| © 2004 Rosalind Gardner - All Rights reserved | | | | tedious for Internetbusinesses. However, merchant |
| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- | | | | accounts aren't a concernwhen you're an affiliate. |
| There are HUGE benefits to promoting affiliate | | | | The merchant bears that cost andhandles all |
| programswith your own home-based Internet | | | | processing of payments. You never have to |
| business, and I've comeup with a list of 15 great | | | | losesleep over potential chargebacks, fraud or losing |
| reasons to become an affiliatemarketer. | | | | yourmerchant account when you're an affiliate. |
| Let's look at each reason separately: | | | | 8. No Inventory to Carry - Even if you live in a small |
| 1. No Production Costs - The cost to develop and | | | | one-bedroom apartment, as an affiliate you can sell |
| produce anew product is prohibitive for almost | | | | large itemswithout storage concerns. |
| anyone who wants tostart a home-based business. | | | | 9. No Order-Processing - Forget the problems |
| With affiliate programs,production costs aren't an | | | | associatedwith collecting and storing names, |
| issue. The product has beendeveloped and proven - | | | | addresses, credit cardnumbers, etc. The merchant |
| all on the merchant's nickel. | | | | does all that! |
| 2. Low Cost Set-up - Compared with building a brick | | | | 10. No Product Shipping - The cost and hassle to |
| andmortar store, starting a home-based Internet | | | | prepareand ship products to customers worldwide |
| business isrelatively cheap. You probably already have | | | | could bestaggering. Affiliates never have to worry |
| a desk, | | | | about packagingsupplies or postal rates. |
| Internet-connected computer and word-processing | | | | 11. No Customer Service Concerns - Do you hate the |
| software,which is all the equipment you may need. | | | | prospectof dealing with nasty people or customer |
| 3. No Fees for Joining or Licenses to Buy - I | | | | complaints? Don'tworry about it! The merchant |
| oftencompare doing business as an affiliate, with | | | | handles the snivelers. |
| distributing aline of products in the real world. The | | | | 12. Make Money While You Sleep - What other |
| biggest differenceis that the distributor must often | | | | business allowsyou as a sole proprietor to keep your |
| pay for a license todistribute products within a limited | | | | doors open and keepmaking money even when you |
| geographic region. | | | | take breaks or after you go homefor the night? |
| Affiliate programs, on the other hand, are usually free | | | | 13. The World at Your Doorstep - The Internet is |
| tojoin, and geographic market reach is limited only by | | | | theworld's largest marketplace. You can drive more |
| theaffiliate's ability to promote his web site. | | | | visitors toyour online store in a day, than many |
| 4. Choose From Thousands of Products and Services | | | | small-town merchantssees in his or her brick and |
| - Whatisn't sold online? That list must be shorter than | | | | mortar business in a year. |
| the onedescribing all that IS sold online. There are | | | | 14. Minimal Risk - The product you chose isn't |
| thousands andthousands of affiliate programs selling | | | | makingmoney? Dump it. Take down your links and |
| every product underthe sun. That makes it easy to | | | | promote another! |
| find products related toyour current or planned web | | | | It's that easy. There are no long-term contracts |
| site. | | | | bindingyou to products that don't sell. |
| 5. No Sales Experience Needed - When I started my | | | | 15. High Income Potential - If you have a job, your |
| affiliatebusiness, I had absolutely no sales experience. | | | | salaryor hourly wage is probably pre-determined. |
| That wasn'ta problem, however. The companies I | | | | Maybe there'snot much, other than working |
| affiliated withprovided excellent marketing material. | | | | overtime, that you can do toincrease your income. |
| Using their salescopy, I was able to get my first | | | | With your own affiliate business onthe Internet your |
| affiliate site up in lessthan a day. | | | | income potential is limited only by yourdesire, effort |
| 6. No Employees - The largest expense of most | | | | and imagination. |
| businesses isemployee salaries. Although there might | | | | There you have them - all the good reasons to start |
| be times when youneed or want someone to work | | | | yourown online affiliate marketing business. Start |
| for you as an affiliate, it'sdoubtful you'll ever have to | | | | today andbenefit from this incredibly simple, |
| worry about hiring full orpart-time employees. When | | | | cost-effectivebusiness opportunity known as affiliate |
| you have a project you want tohire out, it is easy to | | | | marketing. The timeis right, and the time is now. |
| find specialists in every computer-related field who | | | | Article excerpted from Rosalind Gardner's "Super |
| can work for you from the comfort of | | | | Affiliate |
| THEIR own homes. You pay only for the project, | | | | Handbook: How I Made $436,797 Last Year Selling |
| and neverhave to worry about ongoing | | | | Other |
| employee-related benefits anddeductions. | | | | People's Products Online". Rosalind is the 'Net's |
| 7. No Expensive Merchant Accounts Needed - Setting | | | | mostrecognized expert on successful online selling as |
| up amerchant account for any business is a | | | | anaffiliate marketer. |
| time-consuming andcostly business. It's even more | | | | |