I don’t have all the answers
I am actually shocked (and flattered) at how much email I still receive despite not having posted in months. Almost every email I get is a big long list of questions disguised as paragraphs asking how I would get started or what niches I think are best or some other request for a shortcut to success. Almost always questions, I dont have an answer to. (if you dont get a response from me it is because I dont feel qualified to answer)
Similarly, we now have 140 employees and not a day goes by when one of them does not ask a very open ended question like what new vertical should we tackle next or which creative should we use for a new site or which pricepoint will attract the highest profits…
I will share with you the same answer that my employees get.
“Do you have any data?” The answer is usually “No”, or they would not have asked the question.
To which I respond “Well why don’t you run a test and get some data.” Once a test has been run, they no longer ask my opinion because they now have an answer (good or bad, testing will give an answer)
I have said it before and will probably say it again, buying data in the form of testing is the best investment you can make in your business. It is not cheap, which is what scares most would be internet marketers away.
This just reminds me of the old adage - If you think education is expensive, try Ignorance. Same thing goes in internet marketing.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:39 pm
140 employees? That’s seems like a very large number, assuming your business is primarily affiliate marketing based. I’d be very interested in learning the different areas they work in. Could you give us a breakdown?
August 31st, 2009 at 11:09 pm
The business is no longer just about affiliate marketing although that is the roots of the business.
Rough breakdown:
50 in marketing and analysis
50 in technology
15 in creative
10 technical writers (documenting our testing)
15 misc - finance, legal, admin, recruiting, business dev etc.
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
I think you make some very good points about testing. With your relationships with your merchants, how often to they allow you to try different things on their process? For example, lets say you are running a lead gen offer to a 5 step process which you are paid out on a user completing the 5th step. You notice that through other offers and processes you have worked with in the past more than likely steps 4 and 5 could be consolidated to lift conversions. How receptive or willing to you find companies to creating a custom system, or allowing you to test?
Also, I know traffic would be the one deciding factor, but what is your mix of a/b testing as opposed to multivariate?
I hope you have a great day and keep the good information coming!
September 4th, 2009 at 2:30 am
someone once said that testing is for the rich.
September 9th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
This area strikes me most “If you think education is expensive, try Ignorance”. I would just say that through ignorance we learn something from being ignorant fellow.
We discover things accidentally. What do you think?
September 24th, 2009 at 12:22 am
So many people are looking for that one niche/offer/whatever that will make them lots of money all at once. In reality it’s actually many things that make very few self directed people a lot of money over time.
October 27th, 2009 at 11:42 am
[...] if a interpretation provides we with sufficient report to have an sensitive decision. we thinkDiorex pronounced it best: I will share with we a same answer which my employees [...]
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:03 pm
So you don’t have all the answers. We’ll settle for those you have. Now post something already!
November 15th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
[...] with more than words can say. If you know me, then you know where I’m coming from here. Check it out for yourself and then let me know what you think. Do you test before asking open ended questions? Do you [...]
November 25th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Awesome - that kind of response is why your company is so successful. I have had very few clients choosing data to drive decisions over the (often unqualified) opinion of the highest paid person in the room, which is why I’m hoping to largely extricate us from the fee-based pay structure in the near future.