One of the fun aspects of my position here is that I get to talk to a lot of people in the affiliate marketing world. From the well known to the brand new, I have spoken to every type of affiliate you can imagine.

One of the big steps in an affiliate marketers (or online marketers) career is quitting your day job to pursue the affiliate life. I know there are people who are reading this right now who might be thinking about quitting their day job to go 100% into the affiliate business - and I encourage them to really think long and hard about it.

There is actually someone over at Search Engine Watch who is going through this right now. It is great to see the support that other online marketers are giving the guy.

The post got me thinking and I figured I would give my take on professional affiliates. One thing I have learned from hanging with some of the most talented affiliates in the business is what being a full time affiliate marketer is and is not. So here is a quick list of things that I have learned:

1. Affiliate marketing is not about working two hours a day, four days a week - most affiliates who are successful work long hours and almost seven days a week.
2. Affiliate marketing is not for people who need to be surrounded by people - I think it is fair to say that no matter how you do it, affiliate marketing can be a lonely profession. You really have to be OK with sitting in front of a computer for ten hours a day.
3. Affiliate marketing is not for people who cannot take a financial hit - I dont think there is a single successful affiliate out there who hasnt had a day where they lost money…a lot of money.
4. Affiliate marketing is not for the apathetic - it takes a lot of passion to be successful at affiliate marketing, if you are not excited about it, you should not be doing it.
5. Affiliate marketing is not for people who dont like learning - the best affiliate marketers are those that proactively search for new information. They read, go to conferences, talk to other affiliates, and arent afraid to ask for help when they need it.

I am sure there is something that I left out? Can you think of a trait of an affiliate to add to the list?