In my last post, I discussed being a leader versus being a sponsor. I felt like I needed to drill down into that topic a bit more. Anybody can be a sponsor? For that matter, anybody can be a leader. But being a leader doesn't just happen...it takes work and dedication. Oh, and something I forgot...dust (sorry, I was reverting back to Peter Pan and my childhood). In all seriousness, though, it does take something else. It takes the right attitude.
One of my favorite authors and speakers is Zig Ziglar. One of the quotes he is most famous for is, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." You can be the best at email marketing and sales copy creation, but if you are not a good leader, you will not be as successful as if you built helpful and encouraging relationships with the people you go into business with.
Let me ask you a question...Are you most drawn to someone who is giving and helpful or someone who only takes and is out for themselves? Or maybe an even better question would be, "Would you trust someone with your time and money who you felt did not have your best interests at heart?" While I have fallen for the hype and glitz of affiliate offers in the past with their promises of fast, easy money, now I always think twice about who I would be working with (both the company AND the individual who contacted me) before I would join, or more importantly promote, any new affiliate marketing opportunity (online or otherwise). Are they (both the company and the individual) more interested in helping me succeed or taking my money? Someone who I do not know that fills up my email inbox with ads falls squarely in the second category. Not only do I not know them, more importantly, I do not trust them. And as such I will not be doing business with them.
Now, let's look at the other side of the coin. Are you marketing your affiliate products/services? If so, who are you marketing to? How are you marketing? Are you building trust? If not, how do you build trust? If you are willing to teach others without requiring they join your list, if you give your time/effort without asking anything in return, if you are focused on helping them make money instead of yourself...these things build trust. This is having a giver mindset. And while this is not a quick, easy path, it will lead to your greater ultimate success.
The moral of this story is, people trust and want to do business with someone who is a giver and NOT someone who is a taker. Be a giver.