This may not be relevant to you if you do not sell a product or service, or have no interest in working with partners to boost your business. But it is one of the most powerful business building approaches, and also the least expensive - because you only pay for results!

What is an affiliate program?

Essentially, it is a way to offer partners who are interested in promoting your product or service a share of the profits generated - after they make a sale. In a sense, your affiliate partners are 'commissioned salespeople' who will take your marketing message to their audience, convince them to buy from you, and then get paid a proportion of the profit they create for your business.

The advantages of having affiliates (or associates) build your business and help you with marketing is that you have no upfront expense to cover. Apart from setting up an infrastructure to manage affiliates and create marketing material for them to use, you pay nothing until after a sale has been made. Contrast this with conventional advertising where you pay first, and then hope you make enough sales to make back your investment.

Another benefit is that affiliates give you a 'channel' to reach audiences you may not be able to get through directly. It multiplies your reach and can explode your sales and profits. Surely you are willing to give up a part of your profits for achieving these returns?

Where to find affiliates?

To sign up affiliates, you need a software solution (either a standalone affiliate management system or one that comes bundled with your web hosting account). Of course, if you are on a shoestring, you can begin without one, running your affiliate program on a service like Clickbank (http://Clickbank.com) which handles all affiliate management issues.

Find the top 'players' in your niche. Write, call or meet them. Explain your online business to them. Focus on how you think you can help THEM and their clients, readers, subscribers. Make your offer as attractive as possible, making it easier to say 'Yes' than 'No'.

Remember, while this initial offer may not be profitable to you immediately, you are building assets that will stand with you, supporting you for years. You will get a list of customers - and can sell them many more things. You will get a group of partners who will be glad to work with you later, if you make this first experience pleasant and profitable. Stay focused on the long term goal, and your JV experience will be pleasurable and fun.

How to begin, and how to grow from there?

First, try and contact at least 3 partners who agree to help you promote. Keep doing it daily, until you have a core group of at least 10 partners, with a combined audience of 50,000 prospects or more. Sound impossible? It's easy - many top players have lists far bigger than this!

Search on Google for the top resources. Look on forums for the senior, experienced marketers. Study affiliate sites to identify top SUPER-affiliates. Then contact them to help drive traffic to your site and help sell your products and services to their lists.

Once you have your first group of affiliate partners, and they have promoted your product to their lists, you have momentum. Take the results from that initial promotion, and go to other affiliates. Invite them to join your program, using data from previous marketing efforts to boost the impact of your presentation. If your product sells well, and affiliates see how much value they could offer to their own customers and subscribers, they will jump at the chance to partner with you.

In another article, we will look at the methods of motivating affiliates and getting them to actively promote your products and services, growing your infopreneur business exponentially - and as far as you are concerned, automatically, hands-free!