There is tremendous opportunity to make money on the web
through Affiliate programs and various internet marketing
systems.
One of many difficulties involved with becoming a
successful entrepreneur on the web is being able to
identify the right opportunity for you.
Your approach should be to find something (a product or
service) that matches your lifestyle and interests and then
begin the process of identifying a system that will work
for you from both a time and earnings perspective.
If you sign up with an Affiliate program there are several
key things to look for that will have a significant impact
on your success (or failure) as a marketer.
Any quality program should offer :
1. A Business Opportunity - that can provide consistent
recurring revenue
2. A Marketing and Lead generation engine - to drive
traffic to you or your site
3. Support Organization - to respond to questions,
processes and advice
When you combine these elements together you have the
ingredients for a system that can be marketed successfully.
A system that can generate significant leads and
CONVERSIONS. And if executed with passion and persistence
and with the right team.... can transform you into a
marketing expert. An expert that can take your newly
developed skills into the open marketplace and apply them
to a myriad of new business opportunities.
The Business Opportunity
With any quality Affiliate program there should be the
opportunity to establish and grow your own business. A
business that can provide long-term and consistent cash
flow. The characteristics of a quality program include:
1. A high paying compensation / commission plan
2. A product / service that is wanted (or needed, even
better!) in the marketplace
You want to make sure that as your marketing skills improve
you will see a direct correlation in sales and increased
revenue with your system.
Compensation
When you are researching your affiliate programs look for
compensation plans that cover the 3 C's: Clear, Concise and
Consistent. Your plan should be an easy read and paid out
on a frequent basis. Weekly is the best scenario for any
business owner.
The Product
Do your research on the product. Make sure it is high
quality and desirable in the marketplace. Ask yourself -
"Would I buy it?" If the answer is yes, then you know you
can get passionate about it and your marketing efforts will
be easier. When you're excited about your product it always
comes through in your advertising.
A Marketing and Lead Generation Engine
One of the most important aspects of any Affiliate system
is its ability to drive traffic and bring you qualified
leads that will CONVERT to sales. Using a reverse funnel
approach to lead generation is a great technique. Instead
of bringing every lead to you (as a traditional marketing
funnel approach would) a reverse funnel applies an initial
round of qualification before the lead is passed on to the
next stage. An example would be making the lead pay a small
fee to get access to additional information on the program
and opportunity. A fee will help weed out the tire kickers
and bring you more serious prospects.
Make sure that the back-office systems that are in place
for marketing have quality sales copy and auto-responder
capability. This will allow you to effortlessly stay in
front of your prospects with a quality message and content.
Support Organization
One of the biggest things to consider when becoming part of
any MLM, Network Marketing or Affiliate program is the
supporting organization and tools/systems available. This
aspect of the program is the difference between being
stranded on a island alone and working with someone in the
next cube over.
Real People
Make sure you can get in touch with team members and people
running the program. The "corporate team" should be running
calls on a weekly basis where they provide training and
advice to members. Calls should be recorded and archived in
the event you miss one.
Some programs now offer a Personal Success Mentor. This is
a person that is assigned to you, outside of your upline
team to make sure you are successful and happy with your
business. Not many programs offer this level of
hand-holding, but if you find one that does its a strong
indicator of how committed they are to your success.
If you ask me about Affiliate programs
I will tell you:
1. There are real opportunities with real people out there
2. You can make a lot of money with the right system
3. Its not for everyone
4. It will take time to build your business
5. You will have to spend some money to build your business
6. It can provide you with a lifetime of financial
independence
7. You must be persistent and work hard to achieve your
goals
8. Its worth it for the RIGHT person
All the best,
----------------------------------------------------
Ray Forrest is an Internet Marketer and online
entrepreneur. He has previously worked for IBM,
BearingPoint and Dextrys. He now works with others to help
them establish their own online businesses.
You can contact Ray at http://www.rayforrest.com
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