You have finally taken the plunge and made your decision to begin your own affiliate marketing business. Affiliate marketing can be very lucrative, providing opportunities to work for themselves with little risk. Those that are eager to learn, may have some sales and marketing 
experience, and are not afraid of a little hard work, can often do incredibly well with an affiliate marketing program, but where do you start? What if you don’t have any sales and marketing experience?
Affiliate marketing sounds easy and is simple to get started but you do need to exercise some caution. You need to avoid the affiliate marketing pitfalls that so many aspiring entrepreneurs fall into that can ruin your business.
People often tend to get excited when they start a new venture. Unfortunately, this excitement and eagerness can cause them to miss out on key things in their agreement whenever you sign up for an affiliate marketing program. Signing up for an affiliate marketing program, you will be expected to sign an agreement. The terms and conditions of the agreement for both sides should be outlined. Make sure to read the fine print and understand your agreement thoroughly to avoid disappointment and lost earnings.
If you are signing up for a commission-based affiliate marketing program, then you need to understand how the term revenue is defined. This is one of the biggest pitfalls found in contracts. Most affiliate marketing programs will calculate commission based on the gross value of the sale, and the amount of money the site will get at the completion of the sale. This may sound great, but you need to read this part of the agreement very carefully. The amount of the sale almost always excludes credit card or debit card payment surcharges. They also are likely to exclude payment and delivery charges as well as other surcharges. What may have been a nice commission, soon shrinks before your eyes. Make sure you ask these questions specifically before you sign an agreement.
Some affiliate programs are even stricter in their definition of revenue. The commission may be based on the profit margin of the sold product. If you help sell a product for $20 dollars but the company makes a $10 profit, you’ll receive a percentage of the $10, not the $20. This can make a substantial difference in your earnings. Again, just make sure you understand these things and ask specific questions about your earnings. Read your agreement carefully and watch out for odd-sounding clauses so these don’t come back to haunt you later.
Something else to be aware of when you work on commission is returns. Many affiliate marketing companies only pay commission out on completed sales and only if the customer keeps the item. If the item is returned, your commission can be canceled.
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to earn money. You’ll be able to work for yourself, but one needs to consider affiliate marketing carefully. But what if there was a way to avoid all the possible pitfalls…would you be interested?
If you are tired of your job and are looking for a way out, then stop making excuses and do it. Affiliate marketing is the simplest method you will find that can generate life-changing results if you are willing to put in the work.
If you’re looking for help to achieve your goal and want to get started building your business quickly, my mentor and business partner John Thornhill provides an opportunity and a proven path to online success.
To Your Success,
Jason G
This is a guest post from Jason Gounaris if you would like to be considered for a guest post please contact me.
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