Vision, Purpose ... and a Total Lack of Upsell! An Interview with Kyle.

byfisheagle

1.6K followers

Updated 12 years ago

Don't you wonder how Kyle and Carson got Wealthy Affiliate going, what inspired them to create this community, what the future holds and why they do not tolerate spamming within the community. Well I took my chance and posed a few of those questions to Kyle and here are his answers.

a) How did you and Carson first come up with the idea of Wealthy Affiliate University?

After independently having success within the online world, we joined forces back in 2005. Having extensive knowledge in the affiliate marketing business, we understood the importance of “keywords” for both PPC and SEO. If people knew how to understand the difference between quality keywords and ones that will simply not work, we figured we could help many people succeed online.

On September 10th, 2005 Wealthy Affiliate was born as a site that provided keyword lists and supporting training. From then it has evolved into the the online business platform that it has become today.

b) What is your basic philosophy towards affiliate marketing?

In its simplest form, you have a product and you have a consumer. You are the liaison between the two. Success as an affiliate is built through traffic and creating relationships with the potential “customer”. This is a business about people, not so much a certain process.

c) In all the time that I've been here I have never been encouraged to buy this extra facility or pay extra for an added benefit! Why the total lack of Upsell?

We believe it is better to create one awesome service than it is to create several mediocre ones. Why not make a service better than focus on new ventures all the time? Unlike what many are taught in business school our focus is not “how to get more money out of our existing customers” it is “how can we make this service better for our existing customers”.

We are not in the business of upselling our valued customers, we are in the business of offering an awesome service.

d) Thoughts on your vision for WA going forward?

Evolve. Stagnation is something we are not proponents of and you will continue to see WA evolve in a way that will maximize member success. Technology moves quickly and we will remain flexible so we can follow and lead with new technology.

e) A few words for those considering a Wealthy Affiliate Membership, or should they just go and buy the next “best” thing in affiliate marketing?

There will always be shiny objects out there. People tend to sell the dream rather than our service, because well, they have no service to offer. We sell our service and help people create their dreams. If someone is interested in an all inclusive, no upsell online business training community, WA is the place.

We can take an absolutely newbie and turn them into a successful online business owner (and have done so many times over the years), but the person has to be willing to put forth the effort. There is no such thing as getting rich overnight and anyone that will tell you otherwise is simply trying to fool you into buying their service.

f) Both you and Carson are prepared to answer the 'simplest' questions asked by members, I know I've asked a few! But this organisation obviously requires a fair amount of your time too! How do you keep on top of things?

Over the years we have been good with time management and we have a large team of people that are working around the clock (on WA developments) behind the scenes. At any given time there are 10-15 product improvements/new developments taking place at Wealthy Affiliate. Having a development team and being able to outsource particular tasks allows us to keep intimately involved in our service and offer that personal support.

Helping others is why we are in business and have remained in business for so long and that is something that will will never lose touch with. It is also something we both enjoy doing! There is nothing more gratifying than to see someone accomplish something they never thought was possible.

g) The role of the Ambassador Program?

An ambassador is someone that offers ongoing value to the community within WA. Ambassadors are and will continue to be rewarded with a major event taking place each year in which Ambassadors are going to be personally invited. Anyone within the WA community can be an Ambassador. It is a “pay-it-forward” program that rewards people that give back.

h) What would you describe or define as the Purpose/Mission of Wealthy Affiliate University?

To help people realize the potential on the Internet to carve out their own space within the online world. There is enough opportunity for EVERYONE to succeed online, it is just a matter of finding what works for you. Everybody is different and everyone will achieve success in a different way. We want to act as a medium to offer people a safe place to learn about the business of the Internet and to create their own successful business online.

i) I've seen a few spammers try it on here at WA, but they got booted so fast their heads must have spun! You obviously do not tolerate that sort of behaviour at WA!

We do not tolerate spam, never have and never will. This keeps WA a safe place for those who may be more vulnerable to scams and spam offers (which there are plenty of in the online space). People that spam will be removed permanently from the community. People that offer help and care about the success of others will be rewarded in many ways.

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Wealthy Affiliate is The place on the internet to learn the skills necessary to be successful at internet marketing! Without the hassle of being upsold every time you log on, and where spammers and scammers will get booted out so fast their heads will spin. So that those of us who want to learn the skills required can do so in a safe and caring enviroment.

Here's to your success at internet marketing!