Are You Hitting Your Affiliate Pain Threshold?
October 24th, 2008 by 
Amit
I was talking to my personal trainer the other day and we were talking about what it really takes to be super successful as an athlete.
I mean what really separates someone like Kobe Bryant from an average NBA player? Anyone who plays for the NBA is obviously a top top athlete at that level.
My personal trainer, who competed at the national level for the 200m and 400m in track, told me about a concept that his coach taught him called the “pain threshold”.
Every athlete has a pain threshold at which point there body starts to shuts down. They become tired, fatigued, their performance drops. Top athletes are able to continually push their pain threshold higher and higher until fly past everyone else.
Breaking through your pain threshold is 100% mental.
There’s a pain threshold in ppc affiliate marketing as well.
Whether you ever become a super affiliate all depends on whether you can continually break through your pain threshold, pushing it higher and higher.
Every single person that I’ve coached and that has failed, has failed because they couldn’t handle the pain.
They quit after 1,2 or 3 failed campaigns. They hide under their bed and tucked their tail under their tail between their legs like a scared little puppy dog.
Don’t be that scared little puppy dog 6 months from now.
Yeah, you may feel confident right now, you’re excited. But can you handle getting the wind knocked out you a few times?
I went 15 campaigns with NO RESULTS.
What if I had stopped after the first 10 failed ppc campaigns and said : “This business is a scam, ppc affiliate marketing doesn’t work!”
Don’t for a minute think that becoming a super affiliate is going to be an easy ride. There’s time when a lot of doubt will creep into your mind.
There’s times when you’ll feel really frustrated, and even anger.
As long as you get back up every time you get knocked down and learn from you mistakes, you’re breaking through your pain threshold.
Can YOU handle the pain?
pain threshold super affiliate mindset
Posted in Super Affiliate Mindset | 
Thanks for the encouragement.. I’m within a week of my business launch and it’s stressful. I definitely needed pick-me-up. Good post.
Hi Amit, thanks for your motivation. I really agree about the “pain” you said. I got a pain, but patient and passion is my best friend right now
I am not still launch my campaign anyway and plan to do this in this week. Now its time to run Module 7 on PPCCLASSROOM
PPC for me is the best option to get traffic fast and test some things, but honestly with Google trying to eliminate affiliates it has become nearly impossible to get campaigns to be profitable, last year I had a campaign generating $500 dollars a day and then the slap and I never recovered.
I have been basically working more on creating affiliate sites and using many techniques to drive traffic to them, the results are slow but they are better for the long run.
Mike:
http://www.BuySponsoredLinks.com
Thanks, I needed that too. 18 year-old beginning affiliate marketer here. It’s good fun and hard work. I’m starting to succeed, but I’m sure I will get “the wind knocked out of me” again in the near future.
That’s what I was trying to get at in my previous comments. It’s easy to get a sale but can you keep those sales coming? For a new person making their first sale means, they can now sit back and sales will just keep coming. They don’t have to lift a finger anymore. I thought I didn’t have to do anything when I say my first few quick sales. I came very close to quiting after few months (at least it crossed my mind) of trying to get more than one sale a day. It takes time setting your foot in a niche (depending what you picked). The more you fiddle around the better you get at it, when eventually you get lucky and sales keep coming consistently (until you get slapped
)
I guess the “super affiliate” game is for the big boys and girls. I’ve been tempted to stop 3 times now. Campaign after campaign (well it seems that way) are never successful. Be it, lack of hits, over priced keywords and crappy ads/LPs
But I’m committed and in this for the stretch-run. This must and will work for me. Aff marketing is a lonely world and one must have a ton of self confidence, but your article did offer some encouragement.
Since you mentioned that you personal trainer was a national level 200m & 400 m track… I guess the next post will be about putting your affiliate marketing on steroids?
Enjoy the weekend.
I hear what you are saying, Amit. And I think I have what it takes. Of course, the PPC Classroom training is helping a lot. I think persistence combined with learning is an even more powerful combination. Looking forward to seeing you in December at the Live classroom event.
I agree Amit to a certain degree. I am guilty of losing focus on many aspects of life, however, primarily on those things that involve money, eg. continuing education, etc. In sport, all throughout my life, I can excel to claim top 10% or better and pride myself on playing at a very high level. The journey to achieve this peek, is brutal and as you mentioned, mentally challenging and more so than the physical.
On the contrary, I was pursuing expanding on higher education and successfully completed 10 courses of study (double major) and slowly began to lose momentum as funds were re-allocated to more important activities for my kids.
However, even though we all have unique real life challenges, we still can aspire to achieve greatness and realize goals that we set for ourselves.
I have been interested in gaining knowledge via internet for many years and just 4 months ago acquire a real passion for internet/affiliate marketing. I think the honeymoon phase is over now and my passion carries me through the tough times, both in information overload and financial.
My hopes is that my “proven” diligence and mental toughness in sport also can carry over through my journey as a super affiliate.
Again, an analogy that hits home with me. Thanks.
Rich
Amit,
I have entered a Support Ticket, and have not heard back from anyone.
Now, when I click on “Support”, it says I’m not authorized to enter.
Please contact me ASAP. This is serious.
Thanks,
Terry Rayburn
this is a lovely post
Hi Amit,
Truer words were never spoken.
You’re personal example of persistence and success serves as an inspiration to us all.
I came across a video recently that illustrates what you’re speaking about. It reveals how we all really have more inside us … than we think is possible.
It’s a tremendous example that we always need to give our best in the face of what seems to be insurmountable obstacles.
I’ve personally bookmarked this video … so I know it’ll move you too. You can see it at: http://budurl.com/NeverGiveUp
Best from Athens,
Bob
@bob - thanks. that was a very inspiring video
Hi Amit,
I have had suffered through worse and worst things in life. My ultimate low point is being literally alone with only $25 on my pocket in a foreign land.
Pain? Bring it on.
Jasper
PS: When will PPC Classroom 2.0 forums be up? I’m dying to ask a few hundred questions. ^_^
PPS: I’m on my 4th failed campaign so now I’m going to design a landing page to see if it can make a difference!
This is a very thought-provoking question you’re proposing. Obviously, it can be difficult to stay motivated after you have been met with disappointing results several times. No great success story every begins without failure a time or two. Keep at it, and don’t give up. Great advice, Amit!
Thanks, Amit. I actually had 3 failed campaigns today - very discouraging. I came specifically to this belong because you always throw in inspirational posts.
Ah yes, the pain threshold…. hmmm….. I think there’s a difference between the kind of pain you need to break through, and the kind of pain that’s telling you you need to do something different… tis good to be determined though.
Amit, Thanks for this post. I love the challenge ppc brings- I left an 80K/year j.o.b. (just over broke) to start ppc full time with zero experience! Crazy, yes- but I’m successfully out of my comfort zone and it’s forcing me to work those 14 hour days that it takes to learn this game. I’m 25 or 30 or so campaigns in and consider it all practice. I’m not discouraged at all. In fact, I’m more excited now because I’m infinitely more knowledgeable and I KNOW success is right around the corner. PPC-Classroom has been one of my biggest assets along with the right positive support through close friends like George Gerbasi. To everyone out there- LOSE THE EXCUSES!
Thomas Edison said, “Why would I feel like a failure? And why would I ever give up? I now know definitively over 9,000 ways that an electric light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp”. And shortly after that, and over 10,000 attempts, Edison invented the light bulb.
I know I’m glad his pain threshold wasn’t “the kind of pain that was telling him he needed to do something different”.