Affiliate Programs Explained in Plain, Simple English

By Declan Dunn
Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2004

This article was written in response to a request for an easy to understand presentation of affiliate programs. I wrote this to deal with people unfamiliar with the Internet, but interested in the possibilities.

There are certain days when you feel your life change profoundly, days you remember for a lifetime.

I will remember today forever, because it is the day I found out how to finally make the Internet profitable for
virtually anyone.

My name is Declan Dunn and since 1994 I have been running my business on the Internet. I have consulted with companies ranging from ABC and PBS to my local real estate appraiser. Working out of my home office in the secluded foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, I thought I had it all.

Problem was, I really did not have a passion for making ABC a success. What I do have a passion for is helping people find a way to tap into this economic engine called the Internet. Six months ago I dropped all my major clients and went looking for a way to help the average person take advantage now.

Today I am writing checks to affiliates who live from Shanghai to San Francisco, empowering themselves to
succeed. A journalist in Australia works one day a week and makes $1,000; I am part of his success. And this is just the beginning.

If you grant me a few minutes, I will share with you the power of what I discovered and how you can benefit.

Where the Internet is Going

The Internet is in the midst of a great consolidation. Make no mistake about it, the brick and mortar powerhouses are sinking their teeth into the Internet, trying to turn the vast array of stores and Web Sites into portals, or entry points, that they own.

How can an individual survive on the Internet today? Two words; affiliate programs. Let me explain...

In the early days, people tried to join Internet Malls, where they were given Web Sites and "self replicating" Web Pages. The result were Internet flea markets filled with all sorts of products, and very few sales.

Never have so many worked so hard to create so little. It was like having a bunch of lemonade stands sitting around, and no one driving by.

Worst of all, the overwhelming amount of choices actually stop customers from buying. Mix this with the lack of decent marketing materials and support, and you discover why this dream is quickly slipping away.

That is why affiliate programs are so powerful; you are given the marketing tools and excellent products to sell for free. All you have to do is market.

Look at affiliate programs and you see the ultimate business opportunity on the Internet; no cost, no
obligation, and free testing until you find the products that move from vendors who are the backbone of the Internet revolution.

These are not fly by night companies; from Amazon.com to OfficeMax to Sony, the big companies are embracing affiliate programs. They need you to complete the picture.

Discover the Quiet Internet Revolution Called Affiliate Programs

A powerful, new marketing tool is emerging on the Internet called affiliate programs. The most famous example is Amazon.com. If you have ever clicked on one of its sales links and bought a book, you already know how easy it is. You get the book, the Web Site gets paid for the sale, and Amazon.com adds another customer to its multimillion dollar business.

That Web Site is called an affiliate of Amazon; they take two minutes to sign up, grab the book cover and descriptive text from Amazon, then point people via their special link which tracks the order. All an affiliate does is market; there is no risk, no inventory, no shipping, and no order processing. You just cash the check from Amazon.

Now everyone is focusing on how to be Amazon.com, a pipe dream that would take millions of dollars. What I found was that Amazon has over 150,000 affiliates, people who want to sell books from their email lists, Web Sites, and even in the real world.

I have dedicated my efforts to showing affiliates how to succeed in this amazing market. The success stories come from around the world, from people just like you,
including:
The writer in Australia who was working for a newspaper with 10,000 subscribers. A few months later, he quit his job. He writes on the beach to an Internet subscriber list of over 6,000 people, with little cost. He makes his money as an affiliate, selecting products to offer. With one email, he moved over 100 of my books to his subscribers in less than two weeks.

Best of all, his subscribers signed up as affiliates and in my system, he continues to make 10% for every sale they make. Talk about putting your business on autopilot!

The engineer who started a Web Site about his passion, robots. He sells books, videos, and toys, generating extra income with little effort. He recently doubled his monthly sales, and will likely achieve even more growth with little effort.

The Web Site that donates part of its earnings from affiliate programs to needy non-profits, generating over
$180,000 to 40 plus non-profits in its first year.

Where else but the Internet could you have this kind of freedom, this kind of democracy, this kind of economic clout, without mortgaging your house or taking food off your kid's table.

If you are an affiliate you have:

1)No Inventory, Delivery or Stocking of Products

2)No Order Processing or Merchant Credit Card Account Needed

3)None of the risk or headaches of an expensive, debt-ridden retail business

The opportunity to test out products virtually for free, determine which ones pull, and focus solely on marketing.
All you have to do is get people to the door and buy.

Thousands are profiting with affiliate programs, people who are no smarter than you are, no more experienced, but who seem to know exactly what to do. If your Internet business isn't generating significant income (and I mean at least $2,000 a month), here's the reason why.

You probably don't yet understand how to get customers to buy online, easily.

With affiliate programs, you may hit upon a powerful opportunity that you have never considered, even though it is right before your eyes.

Why Affiliate Programs Give You The Unfair Advantage on the Internet

The real Internet revolution is not based on technology, but on the home. In the early part of the 20th century, most people worked from their homes or farms. By the 1980s, this totally reversed; most people worked at companies and factories.

The Internet is changing all of this back to the home. To succeed in a home based business, you have to get the right products to offer, and the freedom to pick and choose the ones that make you the most money.

Affiliate programs are so powerful because:

A. You control everything. Thousands of programs are available. You get the marketing materials and license to resell products with little or no risk. It takes a few minutes to sign up directly with each merchant. If you do not like a merchant, you drop them and find another. An abundance of affiliate programs exist, so they have to cater to you.

B. You do not have to put all your eggs in one company's basket. You pick and choose the best products, the best profit margins, and the programs that give you the best return. By selecting from a group of merchants who each pay you a check, you spread out the opportunity and minimize your risk. If one company goes belly up, your other programs continue to pay, and you simply replace the the old one with a new, better program.

C. The income potential is virtually unlimited. You can earn up to 50% margins, and hundreds of dollars, on a single sale. You have an unlimited selection of products to choose from. This business can be run in your spare time or as a full time business. Best of all, they do all the shipping, order processing, and headaches of employees.
You are free to focus solely on making money.

D. Now is the time to take advantage of this dramatic shift towards affiliate programs. This industry is brand
new and fueled by some of the richest companies. They want you and have to do everything to keep you happy. Rest assured that the ones who join now will be the ones profiting in the future.

E. It doesn't matter where you live; you can do this anywhere. I live near Paradise, California, living where I
want and working with the people I like. Paradise is not a dream, it's not a place - it's a lifestyle you can choose.
Whatever Paradise means to you - working for yourself, making more money, or just having more time to do what you want - you are holding the key to a lucrative door with affiliate programs.

F. It is so much fun. You determine your own worth and join with people who, just like you, don't want someone telling them what they are worth in terms of salary. Think in terms of time, how much free time you can have while your affiliate programs run on autopilot. There is nothing like coming home from a relaxing walk in the woods and finding ten new orders on your desk, and knowing that you don't have to do a thing. You have done your work.

G. Start up costs are virtually zero. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. Some of my most successful affiliates don't depend on Web Sites, they rely on email to remind people to buy from them. This is the type of business that doesn't even need a garage. All you need are two plugs; one to plug your computer in, the other to plug your phone line into your computer. It's that simple.

H. You get free, effective training. You must have an easy to follow system that people can use and share with others.
For example, in my affiliate sales training system, I give my affiliates five immediate lessons on how to profit with our program. Any of my affiliates who sign up others get this automatically, empowering them to build their network.

In fact there's one company out there right now who is using my system as a means to increase sales and help their affiliates learn how to effectively sell on the Internet.
All they do is sign people up to learn how to:

Create an automated system that pays you to just market. Generate visitors and put your Internet sales system on autopilot. Offer products that people are buying. Sounds simple, but few people are doing it! Offer products that are easy to sell to your target audience.

The real power of affiliate programs is in the tested, proven system that you plug into.

As the saying goes, why create mediocrity when you can copy genius?

The Internet is not about bits and bytes, it's about people working together in a network. From Shanghai to San Francisco, affiliates are tapping into the power of this revolutionary system.

I invite you to check it out at Active Marketplace

Don't settle for high risk ventures; affiliate programs are the next wave of Internet business. Most people have frankly wasted years with Internet malls and self replicating pages.

Rarely in life do you get a second chance to succeed. Affiliate programs can give you the chance to live where you want, build your business in the long run, and earn residual income while you stroll the beach, walk in the woods, or simply spend more time with the people you care about.

It's that simple...and that profound. And it is happening right now, as you read these words.

Declan Dunn 6960 Ridgeway, Magalia, CA. 95954 Phone: (800)
280-9807 or (530) 873-3637 Fax: (530) 873-0192

Declan Dunn offers consultations, seminars, and training to
Web businesses, developers, ISP's, and consultants. E-mail
dunn@activemarketplace.com or call (530) 873-3637 with
questions. All materials Copyright Michael
Declan Dunn and ADNet International.All Rights Reserved.