What can affiliates learn from Barack Obama

The 2008 election is in the books, and Barack Obama has run away with it by securing 365 electoral votes. I personally didn’t vote in this election, but I am impressed by Mr. Obama’s success with so little experience. If you think about it, Obama passed the biggest interview test anyone can have without really relying on his experience (or lack thereof). For a long time, I have believed that experience is really overrated when it comes to interviews. Having 10 years of experience does not necessarily make you better than a young buck who has only 2 years of experience. But most companies do pay more attention to your mileage during the interview process. In that sense, Barack’s election was a surprise.

There are a lot we affiliate can learn from Barack Obama. He was significantly in disadvantage in this election, yet he beat masters of politics such as Clinton and McCain. So how did he do it? Barack:

• had a great message: having a solid unique message can help affiliates differentiate themselves from others and sell more. Barack sold his case to us with his message of change. If he can do it, there is no reason you can’t sell your affiliate products using the same technique.
• had great determination: Barack was determined to win this election from day one. It didn’t matter that he was an African American. It didn’t matter that he was going against the giants. He never gave up, and that is the spirit that can push regular affiliates to become superstars. If you give up, you have no chance at success.
• had great feel for the game: Barack ran the most effective campaign in recent years. Barack knew who he was going for. He knew the political atmosphere in 2008. He knew folks were hurting and economy was their top priority. McCain, on the other hand, was the master who played the wrong strategy throughout the last 3 months. He spent most of the time attacking and imitating Barack’s plans instead of differentiating himself from Barack, and that led to his downfall.
• had a great team: In order to be successful in any large-scale project, you need to have a great dedicated team. Barack’s team was dedicated to his cause and acted as a real team, and that’s why they won.
• had a feel for innovation: Barack outspent McCain by 4.5 to 1 during this election. How did he do it? He raised money through Internet, Twitter, and other new technologies. Using cutting-edge technologies can often level the playing field and that’s exactly what Barack did. The same concept applies to affiliate marketing too.

Did I miss anything? What have you learned from Barack Obama’s success in this election?