The product is already created so there is no need for research and development. As the affiliate you have only to deal with the marketing end. Usually the merchant will even provide sales material for you.

This is great for fast profits, but what about the long term?

Think about this for a minute. The affiliate does all the work on getting interested prospects to the product sales page through their affiliate link. Hopefully the prospect buys and the affiliate gains the commission.

But what happens after that?

The affiliate must then repeat the process all over again to bring more prospects into their sales pipeline. All for a one off sale and commission.

This can turn into a costly proposition depending on the cost of getting the leads to the sales page and the conversion ratio of said sales page.

With that in mind, what can an affiliate do to increase their return on leads and qualified prospects?

Two things.

First, as an affiliate marketer in any niche you must set up your own lead capture page and build your own list of targeted prospects.

This can be done simply by using an autoresponder to capture names and email addresses that is set up with seven to ten follow up messages extolling the benefits of the product you are promoting.

Follow up is extremely important because studies have shown that most sales come after the seventh contact with the prospect.

Give away a free report or a review of the product as an enticement for the prospect to leave their information.

This way you can send endorsements of other related products as well if they don't like the original product.

Second, find membership sites or services to promote in your particular niche.

This is a truly spectacular way to maximize your advertising by gaining recurring income instead of a one-time sale.

Think about what is happening right now with cell phones. You can purchase a phone with all the bells and whistles - camera, Internet ready, text messaging - the works for very cheap. Heck, you can even find some going in a two for one deal.

So what is the catch?

You have to sign up for two years of service.

That is where they make their cash. The recurring income model.

That is what you, as an affiliate marketer, should be looking to promote.

It has been said that it is as easy to make $100 a day, as it is to make $5 a day. That is especially true when you already have money rolling in from previous sales.

By promoting services with a recurring monthly charge, you will set yourself up with a nice residual income.