I have always thought of myself as a people person. Being a Psych major, I have always enjoyed talking to people, listening to their problems and figuring out ways to help them out. In fact, my mother just recently informed me she found an old report card of mine from elementary school that stated I was a great student but a little too chatty and a bit bossy. She also showed me an English project I did at 15 where I predicted my future. I wrote that by the time I was 25 I would be happily married and in management.
Now at 26, I am nowhere near marriage but am right in the fact that I have been in management for several years now. A majority of my years have been spent working in the nightlife industry. Starting as a cocktail waitress, to bartender, to Marketing Director, to General Manager, I know every aspect of working at a nightclub. Now in my fourth month as an Affiliate Manager, I am finding that management is very similar, no matter how different the setting.
The two biggest things I have found key in affiliate management are relationship building and patience. I believe that relationships are important with any working relationship. Whether it is a party goer that wants to have their birthday party at my club or an affiliate that wants to start running my offers, they are both trusting me to lead them to their desired result. A great party or a great performing offer is one in the same. Without that trust there is no business. Patience doesn’t come easy for everyone, but is a must when becoming an affiliate manager.
Starting out can be frustrating; trying to revive accounts, trying to get newbies running and doing everything possible to reach out to people without being a nuisance. Funny enough, it reminds me of the frustrating aspects of the nightlife; trying to get drunken people to pay their tab, making sure that everything runs smoothly, keeping people happy and most importantly, trying to make the most money possible.
That
