So you’ve heard about the significant sums of money you can get from doing internet marketing. It’s true. At the higher end there is Armand Morin who declared recently that he is on track to earn about $20 million in 2008; at the other end is the rookie who has much to learn and is likely to earn very little in the first few months. Yes there are the exceptions such as the rookie who earned $10k + in his first month but there are not many of these. You have to earn your spurs through trial and error as Armand Morin did at the beginning with nobody to guide you through the technological pitfalls. It is 12 years since Armand started. So what has changed?

It’s all different today: you have Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines to help you find answers to your problems in doing business online. A culture of purchasing things online is well entrenched and probably helped by the likes of Amazon and eBay. Digitised products and knowledge in the form of pdfs or eBooks abound on the internet confirming the view that we have indeed moved from the industrial age to the information age. The search for information on the internet seems to know no bounds.

Originally an internet marketer would create a digital product or service and set up a system to promote and sell it, receive payment and deliver the product electronically. The pioneering internet marketers who did this include Ellie Drake, Jeffery Combs, Armand Morin, John Reese, Jeff Walker, Mark Widawer, David Garfinkel, Mark Gabel, Michael Rasmussen and many others. As you would expect, many of these pioneers specialised in niche areas within internet marketing, such as copywriting in the case of David Garfinkel. In recent years, affiliate programs have significantly added to the numbers of people engaged in internet marketing. The essential difference is that you no longer need to create your own digital product or service; you could promote someone else’s work and earn a comfortable living from doing so and often there is the chance to earn from growing your team in addition to the sale of digital products. So, many people are trying their luck at internet marketing. And you may imagine this will reduce the attraction of internet marketing both from the view of the internet marketer and the recipient of his or her communications.

“Are Internet marketers today's used car salesmen?” asks Terry Brock from Business First of Louisville on 30th November 2007. He goes on to say: “Are you as disgusted as I am with all the hype about Internet marketing? It seems that every day there is another flashy piece of e-mail touting a new breakthrough for reaching customers and making money.” There is money to be made in doing internet marketing. If this was not the case, top earners would quit the affiliate programs. Why give up $50k + per month? In the better programs, top earners stay and rise to be leaders passing on their skills.

But money will draw in all types of people – a Wild West scenario. So what Terry Brock is complaining about are those unscrupulous people making unsubstantiated claims about their products and services. It is all about providing a caring and ethical service. For this you need to find out about your prospect’s needs and desires. Listen to your prospect! You need to develop an ongoing trusting relationship that results in mutual advantage. From the prospect’s point of view, Terry recalls: “Like Warren Buffet advocates, learn about the management before you buy a company's stock.” Can you trust the person you are communicating with? Does s/he appear to be a genuine caring, sharing and ethical person? Does s/he should like a person that can motivate, lead and teach you or as Terry Brock suggests a “used car salesman” reading from a script?

So budding internet marketers need to do their due diligence checks before joining any affiliate program – assuming that they do not have their own product or service to offer online. And beware of copycat affiliate programs. A good affiliate program must have the following attributes: a product or service for which there is a demand; a reward system that recognises both the individual and the team development efforts; training, training and more training, especially for the early stages of the rookie; a sense of community; the owners must be personally available to speak to the current or potential affiliates; a flawless back office must be in place; access to help on an ‘as needs’ basis at least during normal office hours; immediate rewards with payments directly into your bank account; new product development or additions; the founders’ ability to re-invent the program to keep ahead of the competition; and good ethics. Beware if the program has not changed in the last 12 months. Look at NetWealthMaker.com for an example of an affiliate program that meets all the above criteria. For more of my articles bookmark www.4InternetMarketingReviews.com

Tony Gill