Now I’m sure all of you are familiar with the 20/80 principle, that 80 percents or results come from 20% of efforts, 80% of outputs come from 20% of inputs, 80% of effects come from 20% of causes, etc, etc.

Now affiliate marketing is no different. You may have heard that 2% of affiliates make 95% of the commissions and profits! That’s one REALLY skewed distribution.

I think by understanding WHY, 2% of affiliates-the super affiliates-clean up with the remaining 98% are fighting for the table scraps, we can understand what differentiates a super affiliate from an average affiliate.

Now I know there’s some affiliates out there that believe there’s some super-secret cabal of super affiliates that are getting special treatment from merchants, and therefore are able to beat up all the little guys, steal their lunch money, and laugh all the way to the bank.

Sorry, there’s no conspiracy!

I started out just like everyone else. Actually, I take that back, I didn’t start like everyone else, I started a notch below. When I started this business I didn’t know how to make a simple html page that says: “Hello world!”

Just a few weeks ago I learned how to setup an RSS reader. I’m NOT joking.

So we can rule out programming & web designing expertise as criteria for being a super affiliate.

So here’s what I believe separates most affiliates from the top 2% of super affiliates who rake in all the profits:

#1 VISION

Having a big vision backed with a burning desire, of what you want out of this business is absolutely essential to success. I hated my job, and was absolutely determined to do whatever it took to learn this business and quit my job as soon as possible.

I attacked affiliate marketing with a vengeance. And admittedly I quit my job a few month sooner than I should have, but I didn’t care, because I knew the best way to guarantee success to BURN YOUR BRIDGES!

Now don’t be stupid and quit your job tomorrow, if you’re not making a cent in affiliate marketing. At the same time don’t hold onto your job forever waiting for the ‘right time.’

No time is going to be the perfect time, JUST DO IT!

Do you know what drives you to build your affiliate marketing business? Most affiliates don’t have a crystal clear vision of what they want, and their vision is very small, like making $500/month profit.

I’m sorry but $500/month is not a goal that will drive most affiliates to do whatever it takes to succeed. As a result of having a mickey mouse goal, most affiliates don’t have that fire inside of them to take their affiliate business to next level.

I started my business with a goal of making $500/month profit, and after 6 months it got me no where. When I changed my goal to $10,000/month profit, it seemed like an impossible goal at the time, but it got me super excited. That’s when things really started happening in my business.

Just a week or two after I set the $10k goal I discovered Googlecash, and ppc affiliate marketing. The rest was history.

Once you have a big goal you need to clearly visualize what that goal is: quit your job, world travel/mobile income, get out of debt/financial independence, lease a Ferrari Enzo, or whatever. Write your dream on a piece of paper, put a picture of your dream on the fridge & think about it all the time.

Try to imagine your goal as vividly in your mind as you can. Imagine how you will feel walking out of your job, the very last day. The look on your bosses face when you hand him your resignation letter, and tell him “I can’t afford to work for you anymore.”

The last day at my job was a day I will never forget, June 15, 2006, one of the greatest days of my life, I had officially entered the land of the living! Because life begins when you’re free from your day job!

The more you think about and visualize your goal or vision the more it becomes a burning desire. A burning desire is something that keeps you up at night, so excited that you’re tossing and turning and can barely sleep.

When you want to succeed in this business so badly that you can barely sleep at night, then you’ll figure out a way to make it work and join that top 2%.

When I started this business I didn’t get much sleep, and yes, I did toss and turn almost every night. Just ask my wife!

To the degree you can visualize and feel your goal as already accomplished, the faster you will attract it to you.

This is NOT motivational fluff, this is exactly what I did to get where I am. If you’ve read “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill you know what I’m talking about.

Here’s your homework assignment: Write down EXACTLY what you want out of this business and write down a specific deadline. Make sure it’s a BIG goal, something that really stretches you. Really think about it and then put it up on the wall where you can see it everyday.

If you want quit your job, write down why you want to quit your job, what you’ll do with the extra 8-10 hours a day, and when you’ll quit your job. Write a resignation letter to your boss and put it on your fridge until that special day comes.

In the next 2 posts I’ll talk about 2 more principles that separate the 2% of super affiliates form the 98%, and specific steps you can take to help you get into that elusive top 2%.