Raiders of the Lost Commissions
He sat at his desk, staring into space.
“There has to be more to life than this” he thought.
He’d heard the legends – that there was treasure to be found in a mysterious place called the Internet.
He’d done his research and had found countless reports of people who had gone out in search of online treasure.
Some had headed out, faced various hardships and come back weary, demoralised and angry. During their travels they had suffered many losses and barely escaped with their sanity, only to come to conclusion that they had wasted their time, energy and resources on nothing more than a wild goose chase.
Others had headed out with determined vigour, announcing to the world that nothing was going to stop them from finding their treasure. They were neither seen nor heard from again.
Still others ventured out into vast jungles of the online world in search of this seemingly elusive treasure. These ones reported back that they had actually found what they had gone out to seek. They returned happy, content and satisfied that they had accomplished what they had set out to do. However, their treasure and just how they were able to find it remained a closely-guarded secret, only to be revealed to an elite few.
He contemplated all of this.
“There are too many reports of this treasure” he thought. “Surely it can’t all be a myth? It just has to be found somewhere!”
So he made his preparations, learning as much as he could about the terrain ahead of him and the many perils and pitfalls that may await him.
He gathered together his supplies, got himself kitted out and headed off into the jungles of the Internet in search of treasure…
My Lost Commissions
We will pick up the story of our intrepid treasure hunter a little later on.
But I’m sure that if you’ve had any experience at all of trying to discover how to make money online, or trying to actually do it for yourself, then you will be able to identify with the different experiences of the characters in our story:
- Reports of online riches.
- People saying that there’s nothing out there and it’s all a myth.
- Determined people saying that they will crack this ‘make money online thing’, only to be never heard from again.
- Claims and apparent evidence that it is indeed possible to find a way to make money online, but when you try to find out from the persons who are making the claims, it seems that they are only prepared to reveal the real secrets to a select, chosen few. Trying to actually find someone who will show you the real evidence and not only that, but who will be a reliable, trustworthy guide on your own journey, is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
These are all challenges that can face even the most determined of online adventurer.
Have you experienced any of these?
If you have attempted the search for online riches but have yet to find them, I have good news for you:
Yes, making money online IS possible! Furthermore, making a lot of money online IS possible!
However, it’s not always as simple as some may lead you to believe. Sure, sometimes people strike gold and find what they are looking for quite quickly, but more often than not it requires hard, diligent work and patience.
But where do the “lost commissions” come into this?
Well, maybe about three or four years ago when I really didn’t know what I was doing, I had bought an online course (yes, just one of many!). I can’t recall what this course was or who it was by, but it was the first time I’d found something that made even a little bit of sense when it came to the possibility of actually making money online.
To cut a long story short, what I did was pick a high-converting product on YouTube, create a video on YouTube, include my affiliate link and let it get to work.
Every couple of days I would check my YouTube stats and Clickbank stats but, although my YouTube numbers were climbing, my Clickbank balance remained zero.
What I did next was what so many do….
I bought another course and ended up forgetting all about that one attempt at making money that I’d made with that one little video on YouTube.
Fast forward perhaps a year or so and I had secured myself a coach and mentor who was teaching me what I really needed to do in order to be successful online.
I had made my first ever sales online, I had written my first e-book, I was growing my mailing list and I was beginning to establish myself in the blogging world.
I don’t know why it popped into my mind, but I decided to log into my Clickbank account.
What I saw both surprised and confused me….
I saw that I had made a few sales!
Upon further examination, I realised that these sales had come from that little YouTube video I had made all that time ago!
Now, the kicker here is that Clickbank has a crazy system in place whereby you have to have made sales that have been paid for with a variety of payments. Until that happens, Clickbank charge you fees which get taken out of your commissions, so unless you manage to meet their criteria in time your commissions disappear into Clickbank’s pockets.
On the one hand this was a little disappointing, of course, but on the other hand I felt quite empowered.
How come?
Well, although the amounts I had lost weren’t much, they’d still have been better in my pocket than in Clickbank’s! But this emphasised something to me:
Even without really knowing what I was doing, even without keeping track of things and even though I had made this video months or years before, it still WORKED!
Yes, I’d done this one, simple thing, left it alone and it had gone on to work happily in the background.
No, the results weren’t massive, but hey, ‘lightbulb moment’ – the results you desire don’t always come immediately.
Recently I have heard of two people who have made four-figure commissions that came from people who initially opted in to receive more information over a year ago! They had gone into a high-converting follow-up process and this had worked in the background. No, the results hadn’t come quickly, but they HAD come!
Yes, if you take the correct steps, you will get results.
Now, think of my example of that one video for a moment. Just imagine if I had taken that process and multiplied it, added to it and worked on a strategy surrounding it consistently. Do you think I would have achieved greater results?
Darn tootin’ I would have!
Here’s the thing:
So many people try bits and pieces to make money online but because they don’t see results quickly or, more to the point, they don’t see the results they want, they assume that whatever it is they’ve tried isn’t working and they move on to the next ‘shiny object‘.
But, like anything, making money online requires work and patience.
So, while I had lost my commissions because I hadn’t stuck with promoting Clickbank products and being able to meet their payout criteria, I didn’t mind. Why not? Because I had learned a valuable lesson, one that I could bear in mind from thereon in and also share with others as I am doing now.
Finding Commissions and Keeping Them!
So then, back to our story….
Our treasure hunter, like so many before him, had decided to venture out into the Internet jungle to search for treasure.
After much trekking, hard work and determination he found it!
Yes, he learned for himself that the reports of there being treasure to be found were true!
Furthermore, once he discovered this, he made sure that he was going to help others to find it too.
So, what made the difference? What was it that enabled him to succeed where so many others had failed?
He’d taken with him an important tool:
A map that showed him exactly how to get to the treasure.
Yes, using his map he was able to plan out his route and find exactly where the treasure was located.
More than that, he’d also enlisted the help of a team of people to help him. He had an experienced guide with him who had traversed the route many times and knew exactly where the treasure was located while at the same time helping him to avoid obstacles and pitfalls.
He also had a team with him to assist him, to watch his back and to give him encouragement when the going got tough.
What if I told you that you could have all this yourself?
That’s right – you too can have a copy of the same map that I have used, have the same guide who accompanied me on my journey and have a team of people to help you.
When you click on the map below, you will be taken to a page where you can opt-in to watch a free video.
I strongly advise that you do this. This video will give you the introduction and background to the very system that I have used myself and am still using now.
This is the very system that has led to many people earning thousands of dollars each month.
Will you find Internet riches from this? Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not.
It will all depend on the action you take.
If you remain determined, take action and make use of the map, the guide and the helpers, then you will be much closer to reaching the treasure that so many search for yet never find.
Just like our intrepid adventurer, I want you to succeed.
But just whether or not you will do that is down to you.
Just click the treasure map, watch the video and get hold of this potentially life-changing system.
Over to you….
What things have you learned in your online adventures?
Have you had any negative experiences that you have learned from and been able to view as positive?
Let me know by leaving a comment below!
Hey Glenn,
What have I learned? I’ve learned too much LOL but I would say I’ve come to the realization of the importance of networking, reciprocation, value, and tracking. Although these things were constantly put in my face, it took me a while to stay consistent with them and to really see how vital they are for anyone to succeed online.
It’s funny how you told the story about clickbank because the same exact thing happened to me LOL. Yes I was stoked when I saw that I was getting sales but the fact that i was getting charged wasn’t motivation either LOL. But you live and learne right? But I eventually mustered up the energy to learn from my mistakes and rolled with the punches.
Thanks for sharing Glenn! Have a good one!
Sherman Smith recently posted…How These 31 Successful Bloggers Overcame Failure
Hi Sherman,
Yep, all those things are important. I think it can take indeed take time for some things to truly sink in, no matter how many times they’re put in front of us or even, at times, how obvious they are. Sometimes we have to have that “Aha!” moment for ourselves and see how everything ‘clicks’.
We all make mistakes and we’re all learning all the time, at least we should be. The key is to never give up and, as you say, to do what works consistently.
Thanks for sharing your experience, bud. 🙂
»Glenn«
Glenn Shepherd recently posted…EMA Podcast 005: “How Do You View Yourself?”
Hi Glenn,
I love your analogy and found it so true. I have to tell you I sure got a kick out of it!
We all come online and there are treasure maps all over the place. We may pick one and then never find it, we try again…no luck. But I do believe that we all need a mentor…someone to “coach us” to the right direction.
Because we are all different and have many ways to choose from to market it is our responsibility to be very clear on what we would like to dedicate ourselves to in the long run. Then, go out and find the coach that fits.
It is from my own experience that I say this. I did follow some treasure maps, but I wasn’t very clear myself. After many courses and “mistakes” it did take me time to realize what I wanted to do. But those mistakes to me were worth more than gold. For they were good learning lessons.
Having an online business takes time. People can flash all the “get rich quick” ideas to me but in truth I know it is impossible because I had and still do have an offline service business and it took about two years for that to start to grow.
I am crazy about this post! Keep them coming….
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted…How To Keep Your Blog Going When You Are Unplugged
Hi Donna,
I definitely believe that having a coach/mentor can make all the difference. Yes, people can be successful without one, but it’s never a bad idea to invest in someone who has more knowledge, experience and expertise than yourself and can give you help and even a kick in the pants when necessary! I know that getting one made all the difference to me.
Also, look at some of the biggest names in the industry, or in any industry for that matter. Even the most successful of people have mentors. Okay, not all, but a lot do. Why? Because it makes a difference.
it sure does take time to truly get things working properly. Yes, people CAN have overnight success, but this is the rarity rather than the norm and it rarely becomes the foundation for a good, long-term business model.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. I hope you find my latest one just as enjoyable! 🙂
»Glenn«
Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Proven Engagement Techniques That Work
Hi Glenn,
Loved your post and it is true that I have the map you are talking about and am going to take massive action on solo ads soon. I have to tweak a few more things and then I will be ready to put it all into the strategy you are talking about.
Your headlines are always the best and I have respect for you on how you put things together in your story. your topics are awesome! Some of the best I’ve seen.
I always take away value from your posts. Thank you Glenn
You have an awesome weekend!
Linda
Linda Schrier recently posted…Four Reasons Why Friendships Count
Hi Linda,
Wow, you always blow me away with your kind words! Thank you so much. 🙂 The most important thing is that you’re taking away value, which is what I’m always aiming for.
Keep on following that map! 😉
»Glenn«
Glenn Shepherd recently posted…Not Getting Results? Focus on the NEGATIVE!
Great post Glenn,
I can totally relate to all you wrote, I’ve spoke with people who believe if there was money to make on the internet “we’d all be doing it” are the words that normally come from their mouths!
I have also met people in certain groups with all the talk, and sound like they have the knowledge and what it takes, and also sometimes make out they are already seeing riches, only to vanish!
One person in particular springs to mind from a membership site I was in about 3 years ago. He was the big shot in the group making all the money, or so he said. When I approached him earlier this year with a great offer, it became obvious to me he was making no money at all, and I now know if he had been making money 3 years ago, he most certainly would not have been in that membership site I found myself in, getting no where fast.
When it comes to commissions, we should always be prepared and know that losing some is just the nature of the beast. We will always have refunds no matter how great our product is we are selling. Just like in the stores, they will always have clothes returned by customers who have often bought on impulse, got home and then decided they don’t want what they just bought, have gone off the idea of owning it, or simply can’t afford it.
We all know some buy items, use or even wear them and then return as well, that is just people and the same people are shopping online as in the clothes stores.
Great Title for your post Glenn.
Hey Ian,
I, too, have heard that objection to money being made on the Internet. It’s such a daft argument though. Not everyone makes money online for the same reason that not everyone drives a car, or not everyone plays golf, or not everyone works in a supermarket – not everyone wants to do or is cut out for doing each and every thing!
How often do we see and hear of people who try to make a success online but fail? The desire might be there and yes, I do believe that anyone can do it, but unless the correct steps are followed then, like with anything, they won’t succeed. THAT is why most fail – they are not doing it correctly. And, as I talked about a couple of posts back, if they are doing the things that they are doing correctly but still not getting results, then there is something that they are not doing.
Yes, losing commissions/sales is part and parcel of any business. The annoying thing with Clickbank is that they weren’t lost due to refunds, they were lost because they charge fees for holding your money, which is all well and good, but if you can’t withdraw it due to their over-the-top policy, then you’re stuck. But as I said in my post, although it was annoying, it was encouraging because it showed that even something that I had created a long while ago, had done nothing further with and had subsequently forgotten about had been able to work in the background and make money! It did exactly what it was supposed to do!
As you know, people often get disheartened and frustrated because they’re not seeing the money NOW NOW NOW!!!! But it doesn’t always happen that way. Sometimes you need to set something up that you know is based on a proven principle that actually works and leave it to do its thing.
I’m glad you like the title of the post. Next week – maybe Indiana Shepherd and the Profits of Doom? Hehe! 😛
»Glenn«
Glenn Shepherd recently posted…I’m a Tortoise!