Revisiting the Affiliate Summit 2006

As many of you may have read in my blog post yesterday, I attended my first Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas this past week. If you have ever wondered whether the time and expense are worth it, my answer is a resounding "YES". The networking alone is priceless not to mention the number of excellent speakers and the continual tips you learn from each other. Three thumbs up to Shawn Collins and Missy Ward for their innovative efforts making this year's conference "the best one yet". This is a quote I'm repeating from many long-time attendees with whom I personally met.

Let me give you an example. Within a 20 minute time span while working the room consisting of hundreds of people, I spoke with a Product Engineer from Microsoft. Then a fellow walked up to me to initiate a chat and he was from Walmart. Minutes later I found myself chatting for the second time during the event with a lady representing Yahoo. These three powerhouses alone in one room could have created a cosmic energy field of magnetic proportions. A magnetic event is actually the perfect description of the Affiliate Summit. Once you experience the exhilarating mood of this conference, you are continually drawn to it much like an addiction. I almost felt sorry for the money loss endured by the casinos because the Affiliate Summit attendees were certainly engaged elsewhere.

The event kicked off Sunday night with Speed Networking which is much like speed dating. You choose which people you want to meet from a list of attendees, and you are matched up to eight people through computer voodoo (aka algorithms). I felt fortunate that 7 out of the 8 people who were matched with me were available for a 5-minute speed meeting, (and I do mean it was fast paced). Many folks had more than a 50% no-show rate. Not only were several people I chose on my networking list, but so were several people who picked me, one of which is a very happy BasicTemplates.com customer. I'll write more about her and her awesome business concepts next week.

Breakfast and lunch were part of the conference package, and one morning I sat down at a table for breakfast with a friendly lady which within a few minutes I learned was the editor of Revenue Magazine, Lisa Picarille. (You can read Lisa's blog post about the Affiliate Summit here.) Lisa and I share an entertaining interest in the infamous "Question Mark Man", Mathew Lesko. You know the guy, I'm sure. You see him on many infomercials and several TV shopping channels selling books about how to get free money or discounted offers from various sources including the U.S. government. I find it quite interesting that he was attending the Affiliate Summit and cannot wait to see what type of books he publishes regarding affiliate marketing. Indeed a product to look forward to, wouldn't you agree? And yes, if you are wondering ... Mathew Lesko was dressed in his trademark attire. He sported brightly colored suits with large question marks. The man is a marketing genius and a great deal can be learned from his marketing techniques.

I could write non-stop about my experiences at the Affiliate Summit today, but then I wouldn't have anything to write about later this week. ;) NOT! Stay tuned for more Affiliate Summit news, tips, and resources in the coming weeks.

For now though, I leave you with some food for thought. If you didn't get to attend the Affiliate Summit or attending conferences of this type is currently not within you budget, you have a stream of educational material coming at you every day. You likely didn't realize it; most people don't.

The next time you receive junk mail in your snail mail box, DON'T throw it away. Save it, and when you have a chance later to lay several pieces out in front of you, compare their similarities. Analyze the techniques these companies use to promote their products or services. Pay particular attention to their headlines and copywriting.

Yes, we all hate junk mail and I wouldn't suggest sending out junk mail. BUT many of the techniques these companies use work or they wouldn't be doing it. Determine a way to apply some of these techniques or spin-offs of these techniques within your business' marketing module.

Another great marketing educational source is infomercials. Tape them so you can review them over and over again. Yes, some of us do hate infomercials. They can be cheesy, I agree. But they too are loaded with marketing techniques that work.

Just be sure what techniques you use are ethical and grow your business through customer trust, referrals and return business. It's approximately six times easier and virtually expense free to resell to an existing customer than it is to acquire a new customer.

Until next time, as always ... Keep it Basic,

Susan Milligan, Co-Founder
BasicTemplates.com

// posted by BasicSusan on 1/14/2006 11:10:00 AM / Permanent Link