Affiliate Marketing is a commercial arrangement that has been in existence for many years. In it's very basic form, it is a method to pay a salesperson(s) for a product or service that has been sold. Let's take a look at the various factors involved. Perhaps we should examine the Who, What, Why, etc. of affiliate marketing to understand how it can be of benefit to Internet Marketers.

Who - affiliate marketing utilizes a partnership involving 2 or more people. A manufacturer has a product that he wants to promote and sell. He will enter into an agreement with 1 or more affiliates to sell or market his product. For their efforts, the affiliates will be paid a commission on each sale that they make.

What - this type of business plan allows 2 or more people/companies to earn revenues or incomes by working together. Their economic union has been created to make money for all the partners involved.

Why - in affiliate marketing, the owner of the product/service requires agents or promoters to help with the selling of his product. Very often, the product owner does not have the time or expertise to sell his product. He enlists the aid of affiliates to do this for him.

Where - the partnership can use several different ways to promote the marketing program. For our purposes , we will use the Internet to gain the attention of a very large audience. Think of the Internet as an electronic highway where we can place ads and billboards all over the landscape to be seen by millions of viewers.

How - and how does this joint economic venture succeed? Quite simply, with a well-thought out plan and a lot of HARD WORK! To use a tried and true cliche, "plan your work... and work your plan".