Every week hundreds of new products are added to Clickbank and other popular affiliate (associate) networks like link share, CJ and others, and it becomes difficult to choose an affiliate program that can provide long-term success. Statistics reveal that only 5% of affiliate programs really achieve success. So how can you clear the clutter and choose the right program. Being an affiliate manager for top ecommerce company, I know what the best in market is and using this knowledge I have created a turnkey step-by-step formula to become high performing affiliate and choosing the right company.

Step 1 - Select a company / website that is more than 5 years old - The most important step in choosing the right affiliate program is selecting a company that has been doing business for more than 5 years. A company that can survive on the internet in the same line of business for more than 5 years is bound to have a state-of-art affiliate program. Ex- Amazon - One of the pioneers of the internet direct retail business has a solid affiliate base and most of its sales come from their every growing army of affiliates.

Step 2 - Choose a company that offers paid and free affiliate membership - This is a very critical step and most affiliate's wannabe ignore this step. Every company has costs associated with starting and managing affiliate programs. Affiliate managers are some of the highest paid people in the Internet marketing industry. Then there is graphics design, banners, copywriting for affiliates. Why should a company pay for the affiliate commissions and then pay for managing and recruiting quality affiliates? Some of the top companies charge their affiliates a minimal fee to cover the expense in case the affiliates under performs or quit and these are the companies that offer powerful training programs and support. I am not saying that companies that offer free affiliate programs do not provide good training material but things are changing and more and more companies are moving towards paid programs.

Step 3 - Select a company that offers at least 50% one time or 25% recurring commission - Ideal affiliate situation can be doing the work one time and then being paid forever. Selecting the commission structure is a key to success in affiliate marketing. There are hundreds of programs that offer the best product, best sales letters and promotions tools, and best conversion tracking mechanism but when it comes to affiliate commission, they suck big time. Some of the top brand names offer commissions not more than 2-3% and the poor affiliates work day and night to generate huge volume of traffic and in the end get paid pennies on a dollar. Rule of thumb should be 50% one time or 25% more recurring commission.

Step 4 - Select a product that is a "Product" - Information marketing materials like eBooks, mp3, DVDs, manuals and CDs are good but every other rookie can create them right from his/her garage. Promoting such products can be a nightmare if they turn out to be another internet marketing scam, and they can hurt your credibility big time. Another issue is there is not good support system in place. Choose a company that offers a product or a service that a consumer needs. We all need information, but we don't want another 100-page manual that is filled with junk. This step it self can make or break your affiliate success.

Step 5 - Select a company where you can talk to live person (affiliate managers) - When it comes to affiliate marketing many of us fail to realize the importance of an affiliate manager. Affiliate managers are paid to manage and recruit high quality affiliates and most of them are hired on commission basis. So what this means for us is that if we don't make money they don't. Always find out who is the affiliate manager for the company and establish a good rapport with him/her. Ask them questions about what are their long term and short-term goals. Once you develop a good relationship with these guys they will go out of their way to support you and make sure you achieve success with the affiliate program.

About the Author

Sameer Khan is an affiliate manager for #1 ecommerce company Goldbar Enterprise LLC. At Goldbar Enterprise, we offer state-of-the-art affiliate program and support. We are hiring now! So don't miss this golden opportunity to become a part of the fastest growing ecommerce company on the internet. Click Here and fill out our affiliate recruitment survey and our affiliate manager