Gold As a Newbie, What Stops You From Getting Started

[T J Tutor]

Where do I begin?

I can tell already that an issue you have that will cause you great pain in this business is being indecisive. In addition, this is often, maybe most frequently, caused by a lack of building a plan of action, lack of a schedule, and lack of a planned budget. If you were actually planning an entrance into this business (or any other) then you would have been studying, taking notes, narrowing down your point of entrance into this industry, and had everything outlined that you had discovered would be of interest to you.

Begin by selecting a point of entry. Read about various methods of promoting offers and select one. CPA, PPV, CPL, PPCall, etc. It is important to select just one in the beginning, it will teach you the basics that will move laterally to most any other marketing method.

So what stops me? I am still learning and I have to confess, it's quite a lot to take in.

All marketers, and I mean everyone of them that has found success, did so by taking action at the very beginning of their respective careers in this industry. Taking action is the moment in which your business begins.

It's harder when you don't have a background even closely related to the topic.

I have to disagree with you on this, this is again a perspective you have and not a truth in the industry. Believe it or not, the majority of people entering this business have no background relative to this industry. We have an enormous number of Newbies in this community learning and earning that never had any previous knowledge and/or experience relative to this industry.

Sometimes I have to stop and Google abbreviations that seem to roll off of the 'tongues' of many.

We all do this everyday no matter how long we have been doing this. This industry is in constant motion and all of us are in daily learning mode whether it is in our chosen field or a new one we are investigating or entering.

A carpenter should not go to take on a job without the correct tools (knowledge). In this sense based on where I am at, I feel like I am more of an apprentice.

An apprentice is required to take action, this is what you need to do. You must take action and not wait for everything to be just right. Nothing is ever just right.

I am hopeful that shortly I will be able to make some progress and be able to afford my own tool bag and graduate from being in the background.

If you can afford to spend $30 a month on a VPS, $30 on a few domains, and a few hundred dollars a month on advertising, then you can have a successful business model which will grow month after month. Where else can you start a business with such a low investment and that has no earning limitations?!

Besides all that, I really want those around me to recognise what opportunities exist for younger sharper minds.

What?

Knowledge is my focus right now; knowledge I can share. The financial rewards would be icing on the cake.

No, this is wrong! Financial rewards is what business is all about, it is the primary focus! Always!

Forgive me if I am all over the place, but that too might be another one of issues. Some call it information overload which takes you everywhere and nowhere. I will stop here.

Information overload has been addressed dozens of times in this thread and millions of times on the net. It simply does not exist! Not ever! Here is an analogy to put things in perspective, no one ever walks into a library and says, "I'm overwhelmed by all of the information here". Instead, everyone immediately feels they have the world at their feet. Information overload simply exists as a false perception and is most often the result of improper research practices. It most often happens to the non-analytical mind. For those who associate with this perception, a simple course correction in thinking can be achieved in a matter of days by simply taking action, getting involved in a written plan devised around solid research and guidance from a community like this, the FIX.

You obviously have a case of what is called "red light green light" syndrome. It's a stop and go pattern that many fall into when they subconsciously have two elements fighting for attention, one being "fear of loss" and then the other being "everything has to be just right". Both are destructive to anyone starting a business whether they are a complete Newbie or not!

You are a FIX'er now and that means you have the world at your feet with IM.

Here are a few suggestions:

Read and learn through extensive reading in this community. Select one vertical. one tracker, and one traffic source. Learn from your fellow members here to master each one of them (a couple of months). Then you can expand and replicate your successes.

As a Newbie, you need to read, study, invest, and implement. Perseverance, dedication, and taking action are the cornerstones of the success you will obtain.

Read
Read through the various areas of the forum to learn about the types of marketing available for your new business. Make a list of all the types of marketing and take some notes along the way. Then determine which area of marketing with which you will start your journey.

Do this to select an area of marketing to start, as well, do this to select a tracker, a traffic source, and to select a vertical.

Then read up on the affiliate networks and select two to begin with that will serve your needs and the types of offers you would like to promote. Put your application in and they will call you for an interview. Be professional and be prepared to answer some questions about how you will promote offers, do you have a website, are you a Newbie, etc. Please note, if you join the Dojo, we have a thread there that can offer assistance in getting accepted to some of the networks.

Study
Now that you have selected a basis to begin, read all of the threads in this forum that relate to your initial selections so that you have a rudimentary understanding of their features and benefits.

Invest
You will require some investment. A VPS server, domains, traffic, landing pages, etc. You will need a budget for daily, weekly, and monthly expenses. This will change over time and you will need to update it often so that you know exactly what your costs and earnings are.

Implement
This is where it all starts to earn. You must now begin to implement what you have established as your foundation for your business. Do not wait for everything to be just right. It never is. Take action, period! Half of what you need to learn will come from taking action, implementing.

Here is some advice and guidance that will help you establish your initial goals:

Make sure you complete the following first.

Every business needs:

1. a plan
2. a schedule for research, learning, and execution
3. a budget.

Remember to read through our WIKI and get to know the basics as well as some of the buzz words in the industry.

You've already completed this step: (I also recommend reading the following thread:

As a Newbie, What Stops You From Getting Started)

Here is a set of immediate goals:

1. Get a VPS
2. Select a vertical
3. Select a tracker
4. Select a couple of networks and get your approval
5. Select a traffic source
6. Create a schedule for researching, learning (training), and working. This is a business, treat it as such!
7. Create a budget for every expense (daily, weekly, monthly)
8. Be very active in this forum by researching, asking questions, helping others when you are able.

As well, I highly recommend you join the DOJO as it is full of great tools and contributions for successful marketers. Click the banner below to learn more.



Remember This! : Nothing has to be perfect before you start. Read & study, but invest and implement at the same time. You cannot learn all of it from reading and studying. A great deal of your learning comes from implementing!

Good Luck!

T J

 

[AyeAyeRonnnn]

Afraid that all the work and trying will not pay off.
And fear of becoming just "another one of those ad sites."

 

[T J Tutor]

Afraid that all the work and trying will not pay off.
And fear of becoming just "another one of those ad sites."

Hi @AarontheHumble , first off, let me tell you this post will be all about mindset! It is obvious, due to your honesty (very important in this community!), that your mindset is a bit skewed. That's often the case for Newbies, as well as those who struggle in this industry. You see, what you are encountering is often seen as a "red light / green light" syndrome. This is when you decide in advance, and without testing, what will/can work and what will not. What may or may not be appropriate without having actually been through the process. Red light/green light syndrome is a portion of closed mindedness. You are identifying what you perceive as a negative side of this industry. When it comes to your business, you must see through the eyes of what is positive about this industry.

In addition, you have made two statements that are both fear based. You cannot launch a successful business, nor stand the test of time, when you are operating from a position of fear. Not ever! Your fear based statements are the direct result of the negative mindset. The positive mindset does not remind itself that it has any fear of becoming "another one of those ad sites." Instead, the positive mindset researches the industry for those that have successfully implemented the types of marketers and marketing that it wants to emulate and develops a plan, a schedule, and a budget for it accordingly.

1. Afraid that all the work and trying will not pay off.

Anyone, and I do mean anyone, that takes the initiative, sets up a plan of action and a business plan, creates a schedule for learning and implementation, as well as a budget, is going to succeed in this industry! This is a data driven business. You create campaigns, you collect information from your tracker, determine where the conversions come from, eliminate the poor performers and scale up the winners. Of course this simplified, but it is the core of what we do. Competence is your friend, it will enable you to perform well.

In addition, you will have failures! We all do, everyday. When we put up a campaign, we are actually launching several that are the same but different. It's because we are split testing ads, banners, LP's, copy, colors, etc. We identify what works, eliminate the rest, scale up what works, and then we do it all over again on the next campaign.You will find that most of us may have as many as 7 or 8 out of 10 variations of a campaign fail and 2 or 3 that seem to be scalable. Did we fail? Yes. Did we succeed, Yes! This is how it works. You find the winners and go big!

2. And fear of becoming just "another one of those ad sites.

Again the fear thing...

Let me ask you this, if I gave you a winning campaign proven to be extremely profitable and earning over $1000 per day, along with the winning landing page, the data from from my tracker, and copies of all my ads and banners for it, but it was a cheesy ad site, would you choose to not run the campaign? I think not. I think you would dig in and find every way on earth to do it over and over.

Now, I am not saying that this is the kind of campaign I run, and I am not saying you have to, but I think anyone with a reasonable mind would accept the fact that we all have a price. This means that though there may be cheesy sites and campaigns out there, honest people with high levels of integrity are often the same people that own these campaigns and sites. When in this industry, stay away from being judgemental. It will not serve you. You are not getting into this business to be the advertising police or an advertising judge. You are getting into this industry for one reason, to create a profitable, scalable, and sustainable business. How you do it, why you do it, and when you do it are all subjective for you at the moment and that has to be part of your balanced posture and demeanor for your business, but you must also have an objective mindset when implementing all of the characteristics of your business. Do not pre-judge anything. If the diet industry is your niche but you think it's cheesy to promote diet products, ask yourself whether or not anyone is actually benefiting from it. If a person buys a product that you do not believe in but finds benefit from it, then who is winning and who is losing. The benefactor is the winner because the product gave them what they required. Whether or not you approve of the product, the company, or the service, is of no matter. Is it legal, are there positive reviews for it, do people report success, are there few or little complaints, are marketers selling the crap out of it? These are the valid questions to ask.

Listen up, do what feels right, but do not judge others for what they do unless they are breaking the law, violating terms of service, or bringing harm to others in some way.

Our job is simply bringing vendors and prospects together in some fashion, period! Do it ethically, do it lawfully, and do it with pride and you will find all of the rewards you desire from this business. It is a good business, it is a viable business, and it is a huge world wide business!

 

[AyeAyeRonnnn]

@tjtutor Well said My friend, I appreciate the time you took and the information you shared, makes more than enough sense and it totally opened my eyes, the mindset thing, is a thing I have struggled with for quite a while. But I am in the process of breaking it.

I look forward to the new things I learn here and the new kinds of deals and products I will market.

Have a great day @tjtutor

 

[raynoldclare]

For me it's lack of budget. I think i have to use my credit card to fund the cpa campaigns.

 

[T J Tutor]

For me it's lack of budget. I think i have to use my credit card to fund the cpa campaigns.

I don't recommend using credit to start out in this business. I recommend having a cash savings to start your business.

This is often the case among Newbies. There are a completely different set of economic and financial matrix's in play today compared to just twenty years ago and folks worldwide are scrambling to make adjustments in their lives as the result. This is driving thousands a day to this industry and most of them are doing this with a great lack of planning and preparation. Whatever "shiny object" drove them to us, and other forums, they often leave them with the impression that it is easy quick money with a low investment threshold.

This business is no different than any other business. It requires a path for learning and implementation based on a clear and written plan to succeed. One must take the time to get an understanding of the business, determine one's entry point into the business, establish a plan, create a schedule for learning and implementation, as well as a budget.

In the late nineties, one could create, and publish online, a 25 page pdf and sell it for $9 and possible do $100k in a day with a very low budget. Today, one must have a complete set of videos, and supporting documents, in order to garner enough buyers to achieve $10k. Yes there are launches that bring $100k today, even $1MM, however these launches are typically by folks that have a great JV network to work with as well as a following in the industry in addition to a sizable budget.

You can, and should, do all you are able with your current meager budget and continue your learning to earn curve. To really make your mark quicker, take a part time job for a month or two to build up a war chest of $500 to $1000 or more.

Don't feel you are alone in this. You can get past this initial investment obstacle as have so many that have come before you. As with everything else in this business, all you need is a plan!

 

[john snow]

Thanks for the motivation,the fear of losing money is what keeps most of the newbie from taking the first step.

 

[T J Tutor]

Thanks for the motivation,the fear of losing money is what keeps most of the newbie from taking the first step.

You are welcome @john snow !

 

[medo]

Thank you very much for a lovely post and all informations

 

[Josef Cpa]

thank you , very helpful

 

[eBoki]

TJ. Keep reading various threads from various forum gonna take lots of my time albeit I know I can learn some info. There are too much information in here. But, Don't you think for us newbies we should start the basic knowledge about affiliate market before


1. Get a VPS
2. Select a vertical
3. Select a tracker
4. Select a couple of networks and get your approval
5. Select a traffic source
6. Create a schedule for researching, learning (training), and working. This is a business, treat it as such!
7. Create a budget for every expense (daily, weekly, monthly)
8. Be very active in this forum by researching, asking questions, helping others when you are able.

By the way, I love above list you replied to my post. Quite a clear picture Thanks again

 

[T J Tutor]

There are too much information in here. But, Don't you think for us newbies we should start the basic knowledge about affiliate market before

There isn't any such thing as too much information. This is some silly marketing angle dreamed up years ago by sales funnel experts. There is never, ever, too much information. Do you go into a library and say that? Do you go into a museum and say that? Of course not! What you need is a plan based on the information I gave you. Then implement the plan, take action!

If you follow my advice, to select one tracker, one vertical, and one traffic source to begin with, then you will spend a couple of months mastering them. Half of your learning curve is in taking action. If you think you are going to just study and read and then enter the business, you will never take action.

 

[eBoki]

TJ. Thanks. What is tracker and vertical? Could you please make them specific? By now, I know I have a bit ideas about traffic source everyone is talking about. Being timid to ask is my biggest obstacle as a newbie

 

[T J Tutor]

Okay, I can see that you did not do what I had outlined in my first response to your first thread. Here it is again. Remember, no one can do the work offer you. Taking action is as important and as much a requirement as studying.

READ & TAKE ACTION!

Tracking and Optimization

WIKI

Myself, and any seasoned marketer, will tell you to use this forum as a mentor because it is full of members at every level of experience which makes for many balanced perspectives for a Newbie to learn from. Take the time to read through the forums here and see for yourself that the Newbies achieving success have actually dedicated themselves to success in this industry and reaping the rewards by following the advice of fellow AffiliateFix members, being dedicated to success, putting the time in, and making the necessary investments. You cannot shortcut the learning curve. It goes slower for some and it goes faster for others. Everyone has their own intellectual absorption rates, skill development pace, commitment level, and budgets.

You are a FIX'er now and that means you have the world at your feet with IM. Here are a few suggestions:

Read and learn through extensive reading in this community. Select one vertical. one tracker, and one traffic source. Learn from your fellow members here to master each one of them (a couple of months). Then you can expand and replicate your successes.

As a Newbie, you need to read, study, invest, and implement. Perseverance, dedication, and taking action are the cornerstones of the success you will obtain.

Read
Read through the various areas of the forum to learn about the types of marketing available for your new business. Make a list of all the types of marketing and take some notes along the way. Then determine which area of marketing with which you will start your journey.

Do this to select an area of marketing to start, as well, do this to select a tracker, a traffic source, and to select a vertical.

Then read up on the affiliate networks and select two to begin with that will serve your needs and the types of offers you would like to promote. Put your application in and they will call you for an interview. Be professional and be prepared to answer some questions about how you will promote offers, do you have a website, are you a Newbie, etc. Please note, if you join the Dojo, we have a thread there that can offer assistance in getting accepted to some of the networks.

Study
Now that you have selected a basis to begin, read all of the threads in this forum that relate to your initial selections so that you have a rudimentary understanding of their features and benefits.

Invest
You will require some investment. A VPS server, domains, traffic, landing pages, etc. You will need a budget for daily, weekly, and monthly expenses. This will change over time and you will need to update it often so that you know exactly what your costs and earnings are.

Implement
This is where it all starts to earn. You must now begin to implement what you have established as your foundation for your business.

Here is some advice and guidance that will help you establish your initial goals:

Make sure you complete the following first.

Every business needs:

1. a plan
2. a schedule for research, learning, and execution
3. a budget.

Remember to read through our WIKI and get to know the basics as well as some of the buzz words in the industry.

I also recommend reading the following thread:

As a Newbie, What Stops You From Getting Started

Here is a set of immediate goals:

1. Get a VPS
2. Select a vertical
3. Select a tracker
4. Select a couple of networks and get your approval
5. Select a traffic source
6. Create a schedule for researching, learning (training), and working. This is a business, treat it as such!
7. Create a budget for every expense (daily, weekly, monthly)
8. Be very active in this forum by researching, asking questions, helping others when you are able.

Remember This! : Nothing has to be perfect before you start. Read & study, but invest and implement at the same time. You cannot learn all of it from reading and studying. A great deal of your learning comes from implementing!

Good Luck!

T J

 

[eBoki]

Thanks for the kick on the butt. I have to make a comment on your profile photo. You look so relaxed at where you are. A true affiliate TJ master

 

[T J Tutor]

Thanks for the kick on the butt. I have to make a comment on your profile photo. You look so relaxed at where you are. A true affiliate TJ master

When you are in doubt about anything, find the right sub forum and start a new thread with your question, or your problem, or for any advice you need. Remember this, this community has guided thousands of awesome Newbies to great successes and I promise I am steering you in the right direction, as will all other members of this family! We want to see you succeed!

 

[davidper]

my problem very much, lack of funding, the campaign, the experience in doing website

 

[jakon]

I would like to see more examples of affiliate products I would actually pull out a credit card for. I'd like to see more working examples of what has made money in the past or now(even if it isn't currently, I'll try to figure it out).....

I look at some of these offers and I'm just like... damn I could maybe pull this off with a positive ROI if I knew what I was doing and had the money, but it's only a maybe.

I think I need to find products I'm truly interested in, as well as a vertical I'm truly interested in and go from there. Such as anti-aging products, I'm huge into biochemistry.....

 

[Red]

Ok, I read through the first few pages and skipped to the last. Definitely see a trend and have a few things to say that hopefully garner me advice as well as help others, including the poster just before me.

This may be long (sorry).

First, some background. I feel it will help other newbs as they may have a similar situation:
I understand business. I come from a business background. Grandfather had a deli, one uncle had a dealership, another uncle still has a mechanic shop, and a cousin is a top-level manager at Porsche. All I heard growing up was business speak (for the most part). I dreamed of my own business and to be successful at a young age like they all were.

I worked my butt off. Two and three jobs. I did side-jobs prior to 16. On my 16th birthday I ventured out for a "real" job, and surprisingly came home with one. After school is when I started my trend of two to three jobs. Never had under two for more than a month. I learned a lot from all my different positions. I made it to night-management at a convenient store and VPO of a janitorial business. I tried 3 different MLM's (not all MLM's are scams, but one I did turned out to be). I even had my own janitorial business (using what I learned from the company I was VPO for). Now I'm in ministry and local-commercial fishing (which I love and don't intend to stop. I'm getting started with my own fishing operation in a sort of "shared orders" type of setup with the operation who trained me. Don't want to get into the ministry details since religions not allowed, but I won't be leaving ministry any time soon either). Then, recently I got involved in affiliate marketing.

Now for my response to this thread:
Considering everything, to many newbies, it may appear as though there's too much info to take in. However, and maybe this is just my lifes experiences talking, I don't see too much. I see alot of good info dispersed across a large area (multiple sites), and a lot of bs across multiple sites. If you know what you're looking for, you'll know what to avoid. Perhaps it's just my experience, but I can detect the bs in many forums and programs a mile away. I'm currently only a member of three (this obviously being one) that I chose to join based on the info provided and the blunt honesty spoken therein. They passed my bs detector test. I'm not naming them as I am affiliated with one and don't want to get in trouble for posting referral links (If I post the link, why not use my referral link and get credit for it? Sorry, but newbies, this is the business. It's nothing personal).

Pay attention to key factors that just scream "IT'S A SCAM! RUN!", which this thread and at least one other I've read here covers.

My issue isn't information overload. I have had minor instances of shiny new object syndrome and red light/green light syndrome. But at the same time, usually, when I start something it becomes my life. I get so involved in it, I barely notice anything else.

My problem is writing. Not that I can't write, but I find myself at a loss of ideas to write about it. I got started in affiliate marketing because I need the income (who doesn't?). I've went from poor (growing up), to stable without realizing it (I was supporting my brothers and sisters, my girlfriend, and paying my bills. Had an extra $10K in the bank with anywhere from $500 - $2K spending money each week. But I felt it wasn't enough and continued the rediculous 100+ hours per week between two and three jobs), to broker than broke. Long story, but I lost it all and now I'm broke. Barely surviving month to month. Despite putting my heart (and past 5yrs) into ministry, it's not paying the bills. But I'm not in ministry for the money anyway. And the local fishing is only busy for a few months, and even in the busy season it doesn't pay much. But I love what I do. Just need more income.

So as I'm messing around on google on stumble upon affiliate marketing and practically fell into the industry. I joined a program (again, not mentioning which for obvious reasons) that offers training, hosting, etc. I love it. The only problem is I already made it through the "free" courses and most of the "free" tutorials. And it costs more than I have for the paid version to access the rest. I started out trying both options, as I took the courses available in both - a. affiliate marketing (they're affiliate program) and b. your own niche (joining other affiliate programs relevant to your chosen niche). I did this (on two different sites, one for each) to see which route would be easier for me and to see if I make mistakes with one that I don't with the other that I can learn from. Until I can afford the additional courses, I'm practically on my own to teach myself. I need to find info in other areas outside the courses and learn from trial and error.

Now, I don't have top-level domains. I'm using sub-domains from their hosting service (which they recommend for trial purposes only and to use top-level on actual campaigns). It's suggested (by them, and I agree) that you CAN generate income with sub-domains, but it WILL be harder for a variety of reasons. Reasons of which I do understand.

I have successfully managed to get other sub-domain websites to rank as well as, if not better than, top-level domains; so I'm not worried about my search ranks. I'll get where I want to be in time. The only issue I have (and am determined to overcome) is the percieved professionalism, or lack thereof, of sub-domains.

Yes, it is WAY EASIER to generate income with at least some starting capital. But it is NOT impossible to do without it. To achieve an income without capital in this industry requires a lot of time and effort. You must be dedicated in your venture and not give up. Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick scheme. I spoke to someone who didn't make his first few bucks for well over a year and he's now a multi-millionaire from affiliate marketing. One which way or the other I WILL make this a go, and all you newbies reading this WILL too IF you don't give up. You are building a business and business takes time to build.

Now, I should have enough funds for the annual plan for the program I joined when fishing picks up again. Until then, I'm mainly focusing on building awareness of my site and growing traffic. IF I make a sale before then, that would be freaking awesome. But I'm not expecting it.

My problem is, I find it easier to write content for my affiliate marketing site then for my niche site. This could be do to the fact I'm studying affiliate marketing and the info is currently at the front of my mind. But I'm huge into healthy living (my niche) and have promoted organic products in the past, but yet I find it extremely difficult to come up topics to write about it. It's extremely frustrating.

I agree with TJ that shiny object syndrome and others will disappear if you focus and implement a plan. However, I feel you can get started now without money to put into. Let's be honest, you will NOT make a sale in your first month or so. Spend this time building up your site, advertise it out, and build brand awareness. You're the brand (or the name of you're site). When you have the funds, if you haven't already, get a top-level domain (similar to your site name). And join some affiliate programs pushing products/services in your niche ONLY (if you haven't already, I did). Place the banners strategically and only in relevant areas of your site. Don't spam your own site. When, and ONLY when, you have the basics down and mastered, then go into PPC or PPV type advertising. Yes, this method of boot-strapping affiliate marketing may take longer to see income generated, you'll be better off for it. By the time you're in neck-deep, you'd already have the basics mastered and hopefully at least a little traffic and few return visitors. But you MUST be dedicated and put in the time. Time is money. The more time you put in now, the more money you'll have later.

Yes, I'm a newbie to affiliate marketing (online). But I do have plenty of business experience, off line marketing experience, quite a bit of information studied and in the front of my mind, and a passion to succeed at this and see all my peers in affiliate marketing succeed along with me. I wouldn't give advice if I thought it was bs and weren't doing it myself.

TJ, any advice for me with my writing ideas/topics?

This was a mouthful. Thank you for baring with me if you read the whole thing.

 

[jakon]

I read almost the whole thing then skimmed the rest, right on man! I hope we all figure out how to promote products of value....