Affiliations - Mind over Matter
AFFILIATIONS - (Mind Over Matter) By Ed Faust
How many Times in the last few months have you been asked to
become an Affiliate of a particular organization ? If you are a
frequent visitor to E-Mails, and Internet, etc., then I would
venture a guess that it is probably more than you would like.
There does not seem to be an end to the massive amount of
Affiliations available to just about anyone who has a computer.
Maybe I should add - even if you don't have a computer. Many say
they can set you up in business without a computer although one
would think there would be great limitations on your earnings.
Some programs state that you are Affiliates, yet others are
Associates, etc, etc, all coming from the same mold. Usually
there are levels to be attained to produce larger incomes.
Levels can be basic, tiered, multi-tiered, etc. and promising
larger commissions because of the previous mentioned layers. Joe
sells or sponsors Bill and Tim who in turn sells Carl, Rita and
Jim - all of these people providing Joe with more commission.
You get the idea, sort of like a pyramid, mlm, etc.
They will often state that the Organizational Sales team will
promote the Products and Services you would be selling. Be
assured that you are the main cog and without a large effort on
your part, little or no selling will take place. Some will do
well. However; you can bet that the vast majority of
Affiliations out there will probably not make you enough money
to break even. Sure; they will promise you the moon but deliver
far less. I will not attempt to name any companies since this
would not be ethical.
Many of these organizations will tell you that the secret is
promoting this opportunity to others. You are told that bringing
in more people under you will make you more money. Well; yes and
no. The only way you are going to realize more capital in your
pocket is if these people actually purchase something and that
means products or services. If these recruits do not purchase,
it is highly unlikely you will see any revenue from them. You
also will no doubt somewhere along the way hear about how many
affiliates earn six figure incomes. Let me tell you that very
few will ever come close to this figure.
Speaking of purchases, if you can use the products (or services)
offered, then this is a plus for you since you probably would
make this same purchase elsewhere so why not make it someplace
where it could make you a commission. That is if it is not an
inflated price whereas you still might come out on the short
end.
Another interesting area is the Testimonials section. I have
always been intrigued by these people. My first thoughts are
"Who are these people"? Are they paying them to say these
things? You hear many words such as
Exciting-Fabulous-Incredible-Unbelievable and so on. Understand
that many of these people have only been with this company for
only a month or less. What kind of money could they be making
and what would they know about the business in this short of
time? Very little on both counts for sure but maybe they have
their sites set high. When you are new and have high hopes, the
adrenalin is flowing so this could be one reason. I hope so
because they will need all the help they can get and then some.
It is hard to believe all of the people who want to start a home
business, etc. and have no money to start with (or very little),
no idea what it takes to run a business on the web (or anyplace
else) and expect to see the money rolling in within a few
months. The first objective for these type people would be to
read as much as possible on startups for online and offline
business strategies.
Another area of concern is that many of the signees have little
or no knowledge about advertising. Unless they have some
experience with Search Engines, Directories, Newsletters, etc;
problems will be forthcoming. Just setting up your account with
the various SE's, etc. takes a fair amount of time and patience
but since many of us had to trek down that road, we know that
with a little fortitude, desire, understanding, (and good
attitude) it can be done.
Most Affiliations offer you a Website and a full product list to
choose from. The main problem with this is you make such a small
amount of commission from these products that it will not even
pay your advertising costs and the costs for Search Engines, etc
are a major item. Sure; if you are lucky enough to have a high
Page Rank site with lots of visitors, then you could do much
better. The problem with most people who sign in as Affiliates
are usually that they are new to or just starting out on the
Internet and probably have a site with PR of 2 or less or in
many cases, no site at all.
This is by no means directed at the Affiliate Programs that are
well organized and actually give the affiliates a chance at
making some good money. The only problem is that these
particular programs are in the vast minority and good luck to
the people that find them. I have found a couple over the years
but given the amount of affiliations contacted, this is a very
small percentage.
In closing; I would like to say that anyone who is serious about
joining as an affiliate to some organization should certainly
check out the company, check out the track record, ask for
names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc. of people who have
recently joined and also long time employees. Ask if they are
satisfied and what type of rating they would give the company.
If you are satisfied with everything and grades are good, you
can go for it but beware of companies that ask for money up
front. There are scams out there but if you do your homework,
you should not worry about them.