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As an Internet marketing consultant, I often hear thequestion, "Can I REALLY make money online with affiliateprograms?"To me, that question speaks of the asker's skepticism, solet's put aside any question of whether money is REALLYbeing made online before we look any further.Thousands of merchants have put resources into developingaffiliate programs so that others can promote their productsin exchange for a commission, which is usually a percentageof the product's price. If there wasn't money to be made,Sony, Dell and those thousands of other merchants wouldn'twaste their time and money building affiliate programs.I personally know at least a hundred people who makemarketing on the Internet their full-time occupation. Ifthere wasn't money to be made, that wouldn't be possible.I am one of those people. The secondary title of my ebookabout affiliate marketing is 'How I Made $436,797 Last YearSelling Other People's Stuff Online'. Although I dislikethat subtitleand its crass approach, it IS the truth, andit IS effective proof that money can be made online. Thestatement is backed up on the Super Affiliate Handbookhomepage with a picture of part of my income tax statementfrom 2002 which shows my earnings.See it for yourself at: http://SuperAffiliateHandbook.comSo, having dispelled any question about whether there ismoney to be made online, let's proceed to the REAL question.Let's take the emphasis off the word 'REALLY' and place it where it belongs - on YOU.Can YOU really make money online?Sure you can! IF you REALLY want to.Desire is the first key to success. But here's where it getsa little tricky. If your desire is for money, as opposed towhat money can buy, your work will be made much harder, ifnot impossible.'Huh? Why is that?' you may wonder.Money is a concept. In and of itself it does nothing foryou, unless you are very fond of small rectangular pieces ofcolored paper.If you focus instead on the good that money will bring toyour life, such as free time and all the fun ways to spendit, then you'll give positive direction to your efforts.Think about it.. what can that money buy you? The kids'education, a new car, a new house, a second honeymooon...how about a sailboat?Dream a little - dream a LOT, but create some desire, and aREASON to work hard for what you want to achieve.And that's the second key to making money online - Work.Too many people still hold onto the notion of 'get rickquick'. I've got news for them - there's no such thing. Youcan get rich a little quicker on the 'net, but the truth isthat nothing worth having comes without a price. You mustinvest some time and money.Not much money, but some. Compared to starting any otherbusiness, the amount of financial investment required tostart an affiliate marketing business on the Internet isnegligible.If you don't have one or two hundred bucks - or can't beg,borrow or steal that amount - then maybe you can get apart-time job and save up to start your online business.No matter how you slice it, you won't find anotheropportunity anywhere that has the potential for this muchreward for so little outlay. This IS one of the leastexpensive businesses you can start.Last but not least - can you stick with it over the longhaul?Persistence is perhaps the MOST important quality shared byall entrepeneurs. That's why you hear about those who make amillion, lose a million and then make another million. They go up, then down, then up again, but they never gave up.You can't let the ups and downs get to you. Not everythingwill go your way all of the time. You'll have to makesome effort and it won't always be easy.But, if you keep your goals foremost in your mind, learnwhat you need to know and invest your resources wisely andwith persistence, you virtually can't help but succeed.That's how you REALLY make money online!Article by Rosalind Gardner, speaker, consultant and author of the best-selling "Super Affiliate Handbook: How I Made $436,797 in One Year Selling Other People's Stuff Online". To learn how you too can suceed in Internet and affiliate marketing, sign up for Rosalind's "Net Profits Today" newsletter at:NetProfitsToday.com
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