This post may strike a nerve or two…and that’s the point. Over the last few months with the growth of C2M I have witnessed a variety of different types of affiliates. With the interaction of the Affiliate Forum and even today’s launch of the Affiliate Chatroom along with Moderating the infamous WickedFire Forum I have had the opportunity to really talk with a ton of affiliates. I would like the opportunity to come forward and address a few things that I have seen and seem to have a twisted outlook among our publishers.

First - We are not trying to make you a better marketer. We are trying to make you a better business person. Matter of fact, there are tons of conversations daily between the managers of C2M that wont even help our bottom line. We know this, we expected this. You dont see many networks helping other affiliates that are not even publishers with them. We try our best to do just that. Affiliate training and chat is open for any entrepreneur. Of course it would please us best if you were working with us, but dont think that just because you dont, that you wont receive some input. Hell, you may not even be a cpa marketer at all. One of our goals is to build better business men/women. Sometimes cpa marketing just isnt for everyone. We know that, we get it. You are not going to be turned down for help if you know absolutely nothing. You should however know that registered publishers ARE first priority. Sorry, we are trying to run a business here.

Second - Close Minded Affiliates. This is one the irks me. Successful affiliates have caught on to the fact that we are going above and beyond most affiliate network provided support. These are the types of affiliates that come in “for the gold” so to speak. We see that. We recognize it. We know the difference between topspinners and aspiring publishers. However, there are successful affiliates that come with a serious swagger. These are the publishers that know what it takes in this business and utilize us to grow and improve for “the right reasons” and not use us as a one-stop goldmine. Some affiliates think that our sole purpose is to “serve” them. You cannot be any further from the truth. If we closed the doors today, we would be just fine. Our sole purpose is to build better business men/women, not to help you game the system.

You can tell right away who takes their business serious and who doesnt. The ones who are in it for the quick buck are the hardest to help. No matter how many tips you give them, 99% of them will just sit on it. It’s a waste of time on both parts. Look deep inside and see if you are the type that comes to your manager everyday and asks what the hot offer is. Chances are if you are this type then you definitely are not committing yourself to what you have already been told yesterday. We dont add offers to just add offers. We add offers that we either know or will develop and help affiliates publish.

Third - Limits - This is by far the biggest and most frustrating quirk to see. Not a day goes by that I dont hear about a google slap or a landing page getting jacked. Good god. If you are limiting yourself to Google you are in serious trouble. It may not have happened yet but somewhere along the line you will probably get hit with some sort of devastating setback. Not a day goes by I hear people griping about Facebook. Sure there is money there but let me ask you something for a second. While you sit there and resubmit ads all day I will be out there testing another 10 sources of advertising. When it’s all said and done you are going to have a few ads running (if any) and I am going to add another few sources of advertising to my arsenal. Chances are I am going to have WAY more leniency too. This allows me to ramp up and expand into other campaigns very quickly.

Here’s the worst kicker. You know an offer that works. Google slaps you, Facebook doesnt approve your ads, and Myspace does not give you impressions. What do you do? From the majority of conversations I have had marketers would rather sit there all day and resubmit ads knowing that when they get that one thru they will make their paycheck that day.

Guys/gals you are leading a dangerous business here. I know because I have done it. Sure by throwing yourself out there into new areas you are going to have to sacrifice and live below your means. That is not a position ANYONE wants to be especially if you have made money in the past. Complacency should be a deadly sin. It is in my business book. You get comfortable with a platform. You think you know everything about the platform and you can game the system. All games come to an end. The question is will you still be standing when your game ends?