Be prepared for the long haul.

Are you struggling to get sales, leads or referrals? Then it may be time to take a step back and reflect on how you have conducted your business so far. For most people failure is a result of a half hearted attempt at marketing an over sold, under achieving product or program. There is no magic formula here, you simply have to learn from your experience.

It is a sad fact that most of us start off on our Internet Marketing career by being hooked on good sales copy, which does not necessarily guarantee a solid product or service. Affiliate Programs can be a great source of income with the right products, and the importance of 2nd tier commissions have been well documented recently. It is also advisable to have more than one program, perhaps compliment your affiliate programs with a networking plan or be part of a Matrix. These should be looked upon as a longer term source of residual income. Again be careful with your selections here. Just think for a moment of all the networking plans and matrix builders that are constantly thrown at us every day. Sure, they sound good, they look easy, but when you really start to dig in you can have a hard time finding an actual product on offer as most are dressed up and wrapped for recruitment only.

For affiliate & networking plans then I would suggest promoting maybe three. Look for three solid programs that offer something of value rather than just filling up a downline. Maybe choose ones that provide learning tools & resources that helps everyone to succeed. Concentrate 100% on marketing your programs and use every advertising channel available to you - traffic exchanges, mailing lists, classified ads, offline advertising, forums, ezines etc. If you have a website then you should also build your own mailing list. This is crucial if you are to have any long term success.

If this all seems like too much work then maybe you are in the wrong business. You will have to be focused on what you are aiming for, and do not be distracted by all the other sure fire winners that find their way to your inbox.

I would also advise that one of the three programs you choose to promote is not dependent on building a downline, but instead pays you a more than 50% commission on every referral. Example: You participate in a program that costs you $30 a month. For every person you introduce you are paid $20 a month, so by introducing just 2 people you immediately have a profit of $10 a month. These figures are for example only, you could introduce 10 or 100. The point is - with this one plan you can be in profit very quickly and this plan could be funding the other two while you build them up. The trick is not to be waiting too long before you start earning, so you will be more inclined to stick with it.

Now, with marketing you have to be prepared to use all the tools and resources that are on offer. Learn all you can about your programs, how they actually work, what the benefits are and get to know the compensation plans inside out. That way you can encourage and reassure your prospects to join you.

When you do bring people in, communicate with them. Tell them how you market, what works for you and what doesnt. Do not assume that they know how to go about things. They may not! You will get greater results as a team than you will on your own. Good luck.