money on the internet? Sure, some of them have huge

advertising budgets, which puts small business owners at a

disadvantage.

But some of the biggest names today started out just like

you and me. They had low advertising budgets and fumbled

their way around the internet trying to get visitors to

their websites and sell their products.

Even though they had terrific products, they couldn't sell

them if no one knew about them. They put on their thinking

caps to find the easiest and least expensive way to get

visitors and make sales.

They finally came up with a plan that would benefit not

only them, but others as well. If they could get other

people to promote their products and websites, they could

earn more money.

And so, Affiliate Programs were born! What a concept! A

better way to get visitors to a website and sell more

products!

They offer their visitors the opportunity to "partner" with

them, often for free, to help sell their products. And many

of them offer two-tier affiliate programs.

So if I sign up as an affiliate I can get others to sign up

under me as my sub-affiliates. I earn a commission for

sales I make directly to my customers. But I also earn a

smaller commission for sales that my sub-affiliates make.

It's a winning situation for everyone! The "big guy" made

money because he sold his product. However, he might not

have made that sale if it wasn't for my advertisement. And I

made money because I advertised his products.

The concept of affiliate programs is really not so new. It's

similar to selling cosmetics or other products for many

well-known companies.

For instance, I have no idea how to invent a new cologne,

but I know how to sell it. Therefore, I could sign up as a

representative for a cosmetics company. They, in turn,

would pay me a commission for selling their products.

Why would they do that? Because they can't possibly reach

all the potential customers by themselves.

By becoming an affiliate for someone who knows much more

about computers and digital products than I do, I have the

advantage of selling quality products that I can't create

myself.

And they have the advantage of their affiliates doing some

of the "leg work" for them because they can't possibly reach

all the potential customers in this vast internet world.

A few of the large companies on the internet today that

offer free two-tier affiliate programs can be located at

the following links:

http://www.moneyhome.com/cgi-bin/i.pl'c=a&i=69

http://www.marketingtips.com/sr .x/775957

http://www.mywizardads.com/cgi-bin/ra.cgi?adminid=253&id=559

http://www.rtdwebsolutions.com/i/clickthru.cgi'id=dmh0226

http://QuickPayPro.com/x/qpp.cgi?adminid=1946&id=40550

http://www.ListFire.com/5159

(For this last one you sign up for ListFire and get your

free copy of Web Army Knife. Then you can sign up to become

an affiliate for free.)

The next time you visit a website offering products you

like, check to see if they offer an affiliate program. Even

if you don't wish to place an order for a product at that

time, you can sign up as an affiliate.

In the future when you do order you may be able to use your

own affiliate URL and give yourself the commission. Most

companies allow this procedure.

In the meantime you can let your customers know that you

have new products available, as well as affiliate programs

for them to join. It's a great way to get backend sales.

So there you have it! The reasons for affiliate programs and

why it makes sense for people to sign up. By offering

well-known products on your website or in your ezine you

are in a win-win situation and can potentially earn big

money like the "internet gurus."