It seems these days everything under the sun comes with an affiliate program, and this is very good news for affiliate marketers. After all, buying on the recommendation of someone you trust is one of the best ways to make good buying decisions.

Yet, there are some big lies being told to people who are new to affiliate marketing... lies that are big enough to prevent any real success.

I call them scams, because the folks who spread these lies know better. They work these scams because it makes their training seem easy and simple. Here are the two biggest scams in affiliate marketing today:

Scam #1: "You do not need a website to do affiliate marketing online".

Reason: This is as big as any government conspiracy you have ever heard of. It is a scam because any guru that tells you this HAS A WEBSITE. I don't mean one or two gurus - every last one of them that says you can sell stuff online without a website OWNS A WEBSITE. Why? Because websites are how you build a list of buyers - you capture their information, and then send them affiliate offers. Without a website, you have no brand recognition, people can't find you, and you fail to build equity in your online business.

It may be true that you can sell affiliate products and services without your own website, but the results you get will be short term and inconsistent. Gurus always choose consistent long term success, and for that, you need the website.

Scam #2: You don't need your own product.

The veins in my neck nearly pop when I hear this one. Just go sign up for an affiliate program, and try selling some of the stuff...and if the company has any affiliate contest or lists their top sellers, go look at the list of leading affiliates. Every last one of them will have their own product for sale.

Why is that?

Because selling a product is a great way to build a list of buyers. It is also a fantastic way to build a relationship - sell people stuff they love, and they will like you and trust you. And buyers that trust you is one of the great assets the top affiliate marketers have, because selling a new product to an existing customer is about the easiest thing to do.

I don't want to twist your arm, but you should know that the big boys all have websites and their own product, and they use it to become top affiliate sellers. When they tell you not to bother, will you listen?