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Affiliate Summit West 2008 is rapidly approaching.

I got this timely question from a fellow affiliate marketer and I thought I’d answer with a blog post.

I’m trying to prepare for the summit and I am feeling a little overwhelmed.
What advice would you give me as a new affiliate attending my first summit?
What is the most important thing for me to accomplish in order to propel my business?

There have been a number of “first timer’s guides to Affiliate Summit written, which are all good, and I won’t repeat those here. Shawn Collins wrote a good one recently, geared toward networking, and you should check it out.

Some people, overplan, in my opinion. I have friends that are in non-stop pre-scheduled meetings with their merchant partners. So much that I often see them holed up in a corner and I can’t even get in a “hello”.

Some people stick to their buddies too much. Like the over-scheduler, they’re unavailable because they’re constantly surrounded by their friends, or in some cases groupies.

As for me, I tend to underplan, and I have a lot of friends, so I need to watch out for the second case. Thankfully, no groupies.

In my opinion, the single most important thing that you can do at affiliate summit is to meet people, and while it can seem overwhelming, opportunities to do so abound.

1. Go to the Meet Market and the reception Cocktail party on Sunday. Mill around and visit the different companies who have tables. Sometimes you’ll get a sales pitch and sometimes you’ll just get a handshake with a friendly person who may be able to do something for you in the future, or vice versa.

2. Go to the sessions. Hopefully you’ll learn something at every session you attend, but if I do, I consider it a bonus. Sit down next to someone that you don’t know and just say a quick “hi” and introduce yourself. Share a chuckle or a comment during the presentation. Remember the name and face so you can flash a smile later on.

3. Go to the lunches. Sit down with some people you don’t know. Introduce yourself and just be friendly.

4. Wander through the exhibits. Chat with people in the booths. 99% of them won’t have anything to offer you, but try to learn something about what they do and and don’t be afraid to get out of a conversation early. Be sure to get some swag and tchotchkes.

5. Go to the parties. (duh!) Find out what these parties are BEFORE the conference and RSVP to get your name on the list. Most of the time you can get in anyway, or get an invite at the booth, but it never hurts to make sure you’ve got your in. Don’t burn yourself out, but don’t go to bed too early. Some of my best contacts and friendships have been made well after the official events are over for the day.

Personally, I like to keep the attitude that there may be something that I can do for any person that I meet. This goes beyond the standard merchant-affiliate relationship. While those are great opportunities to find, it is pretty rare that I meet someone who I’m immediately going to earn money with. It’s actually much simpler than that. I go into a conversation just to get to know someone, what they do, and who they are. I may know someone else that they need to know. I may have advice or suggestions on what they do. I may just make a friend.

If I come across as friendly and helpful, it usually comes back in spades. And there’s always people I need to know and advice and information that I need to get.

As an affiliate, you never know what’s going to happen in the coming months and one of those people you meet may have something you need… A friendly affiliate manager or network rep will respond with quick approval into a program, some special information that they don’t give out to all affiliates, and maybe higher commission rate that they reserve for the VIPs.

Affiliates tend not to share much with people they don’t know, so earning the trust and friendship of some other affiliate marketers is pure gold.

My goal is to to be able to later meet or call on anyone I have met and be able to say, “hey, remember me?” and the answer be something like “Hey Scott, yeah, Affiliate Summit West…”

If you see me at Affiliate Summit, please do introduce yourself, even if it’s for a ten second handshake. I promise I’ll remember you later.

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