Are You Committing Affiliate Suicide?
By Gareth Longbottom
Posted Monday, December 20, 2004
Whenever I get asked why the number of people actually making money online from affiliate programs is so low, I have a number of answers ready.
I feel the one of the main reasons is the way people are advertising their opportunity to the prospect.
Just think about that for a moment, also think about how you are bringing prospects into your program or opportunity.
Far too many new affiliates tend to over-hype their opportunity in the hope of getting a new sign-up, some do it through miseducation about the opportunity and some through a deliberate effort to mislead to get an end result.
Unfortunately, this form of advertising will have a huge negative affect on their monthly online income and also on the way a prospect will react when they realize that the opportunity is not all that was promised.
If this type of advertising and promotion describes the way you are promoting, I can predict your online future for you right now..... you don't have one!
That's right, you are wasting your time and money trying to build a successful online business in this way. If your business is MLM or network marketing based then you will soon find yourself dead in the water.
To build a solid residual income from one of those business types, you need to build a solid team of affiliates and members who trust you, and are prepared to follow you and your methods to get results.
More often than not you can not be successful unless your team or downline is successful, if you bring them in by promising more than you can deliver they will be gone before they earn you a cent.
If you want to build a successful online business in MLM or Network Marketing then you need to be honest and upfront about your program. If you have to make false claims about your opportunity to get people to sign-up, then you need to start looking for a new opportunity to join.
Find yourself a company that has been around for a while and I mean a few years not months. Find a company that is continuing to grow each year and that pays a good percentage of commission to it's affiliates per sale. I personally wouldn't go for any company that isn't offering over 30% commission per sale, unless the price of the product or service is high priced.
Also, look for a company that offers continued training, support and motivation from both your upline and the company itself.
I would also choose one that is free to join and has a way for you to build your business up on any budget and in your own time . If the opportunity is proven to turn it's affiliates into successful home business owners, then they know you will in turn be generating the company a profit. So why would they charge you to join and risk frightening you away with a sign-up fee?
Think about that for a minute and I am sure you will come to the right conclusion!
I would also go for a company that offers a chance for you to generate residual income, (i.e.: get paid many times for work you do just once) otherwise you will spend most of your time trying to find new customers rather than helping your affiliates become a success.
By helping your affiliates and downlines become successful you will in turn become successful yourself.
Last but not least, you need to be prepared to commit to your opportunity for at least 12 months to give yourself a chance of success. I hear a lot of people saying that three months is long enough to know whether the opportunity will work for you, but it will probably take you that long to learn all about the opportunity and how to get the most out of it. If by spending just 5-10 hours per week for 12 months you could be earning thousands of dollars each month , don't you think that would be worth your time and effort?
Remember, be proud of your opportunity and enjoy your online business and that will come through to your prospects and affiliates. Within 1 to 2 years you could be earning more each month than you did all last year.
Stay with it and never give up your dreams.
About the Author
Gareth Longbottom is an online business owner and trainer with the #1 independently rated Home Business Opportunity in the world. Take a look and see if you fit into his highly motivated team. (http://www.quickinfo247.com/7653667/FREE)