Playing to Your Strengths
Just something I’ve been thinking about lately and thought I would share.
One thing you eventually have to accept (or not) in affiliate marketing is that you most likely are not going to be everything. Some people are awesome programmers. Some are awesome designers. Some are awesome at Adwords. Some are awesome at media buying and bizdev. You have to realize your few strengths and let it ride. Or even better, use your strengths and hire out what your weaknesses are. I’ll go into detail about myself…
So it’s taken me 2 years to realize this, but I’m probably not going to be a programmer at the moment. I always thought I was decent at getting traffic and design, but I really wanted to be an awesome programmer like some guys I know. Eventually I realized that it just didn’t make sense to dedicate my time programming when I could be using my strengths to make more money.
Instead of trying to learn how to program a sweet automated tracking system that could do WHATEVER I wanted it to do, my job is to do some simple split testing and find out what’s profitable. I’ll use the Google Website Optimizer to split test a few landing pages…find the best one. I’ll track to the keyword level which is super easy…delete bad keywords. I’ll make a simple script to rotate offers and find the highest converting one…stick with that. Once I find what’s basically the most profitable, then I do what I’m best at – getting more traffic. So instead of trying to learn how to program and optimize and increase my margins, I keep my margins and work on making more profit by getting a lot more traffic in any way I can.
Now in comes my faithful employee. We’re actually pretty even on a design and coding level, so I can trust him to design me landing pages and banners. I was slow at design anyways so BOOM – I know have a lot more time to get more traffic. Uploading banners and creating ads is simple enough, just time consuming so BOOM – he does that and it frees up a lot more time for me to research different ways to get traffic.
In the 2 years I’ve been in the game, I’ve learned some very valuable information about affiliate marketing; but I’ve also learned very valuable information about myself. I’m good at getting traffic, and I’m good at managing things. I need to play to those strengths and right now work on getting more traffic to my offers and having Matt set them up. The next step is hiring a sweet programmer to come work for me too, I’ll probably try and snag one out of college this summer. It’ll step things up a notch if I do do that, as 3 people in 1 small office is kind of a lot so I’ll probably have to get an office.
Just some food for thought : play to your strengths boys and girls and make dat money.
BOOM! Right on the money. I plan on doing the office space thing sometime early next year.
I really enjoyed what you said about focusing on your strengths that will make you the most profit. That’s something that we often forget. It’s easy to wish that we had the talents or strengths that other people have, but it’s often difficult to transition from that, and instead place our energy into and area where we are gifted. Great post!
Good advice. Beginning marketer here (18) I’m learning all I can, and your blog is helping out. Thanks.
I can’t agree with you more about discovering your strengths and busting ass at what you do best. It is not that fact that you can not design but your ROI/H (roi per hour) is much greater at bringing in the traffic and researching then stick to that and surround yourself with somebody who compliments your skill set and crosses over. This is when you can start to see your business grow!
True. Better to not do too much at once and be focused.
True, good to be focused and not too diffused in what you are doing.
I’ve been waiting for one of you guys who are good at driving traffic to say this. I’m a develper, and it’s what I’m strong at. I learned a long time ago this same lesson and I’ve surrounded myself with great people who pick up where I lack. But, I still have been looking for someone to partner with where I could be the programmer and someone else could drive the traffic.
When you’re interested, let me know. I’m dying to partner with someone who can drive the traffic and let me do the automation. It’s what I’m best at.
Contact me when you’re interested.
Sounds like a good plan, Paul.
Small team consisting of programmer, designer, and someone bringing the traffic.
If managing is your strength, aim to create that same small team — two times. So make sure you get an office that could squeeze in another 3 people. Not only will you make more money… but you’ll be able to avoid the pitfall of losing an employee who was taking care of a vital component of your business.
By employing two programmers, for example, they exchange ideas, methods and continue to refine how they are accomplishing tasks. If one of them jumps ship or otherwise has to go, you have one programmer left who could take on a bit of extra work and eventually bring a replacement up to speed — without your business expansion grinding to a halt.
You don’t want to ever be in a position of taking over one of those positions, either, as it will hinder your ability to focus on what YOU need to do. Delegate and dominate your specific position.
Happy Halloween, btw!
Paul, don’t be fooled when your programmer is been with you long enough to realize what you do and runs off to do affiliate marketing himself. It’s the nature of this business. I was a programmer at Azoogle, now, i do affiliate marketing myself. Nothing wrong with it but it’s the way it is. So, make sure you hire someone, who is willing to pull allnighter for you and all he cares about is programming and will do whatever to please you and to keep his job (lucky for you, students are desperate for experience) as I was when I started at Azoogle.
To be honest, there’s no point to having a programmer, since most of affiliate marketing has nothing to do with programming. There’s already awesome tracking software out there.
Good points. :)
Happy Halloween btw.
~JV
newb.
completely agree with you. Will learn many tips from here on how to get traffic to my websites. As a new webmaster, I must do very thing for myself, so I have to learn everything, from content writing to traffic building. Maybe someday, I will find parters working together with me so that we can play to our own strengths.
Once You Find Something you love to do you gotta keep at it never give up you will become successful might take awhile but it will pay off
Excellent point. My friend and I are starting to see this and want to do a small JV so we can work out all the little things and then see what happens and try to grow from there.
you’re right =) but I seriously can’t really see where a programmer would be that useful. What kind of programs would you need in this industry? I mean, PPC doesn’t seem to need programs that aren’t already out. Keyword tracking is covered (P202). I don’t mean to sound newbish, but I read WF, your blog, and a few other good blogs, and would honestly like to know how a good programmer would benefit you.
Hey Paul,
Let me know when you grab one programmer how will you position yourself in terms of the payroll ( paid by project or full time ). if that’s not a secret.
take care and have more great posts.
Hrvoje
newb? wow, thats helpful as a response Paul – thanks!
So I just noticed somthing, On the Bottom of UBERAFFILIATE.com you see a link for Marla Milus (It dosnt work) and When you click the UniqueBlogDesigns on the footer/right, it redirects you to Johnathon Volk’s blog? Whats up with that paul?
Thats True. Its to not try to do much Better and be focused.
This is really on of the helpful post I have seen in the blog. Thanks a lot Paul
Hey paul I went to DP the other day and checked out your profile and started checking out your post history…not too long ago you where asking some very newb questions….yeah, back in the days when your goal was to make $75 a day… so instead of calling people newbs when commenting in your blog why not help them? Thats the reason you started this blog, right, cause you like to help people?
True true, it took me as long to realise. I also discovered that I did not need the latest software or the latest ebook to make money. So I switched off 95% of all the lists I was signed up for (ie stopped the chatter), and picked one thing, one offer , one website, and made some cash.Then I blogged, articled (such a word) and video promoted the living daylights out of it. As soon as it was making a few dollars a day, I started on project two.
shazam here I am today living a good life. Not millions but plenty.
thanks Paul
Excellent points. Too many people jump on the next money-making bandwagon (e.g. ringtones or dating) without considering their strengths. Many successful online marketers use a SWAT analysis to determine their strengths and weaknesses, to hone their focus on areas that have the best return on their effort.
Great post! This advice really applies to any venture in life: know what you’re good at, and make the most of it. Then you can hire someone to handle what you can’t.
I’m glad it’s working out for you.
So you took the UniqueBlogDesigns Picture away but the link is still there.Why would you link to Johnathon Volk.com like that?
Very interesting of course if you’ll be focusing on your strenght you’ll get a lot
…and you know what’s funny. 2 years ago, Paul was in the same place I am. 1 year ago, Paul was helping guys like me. And now, now he’s changed. Now, he’s better than everyone, and turned into a major bag of douche. Sad to see, really.
lol I’m just messing with you and as usual people take it too seriously. If I’m a dbag then don’t read my blog or comment it, simple really.
yeah I was a newb 2 years ago. I’m helping people by sharing my experiences and thoughts. He didn’t say “Paul, why would it be beneficial to have a programmer?”. He said “There’s no point in having a programmer.” Seems like he doesn’t need any help if he knows it for a fact.
Paul, why would it be beneficial to have a programmer?
a) Because programs like Tracking202 don’t do EVERYTHING and they can have security flaws (which just happened last week).
b) Because if you want to make your own offer or set up an advanced host and post or something like that, if you don’t program at all then good luck.
c) Because they can make programs and systems to automate ANYTHING you want. Pulling reports with all the data (i.e. cost included), managing bids, creating landing pages and ads, etc.
d) Because if you ever have a really cool idea for a site that you want to test out, they’re there right away to do it for you. No having to find someone which takes time, then wait for them to finish it, and keep going back and forth.
e) Because a really good programmer is simply invaluable.
Thanks man. =)
What is the best Affiliate Network for major bag of douche? I guess that is the hot trend today right or am I missing something here?
what happened last week with tracking 202????????????
I dunno, this is a pretty common sense post people… I mean really…
CJ, haha.
There was a recent upgrade of prosper202. I guess that’s what Paul is talking about.
Even though it’s common sense to many of us, lots of people don’t do it. We can all use reminders about things like this periodically.
@Ricardo….there was a vulnerability found in the zend files in Prosper. All fixed in version 1.1.2.
SWOT
Join Wikidfire, then…
Paul, I’m new at your blog but I have a question for you regarding this post. You say that you’ll stick to what “you’re good at” but how do you determine what that is? Is it only based on what you “like to do” or do you take other things into consideration as well?
ye thats right
Good insight. I have recently realized that I need to “outsource” my weakness and focus on my strength. Playing with your strengths? I like that…
Yan
Hmm, Focus, well that’s what i am missing! I have been building and marketing websites sense 2000. I have been a full time programmer, a full time marketer, and a full time adwords guy. I guess i need to settle down and focus. LOL Great article for me to get my head back in the game.
Pretty common sense post, lol…
Common sense but none the less important.
There are even tests you can do online to pinpoint your strengths.
That’s a really good point about strengths. I am weak at design and also prefer writing articles over techie stuff. I was selling plr article packs because I wasn’t sure how to make them into a pretty website but now am thinking this is a good thing to outsource to test.
Deb
thanks paul, even though its common sense to some people, i learned a bit from it.