"Where is all the help I'm supposed to get. I have been buying ezine and classified ad builders and signing up for Echecks and Virtual credit cards.

In the meantime I have no business and no ads set up. When does all this happen?

Let's go here. I spent all day on this. I'm running out of time."
I kid you not, this is the sum total of an actual email that hit my inbox this week.

Not only did I not know this person from Adam, this was the first and only email I had ever received from her and to this day, I have no idea what she's talking about.

Presumably, she signed up for one of the affiliate programs I promote from my site and was asking, in her own inimitable style, for my help.

Although I am always ready and willing to help anyone I can, this is most definitely NOT the way to go about asking for it.

Needless to say, I let her know what I thought of her approach in NO uncertain terms.
The attitude displayed in this person's email to me (and she is by no means an isolated example) exemplifies why so many people fail to make a success of their online businesses. 

Think this person is going to last the distance?

So, let's take a realistic look at affiliate programs, what they can and can't do for your business and how to maximize your chances of creating a successful, long-term business with them.

WHAT IS AN AFFILIATE PROGRAM?

An affiliate program (also known as a reseller, associate, referral or partnership program) is essentially a revenue-sharing arrangement whereby you, the affiliate, receive payment from the owner of a product or service that you promote on their behalf.

Affiliate programs are an excellent way for the new internet entrepreneur to start an online business.

TYPES OF AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

There are various types of affiliate programs.

The most simple involves you, the affiliate, placing a banner ad, graphic or text link at your site which is linked to the site of the business you are promoting.

This link is coded with your unique affiliate ID so that the site visitor is recorded at the target site as having originated from your site, thereby allowing you to be credited with the sale.

Payment is generally a fixed percentage of the sale value (commission) or "pay per click", where the affiliate is paid a certain amount for every time a site visitor clicks on the link at the affiliate's site, whether or not a sale is made.