Traditionally, JVs are most common between two people who have created a product and are selling it online. But that needn't be the case and I will tell you shortly of a way in which you can get all the benefits, traffic and sales of a JV without even having a product of your own.

But first lets look at the principals of it:

What actually happens in a JV cross-promotion?

Websites promote other websites for two main reasons:

1. To earn income from commission sales.

2. To pay, or earn, favors.

The first of these you might expect, the second is more intricate.

You see, when you're running an online business, your options and your growth are restricted if you try doing it all on your own.

Sure, there's pay-per-click advertising, article marketing, traffic exchangers, and a variety of ways you can draw traffic to your site by paying for it.

But nothing beats personal recommendation.

Its human nature: We all prefer to buy through personal recommendation than by enticing advertisements.

And JV's, or cross-promotions are all about personal recommendation.

The only thing is - as every super-affiliate knows - even if you're offering attractive commission rates, the site that's getting promoted always gets more out of the deal than the JV partner who's doing the promoting. Look at this comparison:

The JV partner doing the promotion gets:

1. A 'notional' favour from the site it

promotes.

2. Commission payments, hopefully paid in good

time but always at the discretion of the site

owner.

The site being promoted gets:

1. Lots of new list members

2. Lots of Sales

3. Lots of recognition

Which would you rather?

Can you see now why the benefit isn't split evenly in a JV deal?

This is one of the reasons why it is more difficult than many people think to get JV partners promoting for you.

No matter how attractive your commission percentages are, you will always be getting more out of the deal than your JV partner. Especially if your landing page is a list-building squeeze page.

But there is an option available. Especially if your aim is to build a list.

You could use a new and refreshingly different kind of site, using a webserver script that gives you a complete solution for building a list and a business online.

One of its features is that it turns the above JV example on its head to provide more of a win-win for both parties. Here's what you can do with it:

As a list builder, you can offer a squeeze page for your JV partner to promote. He then sends his list to the squeeze page, where they sign up to your list. Then, this is when it gets interesting:

Your JV partner can decide which offer page his signups are directed to after signup.

Gone is the traditional method whereby once his leads have signed up to you they're yours, to direct wherever you like. With MVS, your JV partner can choose what to show them *after* they've joined your list...

It might be to his own product, or an affiliate link somewhere else - or he may choose to use his affiliate link for your product (in keeping with the normal method).

The point is, your JV partner has more say about who benefits from his promotion and how. And that kind of power makes all the difference when it comes to getting others to promote for you, and build your list.

This is one of many characteristics of a system that makes it well worth a good look if you want to start building JV relationships. Whether you are looking to build a list or promote a particular product or service, the power of this kind of marketing is undeniable.