Does someone really have a key to you being successful in Affiliate Marketing? I think not. I have listened to a lot of gurus and teachers, I call them preachers who try to tell everyone that they have the best solution to financial and marketing problems, so open up your wallet and shell our your cash to create their wealth not yours.

I am one for paying for service, however I question service as I need to find out how much of support do you receive after you have parted with your hard earned money is the key. That being said before I get hate mail let me proceed to the topic at hand.

How can one be successful in this market? I will give you 15 pointers for the direction to follow.

1)Know your product. Be a fan or user of the product or service. Know the product inside out.

2)Try out the product yourself. You should not sell a product if you have not tried it out yourself.

3)Create some buzz around the product by blogging or writing articles about it. E-books are a great way to give the information for free whilst getting leads that are interested in your product. You can get information from the product manufacturer. If you are not good at writing they will give you the help required.

4)Some manufacturers give you samples or coupons, use them to lure the customer to your site.

5)Find or buy leads for your product. Be careful, buy them from a reputed site or else you and your money will soon part ways.

6)Work with affiliates in your related industry. Do some research on the person you want to partner with as it will be crucial to find someone trustworthy. You can trade names and addresses with them, and also have a joint campaign to keep your costs down.

7)Organize your list and categorize them as you do not want to burden your customer with unwanted e-mails. This will be of great help when your lists get larger.

8)Proper marketing methods is a major step to being a successful affiliate. Start with the free option first and when you feel confident that the system works for you. then join as a paying member. Ask for help when needed as it is the key to learning the system.

9)Ask the vendor if they have mentoring. If you are successful the company will benefit too.

10)People love to win prizes, so hold contests asking for referrals, and give out prizes on a regular basis, keep the interest going e.g. product of the month. Get feedback from your clients.

11)If any of your customers are interested in what you are doing feel fee to ask them to join as an affiliate. If they are successful so will you be as this will increase not only your traffic but your income.

12)I find, if you get your family involved and excited about what you are going to get into, it is half the battle won. Get them to share in your vision and ask then their opinion about the product you are going to launch. Accept their input and listen carefully they are you customers too and their advice good or bad is for free and honest.

13)Have a few other products on your website related to your themed sale. When people visit your site and they see another product you have linked, they may also consider buying as they are mentally prepared to shop..

14)Make sure that you keep all your accounts in order in case of an audit. If you cannot afford an accountant, there are a lot of programs that can help. If all fails resort to writing down your expenses. Do that on a bi-weekly basis if not monthly.

15)Lastly and the most important this business is Relationship Building and not product selling. Take the time to speak and thank the customer for the sale. Money is here today and gone tomorrow. It is a commodity. Relationships last a lifetime.