Have you ever found yourself seeking that elusive door of opportunity?  The one that's going to make you a million dollars and let you retire now. Opportunities come all the time but often we don't realise the potential until it's too late and the door is closed.

You may not make a million dollars today however affiliate marketing is one such opportunity where the door is wide open. The affiliate opportunity is very real and very lucrative and it's open for anyone.

Anyone with the right attitude and tools can learn to be an affiliate marketer!

The Internet is the ultimate income opportunity. Everyday 100's of thousands of people are flocking to the Internet with a need, they're looking for job's and business opportunities, physical products, information products, social and networking connections and more.

Have you ever given it a thought of who is in the middle of the consumer and the product?

Affiliate Marketers! - to put it simply an affiliate marketer is someone who connects the consumer with their desired product.

There are many companies online that allow affiliates to promote their products and then pay them a cut of the profit. If there were no affiliates then a company would be relying solely on their own marketing efforts and cashflow to sell their product. These companies understand that in sharing their revenue and allowing outside marketers (i.e affiliate marketers) to promote their products that it is very lucrative for all parties involved.

Some popular companies that utilise affiliate marketers:

• Clickbank.Com - information products that rely on promotion by affiliate marketers
  
• Amazon.Com - physical products, household, books, dvd's, food etc - by placing links on your website, blog or other advertising you can earn a share in revenue
  
• Ebay.Com - yes you can be an affiliate at Ebay and make a commission share on any product sold via auction
  
• Commission Junction - provides a platform for affiliates to access company websites that sell products and have affiliate programs
  
• Google Adsense - by advertising Google ad's on your website or blog you can earn a commission for a potential consumer clicking through the ad

1. No website is required - Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization). You can get started 'without' your own website. You can utilise companies such as EzineArticles.Com, GoArticles,Com and many more to write articles relating to your chosen niche/field of interest or expertise. These articles will be utilising keywords (which you will have researched prior to writing your article), the keywords allow the search engines to pick up your article. These articles can then be redirected to a HubPage just like this or to a free blog site such as Blogger.com or Wordpress.com, and from there you can link directly to the product you are promoting. No money spent at all.

2. PPC (PayPerClick Advertising) - Another very effective and lucrative way to advertise with no website at all is via PPC. The financial results are quicker than using SEO but it is a completely different strategy. Please note PPC advertising comes with warnings. Do it right and make alot of money in a short period of time. Do it wrong and your credit card will be like a big black hole. I highly recommend learning from proven professionals about PPC.
   
3. Receiving regular commission payments - When using the larger companies such as clickbank.com, google adsense and amazon you can be assured that payment of your commissions will be on time every time. The only ones you may have to watch out for are the individual companies or merchants who have in house affiliate programs and pay you directly. In this case you'll need to do your homework.
4. Work from anywhere - Affiliate Marketing allows you to work from anywhere you choose, the beach, your backyard, on holiday, the antarctic (assuming you have internet connection).
5. JV's (Joint Ventures) - learning the marketing skills of affiliate marketing and most of all taking action may open doors of opportunities to network with other savvy marketers. When you join with another marketer to create, market or sell a product as a combined force it is called a Joint venture (JV).

Like anything new we wish to learn it's important to seek the right training before jumping in. There are countless successful affiliate marketers who have paved the way already. They have jumped in the deep end, they have lost money, they have failed over and over again until the lessons were learned.

Today there is no need to start affiliate marketing with your eyes closed hoping for the best. There are many products, courses and programs available to help you at the beginner, intermediate and advanced level.

I will be adding to this list as I use and review products that teach effective affiliate marketing.

1. One Week Marketing Guide - Receive the first 18 pages FREE of this One Week Marketing Guide. Written by Jennifer aka PotPieGirl, this guide is exactly what she used and continues to use as a stay at home mum to generate a substantial income with FREE marketing techniques. This is fantastic for people wanting to spend very little and see results.
2. Tycoon Cashflow is a low investment product designed for beginners to affiliate marketing.  For a detailed review visit my hubpage.

All the best with your affiliate marketing ventures.