Thousands of people try their hand at affiliate marketing as a way to make a substantial income from home every year, yet only a handful are ever able to make their online business their primary source of income, and make their dreams of starting an at home business a reality. I have identified 3 areas in which all successful affiliate marketers excel that separate them from the vast number of those who fail at making money online:

1. Patience
2. Willingness to try new ideas
3. Commitment to succeed

I listed patience first because I believe that this is the single most important differentiating factor when it comes to determining your ability to be successful with any internet marketing campaign.

There are a lot of affiliate marketing programs out there that promise to show you how to make life-changing money right away. While the majority of these kinds of programs will provide you with valuable information when it comes to making money online, the fact is that you will not make thousands of dollars per day within your first week of starting your affiliate marketing campaign. It is very easy to get sucked into the get rich quick hype, and when you don't see your bank account over-flowing after a few weeks, start thinking that affiliate marketing isn't as great of a home business idea as you originally thought.

You need to remember to stay the course, be patient and realize that success does not come overnight. Every online success story starts with someone that continued to believe in themselves and what they were doing. They remained persistent in achieving their goals and did not set unrealistic expectations for themselves.

The second key to success is a willingness to try new ideas. There are many different ways to run an online marketing campaign, and what works for someone else, may not necessarily work for you. As with any sales position, you want to find your personal style that is comfortable and natural for you. You should never limit yourself to just one or two marketing techniques; experiment with a bunch of different ideas and see which ones you enjoy. When you are having fun and enjoying your online business, your potential customers will feel your enthusiasm, and it will translate into converting more sales.

The truth is that there are people out there making hundreds of thousands of dollars every year with affiliate marketing, but this didn't happen for them overnight. Like anything else that you desire to be great at, making money online requires commitment, practice and constant learning and improvement. Did Albert Pujols become the greatest baseball player of our generation overnight? Of course not - he spent years refining his skills and techniques to become an expert in his craft.

The same rules apply to affiliate marketing. While it is certainly possible to start making money quickly, it will take time for you to hone your skills and begin making life-changing sums of cash from your online business. Making substantial amounts of money online is a real possibility, but you need to set realistic expectations, be willing to try new ideas, and commit to your own success. You will encounter many hurdles on the road towards affiliate marketing success, but if you follow these keys, your dream of earning life-changing money from home will eventually come true.