I am on site this week with one of my consulting clients who is a merchant. Since I have been here, many things have come to light that really seemed to surprise this client. He is a smart and successful person who simply did not know some of the things relating to the affiliate marketing industry that I do and I simply figure that everyone knows about these things.

Many times I say something to the effect of, “My job is so easy that it is scary.” What I mean when I say this is that many things I do I consider second nature. Perhaps it is because I have been at this for a while that I consider these things to be simple and to be common knowledge.

When wearing my consultant hat, I have to admit that when I hear my clients refer to something I just educated them about as invaluable, it sends me back to my hotel room that night feeling good…like I have really earned my money for that day.

My point is that merchants, regardless of their size or importance, can always learn something good from a successful affiliate. These things will sometimes relate to their affiliate program, sometimes they will relate to their operation in general. Either way, a face-to-face between an informed consultant and a merchant who is willing to listen and learn will most always end up in a positive light with positive change resulting from such a session.

It is human nature to think we have control. Sometimes we have control and we become complacent and happy. An outside voice can usually shed some light on topics that the complacent ones could not see previously.