Tip #1: Relationships
Any businesss owner worth their salt will tell you that a business thrives on good relationships. However, with an
online business there are traps that are easy to fall into, the most obvious of which is anonymity.
When people are anonymous, they tend to worry less about how they are perceived. You see plenty of affiliates complaining about things on various
forums where in face-to-face conversations, many would probably refrain - or at least, rephrase! Forums are possibly the
worst possible place for an affiliate to vent. Let me explain why...
When you post on a forum, lots of people will formulatimg opinions about you from what you write. Not just people you know or are
addressing but people you don't know and who might be in a "positionof influence" down the line. You might think what you are saying
will get you respected/liked/appreciated (delete as applicable) but will it? And if it does, will it be from people who have the
respect of others, or will it be from the ones most commonly seen moaning and whinging?
If you are serious about being taken seriously and advancing your business, I'd suggest those are not people you want to be grouped in with. Aside
from which, you will probably end up wasting an awful lot of time trying to convince someone whose mind is already made up - time which would
be better spent developing your websites! If you get involved, I'd make your point once and don't be lured into a common mentality that you have to
keep bashing away at the same point so as to be seen to be right. From a purely business perspective, how people perceive you is far
more important than satisfying your ego.
Staying on the subject of reputations: try not to burn bridges. As tempting as it can be to be "direct" with your
affiliate managers, people you work with or even people you don't, stay polite. You can still be forceful but I'd be respectful with it!
People appreciate being respected and if they see you are, they are more likey to form a mutually beneficial business relationship with you.
Act like a tw*t and at the end of the day, the only person to lose out will be you.
If you have a problem you need to address with someone you see as potentially responsible, try and approach them amicably, even if you don't
like them. Most times, these relationships also have to be mutually beneficial to work and invariably those same people will have opportunities
and news come up that can be hugely useful to you down the line. If they find you hard to work with, or simply don't like you, they're more
likely to go elsewhere. Plus, affiliate managers and staff turn up elsewhere and all know each other pretty well!
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