4. Create An Affiliate Program - Referrals can generate a wealth of income for you, but you have to play your cards right.  There are affiliate programs everywhere.  Try to make your affiliate program unique (REMEMBER - be a SUPER Salesperson).

Here’s the key -- Instead of providing links directly to your products and services to make sales (and for your affiliates to make referral money), you want to provide links to your newsletter subscription or a free download.

The point is... Get the traffic to your site and then follow up with your customers in emails and newsletters.  Your affiliates will still receive a commission after you make a sale down the road..... And you’ll make a sale - 1000 sales - down the road simply by following up with your opt-in subscribers on a regular basis!

If your affiliates are referring people to your site for a free gift or an incredible promotional offer instead of referring someone surfing the net to your site to BUY SOMETHING, don't you think that MANY MORE online folks would click through to your site from a link offering something for FREE.  Absolutely... And that should be your goal... to get the TRAFFIC... To build your list of happy targeted subscribers!

For example…

Which of the two links below would you be more apt to click on if you were browsing?

"Buy anything and everything from Disney Phones to Nostalgic Audio all at Unbeatable Prices!"  We Accept MC/Visa/AMEX/Discover. Thousands of products to choose from!  Rock Bottom Prices! Huge Savings Everyday!  FREE Shipping on many items in stock.  Click Here To Visit Our Site!

OR...

"Looking For Unique And Affordable Gift Ideas?  Download Our FREE Guide To "Choosing The Perfect Gift For That Special Occasion - Even If Your On A Shoestring Budget"  You'll SAVE Hundreds... Even Thousands... And Your "Special Someone" Will Be Tickled Pink!"  You'll Refer To It Over And Over Again!
 

Get it?  Again, the subject of affiliate programs in general could consume an entire book, but I hope you understand the basic points I'm trying to share with you.  You can setup a "Kick Butt" affiliate program at Mal's E Commerce as well and it's TOTALLY FREE! Now, you have no excuse NOT to get setup and start recruiting an army of affiliates to sell for you.  So... What are you waiting for?

NOTE: If a more professional affiliate program is something you'd like to look into, we highly recommend AssocTrac4.  This software was developed in house by the Internet Marketing Center.  This is the same software that Derek Gehl, President of the Internet Marketing Center, used to bring in over $7 Millions Dollars in profits last year alone.  It's very easy to setup and has a huge list of benefits.

If you plan to sell information products (highly recommended and profitable) you’ll want to look into Clickbank.  They not only have a terrific affiliate program, you’ll also find many products you can easily promote on your website that will earn you (on average) a 50% commission.
 

5. Limit Your Sources - There are many companies out there that claim to have 100,000, 200,000, 1,000,000 product available for you to sell.  Be careful!  It's hard enough focusing on your marketing and advertising budget when you have 10 products available.... never mind 10,000.
   
   You've heard the saying... "Too BIG too quick!"  Well that's a real concern when you're a small business online.  Stay focused!  You could become an expert in your field a lot easier with a laser tight product line and focus...GUARANTEED!
   
   You want to find your niche' (product specific) market and capitalize on it.  It's easy to get excited about having everything under the sun to sell - from toasters to toilet paper - but the truth of the matter is.... Finding quality products and capitalizing on their small market is MUCH MORE PROFITABLE than having everything under the sun in your inventory AND then trying to decide what to sell to every shopper online.  You'll quickly go "insane". AAAHHHH!
   
   You could always find a drop shipping source that you can feel confident in and one you feel dedicates themselves to drop shipping specifically.  A great resource for finding drop ship suppliers that will ship products directly to your customers – AFTER YOU”VE ALREADY SOLD THE ITEM – is The Drop Ship Source Directory.  You could find a lot of quality products to sell and learn more about drop shipping in general on their website.

FYI: There are many companies out there who offer drop shipping services (it seems everybody's jumping on the band wagon lately), unfortunately in most instances, it's not their primary focus.... and that's a problem!

They offer their drop shipping services as an afterthought, figuring they could make a few bucks on their drop ship sales too, but their primary focus is always going to be BULK wholesale.  If you start dealing with any of these sources, you may soon find that the tools and support you ultimately need as a drop ship distributor of their products are insufficient - or worst yet - not available at all.  For instance, access to their inventory counts, a digital downloadable catalog with quality images and descriptions, database spreadsheets, online package tracking, etc.

If you decide to pursue drop shipping products from your website or auctions, stick with those companies only found in The Drop Ship Source Directory.  You can’t go wrong.