By William H Gould
It can be scary venturing out on your own to start an internet business. Possibly one of the best ways to get started is with affiliate marketing. With almost zero start up costs and very little risk, it is an ideal project for motivated self starters. Add to that, the ability to set your own working hours and you have a winning combination.
If you’ve been thinking about an internet business for very long you’re probably already aware that there are plenty of scammers out there, willing to take your money and leave you to fend for yourself. Many people have lost hundreds and even thousands of dollars when they took the wrong persons word as gospel. Computers and the internet make it even easier for these scam artists to approach people anonymously and peddle their fraudulent programs.
Of course these scammers have wormed their way into the affiliate marketing field as well. There are many excellent affiliate marketing programs available but one must learn how to spot and avoid the scammers.
Like everything in this life things are constantly changing and the internet and affiliate marketing are no different. Because of that it is impossible to provide an all inclusive list of do’s and don’ts. There are some indicators though, that should alert you to tread carefully and investigate closely.
The better affiliate marketing programs will provide at least some basic support. Usually there will be an agent who can answer your questions and help with any problems which might crop up. Of course a legitimate company will have your best interests at heart. After all, if you do well, so will they. Look for a toll free number, an email address and a fixed street address. A link to a help desk or support of some kind would indicate a willingness to support you, especially in the initial stages of your new business venture.
Think about it, if the business that is expecting you to sell their products online has no email or website, red flags should be popping up everywhere. Of course not publishing a phone number or street address doesn’t necessarily mean they are running a scam, they may merely be trying to protect themselves from spam or other scammers.. You should, however, investigate them closely before committing yourself to anything.
A good way to test for legitimacy would be to send them some basic questions by email. You will have a good indication of their worth by the speed and attitude with which they answer. Once again, they may not be intent on scamming you, but if their communication is poor you may take that to be a sign of other problems.