As some of you may know I’m big on reading books in my spare time and one of my favorite things to do is apply the concepts to affiliate marketing. It’s a unique thought process because affiliate marketing is usually very different than what the author is relating to in his book. The authors of the books I read usually have brick and mortar business experience and as affiliate marketers we know that the two lifestyles are definitely contrasting so it’s sometimes hard to apply the guidelines and principles they recommend.

The next book that I picked up after Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris was How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I hate recommending this to friends outside of affiliate marketing/business because I feel like the title is kind of cheesy. They usually snidely remark about how they don’t need a book to make friends, they are already good at that. The idea of the book is not to teach losers how to make friends because they don’t have any but rather to teach businesspeople how to handle people.

So why should you read this on your plane ride over to Affiliate Summit West? Well for one, Sky Mall is only entertaining for so long. Two, you can apply the principles that Carnegie talks about and have amazing results in a business setting. The information will be fresh in your mind and chances are it will open doors that you wouldn’t have been able to open unless you are already practicing some of the good-natured habits. For example, Carnegie dedicates a section on the following theme:

You must have a good time meeting people if you can expect them to have a good time meeting you.

It’s so true. At these affiliate shows some people limit themselves and are too nervous to do more than just go to the affiliate meet market and make small talk. Have drinks, lunch, etc., be outgoing and other people will be outgoing with you. We’ve struck a lot of deals at ASW and most recently it scored us a nice little bottle of Cristal for Christmas, among thousands of dollars of profits.

If you don’t have a chance to pick up the book or you just plain don’t read, please just listen to this piece of advice if nothing else:

Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language

You might say, “Well I have their business card, so I’ll have there name later…”. That’s stupid, remember it immediately and use it frequently and it will strengthen your relationship with that person. You might make another excuse like, “There’s so damn people there that I might I’d never be able to remember all those names…”. Well, Carnegie talks about Napoleon the Great and President Roosevelt remembering names and their techniques so I don’t see why you couldn’t, alcohol permitting of course. If you don’t think remembering names is important than you might as well shoot yourself in the foot and carry around a Poken for all your networking needs.

I’ll let you find out more of the principles when you buy the book but I couldn’t recommend this book more, it’s about 275 pages long and has a ton of examples of the principles he preaches in real life business settings. I know for a fact you can grab this book at the New York Times book store in most airports so check there if you have a minute. I’ve read it twice and have practiced the principles many times with a lot of success!

Ryan and I returned home from Ad Tech: New York late Friday night. The trip was very busy for us but very successful as well. It was great meeting everyone and if I didn’t get to meet you, I hope to see you in Las Vegas in January for Affiliate Summit West. I uploaded over twenty pictures on Saturday on the Photo Gallery page so be sure and check them out. Always looking for a good blogging opportunity, I had several observations from the trip. Check them out below:

Watch out, I’m an AFFILIATE!
If you’re a high volume affiliate then you already know that we are stereotyped by advertising networks. Either they love us or they hate us. There doesn’t seem to be much in between. I could figure out within the first minute of our conversation where they stood on our offers. If they didn’t like us, I was polite (in most cases) and let them finish what they had to say before moving on. Thanks to the folks at Convert 2 Media for the ?Super Affiliate!? tag I put on my badge. I figured I might as well just put it out there to avoid explaining who I was at every booth. You can check out my badge at this link. Personally, I do not understand what is so bad about affiliates. I understand there are some complaints with what we run, but there are complaints with any advertisement. As long as what we are running is legal and compliant, I don’t understand why the advertising networks don’t want our money. Nonetheless there are plenty of traffic sources out there willing to work with us and it was a pleasure meeting with them.

Different Niches Work for Different Affiliates
Ryan and I met with several other Super Affiliates and it is funny how what works for them doesn’t necessarily work for us. It seems like everyone has their niche combination’s that do very well and the ones they continue to work on. That’s affiliate marketing for you. There’s no ?winning formula? as you figure out something that works and you blow it up. You can copy everything you do for a particular niche and take it to another one and it tanks. Success depends on every variable from the traffic source to the ad copy to the landing page. It’s always important to keep plugging in different things for every niche to make it work.

Affiliate Networks Have the Best Booths
Some booths were more pleasant than others to visit but I have to give it to the guys at Copeac and Convert 2 Media. Copeac had cold Coors Light and Convert 2 Media had Amstel Light. I was too busy to enjoy it, but what a great way to build relationships with new affiliates. It was a completely different vibe at the affiliate network booths and much more relaxing.

AT&T Sucks in New York City
I’m not sure what happened but Ryan and I had almost no cell phone service while we were at our hotel (the W Times Square) or the Javits Convention Center. This made for some very interesting moments when trying to get a hold of people that we had setup meetings with. I heard everyone that had AT&T had problems with their reception at the show and while the lines must have been jammed with all the iPhones, they really need to do something to get that fixed. I didn’t know I needed to learn how to send smoke signals in 2009 in New York City.

Super Affiliates Party Like Rock Stars
From a stretch Hummer limousine to fresh McDonald’s food being served with an open bar, the parties done by both Copeac and Azoogle were amazing. It was great to meet with everyone in a relaxed environment and just have a little bit of fun. This trip was exhausting for us because we had so many meetings setup but it was really nice to be able to relax with all of our friends in the business. Thanks guys for the great times!

To wrap it up Ad Tech: New York 2009 was a great trip. We ate a lot a great food, got a ton of work accomplished and made great memories with a lot of fun people. I hope to see everyone in Las Vegas in January!

AdTech: New York City is complete. It went by just as fast as it came around! The last three days have been an excellent experience for me and Richard. We met with companies, made contacts with new traffic sources, and enjoyed all that New York City has to offer. We fly out this evening, and I have to say I’m sad to leave the city! However, on the other hand, I’m excited to return to the office and get some new projects rolling while scaling our current campaigns to new levels!

Last night Richard and I took an evening off from meetings and just enjoyed the city alone. We recognized happy hour with one of our online friends we’ve known for ten years and then went to an excellent restaurant in The W Times Square to enjoy a nice bottle of wine and fresh sushi. Following our dinner, we went to the Hilton to watch the Chicago Bulls defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers. Richard and I are Bulls fans, so while it is always entertaining seeing LeBron, it was nice to see Chicago pull away with the close win. We capped the night off with a quick sandwich at the Stage Deli (unreal place btw). On the walk back to our hotel, we saw our friend Tom from Neverblue Ads. Its funny how even in a big city like New York, you randomly run into people!

After several days of hard work, Richard and I slept in this morning! We’re going to find a nice place to enjoy some lunch, and we’re going to head to the JFK airport to fly out. I’ll type a full recap post of AdTech when I get home and include several photos!

Two down, one more to go! AdTech: NYC has certainly been one of the most fun conferences I?ve attended. While yesterday was VERY busy (meeting after meeting), we had a very successful day businesswise and topped it off with some phenomenal entertainment.

Yesterday morning I started my day off with the ?breakfast of champions? – lobster and eggs. Richard and I then made our way over to the Javits Convention Center where we conducted several meetings and walked the exhibit floor. It was nice seeing several people such as Ian Fernando, Ruck from Convert 2 Media, and of course all the great people from Intermark/Epic.

We finished up the day with a few more meetings and had some drinks with my good friend and business associate Elias from Yep Revenue! We were joined by Bryn Youngblut, Brandon Hoffman, and a few other large affiliates. Following our drinks, Richard and I attended a very nice Italian dinner with the good people of Neverblue Ads.

We capped the night off with Epic?s Heaven or Hell party at Marquee. Those folks sure know how to party! Not only did they have an open bar until midnight, they had waiters handing out McDonald?s hamburgers and fries. Now, seriously, who doesn?t like a McDonald?s hamburger and fries with alcohol?!? Richard told me he thought he was in heaven (I quickly reminded him we were actually standing in the ?hell? section of the bar).

Here?s a pic of me/Rich as we were entering the party. I?ll have more when I return home. Now, we?re heading back to the convention center to get more work done!

One night down, two more to go! Last night was an excellent time! Our good friends at Copeac took us out for an awesome sushi dinner followed by boarding a Hummer Limousine to TenJune for a party in the VIP section. It was nice to finally meet some of you guys and put a face to a name.

In a rather humorous note, Richard and I flew first class from Charlotte to New York beside Brandon Adcock and didn?t realize it until he sat in the Hummer Limousine. Very small world we live in! That?s all I have for now, time to head over to the Javits Convention Center for several meetings.

Didn’t go to AdTech? Yeah… me neither. Why didn’t you go though? Too expensive?

If you said yes to that last question then I think you are making a huge mistake if you are trying to jump from to the next highest “level” in affiliate marketing. (Who’s not?) Sure, if you are just starting out affiliate marketing and still haven’t done anything special then maybe you should keep choppin’ away but if you know what you are doing this networking opportunity is more valuable than anything you’ll ever come across online. Hell, if you can really afford it though and you are just starting out, go, by all means but most people aren’t in that situation and don’t have $1,000 – $2,000 free for travel.

Trust me, I’m one of the most frugal guys out there when it comes to spending money like that. It’s an investment that you really can’t gauge like stock investing or investing into a campaign/buy. It can only be considered a bad investment if you don’t try to be out-going or if you just go to the speaking events. (Although it would be pretty cool to hear Wikipedia’s founder speak this year) You aren’t really going to learn anything at those things unless it’s some super limited gold platinum pass that is through the roof. Trust me, I’ve been there done that. You can learn all that stuff by just reading blogs if you can absorb the concepts. Chances are the valuable stuff will be plastered all over blogs anyway.

You are going to learn the most by talking to people on the trade show floor and networking. If you don’t know anyone else that’s going, start by just reaching out to your affiliate manager. Tell them you are going and would like to meet up for some drinks or something. (Especially if your AM is hot and she won’t take it as a date if you aren’t too advancing) Hopefully one things leads to another and they can introduce you to something/someone or even better, invite you to a party.

It’s funny how a face-to-face conversation can make people click so much better if you’ve heard or talked to them online before. We put a lot of faces to names when we went to NY that turned into many, many dollars. Hopefully Ryan and Rich can take it even further and make this $2,000.00 investment have as much ROI as last time. I’m really looking forward to the next conference that doesn’t conflict with my school schedule so I can be apart of that investment.

PS: If anyone happens to be sitting in a NYC hotel right now, comment/email and I’m sure Ryan and Rich would love to chat or have a couple of drinks.

Later today Ryan and I will be heading back to the Empire State for Ad Tech. We have a busy week planned with a lot of meetings but I look forward to meeting with everyone and putting faces to the names I deal with on a daily basis. Ryan has shaved the Billy Mays beard and cut his hair, so we once again look very much alike. Chances are if you run into either one of us, you aren’t going to have a clue whether it’s me or him.

With the help of my girlfriend Kara I was able to get packed up very neatly last night. It’s always hard for me to try to fit everything I want to bring in one bag. With the airlines now charging fees to check baggage, I wouldn’t dare check more than one and I pray my bag isn’t overweight. I’m also not one of those guys that carry their luggage on-board. I bring my laptop on the airplane with me but I couldn’t imagine wheeling luggage around airport to airport. If you’re one of those people, you are much more motivated than I am. If my luggage gets lost, that just means it’s time to do some shopping.

I’ll be looking for blogging opportunities throughout our trip and hopefully we’ll be able to update from Ad Tech. I’m bringing Kara’s camera with me and will do my best to get some great pictures for those unable to attend. The camera is lime green and girly so I try not to break it out more than I have too, but my iPhone doesn’t take near as good of pictures. If you see me at the conference acting like a tourist with a lime green camera, understand it’s for the good of the blog!

I hope to meet some readers of SuperAffiliateTwins.com so if you’re in town be sure to look for us at Exhibit Hall at the Javits Convention Center. I’ll be breaking a rule of mine and getting out of bed before 10AM for the rest of this week, so I should be around all day until we leave Friday. As I’ve mentioned before, John is going to be unable to attend due to other commitments but I’m sure he’ll have a blog or two for everyone later in the week.

So have a great week everyone and I’ll see you at Ad Tech!

Remember my post a couple of days ago telling everyone to hurry up and make their reservations for Ad Tech? Well it looks like I jumped the gun and missed out on a special discount. I received the following email yesterday:

Have you booked your hotel room yet? ad:tech has preferred room rates at two Sheraton Hotels in Manhattan ? but hurry, these rates expire Wednesday, October 21! ! Book your hotel reservations today to ensure you benefit from staying at an official ad:tech New York hotel:

* Convenient Shuttle Service! The ad:tech Shuttle route includes pick up/drop off both Sheraton Hotels!

* MORE Networking! ad:tech partner hotels are an extension of the event. Attendees congregate in the lobby or the bar and continue the conversations and business deals from earlier in the day!

* DISCOUNTED PRICING!

* ROOM AVAILABILITY!

Be sure to mention ad:tech when making your reservation by October 21 to get the ad:tech discount!

Please contact us if you have any questions. We?ll see you in New York!

- the ad:tech team

So for those that haven’t booked, if you do so by 10/21 you can get a discount.

Ryan and I finalized our plans yesterday to attend Ad Tech New York next month. We’re heading back to the Big Apple to meet with networks and build relationships. Unfortunately, John is going to be unable to make it due to other obligations. Ad Tech has been moved from the Hilton to the Javits Convention Center this year to accomodate the large demand of people attending. While I’ve never been to the Javits Convention Center, it’s a very large building that is 675,000 square feet. We are staying in Times Square.

The trip should be another awesome experience. One of the best parts about being an affiliate is the amount of traveling the occupation allows you to do. Later next month, my girlfriend and I will be attending the Redskins vs. Cowboys game at the new Cowboys Stadium. Next month is going to be a very busy month for me and hopefully I’ll have plenty of great blog posts to make about my trips. I’ve noticed ever since we started this blog back in August I’m always thinking about how to incorporate personal experiences into the blog. I’m trying to talk Ryan into buying a video camera so we can start doing video posts here on SuperAffiliateTwins.com.

I’m particularly excited about Ad Tech as it will be my first ever conference where I’ll meet up with other people from the industry. If you plan on attending Ad Tech you are going to want to make your reservations as soon as possible as Ryan and I waited too late and had to pay a fee to register when early registration was free. Hotels are also filling up. Anyone else booked to attend?

Yesterday I finalized reservations for Richard and I to go to Las Vegas, Nevada for Affiliate Summit West 2010 from January 17^th through January 19^th. Unfortunately, John is not going to be able to make this Affiliate Summit as he has some obligations already planned during these dates. Many people in the industry are asking why I decided to book things so soon. Richard and I like to take a vacation to Vegas this time every year, so we plan on tying in this trip with our annual vacation out west.

I?m already looking forward to seeing everyone again and partaking in all the parties/outings that are going to be planned! I know last year my good friends at Copeac rented out a very popular Las Vegas night club. Hopefully, they?ll do something just as crazy this coming Summit! Richard and I used to stay at the Bellagio, as it was known for being one of the premier luxury destinations in Vegas. However, last year we were very disappointed as our room was unclean and the staff was rude. Last year we actually moved to the Wynn in their Salon Suite, which made our trip an unreal experience. We?ve booked it again this year. I?ve included some photos below:

Bar

Family Room

Dining Area

Shower

Bathtub

These are the only pictures I could find. There is also a massage room/table which is pretty sweet! We’re really looking forward to this year’s trip as I’m counting down the days. I’m sure we’ll be posting a lot more as the event gets closer!