Instead of letting this thread turn into a rampant flame-a-thon (as dozens of others have lately), let's try to turn it into something beneficial.
Keyword research has never been one of my personal strong-points and the few successful PPC>CPA campaigns that I've run have typically consisted of luck and timing.
I would be really interested in hearing what methods you guys use for coming up with unique related terms ... not using wordze or any of the other tools available, but the actual mental process?
Lets say, for example, you're looking at a Find Government Grant offers ... You COULD go straight to your favorite tool and type in 'government grants' but you're most likely going to get a list of terms that every tom, dick, and harry are bidding on. The problem for me, a lot of the time, is the fact that I've been bidding directly against the advertiser themselves. Their margins being much larger (not to mention budgets) gives them a edge that I've yet to beat.
I've heard from several big timers that thinking outside of the box has always led them to their PPC success. Unfortunetely, it seems that I either have a lack of creativity or some sort of mental block. Honestly, I'm starting to believe that this ability is what sets super affiliates apart from the crowd -- or is there something that I'm missing?