Your potential affiliates are trying to decide which programs to join and how to differentiate one from another.

So how do you differentiate yourself and make your program attractive? You set it up in a way that gives you an edge over the competition. To do that, you need to know the seven major questions people ask themselves when considering becoming an affiliate. And you need to know the answers:

One: What is the commission structure? Making a commission from a one-time sale is a great start, but residual income is even more appealing. By offering your customers numerous products, you can offer your affiliates a commission each time a customer they referred buys from you.

Two: What is the payment history? No one wants to join a program that has a history of making late payments or no payments at all. Be reliable. Let your affiliates know they can count on you to pay them promptly. If you say you pay on the first of every month, you better make sure your affiliates get paid on the first of every month. When they can trust you, they'll stick with you.

Three: Is this program easy to implement? Complicated systems and complex instructions confuse and frustrate affiliates. The best programs are the ones that are easy to understand and simple to follow. It's hard to get confused when your instructions say something simple like "copy, paste, point and click."

Four: Are the products offered valuable? Despite the abundance of information products available, many simply aren't that good and thus lack value. To separate yourself, fill your freebies like reports, ebooks and articles with high-quality information. And always work to increase the value of your products.

Five: Does this program have a support structure in place? Most affiliate programs focus their attention on the super-affiliates, the ones with the most experience who produce the greatest results. The majority of affiliates, however, don't know how to become "super" because they have no support. By reaching out to these people and supporting their efforts, you can help them increase their profits.

Six: Does this program allow interaction with others? Everyone wants to feel like they are a part of something special. So create a community within your affiliate center by giving your affiliates a way to interact with each other through a medium such as a forum.

BOTTOM LINE: Is this program profitable? Affiliates go where the money is. They want to invest their time and money promoting the products that convert well and provide them with the most profit possible.

If you have a residual commission structure, pay promptly, have a process that's easy to implement, offer valuable products, support your affiliates and offer a sense of community but don't help your affiliates make lots of money with you, you are certain to repel rather than attract affiliates.