Affiliate Selling--Deciding Who to Sell For

If you asked most people why they were writing on Squidoo, the answer would be that they were there to make money. The frustration with this is that most people do not really understand HOW to make money with Squidoo. Nor do they understand that time is a large factor, and consistent work, and adaptability is necessary to succeed in the everchanging market of internet selling.

The people who do succeed, do so because of numerous hours spend improving their lenses, and more hours learning how to improve their lenses. So let me say point blank that if you think you can start on Squidoo today, and earn enough to live on in your first couple of months, think again. However, if you are trying to lay a foundation to earn money online, then you have the right perspective. Don't give up your day job yet, but you may be able to a few years down the road.

Squidoo offers 4 ways to make money by being part of the Squidoo community. If you never want to join any kind of affiliate program you can make money on Squidoo. From lens ranking, Amazon, Ebay, and Cafepress modules. There is no magic formula. You have to figure out how to get people to visit your lens, and buy stuff from your lens to earn any money from those modules or lens ranking. But the people who earn the most on Squidoo, do not rely on only those ways to earn money.

The top earners become affiliate sellers themselves through third party websites.

One of the lessons that you need to learn if you are going to earn money online is that business online is always changing due to laws, and circumstances. These changes can affect your income and you need to diversify yourself enough to take changes in income from one source from time to time. My recommendation is that once you find a lucrative source of income for yourself online and start to develop it, begin to search for another. This behavior will pay off when a company folds, a new law comes out that encourages affiliate sellers to stop selling through people from your part of the world, or a company changes its payout policies.

So once you decide to become an affiliate seller, how do you choose who to sell for?

Here is what I recommend that you ask:

1. Can someone from your part of the world become an affiliate for that company?
2. Does it cost anything?
3. How easy is their website to work with?
4. What is their reputation?
5. What kind of companies do they work with?
6. Is their technology compatible with yours?
7. Is their payment strategy realistic?
8. How long does a person have to place an order after they click on your referral link in order for you to get credit for the sale?

You will find that people that you know have their favorite affiliate companies and for various reasons. I do as well. Right now my two favorite companies are Shareasale and Commission Junction. Both these companies deal with multiple potential partners that I can work with, and they have been the most successful for me so far. I do work with other companies and try new ones from time to time, but if you are new, these are great companies to start with.
Picture above is from Squidconomy - The Economics of Squidoo, a great lens in helping to understand Squidoo payouts.

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