I just returned from Affiliate Summit West in Vegas where I got the opportunity to meet and talk with Rosalind Gardner in person, after all the years I've been following her work.
She's a very successful and long-term affiliate, and author of the Super Affiliate Handbook - which was actually the very first ebook I ever purchased online.
I think we all know how that story turned out. 😉 One of the better choices I've made in my online business over the years, for sure!
Meeting Rosalind was definitely one of the top highlights of the event. She's even more pleasant in person than she is online. Very upbeat, down to earth, and an all around fun person to hang out with. She's also a foodie & sushi-lover, and can scout out the best restaurants in range like a pro! 😀
I got to hear her "getting started" story, where she simply clicked a banner ad - and the rest is history!
We talked lifestyle design, affiliate war stories, and I also got to meet her partner at Affiliate Blogger Pro - Justin Parr. (right)
Justin is very bright and super talented, and I can see why Rosalind chose him as a partner for the project.
He's from the South too, and in fact lives just a few hours from me - in Atlanta.
Affiliate Summit was also their first time to meet up in person since working together on the ABP site, and you could tell they had great partner chemistry.
Rosalind had a round table at the Ask The Experts session, which turned out to be one of my favorite sessions. And in my opinion, one of the most productive.
She lead it very much like a group brainstorming session, and the variety of resources & input from the group was incredible. Not to mention the expert advice from Rosalind herself on various affiliate methods & strategies.
Rosalind introduced me to the group as one of her top affiliates, and later in her blog post as one of her most enthusiastic affiliates. A high compliment for sure, coming from someone I consider a mentor.
There's a reason I recommend her guide and membership site to everyone I meet, of course.
I've actually been doing Affiliate Marketing for well over a decade (I'm about to start my 15th year in business), but it was Rosalind's Super Affiliate Handbook that turned me into a Super Affiliate and turned me on to the concept of passive income.
And just like her banner ad story, the rest is history. 😉
She's one of the few people I know that practices what she teaches, and actually makes her living as a niche affiliate.
She has also been actively serving the market, and helping others achieve the same, for many years now.
She consistently updates the Super Affiliate Handbook and continues to provide resources and ideas as things evolve - definitely not your usual fly by night "guru".
I have more photos and videos to share with you, and I'll also give you a recap of some of the other sessions I attended at ASW11 in my next post. But as I sat down here to share details of the event with you, I couldn't help but devote a post to the woman who played such a big part in helping me get where I am today...
Best,
Note: If you subscribe to ClickNewz below, you'll get access to the transcript of a very candid and exclusive interview I did with Rosalind Gardner. Enjoy!
About Lynn Terry
Thanks for sharing Lynn! Those are both great stories, and an encouragement to me and I'm sure others! Im glad I got in ABP in time! Thanks
Hey Lynn, cool pics. Rosalind's e-book was the first digital product I ever bought and got me going in this crazy biz. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing this Lynn.
I think it's great that the two of you have finally met in person.
Two of my favorite ladies online.
Thanks for sharing both the photos and the story. I'm so glad you and Rosalind finally got to meet in person! 🙂
That's so cool that you two finally got to meet in person! I think her roundtable discussion probably would have been my favorite part, too. I really like those smaller group settings.
Hey Lynn -
Did you think the roundtables were too crowded? They've been getting bigger, and I am concerned they're losing the intimacy they were created to foster.
Hi Shawn,
The roundtable session was definitely a personal favorite. Much better than the panel sessions. Rosalind did a fabulous job of leading the Q&A and opening it up for group input. It was very productive, even with her two tables + people standing around the edges.
If they continue to grow, you might have people make an appointment for a seat at the roundtable - or only open it to certain pass holders (vs all). But as it was, there was definitely a great atmosphere and a level of intimacy between attendees & experts. Loved it!
Hey Shawn,
I wanted to speak with you about that very issue.
Any bigger than we had this year would be too big, I think. As Lynn mentioned, we had pushed 2 tables together and had others seated and standing around the edges. I think some folks had difficulty hearing the questions that were posed by others at the other end of the table... so we generally repeated the question for their benefit.
And I agree with Lynn in terms of the session's productivity.
As a frequent podium speaker, I actually MUCH preferred this venue for sharing and brainstorming with folks who had specific questions to ask about our topic.
Not sure that I would restrict it by pass though. I'd be willing to invest more time to make myself available to those with questions --- who might not want to sit through a session to "ask the expert".
Look forward to seeing what you come up with. 🙂
Cheers,
Ros
Hey Ros -
Do you think it would help to make it longer?
Take care,
Shawn
Hi Shawn,
Maybe, mabye not. Maybe give some 'experts' access to tables for multipe hour-long sessions throughout the conference on different topics? That way the groups might be a little smaller (more intimate) but all those who want access and to ask questions get their chance?
Cheers,
Ros
Hi Ros -
We've tried having speakers available for an extended period of time in a different area after sessions, but it hasn't really worked out.
Back to the drawing board.
I thought the Ask The Experts session was one of the best parts of the event as a whole - I love the idea of offering more roundtables throughout the event!
Shawn,
I guess that depends on the speaker. At other Summits, where I've done presentations, I usually end up spending at least an hour fielding questions... taking the folks first out into the main hall and then inviting those who are still waiting to join us for lunch, dinner or drinks.
For me, that's the real fun.
Cheers,
Ros
Hey Lynn,
Thank you SO so much for posting this story!
Getting to hang out with you was one of the highlights of ASW11 for me, to be sure! Thank you for sharing your story(ies) with me... you are even more incredible than I already knew. 🙂
I LOVED our tete-a-tete at the Cave and the food was incredible too... how lucky are we?
Best to you and yours and I'm looking forward to the year ahead as we work together more to help others work towards the same success online that we enjoy.
Hugs,
Ros
I'm looking forward to that as well, Rosalind. I really enjoyed the time we spent together and hearing more about your lifestyle and how you got started in affiliate marketing. I still can't believe I hadn't heard that story before- lol.
Here's to a fabulous year! 😀 *cheers*
Love the connection of the only two woman that I trust Affiliate wise. Will only be there next year if I achieve this year.
You and Rosalind are two of my very favourite 'women on the web'! I follow you both and am inspired by your work:-)
Thanks for sharing the details of your meeting Rosalind - I know how excited you were to meet her in person. Sounds like you all had a great meetup! Rosalind has become a mentor by proxy because of your advice. I bought the Supper Affiliate Handbook at your suggestion and learned lots. Now I’ve joined Affiliate Blogger Pro and love it! You both are great mentors and very inspirational.
A quick question for you ladies: what would be the best way to set up an affiliate program for a company that doesn't have one yet. The company im referring to has a software program dealing with the stockmarket. They do very well to the tune of 30 million last year without an affiliate program. I have done seo work for them but also see huge potential for setting up their affiliate campaigns. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Chris
I'll be interested to hear Rosalind's response, but I like the new option to have a private affiliate program through ClickBank. This cuts out people buying through their own link, and allows you to hand-select/approve your affiliates.
Perks to using ClickBank: they handle all paperwork & processing, including 1099s, affiliate payments & refunds. Rosalind?
You can use an add-on like EasyClickMate so you can build a mailing list of affiliates, and also include more products per ClickBank account. Unless Rosalind knows another way to keep in touch with affiliates via ClickBank?
Thanks Lynn. I'm interested to hear Rosalind's thoughts on this as well. Who knows maybe there could be a JV potential for us? Let me know if either of you would have any kind of interest in that.
Hi Chris,
Before seeing Lynn's reply, my first thought was that Clickbank's affiliate program and payment processing services would probably suit your needs.
I'm not sure that you'd need to go the whitelisted route however, as stockmarket software buyers are less likely to know to purchase through their own links.
EasyClickMate however is a really good idea for keeping track of your affiliates. You can also require that affiliates signup for your affiliate newsletter prior to accessing banners, copy and other marketing tools.
Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Ros
Such a pleasure to re-read this article more than 11 years later. I am SO happy to see you, Lynn, still busy in the affiliate marketing realm. Perhaps one of these days we'll get to do that vacation together that was interrupted by those wild fires. Little would please me more.