Traditionally, the word guru refers to a spiritual teacher or guide; one who imparts wisdom. The term guru has been somewhat corrupted from its original Hindu definition. The western definition has come to mean a person who has gained authority through his or her perceived skills or secular knowledge, particularly in the field of business. That means that an affiliate marketing guru is someone who has gained authority in other people’s eyes because they are perceived to be skilled and knowledgeable in affiliate marketing. Notice that the definition is hinged on the word perceived.

Please don’t believe that everyone who knows a little more than you is an affiliate marketing guru. There are actually rather few genuine affiliate marketing gurus out there, and one way you can tell is that the real ones rarely brag about themselves. They just have a loyal following because they over-deliver on their products and their training.

If the term affiliate marketing guru intrigues you and makes you want to find one so that you can be a follower, then a good place to hang out would be at a reputable internet marketing forum. There you can see what other marketers think about the people who are known as an affiliate marketing guru. Social proof is the best evidence you can use in your research. Find out what other marketers are saying to discover who really is an affiliate marketing guru and who just pretends to be.

Following an affiliate marketing guru isn’t necessarily your ticket to affiliate marketing success. Sometimes the gurus are all about huge prices to get into their seminars, and shelling out large sums of money for their products, usually in thousands of dollars. Yes they may be successful, and yes they may know what they’re doing, but they are not always the best teachers. You would be better served by joining an affiliate marketing training program than finding one affiliate marketing guru to follow. The training program usually gives you the combined knowledge and skill set of all the members combined.

Beware of someone who calls themselves an affiliate marketing guru. That title should be earned, not pinned on someone just because they want to be one. There is a lot of money to be made in the affiliate marketing niche, but that’s because affiliate marketers are so eager to learn how to make money. Someone who takes advantage of that by selling over-priced programs doesn’t deserve the title of affiliate marketing guru.

A genuine affiliate marketing guru conducts his or her business with integrity and treats their followers with respect. There is nothing more annoying than buying a program only to be bombarded with upsell after upsell, or signing up to an email list only to get hounded daily by emails asking for more and more money. An honest affiliate marketing guru cares about their followers and has a genuine desire to help them all find a way to succeed.