Make Money With Affiliate Programs | Make Money Online

When I started down my quest to make money in network marketing, I found out that it’s not as easy as my upline wanted me to believe. Sure… I made some money but it never really got to that point where I could justify putting more time into it.

You see… it always seemed to be harder to find the clients, get the downline, and keep the motivation than it was “supposed to be”. The hours pretty much sucked too!

I figured there had to be a better way so I started looking around. I found that there was a better way. It was through ONLINE MARKETING. I found guys like Mike Dillard, Jonathan Budd, Norbit and Brian and other online MLM gurus. These guys had a catch to teach you how to get into MLM and grow your downline by markting online.

I tried it and… you know… it worked a bit. The challenge I ran into is that you could only go so far with it but then you had to get back on the phone and “close the deal”. That meant crappy hours, being a slave to the business under the false thought process that it was “My Business”. I was a slave again… to someone elses business and I still made more money in my JOB.

You know what else I learned? I learned that these GURUS made more money selling their system and other affiliate products than they ever made in their MLM business.

So what was the logical conclusion? Get In To Affiliate Marketing! That’s where the real money and time freedom is.

Once I got going in affiliate marketing I was able to start driving traffic to websites, build lists, and sell products that made me money wether I picked up the phone or not, went to a meeting or not (not that there are biz op meeting for affiliate marketing… I’m just stressing a point), or recruited anyone or not. This is truly my own business. It’s like owning a convenience store except I don’t have the overhead, payroll, inventory, or physical store to build out. I just spend a bit of time in market research, site creation, and link building and I’m on auto-pilot.

Please don’t misunderstand me… it IS a lot of work! There’s a learning curve and you have to train and study to get good at it. You have to fail a bit too… but it’s so much more rewarding than MLM ever was.

Below are some tools that I use. Some are free and some are paid but they all have an intrinsic value to building your affiliate marketing business.

One of the most important tools, in my affiliate marketing business is a subscription to the Internet Marketing Advantage. With it I get world class training, new tips and direction the markets are taking, businesses in a box and some of the other tools you’ll see recommended in this list. These tools will cost you money, unless you are a member of the IMA.

Google’s keyword tool – it’s a freebie but it’s a good tool to use to gather keywords and to check some of the research you’ve already done.

I don’t mean I received a check (or in England and Canada… a cheque) for some amount of money… I mean I GOT CHECKED!  And just like in Ice Hockey(starting to get the reference now?)… IT HURT!!

I was recently posting on a forum, trying to find a back-door way into a discount for that particular program. I was quickly chided by someone saying to “stop focusing on the discount (lack mentality) and start focusing on what increase you’ll have by owning the product”.

OOOOUUUUCCCHHH!! (that was ouch in slow motion… in case you couldn’t tell)

It HURT because It was true. Not only was it true but I ‘used’ to think the way she does. What a blow to my ego!

I had been off track, regarding my thoughts on prosperity
–noun, plural -ties: A successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, esp. in financial respects; good fortune.
—->>My Personal Belief, In fact…  “I believe to prosper is to press into something and “break through” to the other side”. But that’s just me

So… why was I in a place that I got “checked”?  Why was I not thinking positively and reaching for the goal on the other side… well… I guess I’d been burned and had little success with some other products I’d bought and used right around that time.  And frankly… I was probably unsuccessful due to my own attitude and views at the time.  Self perpetuating failure. Wow!  That sucked.

Well… it only took this little “check” to get me back on track. I was reminded of my original views on prosperity and positive thinking.

Now… I’m not one of these guys that thinks everything can change with a positive attitude. I heard Zig Ziglar once say (and I’m paraphrasing) that “Shaq, no matter how hard he thinks, visualizes and positively believes, he will never be able to be a horse jockey.” I would tend to agree with Zig, however… If you know Zig you know that he’s the ultimate optimist. I think it’s absolutely key to seeing opportunity and not being a bummer all the time. (if you’re from England… please look up the American definition for ‘bummer’ it’s very different than what you think – lol)

A positive attitude helps you recognize opportunity when it’s there. Opportunity is actually always there… we just need to be in tune to it. When we are in tune to it, focused on it, or looking for it, we’ll see it. Then it’s up to you to decide if you should act on it.
You see… if we’re open to possibilities, have a positive outlook or have our mind in a certain direction, that’s what our mind will see and focus on. It’s like my friend who is always looking down… and dog gone it! He ALWAYS seems to find money on the ground… not just pennies either… I mean 20 dollar bills and bigger sometimes. Or… have you ever gotten interested in a certain type of car? You’re either shopping for a new one or you just get clued into a certain type? You suddenly see that car just about everywhere you look. When your mind is focused on it then it can see it. The car’s been there the whole time but you’re just cluing in and there it is.

I’m not going to let that prosperity check happen in vane. I’m going to use it as a daily reminder to be open for the opportunity and see only opportunity instead of road blocks. There might be a business opportunity like hairdressing courses, or just about anything.

I Hope You’ll Join Me In That!!! We have a glorious year ahead and we’ll see some fantastic change in our lives, marketing, business, and family if we have the right focus.

Make It a great and prosperous year!