Linda,
This is a GREAT topic. I decided to post BEFORE I read others but look forward to reading everyone else's.
These are two things that I DID change my second time around based on bad experiences in the past. I actually wrote these down a week before I started as affiliate director at HometownQuotes and made it a goal to accomplish both within 30 days. Here they are...
1. I made sure that I did not try to do it all alone and would hire an assistant from day one. I am best at helping affiliates get better and helping with design, marketing, and the like, but I struggle with things like budgets and billing. Now that I leave that to my assistant and others in the company who are best suited for those things, I am doing what I do best and our affiliates are happier and more productive because of it!
2. I became more knowledgeable about the technical side of our system, such as XML, cobranding (our forte), and the inner workings of our system. Because of this, I am now able to ask our tech team "why don't we do this?" and know that it is possible and how to make it happen. Some of our best ideas are as a result of this!
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