To Affiliate or Not To Affiliate...Is That The Question?
By Len Thurmond   ©2004 All Rights Reserved

Working affiliate programs, or your own programs for that matter, is a job. A hard job. One that requires a great deal of work and dedication to achieve success. Nothing in this life is free. But once you've persevered and climbed to the summit of Mt. Success, the maintenance of that lofty peak is relatively painless. This is the pinnacle that we all strive to reach. Those who work at it hard enough will achieve their goals and find their financial freedom, while those who continue to look for the easy ascent will continually find themselves lost in the forests of the foothills, with gremlins and goblins biting at their heels. Obviously, the best path through the forest, is the path which leads to the marketing of your own products. (Why split the profits with someone else when you can keep it all for yourself?) This, however, is much easier said than done. Oh yea, I know, everywhere you turn they're telling you how easy it is, but think about it for a minute. There are literally thousands of people throwing together ebooks by compiling other peoples thoughts and presenting them as the best of... whatever. Chapters of opinions shuffled together like so many cards and dealt out as the best new get rich quick game since Blackjack! This will no longer be tolerated!. The 21st Century netpreneur has gotten wise to this tactic, and no longer buys into the hype they read, unless they recognize and respect the author, and even then a sloppy composition of replicated drivel will ruin the 'reputation' of the once respected entrepreneur. (Their most valuable commodity) Coming up with a quality product (not to mention a respected and recognizable name) takes a lot of time, imagination, research and money! Enter the Affiliate Program. The affiliate program is a win win situation for everyone. The creator of these products gets invaluable free advertising and only has to split his profits with those who are successful at making him money, while... By working off of the good name and success of the products creator, hardworking, dedicated and imaginative 'Marketeers' can attain an instant income from marketing such affiliate products. That said... The biggest and most often committed mistake is to take on too many programs at once. You can make a lot more money by picking and concentrating on 1 or 2, than you can by signing up for everything that comes along, in hopes that one of them will work. Success demands dedication and hard work. If you don't work for them, they won't work for you! If you are willing to put in the time and effort of marketing 1 or 2 quality Affiliate programs (and the key word here is Quality), then you can attain a certain amount of success, allowing you the time and money to work on the ultimate goal... Respect and recognition of your name and the creation of a product that fulfills a need. This, I believe, is the key to success. Take your time. Do the research and give the people something that they want and need! What they don't need is another card game! In the meantime, since we all like to eat and Pampers are going up daily, affiliate programs, when chosen and marketed properly, will see you through, while the lofty ascent continues. See you at the summit, and don't let the gremlins get ya'...

is the editor & founder of 'The Affiliate Review'A Weekly Free Publication dedicated to bringing you the truth about online businesses and marketing tools. To receive our weekly email newsletter, send a blank email to: AffiliateReview@Quicktell.com or visit http://www.TheAffiliateReview.com

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