Being an affiliate marketer requires some real skill! Not only do you have to be a creative thinker and a great marketer, you also need to have the ability to balance critical aspects of the business. Consider some of the competing interests you must balance in order to be successful.

Focus vs. Diversity

Everyone will tell you that focused effort is a key to success. That same crowd will also proclaim that one must have diverse streams of income. That results in the need to tend to two competing interests. The two are rendered somewhat mutually exclusive by the finite nature of time--you can only do so much at once!

You don't want to stretch your focus thin by working on too many products and projects at one time. However, you cannot afford to focus exclusively on the development of just one or two income streams. Thus, you are forced to find a good compromise between the two. The location of that compromise can only be discovered through trial and error. It requires a keen level of attention as you work and a willingness to make adjustments in order to find the right spot.

Creativity vs. Reliability

The best way to make a splash is to come up with a creative means of marketing a product. Creative affiliate marketers can stumble upon some unique and highly successful ways of increasing sales. Thinking "outside the box" is a coveted skill and one that can produce awesome results. At the same time, however, there are tried and trued sales methods upon which you can count. These techniques have been used again and again and will produce sales.

You need to retain your creativity and a willingness to explore new ideas. Taking risks and adopting new perspectives could lead to a breakthrough. However, abandoning safe, but relatively productive, strategies could leave you empty-handed. The trick is to again find harmony between these competing urges. You need to know how much of the "old" to embrace and when to throw caution to the wind and try the "new."

Doing vs. Learning

One thing is certain. You can't make a sale unless you try. You have to implement and pursue means by which to get the job done. You have to be a "doer" to make it as an affiliate marketer. The nature of the playing field changes, though. New innovations come about, new strategies are discovered. Thus, you need to spend time learning, too.

This is another balancing act. Spending enough time on the work of marketing while simultaneously finding the time and energy to stay on top of the industry's developments and to learn new skills. Two more competing interests. Another need to balance.

Part of the enjoyment we can take from affiliate marketing is in its challenges. The challenging nature of the business is underlined by conundrums like these. The successful affiliate marketer must balance competing interests at every turn.