Forum

[Aletta]

Hi lovely people, I have a question for you.

It's not a question because I'm going to start promoting anything: It's just that we *feel* we know who you guys are (based on what you say in the forum and the emails we get) but it would be nice to hear things straight from the horses' mouths.

Not that we think you're horses, of course.

Here's the question: What do you think (based on your own experience) are the biggest issues affiliates have to overcome when first starting out as an affiliate?

What is it that stands between you and awesome affiliate success?

If you're just learning yourself, what are the parts that you're most stuck on? Have you given up? Have you given up and then tried again? Do you find yourself going around in circles with anything?

Is there anything you really hate and would just like to fast-forward past?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Call it market research :)

 

[carlmasure]

Hi Aletta,

My biggest obstacle is finding the time to build back links through article writing/web 2.0 properties. But, I have a busy bricks and mortar day job.

 

[smuigal]

Hi Aletta,

You know ... I'm going to add something that has recently happened to me. It's a bit different from what you're expecting but it is a part of this business.

One of the ways we can make money is by offering a service. I've spent a lot of time and my own money to personally train people to write/spin and backlink. You'd "think" that I could make a little money for myself by offering a service. I know others do, but for me, it has not earned me any money. I spend far too much time in emails with the clients and in emails with my workers. Plus, I made a mistake that actually cost me money as Paypal takes money out of my pocket every time someone pays me.

I've also offered to do SEO and again, it has cost me far too much time via email and the tiny bit of income I did receive just didn't pay for my time.

So.... What has been the biggest obstacle for me? I'd say it is learning my limitations. Knowing where to put my time and money. I am watching my adsense income go up. This has been a good thing. So, if I focus on where I'm making money and where my time is well spent, that obstacle about learning my limitations will be overcome. I think... perhaps ... I'm getting there. :)

I'm going back to working for just me. That's it. When I work for "me", I train my people to work for me and I get to sit back and just have the work done without spending time emailing anyone else. I like that much better than working as a middle man.

For people who may have been tempted into creating a membership site I say, "Buyer Beware!".

:)
Chrisi

 

[smp063]

G'Day Aletta,

With me has gone through a few stages,
Firstly being overwhelmed with all that's out there, sorting out the crystals from the stones:))
Then Belief, hey this can work, others are doing it then so can I
Where I am at now is focus and commitment. Have a couple of sites up now but still no sales, just need to focus on what is being taught here, keep at it & not get side tracked.

As to what I dislike the most. Would have to say spending time getting back links.

Steven :))

 

[ispyprofits]

What do you think (based on your own experience) are the biggest issues affiliates have to overcome when first starting out as an affiliate?

One of the biggest issue for me was chasing the money.

When I first started I followed one method to the "T". It was when I made my first sale that I knew I could make money online. However, it was the second sale that I got greedy. I saw how easy it could be to make money online and I wanted to speed it up even more. So I started buying into as many get rich quick guides.

What is it that stands between you and awesome affiliate success?

Besides focus. I would say asking for help. I think it's an ego thing. I didn't want to look stupid for asking questions.

Have you given up and then tried again?

Yes. I went into MLM for a year or so. I realized that I made more money from affiliate marketing. So I started affiliate marketing again.

Is there anything you really hate and would just like to fast-forward past?

Copywriting. I'm still learning how to write a good copy.

 

[chris72]

Oh Man!

Sorry guys, this is gonna be a long one, but you did ask....... :o)

What do you think (based on your own experience) are the biggest issues affiliates have to overcome when first starting out as an affiliate?

Definitely information overload!
I was on this trip for 6 months before I came across Affilorama and Affiloblueprint - which was exactly what I needed. Targeted step by step information with no 'distractions' in the middle and plenty of real support - not just opinion.
I now see those previous 6 months as wasted time .....

If you're just learning yourself, what are the parts that you're most stuck on? Have you given up? Have you given up and then tried again? Do you find yourself going around in circles with anything?

Time - having both the time to learn what we need to know and the time to actually get things done.

Knowledge - It doesn't matter what anyone else says - You do have to know how to build a website, you do have to know basic html, you do have to understand how the internet works, you do have to be able to write, you do have to be able to 'get inside peoples heads' even just to to get the buying keywords, you do need to build backlinks, you do need a twitter account........ you need to know how to do this before you can outsource anything.

Patience and faith - even when you have all of this, you still need to realise that it will not happen overnight and you need to have faith in yourself, because when you do not get instant results that some programs claim others will soon begin to lose faith in you. You need to know that this stuff works eventually!

Is there anything you really hate and would just like to fast-forward past?

Spinning articles!!!!!

What is it that stands between you and awesome affiliate success?

Let me be a bit indulgent here......
I am a father of 4 (the oldest is only 5 years old)
I work 12 hours a day 10 at my full time job, 2 on our business (this stuff).
My wife manages to look after the kids, do the house stuff, work on our business for 4 hours a day and cope with progressive MS.
We are on lower than the average wage; between our mortgage, our kids and my wife's medical bills sometimes we break even!
Our first site is now making a whopping $26 a week.....so we are on our way!

What stands between us and awesome affiliate success?
Nothing. Bring it!

Have a great day

Chris

 

[Rodderz]

The obstacles that I have found most problematic relate to the vast amount of writing required to build a good content based website with a large number of backlinks. Writing good content takes a lot of time, as does article spinning and submitting to article directories/AMA. Building backlinks by posting on forums is also a fairly time consuming process.

If you are planning on generating a decent amount of money using only SEO, it will take a considerable amount of time to build a viable full time salary. The other option is to keep a full time day job and outsource the majority of writing and web design work. Once a few sites are up and established you can then start pumping money in to PPC campaigns.

I initially began by doing everything (writing, design, seo etc) myself, but can now appreciate the benefits of earning a decent wage in a day job while investing money in to the business by outsourcing the boring stuff and pumping cash into PPC. That said, I am glad I began by working full time on the business for a few months as I now fully appreciate the extent of work that is involved.

Just my personal experience

Jon

 

[jcdean]

Finding the right product to promote.
High Demand, good pay out, and a do-able level of competition.

 

[keystone]

Hi Aletta,

As a real newbie here I actually agree with much that has already been said.

What do you think (based on your own experience) are the biggest issues affiliates have to overcome when first starting out as an affiliate?

The biggest overall issue us trying to cut through the 'crap' to find the best way to approach this business for long term success. We get offered heaps of programs...get rich quick ideas...etc etc without any real idea of whether or not they are good for us. How to get past that to a solid realistic starting point would be great...what to ignore that sort of thing.

What would really be good is a realistic time frame for success. If I do the basics and follow the plan how long should I reasonably have to wait to make a sale...10 sales....etc.
Is it best to go one web site at a time...or two...or more?


What is it that stands between you and awesome affiliate success?

Mostly time - I hope...until I make enough to stop work I have to keep working.
Otherwise just the ability to follow the plan and not get sidetracked.


If you're just learning yourself, what are the parts that you're most stuck on? Have you given up? Have you given up and then tried again? Do you find yourself going around in circles with anything?

Stuck on how much to do before starting something else or how much time to waut before i see results of any kind.
Given up?...not at all...but it would be nice to see somthing happening to know I am heading the right way.
Going round in circles?...Not really but time management is an issue...as i mentioned before...shoudl I work on one site or three...how far do I go with one before starting another...that sort of thing.

Is there anything you really hate and would just like to fast-forward past?
Nothing I really hate...but the information download has been immense and trying to sort it out and work with it is tough. I listened to the webinar yesterday and, to be honest, about 80% made sense and the rest was hard to understand. This is often the case when technical jargon is involved and one doen't speak it all that well.

All-in-all the learning curve is still going on. I guess a one-on-one teacher would be great...but I am fairly sure that I couldn't afford that at the level I need. I thought I may have bought that with someting else I got involved with, but honestly, whilst I learned a bit, I am learning far more with affiloblueprint and the webinars.

 

[johnland]

As a newbie the biggest obstacle that i see is that the most of the great keywords out there are completely exhausted. When highly experienced people have grabbed almost all the profitable niches and are on the top of google its really hard for people who are starting out to even reach anywhere nearer to them let alone beat them.. Thats the reason why most of the people quit after trying for an year or so..
Sometimes i just wonder if the whole affiliate marketing system is pretty exhausted and soon it will reach a stage where the demand is less but the supply is more and only certain handful people will be really successful..
But then again i try not to give up and go on seeing some great people out there on this forum.. Before affilorama i was pretty convinced that all my notions might actually be true but now there is a new ray of hope.. Man i love this forum..
Anyways please tell me what u think about this..

 

[TRoskell]

Here's the question: What do you think (based on your own experience) are the biggest issues affiliates have to overcome when first starting out as an affiliate?
For me it has been finding a good course to start with - I have bought a couple of courses prior to Affiloblueprint, both of which have good content -
•One was more about traffic - so I really needed more info on the best way to build a site (from a good sales point of view)
•The other was to build mini sites which again had good content but I didn't like the idea of pretending to be a character. I did build a site (that was applicable to me) and it did get to the number one in google for its keyword but it wasn't a buyer keyword and had much less hits than google keyword tool estimated. Being a minisite it was targeted just at this one keyword which meant it didn't work at all.
Affilobluepint seems to have a much more allround approach that I am hoping will help me learn a lot more

What is it that stands between you and awesome affiliate success?
Time and focus - finding the time to write all the articles - I want to do everything myself at least first time round so I totally understand the process. Focus as there are lots of things I want to learn - and need to make myself stick to just one at a time.

If you're just learning yourself, what are the parts that you're most stuck on? Have you given up? Have you given up and then tried again? Do you find yourself going around in circles with anything?
Not so far - the only thing I am sometimes not sure off is the type of writing style to use for articles - I am starting with the dog training niche which I know a bit about (having been trying to sort out issues with our rescue dog) and already read about every dog book in amazon (well maybe not quite all, but a lot) and advice from trainers and behaviourist. I obviously want to come across as knowledgeable but don't want to mislead that I am a trainer. So I guess my problem is always eithics - crazy I know.

Is there anything you really hate and would just like to fast-forward past?
I would prefer to be able to write more blog style - ie two or three articles a week rather than loads at once, but realise this is not a good way to fasttrack a site.

 

[SirMatts]

Here's the question: What do you think (based on your own experience) are the biggest issues affiliates have to overcome when first starting out as an affiliate?

I can talk for my own experience but also im quite sure for most of affiliates.

The biggest obstacle to success is actually the IM Guru Bussiness for almost all affiliates, especially in the beginning. Everyone wants to stay updated with the current metods and gets trapped into the greedy claws of the "Guru IM marketers."

While this site has alot of awsome content its not much of a difference when it comes to the "guru business" every single webinar has the same sales pitch in the end, it has gotten to a point that personally i dont watch almost any webinar anymore, I wish there was a adblocker for webinar videos where you can remove the sales pitch in the end. And it quite funny how it works, when you take a course as Affiloblue Print you are told "this is all you need to follow please stay focused" Which is true but you are still mail bombarded with all the latest IM hype and the sales pitchy webinars.

Guru marketers greed is one of the absolute biggest obstacles, if not the biggest and your own ability to manage your time wisely.


What is it that stands between you and awesome affiliate success?

Those who dont give a shi about guru marketers stand to have the biggest success and actually focus on building their sites following a strategy and never get of the track with salesy webinars or the latest "im guru wannabe "in your email inbox.

If you're just learning yourself, what are the parts that you're most stuck on? Have you given up? Have you given up and then tried again? Do you find yourself going around in circles with anything?

Not really, Time Management is the biggest key and that i do struggle with, but i think im getting better at it everyday.

Is there anything you really hate and would just like to fast-forward past?

Yes the IM guru hype, I should have learned earlier to dont give a shi about most guru marketers program. The sooner you do it the bigger will your success be.

-Matts

 

[Avidpoet]

My biggest obsticle is just getting started and I would advise any Newbie out there to stay far far away from the Warrior Special Offer Forum. I was addicted to that Thread for about 2yrs. You should see the ebooks that I have collected and Im sure there is more than enough info on my bookcase for me to become a Millionaire.

I found out about Affilorama almost in that same time Span but I always found myself buying the next opportunity on the Warrior Special Offer thread. Im in the process now of building an Affilorama style Website just promoting Kitchen Appliances on Amazon.com. I know its a risk but Im willing to take it. I like a challenge

 

[agraj11]

my obstacle is the time management for proper working and its a biggest problem with me.
one more thing is that whenever i want to do something there is many other but necessary and responsible work poping and i am so confused with them all.

 

[cterao]

These days, I'm having a lot of trouble dealing with the fact that I made too many websites too fast. I have 6 sites and I feel like I'm spread too thin.

Plus I'm also started to feel burnt out after working on this full-time for about 9 months. My productivity is dipping and I'm not quite at the level where I can afford to just outsource everything.

 

[stacierunner]

The biggest obstacles for me are lack of time and lack of focus.

After sitting at a computer all day long, I come home and get on the computer all evening. That's when I check my e-mails and try not to get bogged down in more sales pitches.

I have been at this well over a year and have only made a few sales.
I, like Clayton, have about 6 sites. I need to step back and focus on one for now until I feel I can make it profitable.

My day job brings me over 6 figures per year, so it's going to take a lot of work for me to reach that to be able to give it up. I do need to give it up, it's a high-stress position.

Not going to quit.

 

[snowwookie]

I think my biggest problem by far. Is emails. IM subscribed to to many "gurus" lists and i often find my self checking emails ALL DAY. By the time i notice it. Its almost dark and i got strayed all over then place all day and got nothing done. I try not to let this happen but i find its happening to much these days haha. At least these happen typically only during the begining of the week since i let me emails pile up over the weekend

 

[pzenji]

My biggest mistake is poor keyword research. I spent quite a lot of money on words that are way too difficult for a newbie.

The other hurdle am currently facing is ownig 7 websites that I now realise are way too many for me to manage as an individual.

 

[stargate66]

The biggest problem I have, is that I have too many ideas in my head and too few arms and fingers to set them in motion!
I think I need a structured package to force me to focus on getting a final product up and running and working it then to perfection.

I spend way too much time on researching these ideas that pop up in my head.

Also, I think I am scared of the whole FTP and Wordpress thing, because in the past I have always used web builders, and I know to be successful, I have to get cracking on these issues. Just wish I could get the first one done without all the hick-ups!

 

[KennyMac]

My biggest is getting caught up in doing things that are more fun than the menial tasks I have to do every day. Since I work at home full time, I really have to focus on the marketing and getting the word out about my business. Also, I have to split my focus on marketing affiliate products as well as my main business. This can be a challenge sometimes. But I think GOD I found this website. I know it will help a lot.

 

[Fostin7]

I think that my obstacle is my 9-5 job. I feel like I need more time to continue doing this. Sometimes I wish I could just quit and dedicate to this full time.

 

[faradina]

I have to be honest about this. My greatest obstacle is plain old laziness. I put off things because I am too lazy to do them. I really would rather sleep and sleep and sleep!
And so I must almost-literally lash myself to my workstation, with the door locked, a jug of coffee and a few things to nibble on nearby so that I do not need to get up when my stomach grumbles, as getting up breaks my concentration. I can't help but get up for washroom breaks, though.

 

[jmpruitt]

Hey Faradina, I understand. I fight the same problem myself. of course with fooze ball tournaments going on, im surprised you guys found time to get the Jetpacks Made :D

 

[Zee]

traffic.....
I'm still struggling with the whole traffic generation process.

that and having a day job, I pretty much only have around 3 or 4 hours per day to work in internet marketing every night after dinner.

 

[orangeboxes]

1. For now using the little time available everyday effectively.
2. see 1.

 

[LyndaJ]

I have to be honest about this. My greatest obstacle is plain old laziness. I put off things because I am too lazy to do them. I really would rather sleep and sleep and sleep!
And so I must almost-literally lash myself to my workstation, with the door locked, a jug of coffee and a few things to nibble on nearby so that I do not need to get up when my stomach grumbles, as getting up breaks my concentration. I can't help but get up for washroom breaks, though.

LOL @ Fara!!!

 

[Hitched]

Traffic, Traffic, Traffic !!!

 

[sonitin]

I think the biggest problems is the search for a Magic Bullet. Most guys I have worked with don't agree that it takes a lot of work and effort to get the right traffic to your site. Most people think they just need to do few article submission and may be few directories and they will be ranking. However, it doesn't works that way. The biggest obstacle is getting traffic to a converting offer and it needs a lot of effort.

 

[abeja_reina_1989]

Keeping motivated and keeping things fresh is the hardest thing for me. I write on my website and blog and sometimes I don't have anything to say lol. But, I just go online and I find motivation :)

 

[janice123]

Hi,
As a newbie I jumped in the deep end and almost drowned. My biggest obstacle would be not seeing the forest for the trees. I am starting to see the forest now!

Thanks to affilorama I am learning from the begining and rebuilding my website, hopefully better than at first.
Staying focused is very hard when you don't know any better and being bombarded with info from many sources.
Having limited internet access & no moral support from my family it is really hard to stay focused.

Very big learning curb but one I believe is worth the effort. One step at a time and we will get there.
Time management, staying focused, hard work creating relevant content, (very hard as you can tell I am not much of a writer) but it will be worth it in the end, learning and staying focused.

Also, knowing which questions to ask?? Most sound to stupid to ask or I dont really know what it is that I am asking!!

Janice

 

[fenway2k]

I'm a brand newbie and I must say that my biggest obstacle has been sorting through all the sales pitches, gadgets, and gizmos everyone is pushing. It took me about three months of reading, thinking, and sorting through all of it to realize that there are a number of ways to make money on the internet and it takes learning the terminology, then concentrating on ONE aspect to learn to master it, then rinse and repeat.

What's funny is that I started my blog then found out about affilorama. I read through the material, watched countless webcasts and videos, and while I was racking my brain trying to find the 'perfect site' to build ( I probably bought over 20 domain names, only to never follow through or lost interest quickly) I found solace in just writing on my blog. Then as I learned a few things, I started re-working my blog, not to make money, but to just make it better.

Next thing you know, I started getting a few comments, I starting putting my name out there, tweaking with Twitter and Facebook feeds and now I am starting to see a steady stream of traffic. Right now I average about 75 people a day, but the Adsense reports reveal that they spend about 5 minutes on the site and view 9+ pages. and about half of those are repeat followers.

And I never intended the blog to be my first experience in affiliate marketing.

So now I just keep focus on that. The gurus will still be hawking their goods in the years to come and when I am ready, only then will I start branching out.

so just find one thing, whether building affiliate sites or starting blogs and just work to perfect that one thing. I think this is the biggest obstacle to overcome as a newb.

 

[BlogPressSeo]

Well... selecting the right affiliate program is the biggest issue when starting as affiliate.

 

[daria19]

The biggest problem I see for new affiliates is a lack of focus.

I recommend focusing on only one blog at a time. Don't try and build 10 at once.

Build a list for that blog, focusing on one traffic source at a time.

Master that traffic source, then move on to another one.

No surfing the web, no reading forums, no wasting time. Be productive.

Build your blog. Build your list. Make some money!

 

[careybaird]

I firmly believe that the biggest problem we face is opportunity. There are so many distractions that take our focus away from our projects.

 

[pzenji]

This something I didn't want to talk about but I recently didn't do enough homework before engaging with someone to push me to the next level.
I lost $1000 and I attribute it to poor ground work. Anyhow, I hope you guys don't make the same mistake!

Dennis

 

[pmiggy087]

To me personally, is lack of emotional leverage to actually just DO IT. I've been postponing starting my online business because I always said I'm busy with my day job, life situation etc.... Also focus is an issue.

But I know I want this and I want freedom!

 

[brandi78]

Im already working at home making good money, but I could make a lot more if I only had more time (I have four kids!)

 

[Tke305]

Myself

 

[marymeagan]

Hi guys

My biggest obstacles are " family and friends that think that IM is a scam and tell me so", plus" lack of focus since the website I spent over a year working on is a dud and I can't bring myself to waste any more time on it "

I have tried looking for other programs outside of Affilorama but found that they were not for me ( I purchased them and have returned 2 and am still looking at one but I think it will be going back.

So to add to my list of obstacles is confusion for a direction right now ( I even tried returning my Affilojetpack when I was trying the other programs but time had run out on that option )

Larry

 

[aveya marketing]

Hi guys. My name is Darren and I will just give you a bit of background about myself. I have always been someone who is looking for a bit of quick and easy money or get rich quick schemes if you want to put it that way. I did MLM - face to face, door to door for a company who promised me the world. I actually did it for 2 years, funnily enough. I was earning money but it wasn't that great. It was funny how I stumbled across the internet marketing scheme, I had an email from online jobs, a mother who had made loads of money part time. I decided to investigate and search some more on this and I am glad that I luckily found this program and I am sure most people can understand what i am talking about. From reading many forums it seems that people jump around from program to program - the newbie syndrome or get rich quick syndrome. As I am totally new to this whole scene (a month and a half), I am sure you have seen the stupid questions that I have posted - although Mark says there is no such thing as a stupid question.

I would say the hardest obstacle at the moment is patience that I know I don't have but something I have to get used to. It seems like it is a simple system but a lot of hard graft is involved. I think the support that everyone gives in the forum is absolutely amazing. It is second to none. I don't think anywhere else can beat this.

The information is definitely overloading and overwhelming, but it is good that everything is taught is in bite-size chunks. It is a shame that they dont teach every detail, i.e. internal linking, local niche directories but im sure they want to keep it as basic as possible.

Am I going to quit? The one thing that crosses my mind at the moment is 'what if'? what if it doesn't happen? what if it doesn't make any cash? I would say that i am pretty blessed because i have an amazing girlfriend who is an amazing writer so that helps to keep the cobwebs in my pockets. So I have given myself a goal to earn a £1000 a month within 6 months and then by the end of the year to earn £1000 a week.

p.s it would be nice to have a one-on-one talk with Mark or one of the top marketers over the phone an hour a week, but they will probably say no to that!!

 

[gradyp]

HI, Darren! Welcome to the forum.

The easiest way to overcome information overload is to take things one step at a time. Focus on understanding and implementing one thing at a time.

You can do it, Darren!

Grady

 

[wealthtoall]

Myself

I Like it. Tke305.

The same with me. Myself. Or rather my belief system. When I started I really did not belief that I could make money online. When you start working with mindset. Who or what else can you blame?

 

[sakhari]

Hello all, new member right here and definitely a new beginner in the IM scene.

my biggest obstacle is that I am easily loose concentration and motivation.

 

[mcirami]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and in the process of getting my first JetPack off the ground.

I would have to say my biggest problem is getting overwhelmed with all the people out there telling you to do this and that. I've tried lots of things but I guess the motivation isn't there because I haven't been that successful YET.

If I knew that this was going to work and I was going to make good money then I would definitely be motivated and put all my time into this. But at this point I feel like I'm putting time into this but nothing seems to be working well so it gets harder and harder to keep going on the hope that someday it will pay off.

Like someone said earlier if I could have a one on one conversation with Mark or a 'Guru' about all this and really make something work then I would get over any kind of obstacle and devote all my time into making this a full time money maker.

 

[mack45]

I find the biggest hang up is finding a product supplier who pays enough to make the marketing worth while I have changed many times and the best affiliate program I found is shareasale because they just pay better commissions on the average by far than say pepperjam or commision junk shop. The greatest problem I found was finding a profit margin worth going after. The worst mistake I made building a whole campaign with a product that pays little or nothing by the time the work is done.

 

[ElanaM100]

My biggest obstacle is not having enough time! I am very motivated but have a really time-intensive job, so it's hard to squeeze in the hours to get all the work on my site completed.

I also hate making mistakes, and get frustrated and discouraged every time I realize I've been doing something wrong, even though I know that making mistakes is part of the learning proces.

Oh well, I'm just going to keep truckin'!

 

[gradyp]

Elana, as long as you keep persisting, even if you can only find a couple of hours a day, you can start to see some results. Keep pushing through the obstacles, and you will find a way!

 

[BillJ]

I agree with gradyp that pushing yourself is the key in affliate marketing

 

[resourceblvd]

For me...
Organization.

Staying on top of what I've done and knowing what to do next. I am currently scattered and feel like I am reaching all around me for something solid to float on as the titanic is sinking in the background.

Wow... If you only knew just how true that metaphor actually is.
ROFL

The thing is... as has already been mentioned... the key is to never stop. I am seeing that now. I admit there are moments where I just feel like 'wow... am I ever going to get there?' and feel for a brief moment like what is the point of going on. If I do all this work and it doesn't work... then what?

This is where all those self help tapes and books are really helping me out.

The biggest thing that keeps me going is 'my why'.

My family is my why... My boys who are watching every step I take. Who are hopefully learning from Daddy that no matter what, you should never quit trying. That you need to keep your target in your sights and keep pulling back on that bow. One arrow will hit... It's the law of averages.

It's like Jim Rohn says "If I can only sell to 1 out of 10 people and you can sell to 9 out of 10 people and we have a contest on who can sell the most... I will beat you. You'll come back and say 'well I spoke to 10 and I sold 9! and I'll come back and say I spoke to 100 and sold 10... and I beat you."

The beauty is that soon... You will be able to talk to 10 and sell 2. Why? Because you're getting better.

Hang on. Don't stop and that picture becomes clearer and clearer.
Keep your 'why' in front of you and don't ever look back. Yesterday is gone... Tomorrow isn't here yet. Today... that's where it's at.

Ahh... Sorry about the rant. You guys got me going!

To Long Term Success!
Guy

 

[shanaooi]

Hi Elana,

I find the biggest obstacles itself is information overload and not staying
focus of what exactly we should do on a daily basis..

That's what happen to many affiliate marketers.

Stay focus and take action...you will see result sooner or later...

Cheers

 

[cyuen025]

Right now, my biggest obstacles are not enough motivation and not having any income to fund my IM projects. However, I have a job interview next week and if I get the job, I will finally have more than enough funds to do whatever I would like to do for my site(s)! I suppose I'm kind of just waiting around for a job because I'm not the sort of person who likes to pay for monthly fees without a stable income.

 

[SethCzerepak]

In the beginning, it's lack of focus, but once you start succeeding it's the ability to let go that becomes difficult...delegating things. After that...still working on that one myself

 

[marruma]

I've only started for four months. I have two websites up and I just joined clickbank for extra pennies. I guess what is hard for me, (what is always hard for me), is not seeing through the fog of no-results. I guess four months is still too short a time to expect anything but I like knowing that I'm going somewhere. I have not yet reached top ranks but some of my links are on the first page of google. No money though.
And proper article spinning is PAIN!

 

[marruma]

I've only started for four months. I have two websites up and I just joined clickbank for extra pennies. I guess what is hard for me, (what is always hard for me), is not seeing through the fog of no-results. I guess four months is still too short a time to expect anything but I like knowing that I'm going somewhere. I have not yet reached top ranks but some of my links are on the first page of google. No money though.
And proper article spinning is PAIN!

 

[brokenblade]

My biggest obstacle is myself. I need to develop my work ethic, my focus and I need to learn to go for something and not be too attached to results.

 

[FastNoBull]

Myself, as many have said so. However, time is also another factor. I guess it's all about managing your responsibilities well enough to leave time for ventures like websites.

 

[campingsurvival]

I had the opportunity to sit next to Mark Ling on the couch in his suite at the Wynn Hotel last January, for over five hours, and listen to the answers that he gave to the many questions that were asked of him by others in the room.

The only answer that stuck in my mind and keeps me motivated, was to the question, "what is the biggest obsticle to overcome as a Newbie"?.

His answer was in the form of a question...as he pointed to a door in front of him, he asked, " If you knew there was a MILLION DOLLARS on the other side of that door, what would you do to get to it?" And then, when you got through that door and the MILLION DOLLARS was not there but on the other side of the next door, what would you do? Would you try to get through that door knowing the MILLION DOLLARS was THERE?

The fact that all of you are on this forum tells me that you have faith in Mark. He has become successful and not without obsticles. Have faith in his ability to show you the ways to your success and don't give up.




.

 

[Cecille L]

The only answer that stuck in my mind and keeps me motivated, was to the question, "what is the biggest obsticle to overcome as a Newbie"?.

His answer was in the form of a question...as he pointed to a door in front of him, he asked, " If you knew there was a MILLION DOLLARS on the other side of that door, what would you do to get to it?" And then, when you got through that door and the MILLION DOLLARS was not there but on the other side of the next door, what would you do? Would you try to get through that door knowing the MILLION DOLLARS was THERE?

This is a creative example of what I learned and always point out, affiliate marketing, like any other business or endeavor, requires patience and hard work. You have to keep at it, working on your SEO, managing your wbsite, promoting it, adding good content.

 

[Cherie]

Hi, My name is Cherie, New to this forum.
I've been in IM for about 7 months now. Love meeting new people.
I really miss the social contact; which is why I'm here!
Need Adult conversation!!! :)

My biggest obstacle would be TIME, followed by perfectionism.

Overwhelmed/Information Overload. I've learned to take things
one step at a time. Moving Forward.

 

[jmpruitt]

hey Cherie, welcome to the forum. Glad to see a new face around here. dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I agree though, it can get really overwhelming especially when you are new. experience will help to sort a lot of that out for you.

 

[pzenji]

Another obstacle I have faced - employers tempting me out of my focus on IM back to a day job! Well I get great money but don't have the freedom I had with IM

 

[shanaooi]

Information overload, get distracted and not staying focus. This is the main problem most of us face..even myself when I first started...

 

[LyndaJ]

Yes shanaooi, it takes a lot of self discipline to not get distracted and stay focused, but as long as you are aware of it, become aware of it quickly, and check yourself constantly, this obstacle too can be overcome. :)

 

[Kurt]

I am pretty much a newbie. But I must say that so far it seems like I've had one obstacle after another on my path. Once I get past one problem another comes to take it's place. I must say that I love the fact that there's a forum where I can ask questions. That's extremely helpful.

One of the major obstacles I had was finding products to promote. I pretty much went through every topic on Clickbank looking for a niche with at least three products that had decent gravities. In the end, there just wasn't many options. I am actually interested in a lot of different topics and I was hoping that I could promote on one of these topics that interests me. Unfortunately, however, that wasn't going to happen, at least not through Clickbank. They might of had a couple topics of interest, but the gravity was too low. So, I had to choose a niche I'm not really that interested in.

And, my latest obstacle is making my header. I know what I want to do, but I can't figure out how. I now have paint.net, gimp, and inkscape, and still can't figure how do what I want to do. Photo editing software is so complicated.

So, that's a couple obstacles I've faced so far.

 

[gradyp]

Hey, Cherie,

I completely understand feeling like you don't have the time to work on this. I've been feeling the same way. But I've recently been reflecting on the way that I've been using my time, and I'm seeing tons of ways in which I am wasting a lot of the available time that I do have.

Now, recognizing that you do have time to use and actually doing something about using that time are two different things :) I find I'm struggling more with getting myself to use the time that I do have instead of wasting it away on numerous other things (most of which either aren't urgent or important and definitely not both).

Not saying that you might find this with your situation, but it's what I'm finding with my own, so it could be something to look at!

 

[jabujohn1]

Time, time, time - there's never enough of it - especially when trying to balance multiple responsibilities.

Another big obstacle for me was buying useless e-books about IM that got me absolutely nowhere. If I'd known then what I know now (and all this from forums and other free info) I'd have achieved my goals.

But I trudge along, knowing that they are now within reach. Thanks for this great site and all the available resources. Feels kinda overwhelming...

 

[aditd]

Their mentality ( and in many cases it's not even their mentality ):
It won't work
It's not for me!

in order to make it you will have to quite those kind of ideas ( and there are many )!

 

[n0thsa]

I'd be my biggest obstacle. I have the ability to organise things, plan things, learn things, and most importantly do things. So if I'm not at my goal, I'm the one stopping myself and need to fix it.

 

[andridj]

Writing a good article is my biggest challenge, probably because English isn't my first language.

 

[2dayswork]

Hello everyone hey Aletta..
Very good question... I believe my biggest obstacle is information over load.
There was a time when I could adsorb vast quantities of info then action it
in a heart beat. Unfortunately for me, since 1999 I have struggled to do so.
While I understand the content and how it fits into the puzzle, I have a need
for step by step instructions in order to put the plan together.... yet the need
to be an online success still burns brightly :)

 

[Cecille L]

Information overload is certainly one of the biggest, if not *the* biggest obstacle, when you are starting out with affiliate marketing. There is just so much information to go through and so many things to learn. Courses like Affiloblueprint really helps a beginner because it is a step-by-step course in building an affiliate site. The lessons go from learning the concepts to putting it into action and actually building the site.

 

[margarita]

I just "chanced" on this thread and found it very comforting. I am still rather a newbie in the sense that I have had difficulty keeping regular time each day as I work as a teacher on job "contracts" now the economy is down especially in the country I now live in. I have to do a very demanding program for short periods of time but am finding it difficult to have continuity, so when I can manage to get "back to the drawing board" with my website, I seem to have forgotten so much of the stuff I learnt which is very frustrating.

At first, I also spent a lot of money in flashy schemes which I believed would solve all economic problems instantly...and like most of you, found they did not work and wasted a lot of time.

What always drives me back is the fact that my dream is to have economic freedom. Most jobs here, are not based on good ethics and this is something I find extremely difficult to cope with. An internet job could release me of having to put up with things are in conflict with my code of ethics. I think as was mentioned before, our "whys" or why we are attempting this is the biggest motivation.

I think that information overload and feelings of overwhelm were a huge factor at the very first. As I really had no one to ask at all, and am not really computer competent, every step of the way was a colossal step to take.
I really thought ( like many newbies) that the hard part and journey's end was putting up a website.!! ...and then I hit the next challenge, traffic and backlinking etc.

My biggest problem is trying not to be influenced by negative suggestions .....mostly self-talk like ,"What on earth am I wasting my time on........or this thing probably will never work," etc.

Yes, I did give up once, but due to the economic situation here and people losing university positions, I intend to at least keep going and to give it a try. Also, I do believe in hard work and constancy to achieve any goal......so, when I can find the time, I continue to continue.

I also am very grateful to this friendly forum. As a newbie one feels that most questions are foolish and it is important to get over the hesitancy to ask...instead of being embarrassed....and never learning.

 

[Cecille L]

My biggest problem is trying not to be influenced by negative suggestions .....mostly self-talk like ,"What on earth am I wasting my time on........or this thing probably will never work," etc.

I think everyone goes through this at one point or another. Self-doubt causes one to lose focus and motivation. This is one of the things that I avoid by keeping a list of my goals and what I have accomplished so far. Being able to see what I need to accomplish versus what I have done so far gives me a better perspective of things.

I also am very grateful to this friendly forum. As a newbie one feels that most questions are foolish and it is important to get over the hesitancy to ask...instead of being embarrassed....and never learning.

Keep in mind that we were all newbies once, and most of us, are still learning. There are no foolish questions here and you'll find that both Affilorama staff and members are more than happy to help you with your inquiries.

Have a good day!

 

[mhtconsultancy]

My biggest obstacle is finding the motivation to take action. There's just too many distractions, and even if I sift out the distractions, the nature of this work is actually quite gruelling, especially when I lack capital.

 

[Cecille L]

Hi mhtconsultancy,

I understand how the newest products out there can distract you and cause you to re-think what you have done. When I start to feel that pull, I close out the sales page or move on to read something else. You have to find the will to resist the distraction because it will be your undoing if you don't.

It's tough when you don't have enough to invest but remember that it always doesn't have to cost anything or extra. We have free lessons here on SEO, website building, and other aspects of affiliate marketing that you can take advantage of. Mark provides webinars to all Affilorama subscribers where you can glean information without having to purchase anything. Another tip is to do everything on your own and not outsource unless you absolutely have to. Not only do you save money, you get to learn as well.

Hope that helps. Happy Holidays!

 

[mike_matthews7]

i join forums but see no place were i can add my link

 

[Cecille L]

Hi Mike,

You can add your link on your forum signature. You can click on My Account > Profile at the top right hand side of the Affilorama site.

I hope that helps. Have a good day!

 

[contact12]

The hardest part about starting an affiliate website is having patience. I think the majority of affiliates quit within the first few months when they don't see any results. It takes a lot of patience, courage, and discipline to keep hanging in there until your website starts working :)