And the question in the back of your mind right now is: “If you’re not going to sell me anything, then how is your web site making money… there’s a catch here somewhere. When am I going to see the “bottom line” offer?

And I don’t blame you for that, either. Let’s be truthful, right now, before we get started.

Yes, this web site is about making money. Yes, I will make money by operating this web site. no, I don’t want you to invest any money to start your own business. Then what? How can we both win if that’s the way it is?

It’s very simple, really. I’m going to coach you all the way through your first few months of online marketing. You’re going to make some friends here, read some great articles, try out many different methods and tips, and you’re going to start earning some income at home. In a word, you’re going to see that your dream is REAL, and your goals CAN be achieved. Once you reach that point, you’re going to want some more sophisticated tools. You are going to get a little braver, you’re going to see that you’ve only scratched the surface… and you’re going to want to know, what’s next?

When you wake up one day, a month from now, and feel you are ready to get serious, quit your day job, and really and truly make your living online, THEN you will naturally look here, where you’ve learned to trust our resources, and you’re going to add weapons to your arsenal, and we will earn commissions on what you buy. Okay? seems fair, doesn’t it? And now, you see that we’re not in Disneyland here – we HAVE to help you become successful, or we don’t make any money, either. Make sense? hopefully, now that we’ve covered everyone’s motives, we can relax and begin to learn. Shall we?

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate Marketing is what you are going to do while you get started. why? because it’s absolutely, totally 100% free to get started, and it’s easy to learn.

What is it?

Affiliate programs are a great way to get started when you want to work online. You can participate in affiliate programs, even if you do not have a web site. You can use affiliate programs in blogs (which are free), and you can also use them at other free article sites, and in free classifieds sites.

But what are they? Simply put, there are many companies out there trying to sell their stuff. there is plenty of stuff out there that needs to be sold… we don’t need more stuff – we just need more people helping to promote the stuff. That’s why they need YOU. An affiliate is simply a salesperson, who never has to talk to customers, make calls, etc. An affiliate writes articles or ads (free) about good products he/she finds, and makes a commission from each sale that is made.

Without oversimplifying, let’s use an example. Let’s say that I wrote an e-book about working at home. That’s great – I’ve just created more “stuff.” but, I am limited by my advertising budget, my time, other demands, and, if I work at home, I don’t have a staff… I need YOU to help me sell my e-book. I am glad to pay you a LOT to sell my e-book, sometimes up to 75% of the sale. why? because I’ve already created it, now I can create something else, and if I get thousands of affiliates to sell my e-book, 25% for me is a nice income.

[image1_left]Now YOU want to work at home, work in your motorhome on the road, be your own boss, or, you just want to do this sometimes, and have a little extra money for your hobbies, or whatever. You are willing to spend some time each day online, typing up the info and posting it in blogs (weblogs) or free classified sites. You are exactly the kind of person I need to help me… so how do we find each other?

A lot of companies figured all this out, and some pretty sophisticated programming made it possible for Affiliates to help Publishers. A few of them got really big, and brought together hundreds of thousands of affiliates with thousands of publishers – and voila! it was now possible for publishers to make really good money selling e-books and electronic products (like software) on the web, with thousands of “salespeople” helping, and it was finally realistic for people like you and me, with little or no experience on the web, to make an income online – without investing a dime.

PayDotCom is my favorite affiliate “warehouse” for a few reasons: 1. they pay you by using PayPal. I like PayPal because when I am on the road, I can have the money I make deposited directly to my bank account, without having to deposit a check. also, MANY merchants accept PayPal, so I can also shop online using the funds I’ve earned. to sign up for a free PayPal account, go to PayPal.com

**Note: if you have a web site, and would like to use PayPal to accept credit cards (with NO merchant account – a great way to get started). if you HAVE a web site, or need a merchant account, please visit my site for more info at 2. I also like PayDotCom because there are many thousands of products sold there – not just electronic stuff, but hard products, too. This is great, because my two camping web sites are a great place to promote many of the health and exercise related items – a perfect match for my members.

3. PayDotCom has a very helpful user forum, which is great for newbies. I’ve read nearly every post there, and gotten a free education in getting started with affiliate marketing. You won’t need to do that, because I’m putting all the important things you need to know right here on the web site, after hundreds of hours of study.

My other resource for FREE things to sell is Clickbank. Clickbank is the oldest, most established affiliate site on the web, and every single one of their products are electronic!

What does this mean to you? Electronic products are the perfect thing to sell online. they are “instant,” and your customer will receive an instant download of his e-book or software or video – and this INCREASES your sales, because people can “get it now.”

These two resources are your FIRST lesson – sign up for them now. Both are FREE.

In your next lesson, we will look at some FREE places you can advertise the THOUSANDS of products you can now offer, without ever having to deal with customer service, orders, phone calls, or refunds. Sign up before moving on to your next lesson at the link on my web site You have just completed your first lesson! Now relax. That’s enough for one day. You might stop in at the forum now to share the excitement of getting started! Anne Pierson, your Work-at-Home Coach