Affiliate Marketing is a LOT Like Waiting Tables
While reading a member’s blog post the other day, where he described some of the marketers he had come across as being “greedy marketers”... yup, I remember being introduced to a few of those types of marketers myself.
That description took me way back to the days when I was waiting tables... my favourite job truly was being a waitress. There just wasn’t enough money in that “career” locally, so I could not afford to stay on, else I would have.
Forgive me... I’ve started to get off my topic a bit here. Here is why I say that affiliate marketing is a lot like waiting tables.
When I first started waiting tables, I remember my dad warning me to NEVER count my tips in front of the other waitresses but to wait until I got home to count mine.
And, I was to never look at ANY of my customers wondering how much they would leave me in tips. Instead I was to focus on providing them with the best service that I possibly could.
It wasn’t long before I witnessed many other waitresses making it a habit to sit together at a table at the back, nearer the end of the shift, and they would each count their tips.
Some even bragged out loud about their totals... and yes, while there were still a few customers remaining in the restaurant.
Thankfully, my dad included something like “just you be sure to always be busy cleaning your section.
You know, filling sugar and salt shakers, cleaning the tables really well... maybe even wipe off the seats (they were vinyl).
Just you stay busy, and if you are ever asked, simply say, you don’t know and that you haven’t counted yours yet.” And NEVER EVER tell any of the others how much you made.
Needless to say, I followed dad’s advice EXACTLY, and it worked wonders for me.
As a waitress, it was always my belief that I was there to help the customer by providing them with the best meal in a timely manner.
I made it a point to always represent my customers, while protecting the restaurant’s reputation.
If my customers had a complaint, I would take their complaint to the manager and see that their issues were resolved.
Heck, I even complained for one of my customers who had ordered a New York steak.
Once he had finished eating, I returned to his table to remove the wooden board it was served on, and that is when I noticed the rather large (over sized, in my opinion) chunk of fat that had obviously ran allllll the way down one side of his steak.
When I mentioned this in surprise of the amount of fat his steak had on it, the gentleman said it was okay... I told him that I was not pleased.
I explained that it was my thinking that he paid good money for that steak, and I felt that he should have received a quality steak.
So... off to the manager I went with the wooden board (the fat left on it), to complain.
...my point here in sharing this brief story with you, is that I always made more money in tips than any of the other waitresses who sat around bragging.
And when I left that restaurant for a better paying job, unbeknownst to me, the owner of that restaurant was very upset.
He explained this all later to me and told me that I was his best waitress because I cared about the service and food that my customers received.
Apparently, many of my regular customers complimented how well I had served them and they were disappointed that I was no longer working at the restaurant.
Wow! What a compliment... but, wasn’t that my job?
Now I see it this way...
When I write my website content providing helpful information for my website visitors... any purchases that are made through my affiliate links... from now on, I will be looking at the payments that I receive for those purchases made, as my tips.
There are many restaurants (though, not local to me) where waiters and waitresses are actually making a good living on their tips alone!
Moral to my story: When doing affiliate marketing, the more you focus on helping others solve their problems and the less you focus on your commissions from affiliate links or clicks, the more likely you are to profit.
If I do my job right when blogging and using affiliate links as a source of income (example: choosing the right niche and offering unique, quality content) I could then be able to live on my “tips” alone!
So...yeah, affiliate marketing does remind me a bit like waiting on tables.
Desperate to earn NEVER works on ANY service career, whether affiliate marketing, waiting tables, bar-tending, etc.
PS: https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/triblu/blog/why-do-click-on-...
Recent Comments
50
Your dad was a smart man in giving that advice, and you likewise, made a good choice in following that advise. That makes a lot of sense to me to follow that advise in blogging, as well. I think that will make my job easier, to blog with that in mind.
Thanks!
Carolyn
Thank YOU Carolyn, for listening to my Dad's advice. I know he'd certainly appreciate that. {{{HUGS!}}}
Great analogy, and I think we all lose sight of the goal, which is to provide valuable content to people looking for it. In other words, we are performing a service and providing information -- it is about them, not us.
The trick is to do it well enough to be rewarded for those efforts!
Thanks for a great post!
Amy
Hi Amy,
It's really great to meet you! I must say, this is a very classy response. You've hit the nail on the head, my friend! "Serving "Others" is definitely the name of the game. Keep on thinkin' the way you do, an' I'm sure your success will follow.
~ Yaya
WOW! You waited tables like I waited table. It always irritated me a bit that so many of the waitresses spent so much of their time calculating how much they felt they should get in tips.
Thank you for sharing this perspective. I will keep it in mind as I blog an' write on my website.
Take care!
~ Yaya
Glad to learn this helped you too Yaya!
See... we have even MORE in common then just our sense of humour, huh? :-))
Nice insight into human nature Trish. It reminds me of two things from my past.
1. My Mom (rest her soul) who was a hardworking waitress for
many years always told me she didn't care if I dug ditches for a
living as long as I was the best ditch digger I could be.
2. An old Kenny Rogers song: "You never count your money
when you're sitting at the table. There's time enough for
counting when the dealing's done."
Thanks for the smile. A good end to a good day.
Hi Trish,
This is a great post and what you say is exactly as things should be.
You sound like you were the perfect waitress.
Too many times when eating out in restaurants the waiting staff aren't how they should be.
The customer is always right (even when they're actually wrong) when working in a job role like that.
Your dad was right to tell you you the things he did, although I get the impression you would have acted that way anyway.
I am not surprised that both the manager and customers were disappointed that you left.
Your comparisons between blogging and working in a customer based industry are in my opinion 100% correct.
When I write posts/reviews I do so with my readers/customers at the forefront of my thinking.
I don't want to brag to them and take them them for granted exactly the same way as I wouldn't want to be treated that way, whether it be in a restaurant, shop or anywhere.
It always puzzles me how so many people work in jobs whereby they have to deal with customers face to face and they either have no clue how to or they don't care.
I've no doubt that YOU definitely will be able to live on your tips from blogging.
Take care and much success to you,
Michael.
Aaaah, Thank YOU Michael!
My dad was very influential in life... and yeah, I was a daddy's girl. :-))
See more comments
As you have stated, "When doing affiliate marketing, the more you focus on helping others solve their problems and the less you focus on your commissions from affiliate links or clicks, the more likely you are to profit."
This is exactly what I did to earn all of the money I am making in my PPE niche without a website. I will have to reference this blog post in my upcoming blog. I was/am helping people with a problem that needs a second sollution.
That would be AWESOME, Rob, THANK YOU!!!!