiliate marketers they’re doing business with, that’s just not how things work.

All it takes is one shady advertiser and bam… it’s all downhill from there. That 5 figure budget of theirs starts seeming less and less impressive while the people who expected fast payments start becoming less and less thrilled about the business relationship!

The Ugly

So, what then? Well, they start becoming desperate. People are no longer willing to push volume through their network and they’ll probably be stuck with a handful of affiliate marketers who send shady traffic and are only willing to work with the network in question because everyone else already banned them.

Naturally, the traffic doesn’t convert and advertisers start reacting. Some will issue a first and final warning, others will cut them out and a few will even refuse to pay them. End of story.

Don’t risk it, just don’t. Wait until a network has a bit of history before jumping in because otherwise, you’re going to probably end up losing a lot of time and money. The only exceptions are represented by networks such as C2M and A4D, which are ran by people who had a lot of “street cred” before becoming network owners. As far as those two are concerned, trust was never an issue but those are just exceptions. In most cases, the pros just don’t outweigh the cons, so do the reasonable thing and stay away.