Affiliate Marketing Training -- Work at Home, Can You Stay Grounded Part 2

In part 1 of this series, we explored the realities of establishing a work at home affiliate marketing business. In part 2, we'll look at the value of establishing relationships on line that will prove beneficial to you personally, and to the growth of your online business.

The one major factor lacking in comparing the 'brick and mortar' business world with the 'online' business world is communication and interpersonal relationships. The word to describe this lacking ingredient would be Mentor ... a person uniquely involved with your development and willing to critique your progress and offer a plan of action for continual growth. The best mentor for you is the person who takes an interest in your growth, and is willing to stick by you through all of your slips and falls.

The very nature of the internet makes this a tough nut to crack. Initially, it makes complete sense that if you are in a person's downline or an active affiliate, your success certainly enhances their success. Does this happen? In my experience, rarely. Of all the lists and programs that I am in, I have received only 1 unsolicited personal message and 1 phone call from my immediate upline. I have received responses to MY initiated upline contact, but every other communication has been either a follow up or broadcast autoresponder message.

Are there really successful Internet marketers that are willing to take you under their wing?

Yes, and here is an example. Recently, a well known, very successful internet marketer said the following. She stated that she had reached a point where grand scale growth was no longer her primary focus. Wow! Her primary focus was going to shift from directly building her business to developing her people that were willing to accept her help and advice. She acknowledged that 'people development' had been lacking in her organization, and, in order to cement long term stability, it was necessary to personally develop strong links in her chain.

So, where do you find one of these 'people' persons.

This is where the patience and persistence comes into play. Just as in establishing a rapport and level of trust with your lists, you must do the same when approaching a potential consultant or mentor. After an initial approach and response, your communication should be brief, polite, and to the point. You must convince them that helping you will be a wise investment of their valuable time. Like any other business decision that they make, a return on their investment will be a factor. This makes your upline in any given program a logical choice, but don't limit your options to strictly this approach. Be aggressive, take action, go after what you want/need.

DO NOT be intimidated by a name or fail to take action because you're afraid of getting no response or a generic "join this program and all will be revealed" response. That is exactly the type of person that you ARE looking for. Why? ... so you can scratch them OFF your list of potential mentors and keep looking!

Must a mentor be an individual? Not at all. One of the programs that I promote provides me with some of the best advice and response rates to my questions. I very seldom talk to the same person twice, but the information is always excellent and not only helps me grow in their program, but in all areas of my business.

Finding a mentor is not necessarily an instant roadmap to the pot of gold. However, doing so can certainly improve the process of establishing a solid business plan, and creating a clearer vision of where you are and how to get to where you want to be.

You must be realistic about your expectations. If you don't have the patience to learn as you go, you are only setting yourself up for a series of frustrations. Be willing to take the advice of those individuals that have proven that your success is important to them ... not simply your check in their bank account.

Bottom line ... there is no Holy Grail! Humble yourself and seek out and accept all of the help that you can get. Don't let a prideful "I can and will do this" mentality lead you down the wrong path. When you hit a roadblock, ask for help, and if that is not forthcoming, retreat and take the time to fully discover the true nature of the roadblock, and take whatever steps are necessary to overcome it. This may take a little time and effort, but once accomplished, it will never be a problem again. Accept the reality that time, in this industry, is most often measured in weeks and months, NOT days.

An old saying sums up a healthy philosophy towards building a work at home business ... "How do you eat an elephant? ..... One bite at a time". If you need to humble yourself and ask for help, so be it. After all, you are trying to build a successful affiliate marketing online business here ... not inflate your ego! Success and a growing bank account will be all of the recognition that you need! :-)

Enjoy your elephant, and, I wish you well!