What Affiliate Marketers Can Learn From Dave Chappelle
For a while now, one of my favorite comedians has been Dave Chappelle. Perhaps it's the way he presents his comedy sketches. I'm not sure, but it just hits the right spot and it made me think of how his success translates well into our business.
Don't Fear Starting Young
Dave Chappelle started his comedy career in Washington, D.C. at the young age of 14. When I was 14, I was playing games and learning the basics of programming. While Chappelle was already performing in front of live audiences at 14, other kids were probably doing the same thing I was.
Now you might say Dave is a special person and some people are just better at being successful than others. I think it has more to do with fear and knowing. If we know we can be successful early and don't fear the consequences, then the only thing stopping us is action. In fact, the younger you are in this business, the better.
I have friends younger than me who are making tens of thousands of dollars per month (most notably 21 year old Jeremy from Grayh.at). If nothing else, it's completely inspiring to read about someone young doing so well.
Fear Failure, But Don't Back Down
When Dave Chappelle gathered up enough courage to do his routine in front of the infamous Apollo audience, he was booed off stage. It was toward the beginning of his career and he had to be dead afraid, but he still got up there and gave them his best.
One thing I've learned that has stood out above all else is that you should take your failures and extract lessons from them. If not, what good is failing?
Now you might have expected me to say "don't fear failure" as per usual, but as billionaire Mark Cuban puts it in his Success & Motivation series:
"With every effort, I learned a lot. With every mistake and failure, not only mine, but of those around me, I learned what not to do. I also got to study the success of those I did business with as well. I had more than a healthy dose of fear, and an unlimited amount of hope, and more importantly, no limit on time and effort."
Cuban used his fear as a driving mechanism that kept him full-steam ahead. Everyone has fears. How you use those fears is what will make or break you in the end.
Use Humor To Reach People.
If you've ever watched one of Dave's comedy routines, you'll notice that he can reach people on a deeper level through Comedy. When he wants to talk about race, politics or religion, he'll never come out with an opinion without a nice comedic buffer.
The same goes for sales. A little thing I've noticed over time is that I tend to sell more with good humor than with some sad story or a serious face on. Something about humor loosens people up a bit and gets them to let down their guard. If Chappelle can do it with religion, you can do it with anything you're selling, be it auto loans or diapers.
Know When To Quit
During the filming of his third season of Chappelle's Show, Dave decided to take a hiatus. He did so because he was unhappy with the direction the show had been taking as he began to feel more pressure from producers on what content to put into his shows. In retrospect, although his fans were confused at the time, it was probably one of the best things he could have done for his career at the time. Instead of letting the big heads of Comedy Central tell him how to run his shows and ruin his own reputation, he decided to maintain dignity and just stop altogether. Had he not done so, he may have ruined his name altogether.
So what does this mean for you? Keep your eyes open. Don't quit because something gets too difficult, but quit when you know something is about to go sour. Don't quit because you can't get through a small rough patch. Quit when you realize you have no passion for that thing.
Of course, it's a very fine line but be aware of it. It could make or break your reputation.
Popularity: 8% [?]
