If you came out of the womb as a brilliant interactive marketing guru, I'd love to shake your hand. For the rest us who weren't born with such talent, we have to learn our craft. Just like the formal apprentice relationships in many industries, your best bet is to seek out those who are at the top of their game and learn from them.

Start with the general movers and shakers in our industry and learn from them. Read all of the articles that they write, and spend time with them at conferences when possible. Although these individuals are incredibly busy (I think they have figured out how to thrive on two hours of sleep per day), reach out to them and request to interview them for 15 minutes on something you want to learn about. Even though they are busy, most of them are genuine, thoughtful and helpful people with a willingness to impart their wisdom.

The great thing about the interactive space is that in addition to the general movers and shakers, there are so many talented people in a variety of niches. If you're thinking about running a certain type of campaign, it's likely that someone else has done it really well.

For example, when I was new to interactive marketing, I needed to start up an affiliate program for the purpose of lead generation. I had no clue where to start, so I researched who was leading the field. At the time, Declan Dunn was an author, speaker and very successful affiliate marketer. I found a conference where he was speaking one week later and booked a flight and a conference pass to see him.

During one of the networking sessions, I introduced myself to him and requested 30 minutes of his time. He was generous enough to give me a brain dump that lasted nearly two hours! That learning session resulted in the successful launch of the affiliate program three weeks later, and it raked in millions of dollars in business for my company in a short period of time. In addition, Dunn's passion for the interactive space was contagious and sparked my passion for the industry.

Once you've become an expert and have had some degree of success in a given area, pass it on. Fill someone else's bucket with the knowledge that you've gained and it will help you too at some point in your career.