Affiliate marketing for beginners

There are at least four categories that I encourage anyone to measure an affiliate marketing program against. They are product type, product funnel, sales process, and commissions paid.

1. Product type. Is it something people are even shopping for? Just because you like it, doesn’t mean that others are looking to buy it. Is it a quality product, offered by a reputable company? Is the product offered something you can hold-in-your-hand or something intangible, like access to information or a download of some kind? With access to information, consumers can click, buy, and then have instant access to that information.

Products or services that can instantly gratify the consumer are preferable. Computer software and membership sites come to mind.

2. Product funnel. Once a customer has purchased, are there other complementary products that can be offered to that same customer? Ideally those products get progressively more expensive and are paid for on a recurring or subscription basis, thereby providing the affiliate with regular income.  The goal is to automate any affiliate marketing business so that money can be made for years to come from only today’s efforts.

Membership sites come to mind. If the information accessed is valuable and can get someone from where they are to where the want to be quickly, then you’ve got a winner! FYI, it can be challenging to find legitimate product funnels. Beware of the scams.

3. Sales process. How much selling or follow-up do you have to do as the affiliate? A properly targeted and syndicated blog can easily bring 15-20 leads per day. Is that how you plan to spread the word about the great product or service you have? Who handles the sales process and email follow-up? How much marketing does the company do? Does the company provide affiliates with advertising materials, like banners, landing pages and lead capture pages. Will you have to go get a website to market this product and if so, does the company provide you with one? Will you own the customer’s email addresses or will the company you’re representing own those email addresses? Does the company reward affiliates with higher commissions or more training?

There are many more questions I’d encourage you to ask, but these will get you started.

4. How much money can I reasonably expect to make? How much money can you reasonably expect to make? If you’ve done your homework and found the best product and sales funnel, the sky is the limit! I t takes the same amount of online effort to get a $1 product in front of a potential buyer as it does to get a $25,000 product in front of a potential buyer. If you’re trying to connect buyers to low-cost items, don’t expect to make much. Focus your energy on high-ticket items that pay equally high commissions to affiliates.

Look for a program that rewards you with even higher commissions as you make a career out of it. Most affiliate commissions I’ve seen are in the 10% range, but some go much higher.

Ready to hear about the best affiliate marketing opportunity?

The Mentors Platform

1. Product type: The Six Figure Mentors (the SFM) offer an educational curriculum that teaches aspiring digital entrepreneurs how to get any product or service in front of prospective customers. Any small business owner would benefit from their training as would any current affiliate marketer, or anyone looking to start an online business from scratch.   

Not only do they teach students how to properly target and get in front of prospective buyers of any product or service, but they allow students to re-sell their educational curriculum and earn money while learning! Student members are provided with a website, landing pages, thank you pages, banner ads, and lots more.

Their free workshop is an entre into high-ticket affiliate marketing, Amazon e-commerce, and taking what you know and turning it into an info product that can be sold online. Register here.

That’s a big deal. Allow me to explain. I began my efforts to make money online in 2012, as a Amazon.com affiliate. I had three Amazon stores. One that sold baby-proofing products, one that sold pet supplies and one that sold disaster and survival supplies. Amazon has virtually no training and I failed at it. I then found out about drop-shipping and played the middle man for a water filter company and a for a few companies that manufacture gardening products, but again made no money. I then tried representing health-care products for a network marketing company and NO ONE wants to hear about multi-level network marketing opportunities. Again, I made no money.  

After four years of costly mistakes, aggravation and wasted time, I finally found a guide in the Six Figure Mentors.  

I am convinced that their training should be the foundation for anyone hoping to make money online.

2. Product funnel: The Mentors membership is inexpensive when you consider all it comes with, at only $97/month. There’s a 30 day money-back guarantee, so the only risk is your time. The video training modules are laid out in a linear, chronological order and teach students from the ground up, what it takes to make money online. The platform offers its members three different paths — affiliate marketing, Amazon e-commerce, and turning your knowledge or passions into an info product that can be sold online.

Their program is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme. It teaches skills that can never be taken from you, will help your support your family even during economic recession, and that will make you more marketable to any future employer.

Their students have use of their Digital Business System, which includes this website and hosting, landing and thank you pages, email auto-responder setup, lots of additional training, and high-ticket resale commissions. Commissions for referring business pay $20/month per member and a substantial number of people opt to pay for higher-level training that pays recurring annual commission of $1000/member and one-time commissions far above that.

Once I got everything set up and began to market their curriculum online, I truly saw the power of their platform and knew that their curriculum was the best affiliate marketing opportunity and that this was a long-term business endeavor and form of self-improvement. They give people a way to be more resilient and self-sufficient.

The next step further into their product funnel is to join their Digital Experts Academy that’s taught in tandem with a well-respected company called, Digital Marketer. Its a lot like graduating from their basic curriculum and taking your internet marketing education to the highest level. The training is much more intense and includes plenty of one-on-one and group coaching. You even earn credentials that can be used on any resume by completing their trainings. Amazingly, commissions in this part of their affiliate funnel can be up to $11,000 per sale.

The curriculum brings people into their product funnel for only $97/month and by delivering far more value than people expect, many progress their way through the product funnel and gladly upgrade to receive more training and higher commission payout percentages for those who choose to refer others. They reward those who invest in their education by sharing more of the profit.

3. Sales process: The sales process starts by signing up for their free workshop. I was sold on their curriculum after watching only their second video.  

Take notes while watching the training. Even if this isn’t for you, the free information is priceless and can be used in any business. After a prospective student enters their email address, the SFM takes over and they handle the entire sales process, including follow-up with those who don’t sign up. That’s called, remarketing.

Affiliates don’t have to do any of the selling!

4. How much money can I reasonably expect to make? There are absolutely no income guarantees of any kind. Affiliates collect $20 per student application, $100 when someone upgrades and then $20 each month from their subscription. Commissions more than double for affiliates who enroll in their Digital Experts Academy. The SFM rewards those who pursue advanced training with higher commission payouts. Millions of people all over the world are looking for legitimate ways to make money online and their training is the answer.

A properly targeted and syndicated blog can easily bring 15-20 leads per day. Imagine if you had a couple bucks to buy advertising! 

Click here to receive the free 4-part workshop that will show you how to earn high-ticket affiliate commissions, how to succeed with Amazon e-commerce, and how to take what you know and launch your own info product that can be sold online.

Matt T. Nathanson, Your Online Business Mentor

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