Affiliate Marketing Support -- By David Benton

There are a few advantages of getting started in internet marketing through affiliate marketing. For one you will have a product to sell and another, you will have started a business support system. You should have some sort of support to help you get started and leverage your time through all the learning curves. As people start out to make money on the internet, there is a mixture of hope, skepticism and confusion. It is important to start out in the right direction and avoid wasting time on all the myriads of scams out there. A good support system can help leverage your time and ultimately make all the difference between success and failure.
Affiliate marketing support is important in your affiliate marketing career and well worth the time to get a little insight on how things work in the industry. Forums are helpful in keeping you updated in the latest trends in the industry, what works, what doesn't work and in getting advice on specific subjects. You can also create valuable networking connections there that will be useful in the future.
In addition to getting support from the marketer you can also seek help with the actual affiliate merchant you are promoting. The better merchants will be there to provide tips, support and training. The support you receive will lead to more product and help you promote them. It is in their best interest to equip you with everything you need to succeed and sell their products.
Finding a good mentor is also a good idea. A good mentor will leverage your time and shorten the learning curve. This is someone you can get direct access to and learn from. Avoid the guru who is just interested in marketing their product instead of offering you their help. Most mentors spend time in forums, offering free services to boost their expert status and to build their credibility. There is no substitute to learning from someone who is already successful in doing what you also want to succeed at. While there are lots of products you can find on the market to get you started, remember that the world of affiliate and internet marketing is changing constantly and quickly. It is easy for a product to become outdated with the methods that worked once but are not useful now.
Also beware of all the marketers who show you their merchant accounts claiming they are making big money on the system they are selling. Most are making that big money from selling the affiliate product, not the system. This I believe misleads a lot of people.
You may opt to pay a nominal fee to be a part of a membership training or support website. Join one that is specifically designed for affiliate marketing as well as other internet marketing niches you are interested in.
These are only a few of the ideas for affiliate marketing support. Always maintain a good business support system as you move forward on your journey.

...to learn more on how to build an online business visit http://The Online Insider
To your success!
David Benton

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Benton

Craig Jett: Focus Is Everything For Online Income

This is a reprint of an article I found on Craig Jett's site from last November 2009.
This article helps to refocus your most immediate/daily efforts when you're just trying  to find that first income stream online.
Thanks Craig Jett from Australia for your shared insights on getting that first income stream.
=====================================================================

One of the reasons I haven’t been earning as much as I’d like to online is a persistent lack of focus.
Actually, I’d say it’s the main reason.
Is a lack of focus holding you back from the success you deserve too?
Do you spend your time reading through emails, checking out sales letters and the endless amount of ‘free’ video/audio content and ’special reports’ spewed forth by the ‘guru’s’ and wannabe guru’s?
And how about all those free trials and ‘pay just $1 now’ kind of deals?
I fell for one the other day and paid a dollar to be able to download 25 hours of video and audio.  Hey, when I read the sales letter it all sounded like really good, useful stuff that I need…but holy crap – it’s gigabytes of data and time-wise it’s over 3 working days worth of content!!!
Am I really going to consume it all or will it just sit on my hard drive gathering digital dust?
Oh, and of course that special $1 offer came with a bunch of OTO’s and a continuity deal…
It seemed like a really good deal but is it?
Did I need it?
Will I use it?
Probably not…to both those questions.
Ever since Eben Pagan started preaching about ‘moving the free line’ the free line has been moved so far that you could spend all day every day just downloading and consuming free content from internet marketers.  Don’t fall for this.
If there’s one thing I’m constantly reminded of it’s that if you want to succeed in internet marketing you really need to FOCUS.
There are so many ways to make money online but all you need to start with is ONE.
Pick one that works and focus on it.
Don’t get caught up in the constant hype and end up on a treadmill constantly searching for the latest, greatest money making technique.
Find just one method that appeals to you and focus all your time and energy on that method until it starts to pay off.
Here’s some other things that I’m doing at least most of the time to help me focus on the most productive use of my time:

1. Don’t read email newsletters and pitches
2. Don’t read sales pages
3. Unsubscribe from newsletters which are consistently just pitching
4. Don’t download ‘free’ stuff which you have no immediate use or need for

There’s other things but that’s a good start.  Once you do these things you’ll be amazed how much more time you have to focus on the things that are really going to make you

CLICK HERE to be taken to Craig Jett's site for more good insights about online income