Network. And take a goddamn break once in a while.
Seriously. It’s that simple. Think you’re making money now? Get to know some people in the industry, and watch your income grow.
I spent the first 3 years I was in this industry working like a hermit. I didn’t talk to people online, I didn’t go to conferences, I just got on my grind and stayed there. And that would have been fine, except for the fact that I missed out on all the biggest offers, newest traffic sources, and all the other good stuff that comes from being plugged into the industry. Obviously, this wasn’t a good situation for me.
Bil Smith, circa 2008
I’ve spent the last year networking like crazy. I can honestly say I know a lot of people in this industry, and most of them are good people to know. I know offer and product owners, I know network owners and affiliate managers, I know big name affiliates, big income affiliates, designers (both graphic and web), programmers, etc. Whatever problem comes up, I have a guy for that. When I get stuck, I know who I can talk to to get past that problem as quickly as possible. Needless to say, this has done wonders for my business. I stay on top of the latest trends, the hottest offers and the best traffic sources. While it may not be 100% necessary, it sure makes my life easier and better, so I do it.
Recently I’ve decided to stop being a basement dweller and I’ve started hanging out with some local affiliates. They’re all really great guys, and I’ve definitely learned a lot from them. Hell, we don’t even have real meetups, most of the time the meetups are hangouts at bars or restaurants, but that doesn’t stop us from talking about big money. Nothing better than wings and strategy on a weeknight, right? (I want to take a minute to thank Ian Fernando for putting the group together. He keeps everyone in check, and I know I wouldn’t want that job.)
I’m not posting all this for cathartic reasons. What I’m trying to get at is that no matter how much you may hate socializing, you need to get out there and rub elbows with other people in this industry. I like to joke that this industry is 20% hard work and 80% who you know. While it may require a bit more hard work than that, it’s not far from the truth. Besides the fact that having solid connections can get you a lot further than some random, nobody affiliate will ever get, when you put a couple marketers in a room together they’re bound to start throwing around ideas. A LOT of good ideas can come up this way. If you have a solid group of guys, it’s almost like a casual mastermind group – which is great for making money and for relaxing.
Just don’t call yourselves the Braintrust.
Seriously though, relaxing is important. We all work hard. Some of us work more hours in the day than the rest of us are awake. That’s the nature of the game for some people. While working is great (obviously, since it puts money in our bank accounts and food on our tables and strippers on our stripper poles,) sometimes you need to relax. I get the feeling most affiliates overlook that part. You can’t just blow off steam twice a year when you go out to the major conferences and expect it to be ok. Too much stress will hinder your business just as badly as slacking off too much will. Take a break, even if it’s only once every week or two. Do something fun. Enjoy that money you worked so hard for.
I took nearly a year off from marketing and damn near shut down completely at one point because of the high levels of stress and the fact that I never took any time off. I hustled from the time I woke up until the time I went to sleep, which were rarely both in the same day. I had more projects than most people have hairs on their head. And what did I get for all of that? Migraines, lethargy, and the inability to focus for nearly 8 months. I was making good money before that point, but when you don’t work for the better part of a year, you find out just how expensive your lifestyle is. Starting back up after that hiatus was a giant pain in the ass, and I had to work twice as hard to get back to a semblance of normality than it took me to maintain those levels beforehand. Full disclosure, I haven’t even gotten back to the level I was at before – but that’s probably for the best, since I also no longer have migraines and don’t feel the constant need to pass out. I’ll get back to where I was, and beyond that, but not by working harder. I made that mistake once. I’ll work smarter, and make more money than I did before. I suggest you do the same.
Bil Smith, circa 2009
Speaking of working smarter and networking with smart people: did you join the StackThatMoney Forum yet? Why not? Seriously, this is like the third time I told you to do that. Stop dragging your feet, start making real money. Get with it or get left behind. They’ve got a ton of great Facebook follow along campaigns going on right now, and in the archives there are tons of great case studies and follow along campaigns for most other traffic source. You can’t beat that.
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