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 | | From: | utfpcxvcmarketing at workfromhome.net | | Subject: | Make money from home | | Date: | Mon, 10 Jan 2005 10:41:45 GMT |
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Click here ---> http://www.work-at-home-net-guides.com/af/?655321
Got Dot profiles Chris Dodd who for 20 years worked as a rock crusher in mining, before discovering, how to make money on the Internet with affiliate marketing. Being a rock crusher is as gruelling as it sounds. Chris took rocks the size of a Volkswagen and made them into sand, spending all day outdoors, in the cold, the rain, the snow, with numb, cut, and bruised fingers, spending 10-12 hours days starting at 4:30 am.
As you can imagine, the job grew tiresome, perpetual exhaustion took its toll. In the last year working for the mine, Chris and his wife Bev, began exploring ways to earn extra money. The Dodd’s heard about the successes their friend Bob Buckham experienced with affiliate marketing. The idea of making a living from home, and not being stuck in the cold with numbing fingers intrigued Chris.
Bob told him, “Just do what I do” the same mantra he’d learned from another friend James Martell, who’s an entrepreneur and successful affiliate marketer.
The Dodd’s’ began tinkering with affiliate marketing and got excited when the early checks started coming in from merchants, money they earned from their living room without weathering the cold or long commutes. They’d discovered how to make money on the Internet with affiliate marketing, entering a multi-billion dollar industry.
Affiliate marketing is booming
According to the Affiliate Summit held in early November 2003 in New York City, affiliate marketing is a $14 billion industry. (Source: Marketing Sherpa) Forester Research reports that affiliates deliver 13% of retail sales today. In fact, the National Retail Federation's Shop.org cites that affiliate marketing is one of the most effective methods for enabling online retail commerce, a $95 billion industry. This industry is expected to grow to approximately $230 billion by 2008. (Source: Forrester Research, August 2003)
What is an affiliate program?
Affiliate programs are a viable way website owners can earn money by referring customers to other web sites. In this business relationship one web site owner (the merchant) agrees to pay another web site owner (the affiliate) a commission for all referring customers.
Website owners can start their own affiliate programs by adding specialized tracking software to their websites to monitor sales or they can join a commission network such as: Commission Junction, LinkShare or BeFree, which provide the tracking and infrastructure.
How Chris Launched His New Career with Affiliate Marketing
In November 2002 Chris walked into the office at the rocking crushing firm, only to discover the company no longer wanted to be in the mining business. He came home with a six month severance package. For a family of five a month before Christmas things looked real bleak. Before panic set in, Chris decided to take two weeks off and assess things. He realized that if he jumped too quickly back into the mining industry, which was facing tough times, he’d likely wind up in the same boat, jumping from one bad scenario to the next.
Chris and Bev looked at their savings and realized that they could afford to give affiliate marketing a go for six months, the length of Chris’ severance package. Under Bob Buckham’s guidance the Dodd’s launched two sites. While Chris wanted to buy James’ book, with a family of five, they needed every penny to spare, so Chris relied on Bob’s knowledge for getting things going. In the beginning the sites earned $100/month then jumped to $1000, then $2000 and by June 2003 the sites brought in $9,000 thousand a month.
Chris says, “By June I believed in affiliate marketing, the income was there, so I developed a couple more web sites, and finally bought James’ Handbook. By learning things from Bob, I got the basics, the end results, but by reading James’ book with the 8 step system™ for developing web sites I really got the specifics. I spent the summer rebuilding the websites, correcting all the mistakes. Without having James’ book I made things so much harder on myself.”
Got Dot: What kinds of mistakes did you make?
Chris says, “For starters, let’s talk templates. Going from a rock crusher to a computer techie, was no easy thing. I hand built all my websites wasting so much time. In the Handbook, James mentions how you can buy website templates for $50-$75 and saving yourself months of hard work and headaches. For all my new sites I’m using templates and even converting the old ones to website templates.”
Got Dot: What other insights have you gained after reading James Martell’s Affiliate Marketers Handbook?
Chris says, “I consider James' book an operating manual. The book has shown me how to research properly with keywords, how to keep topics open, and keep the websites focused without bouncing all around.”
Chris adds: “For example: let’s say I want to create an auto loan web site, and want to mention refinance and debt consolidating. To do so, bounces around the topic instead of keeping the website focused.”
The same thing happened with Chris’ children clothing site. When he added bedding, furniture, and toys the website lost its focus. Like Chris says, “If I had read James book in the beginning, it would have been so much easier to stay focused, instead of wasting time doing things the wrong way and spending countless hours fixing things.”
Got Dot: What kinds of sites are you building?
The beginning web sites Chris developed followed the money makers, primarily looking at other affiliates’ success as indicators on where to go. Now Chris visits Commission Junction and picks a broad topic. If he gets hooked at Commission Junction, he’ll launch a new site.
Chris follows the same methods for web site construction developed by James Martell. These principals are incorporated into Chris’ successful sites featuring: golf gifts, debt consolidation and contact lens’.
Got Dot: What are your future goals?
Chris says, “I’m planning on going to Commission Junction University in September. If you’re doing this business full time it’s real important to connect with the merchants and other successful affiliates. I can’t wait to find out what’s hot and get the inside scoop.”
Chris adds, “2004’s my year. I’m aiming for $20,000 a month, which is real doable. My long term plan is to be totally mortgage free, build a new house, and still be mortgage free, and that’s all doable with affiliate marketing.”
Got Dot: What’s a typical day like?
Chris says, “There’s no better feeling that to wake up and watch the rain fall and know you don’t have to work outside.” Chris mentions most days he wakes up at 6 am, grabs a cup of coffee, spends a couple of hours working, then it’s break time with Bev, then back to work, and more family time.
Chris says, “Working for the mine, by the time I got home, cleaned up, said hello to the family, it was bedtime, and on the weekends I was too exhausted to have much fun.”
Chris adds, “In years past the family would go to a cabin on the water for the whole summer. I’d join them for a week’s vacation. Well this summer, I spent the whole summer on the water, playing with the kids, I felt like a kid too.”
Got Dot: What tips do have for someone starting out?
Buy James Martell's Handbook. Chris says, “I have some friends just starting out with affiliate marketing, like I tell them, James’ book is your best operating tool.”
Subscribe to the Affiliate Buzz (twice monthly audio newsletter for affiliate marketers) Chris says, “Whenever I’m feeling a little stale or my motivation is wavering I tune into the Affiliate Buzz and get recharged. The information is real valuable, it keeps you focused. It’s great to hear what others are doing with affiliate marketing, how James is dong, plus it’s a good way to find out what’s new.”
Prove to yourself you can do affiliate marketing. Chris says, “When Bob said, “Do what I do”, it didn’t mean I could. I had to prove to myself it was doable. Get the sales. There’s nothing like checks coming through the door to motivate you, to get more and more. Just keep building.”
Believe it’s possible to leave your old job, making a new future, and being your own boss with affiliate marketing. Chris says, “It’s such a great feeling knowing how to make money on the Internet and achieving financial freedom. As I rock crusher, I never thought I’d see that day! With affiliate marketing, I have a piece of the rock and it’s not for the mining company, it’s for my family and the future. You too can get a piece of the rock with affiliate marketing, it’s real, and it’s doable.”
Click here ---> http://www.work-at-home-net-guides.com/af/?655321
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