Zazzle Custom Minx Nail Wraps!
Cafepress user from way back. I know Zazzle is around, but generally speaking when I think of custom print-to-order items, I look at Cafepress first. MAN was I doing a disservice to myself, a mistake I shall not soon repeat as I discovered something on Zazzle recently that is exciting beyond comprehension!
Read MoreVouch for my Expertise: Utilizing Affiliate Manager Relationships
Photo Courtesy of Affiliate Summit
For the first time ever, I submitted a solo speaker proposal for Affiliate Summit. I’ve spoken on 5 panels in the past, all of which were terrific experiences. For Affiliate Summit East 2014, coming up in August back in New York City, I decided that I’d dip my toe into the solo speaking with an Ask the Experts round table discussion proposal.
You can vote for it here: Utilizing Affiliate Manager Relationships
Whenever affiliates ask me for advice, I always recommend creating a good relationship with their affiliate manager. I think there is endless possibility to grow your business when you take advantage of someone who has expertise that you don’t have. This goes for any person, but it’s the most accessible for affiliates to reach out to an affiliate manager. There’s nothing a good affiliate manager wants more than to make a connection with an affiliate, so why more affiliates don’t take advantage of good managers who work with the merchants day in and day out is beyond me.
Why Should You Vote For Me?
I have been an affiliate manager since late 2006, managing a variety of programs in different niches. I’ve been both an in-house manager working for the merchant and an outsourced program manager working for a third party agency. I have been a speaker at marketing conferences in the past, as well as contributing many guest articles for industry-leading publications like FeedFront Magazine, Marketing Pilgrim, and others. I know what I’m talking about, I promise 🙂
Take Action
Please do me the favor and vote for my proposal. You will have to register for the site in order to vote, but it’s a very quick registration process so please don’t let that deter you! Voting closes on March 14th, so be sure to vote before then. Speakers at Affiliate Summit are based on this voting process, so your vote for my proposal definitely makes a difference. If you haven’t already, you can also register for Affiliate Summit East 2014, taking place August 10-12 at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
I’m very happy to report that, as of last night, my submission is among the most popular, so thank you to those that voted already. I’m looking forward to making a return to being a speaker at summit after a few Summits off. If you’ve already voted, please do me a favor and share the link with your audience for more votes! Thank you!
Read MoreJanuary’s Nail Stuffs Haul & Manicures
Last month was a big month for me in my nail art and acquisition of supplies. I already mentioned in my polish addict confessional that I have added over 30 new polishes to my collection. The bulk of these 30 came during January, from various sources. Apparently people think I have a modicum of influence, so let’s get on with this!
Read MoreThe Story of My Stolen Purse in Las Vegas
I can now cross “having my purse stolen in Las Vegas” off my life experiences check list. Here’s how it went down.
While in Las Vegas for the fabulous Affiliate Summit West 2013, on Monday evening I took some time away from parties and happy hours to have dinner with my friend & former boss Connie and afterwards we went off in pursuit of the golden slot machine that would pay for our trips. After some trial & error, we found ourselves in the Forum Casino area of Caesars Palace. Connie had settled in on an older vintage machine whereas I wanted the newer machines with all the video game-like bonuses, so I told her where I was going & wandered off to a neighboring bank of penny slots. After awhile, I decided I was done with that machine & wandered back. After a minute or two playing some 25¢ slots behind her, I told Connie I was going to go to another bank of slots across the way.
After making my way around a kiosk of machines to find which one “spoke to me”, I went to insert my players card and voucher. That’s when I realized… WHERE IS MY PURSE?!?!
I jogged back to Connie, hoping I’d just set it down in the chair next to her. No such luck. She hadn’t seen my purse, but of course, hadn’t really been paying attention. I look behind her where I’d been sitting, no purse. Jogged over to the other bank of slots, NO PURSE! I looked beside the machines, in the old coin areas that are merely decorative now, and under all the chairs. WHERE IS MY PURSE?!
I’m glad I was with Connie, because she had the presence of mind to tell me to go tell a security guard that I’d lost my purse. I’m not sure I’d have thought of that in my panic.
The security guard radios it in and I take him to where I last saw my purse, the first machine with the bonuses. He asked how long ago was it, and was I SURE that’s where I last left it.
It’s a good thing I have a photographic and sensory memory. I told him it was less than 5 minutes because the last time I had my purse I remember vividly pulling a cough drop out & putting it in my mouth. The cough drop is still in my mouth & not even halfway gone. See? There’s the wrapper sitting in the ashtray next to the machine. I could still taste the lip butter I’d put on from inside my purse and, of course, the last thing I remember was tilting my phone out to see that it was just before 11 o’clock. So yeah, I’m sure.
I tell him the general description of my purse (again, very vivid since it was a Christmas present) and he makes some calls. He points himself towards a specific camera in the ceiling and waves, which is when I start to remember the MANY shows I’ve seen on cable about how well oiled a machine the surveillance system at Las Vegas casinos are. We wait awhile, the security guard explaining that they’re putting a rush on looking at the tapes and if a cleaning person or server picked it up, it’ll take 10-20 minutes for them to get back to their stations to report the found object.
My LuLu Rouched Clutch
After waiting a few minutes with Connie for someone to turn it in, crying a bit because I can’t believe what an idiot I am to lose my purse, the guard decides that it’s been enough time waiting to hear someone turned it in that he’s going to go ahead and take me to the security booth to fill out an official incident report so they can “continue their investigation”. Connie assures me that she’ll wait right there for me, and I head off.
Of course, after I fill out the incident report, my current boss Roger, his friend, and my co-worker Randy come wandering by. Randy, being the consummate joker, asks if I’m in trouble of course. I tell them that I lost my purse & Roger says to text him when I get my phone back. Like Connie, they all tell me to think positive & that they’re sure it’ll turn up. Being a pessimist, I was seriously doubting that.
The guard tells me he has to get back, but another person on their team, a woman, was going to come talk to me. I chat with the guard stationed at the booth – super nice guy that actually used to live in the Bay Area. We talk about housing prices and whatnot, and it really helps to distract me from the horror show that my night has turned into. I finally see this woman who fit the first guard’s description walking towards us, when all of a sudden she stops short, listening to her radio on her shoulder. She turns back around and walks towards the Forum Casino, where we’d just come from.
A minute later, the guard in the booth listens intently on his shoulder radio and says, “They think they got the guy”.
“So it was stolen after all?” I ask. He nods. At least I didn’t lose it, I think, but I still have no clue how someone got my purse away from me considering it was more of a clutch with a wrist strap that I had on the whole time (or so I thought). Another moment goes by and he listens in then says “Oh, they think it was a woman”.
That bitch! I think… then the guard asks if I’d like to press charges. Now I’m conflicted, because I do want to, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to the last day of the conference, if I’ll have to stay in town longer, or if I’ll have to come back at some point. So I ask what pressing charges would entail. When he tells me that it would just be 45-60 more minutes of my time to fill out extra paperwork, I
quickly agree to press charges. He said it best when he explained that he’s glad I’m pressing charges – most people are on vacation & don’t want to be hassled with it as long as they get their stuff back, but if I don’t press charges then they just have to let the perp go, and then they’re going to do it to someone else.
Yeah, I said perp. I watch a lot of Law & Order.
We chat some more, about a case they had where a man picked up some woman’s $50,000 bracelet that she’d dropped in the casino & went to jail for 5 years, essentially for not turning it in to Lost & Found since he didn’t actively rob her, and soon enough a manager type guy (suit & earwig, no uniform) comes walking our way with my little silver purse in hand.
YAY! I clap for him to signal I can tell it’s my purse! He comes over and asks me to verify that everything is in my purse, and it is. Including more cash than I actually thought I’d had. I ask about the paperwork and he says it’s not necessary, and that I should enjoy the rest of my night and that they’re sorry for my ordeal. All told, it was about an hour between reporting my purse missing to the security guard and the manager bringing it back & sending me along on my way.
I never did meet the person who stole it. I never did see the tape or learn how exactly she got my purse away from me. I’m assuming that the video evidence was clear enough that they didn’t need any additional paperwork from me. They have all my contact information on my incident report, so if they need me, I assume they’ll call.
I was happy to find Connie sitting right where I’d left her, and flashed her my (tightly clutched) purse as I made my way back to her. We ended our night with some celebratory over-priced drinks with some folks we knew already holding court in the Galleria bar & then I was back up to my room! I te
ll ya… next time it’s over-the-shoulder purses for me that I can keep a better eye on!
Read MoreAffiliate Summit Reviews Coming Soon – Promise!
Everyone who’s ever handled multiple clients at once knows that the end of the month is a nutty time. Reports! Preparations for next month! ACK!
So in that spirit, I WILL post my notes and reviews from Affiliate Summit East AND Affiliate Summit Central soon. Sure, that was at the beginning of this month… but lots of client stuff takes priority! In the meantime, take a listen to the inaugural episode of Affiliate Marketing Fanatics on QAQN – our rebooted podcast with Daniel M. Clark as my co-host!
In that spirit, stay tuned… some awesome resources from the likes of Chris Pearson, Wil Reynolds, and more are coming soon!
Read MoreThe Inaugural Affiliate Summit Central
[singlepic id=122 w= h= float=left]Another conference down, another Affiliate Summit for the record books. The first ever Affiliate Summit Central has drawn to a close. This time around, I attended as a humble affiliate instead of a vendor. Sessions galore were on my agenda for this show, with my only real goal being to get some tips for my sites and Dominic’s, so mission accomplished! I even got some work done for the good ‘ol day job while I was at it!
The mini conference, just a day and a half long, kicked off Monday night with an official welcome party at Maggie Mae’s. It was a terribly crowded joint with a muggy heat and amped up band, so I didn’t end up staying long. Instead, we wound up in the hotel bar chatting for quite some time and enjoying a glass of one of my favorite wines.
I started out Tuesday morning for a day full of sessions. I hit the second half of a session on optimizing WordPress for speed and sat in on a session for merchants on deals and coupons before a Texas style BBQ brisket lunch. After some grub, I learned more about compliance from Kellie Stevens than I knew existed and got some awesome tips from Jeremy Palmer. The day was rounded out by some great brainstorming with Karen Garcia and others on Pinterest marketing and a surprise balloon artist!
[singlepic id=131 w= h= float=right] The Austin Hilton was a terrific venue for this smaller show. It had the perfect sized conference facilities, while being just a block away from historic 6th St., with many live music venues. If you were so inclined to explore further, the metro station was right outside as well. I stayed after many folks left for ShareASale’s Think Tank at Lake Travis, so I had the pleasure of dining in the Liberty Tavern for lunch and Finn & Porter for dinner. Both great places.
Affiliate Summit would not be complete without an Under the Stars party by ShareASale, of course! Before hand, food was needed! A group of us headed to a nice place called Haddington’s, a gastropub where we were not disappointed with the upscale pub grub. Then we walked over to the party at the Hangar Lounge, a three story venue with a live band on the rooftop area. It was a grat party, complete with a photo booth. Brian Littleton does not disappoint!
All in all, I’d say I got out of Affiliate Summit Central what I wanted. A nice trip to Austin, seeing some good friends, and a lot of great nuggets of information to bring back to my personal affiliate endeavors!
Most are not from the conference itself, but see all of my photos from Austin:
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