The frequency of my AM epiphanies has dropped somewhat I guess as I result. AM is still on my mind a lot of the time; it’s just mainly things like how much I’d rather be doing that than what I’m doing at uni atm.

I can’t really remember where I had today’s epiphany. I was reflecting on a recent email I received from Colleen Slater, aka 60 Minute Affiliate. She’s started promoting her own get your ex back type product. If you’re familiar with the industry, you would know one of the undisputed leaders of this niche in particular is Travis Sago, the original Bum Marketer. His product, The Magic Of Making Up, dominates Clickbank and has a huge as gravity, mainly because he helps affiliates make their first sales or a decent income supposedly with it.

The main epiphany was in the fact that there are several products on the market that are successful and that will help people solve their problems. Why are AMers wasting so much time and effort competing with each other, trying to get their product on top? If it works, it works. The main thing is to help people. I guess that was a more holistic and humane epiphany.

The more marketing related epiphany was the fact that there is only one audience but several products. You shouldn’t let yourself get caged into only promoting one product. Start off with one to test the waters and acquaint yourself with the niche. Once you get it  going, look for subniches that might branch off your niche that need their problems solved and address those problems.

It should never be about the product. It should be about the problem and the people. That’s why people can just create a product like Colleen Slater has. I guess my first epiphany is helpful in putting your head in the right place when you’re going about promoting your stuff on your blogs and what not. Don’t promote the hell out of a product. Focus on the people, focus on the problem and let the vendor’s sales pages do the talking.

I guess I really do need this break away from AM, just because it’s helped me to greater appreciate Marketing in general. I love seeing things from a new perspective.

Apparently, she was embroiled in her legal battle again with her ex-husband and her children, which has been going on for 3 and a half years. 3.5 years! Talk about holding a long grudge! I don’t pretend to know Colleen Slater, but anyone who can make as much as she does online isn’t someone to be messed with. The fact that love empowered her to become Australia’s best niche blogger with 0 experience is also to be commended.

The main thing here is that her income had kept on steadily coming in, WITHOUT her maintenance. That’s an Affiliate Marketer’s ultimate goal. She didn’t have to worry about looking after it and let the dough roll in

Anywho, in other news, I had another mini-brainwave today while walking down to a train platform on the way back home. Everyone says that the greatest asset that everyone has from the day that they’re born is Time. And that’s true. It’s so great because once you spend Time, it’s gone forever. There is no way you can get it back. No dumb jibes about time machines, please. Thank you.

So. How does this apply to Affiliate Marketing? Well, this should actually go into the Incantation post that I drafted last night, but think about it. If you gave people the choice to leave the page, ie. you actually said, “if at any time on this page you find it unhelpful, click out of this window. Thank you!” Be grateful for people actually visiting your site at all. I’ll refine this post later when I get around to writing my Incantation post.

The main thing I want to say about this sort of mindset is that not only does it help you bond with your prospects, it also FORCES you to become a better Marketer. Think about it. If you don’t want to waste your prospects’ time, you want to offer them the best possible information, ie. giving them exactly what they need fullstop.

You don’t want to waste your own time by spending either a short amount of time writing a scrappy review that sounds spammy and increases your bounce rate, nor do you want to spend hours procrastinating and putting up a poor review that sends your customers around in circles and inevitably off your landing page. A time-oriented focus will benefit all parties involved.

Oh by the way, if you’re a stay-at-home mother wanting to make it big in the online industry, turn to Colleen Slater for a bit of inspiration and advice!

1. Edmund Loh: A PLR expert based in Malaysia, Johor Bahru. My father is Malaysian, so just from that, I feel like I can relate to him. The thing that draws me to him the most is the fact that he’s looking after his mother. He’s a Man. His story is quite remarkable and he’s a really humble, down-to-earth guy. I’m also amazed at how perfect his English is. I helped review one of his membership sites early last year. Little did I know that I would see him as an inspirational figure down the track.
2. Aurelius Tjin: He started just doing graphics for other people. Now the New South Welshman owns his own apartment and works the coveted 4-hour work day. I’ve got to admit that he EPITOMISES the very life that I will live one day: single, independent, owning your own place and bloody good-looking. He again shows that you don’t have to have gone to the best schools and graduated with straight 1st Class Honours to get somewhere in life.
3. Ryan Moran: There seems to be a recurring pattern amongst these men who inspire me. Ryan Moran, again, comes from a single-parent family. He attended college in the US and, at the same time, ran and built his online empire. He says he often likes to purchase websites that have already been established, then to turn them into pieces of VRE and have them make him money with little maintenance. He’s well known for his social networking e-book, SpaceBankers.
4. Colleen Slater: Don’t worry ladies, I haven’t forgotten about you. I read through the fiction section of, “The One Minute Millionaire” last Sunday and I was amazed at the parallels that were drawn between the protagonist, Michelle, and our very own home-grown Colleen. She is the perfect example of an Aussie battler, someone who defies the odds and, armed with tenacity and love for her children, painstakingly built her blogging empire from scratch.

These are the four, main people that I draw inspiration from. They make me feel like there is hope in the world for someone like me, a full-time university student who knows that he is destined for more in life. Where they’ve come from and where they are now hasn’t changed their characters; their success hasn’t changed them, if anything, it’s made them more humble and thankful for their journey and where they are now. They are real people with real stories who have experienced real hardships but who have succeeded.

And if they can do it, so can I.

That wasn’t so bad, because it gave me some time to go to my favourite haunt: Borders. And at Borders, my favourite place is the the management/ personal finance. I don’t know about anyone else, but I find that since I got started in Internet Marketing, my interest in self-development has increased very quickly.

I’d heard of “One Minute Millionaire“, by Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen. After reading the first little bit, I read the fiction about Michelle. It was a pretty good story and I couldn’t help but think if local blogger Colleen Slater aka “60 Minute Affiliate” had read the book. It sounded very much like her.

What stuck with me was that I was happy that I wasn’t the only one who believed in being ethical and having integrity in the Affiliate Marketing game. The mild depression I had last night after seeing the different products that help people “cheat” online is somewhat alleviated and knowing that it is possible to “do it” without compromising your faith in yourself, morals and dignity is heartening, as the story unfolded.

Because that’s the thing. This blog’s going to be the main vehicle of my learning. I learn by doing and making mistakes. When I get confident enough to be a real entrpreneur and turn ideas into reality, the first place they’re going to go are here. I’ve got big plans for this blog.

Also, I donated $5 to a “Big Issue” vendor. To do my bit for the world. That was another section in the book which makes me feel like the universe is calling out to me (OK that last bit was a tad grandiose). In One Minute Millionaire, they said about donating 10% of everything you earn in a year to charitable causes. I’ve fully believed that from last year!

I think I am a… what did they call them?… Enlightened Millionaire? Yeah that’s it. Basically, I want to be as far from someone like Mike Filsaime as possible. I don’t know, he just comes off as greasy to me.

I wonder how original Aussies can be too. Not only was McIntyre an old story, but also the guy who sold the MCG too apparently. No wonder we’re not getting anywhere. I’m going to be different. I’m a new generation of entrepreneur. I connect with my people. “Communication is getting a response from people”. That’s what I learnt from the book. =)