Affiliate marketing is a business that naturally attracts people who fancy themselves as entrepreneurs. And why shouldn’t it?
This business is ideal for anyone who is willing to put in tremendous amounts of time and effort to their business before ever seeing a dime in revenue. It’s also a business that can handsomely reward all that hard work with a steady revenue stream and a fulfilling work life.
But are affiliate marketers really good entrepreneurs? Not according to Shoemoney.com blogger Jerry Schoemaker. In a recent post titled, Why Affiliates Make the Worst Entrepreneurs, Schoemaker takes on the idea that the true entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the affiliate marketing world.
Schoemaker takes pains to point out that his observations, “…are generalizations and by no means applicable to every affiliate on the planet.” At the same time, most seasoned affiliates have seen other affiliates who match up with Schoemaker’s model of a less-than-ideal affiliate.
Take a look and see if you’ve seen any of these flaws pop up on affiliate marketing forums.
The Get-Rich-Quick-Attitude
The affiliate marketing world is chock full of consultants and flim-flam men who’d have you thinking you’ll be raking in thousands of dollars from day one. You’d think that true entrepreneurs would be able to see this hype for the gross exaggeration that it really is, but you’d be wrong.
Ask any CAP reader if affiliate marketing is a get-rich-quick plan and he’ll likely laugh in your face. Experienced affiliates know that building the kind of web traffic that pays a decent income is anything but a fast track to riches.
True entrepreneurs know that there are no shortcuts to success, just lots and lots of hard work.
Over-Diversification
Most affiliate marketing gurus recommend keeping a bit of diversity in your portfolio but there’s always the danger of too much of a good thing.
Schoemaker points out that affiliate newbies too often bounce from topic to topic without ever really establishing a foothold in any of them. Part of the problem here is that, once again, this is a business that takes time to establish.
While there are plenty of super-affiliate who make it all look very easy, they’ll be the first ones to tell you that it’s not easy at all. They’ll also tell you that focusing on a niche and really establishing yourself as an authority in that niche is the way to go.
Newer affiliates may scoff at backgammon, roulette, and gin rummy affiliates, but these guys have a laser focus that’s aimed directly at players who actually play.
The Loner Problem
Working from home, far from the backstabbing co-workers and cranky bosses that populate the working world is one of the big benefits of affiliate marketing. That insulation from office is not, however, an excuse to let your social skills atrophy.
True entrepreneurs are unabashed individuals, but they also know that no man is an island.
Successful affiliates are engaging, curious people who benefit from the professional relationships with affiliate managers and other affiliates they connect with on forums.
Working from home has plenty of benefits, but if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you’ll want to keep those people skills sharp.