An affiliate program is a revenue-sharing arrangement, whereby the affiliate (you), receives payment from the owner of a product or service that you promote on their behalf. They are also called Associate Programs, Re-seller Programs, Commission or Pay-Per-Sale, Pay-Per-Click and Click-Through Programs.

Affiliates refer surfers to someone else’s product or service, and get paid a “referral fee” or “commission” for every sale that is made. It's a win-win situation! You get extra traffic and sales, and they get a piece of the action for their products being sold.

An affiliate makes a commission that may vary between 5 percent and 15 percent of the purchase price. Some programs offer as much as 50 percent.

There are two types of affiliate programs. They are Single-Tier and Two-Tier. With a single-tier, you are paid a commission for any sale that you refer and that’s it. With a two-tier, you are also paid a small percentage of any sales generated by affiliates that you recruit to join a program. The best tier to join is the Two-Tier.

Who should join Affiliate Programs?

- People looking to start Internet businesses that do not have a product or service of their own.

- Established e-business owners looking to diversify their income

- E-business owners who have an established Affiliate Program of their own

These are some benefits to joining an Affiliate Program:

- it allows you to start a home business immediately

- you do not need to develop a product or service yourself to sell

- it is a great way to start earning a sizeable income on the Internet without many of the hassles that come with running your own business

- They are great tools for promoting your web business

Remember to always read the Affiliate agreement before you sign up for a program. You do not want to do business with a company that has a really high pay out. These programs require you to accumulate hundreds of dollars in sales before they will issue you the first check.

Article © Shelia Garrett. All rights reserved.

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Shelia Garrett has been on the net for two years. She has joined the number one affiliate program, The Internet Marketing Center (IMC) Affiliate. This program can be found at http://www.marketingtips.com/sr/t.x/792559.