Here's a good question that I occassionally get from NPT readers…
“I can't understand why so many gurus are so willing to sell their ‘secrets'. I tend to think that they would want to keep them for themselves and continue enjoying their incredible successes.”
“Yes I do believe that some are more generous than others and genuinely want to help but they are rare indeed.”
“Why are you doing it?“
Answer…
While I can't answer for other successful Internet marketers, I can tell you why I share what I know about affiliate marketing.
Before I get to that, however, I'd rather not refer to the Super Affiliate Handbook's contents as ‘secrets‘.
I know myself too well, and I'm far too loose-lipped about what I do to use that term. 🙂
Besides, they're not really ‘secrets'.
In the book, I discuss my ‘process' – my way of doing business as an affiliate marketer – in simple terms.
The SAH includes tips and tricks that I've learned over the years, along with the mistakes that I made. The tips help readers speed and simplify their own process, as well as avoid the pitfalls that I encountered when starting out… because there were no comprehensive instruction manuals on the topic of affiliate marketing.
Before I get into why I ‘share my secrets', let me first explain the chain of events which led me to write the Super Affiliate Handbook.
First of all, Affiliate Marketing has been very good to me. It gave me a way to ditch a job that was literally killing me day by day, and has enabled me to enjoy a healthy, very comfortable lifestyle instead.
So, after being interviewed for IMC's “Secrets to Their Success” site (there's that word again) in September 2002, I was deluged with questions from those who were interested in learning more about affiliate marketing.
When the volume became too much for me to answer each question individually, I built a site specifically for webmasters (the predecessor to RosalindGardner.com) and started answering webmasters' questions in a weekly
newsletter.
After awhile, I'd collected enough information to compile a small ebook which I then gave away.
Like the Super Affiliate Handbook, that ebook contained affiliate links to products that I use and recommend. Commissions earned from sales made through those links helped sustain the newsletter.
It soon became obvious that I hadn't answered all the questions however, for as my little book became more popular through viral marketing, the volume of mail in my Inbox continued to increase steadily.
The wide variety of questions helped me realize that a complete step-by-step guide to affiliate marketing was what people wanted and needed… without saying as much.
So, for six months I sweat great drops of blood and finally released the first version of the Super Affiliate Handbook in June 2003.
And let me tell you, I held my heart in fear when I put it out there. Was it good enough? Would it be well-received or panned? Would anyone ever really read it or put its contents to use? Or, would my effort be all for naught?
Well, more than 2 years later, the Super Affiliate Handbook still holds the #1 position in two of the three Clickbank categories in which it is listed. (That means it's popular and my affiliates and I enjoy the proceeds.)
But much more gratifying and rewarding are the success stories
I receive on a regular basis from those who have read and applied its contents.
Each and every day I get ‘thank you' notes from happy, successful affiliates.
- There's HUGE joy in learning that someone who read your book or took advantage of your one-on-one consulting is now on track to do 1M+ in business this year, primarily through affilate marketing.
- There's HUGE joy in finding out that yet another affiliate has been able to quit their job or send their kid to college… in part because of what they learned from you.
- There's HUGE joy in knowing that someone no longer has to rely on their palty, insufficient pension or disability check because you took the time to share what you know.
So, in very basic terms, I shared my joy in having discovered a way to build a great life, and look at what came back… oh, JOY!
Now, let me put the question to you…
If YOU held the ‘secrets' to success and had the ability to share it with others to help them lead healthier, happier lives – without ‘losing' or compromising your own business in the process – wouldn't you share what you know?
If you're having trouble coming up with an answer, here's a hint…
What goes around, comes around.