If you have worked as an Internet marketer for any amount of time, you have probably heard repeatedly that affiliate network marketing opportunities are the most lucrative, cleanest, quickest way to make an income on the Internet. And if you have actually tried affiliate network marketing for any amount of time, you more than likely ended up broke or never achieved more than modest, fluctuating success. . .like almost everyone else who goes into the field.

So what prevents you and 97% of all other affiliate marketers from succeeding while 3% continually rakes in 70% of the profits? Are they smarter than you are? Do they work harder and longer than you do? Do they know a bunch of obscure secrets that you do not?--No, but they do have a totally different mindset.

In order to become successful in affiliate network marketing, you must destroy the mythological mindset that most people bring to the business. You must stay firmly grounded in reality if you ever want to succeed.

How many times have you heard about some little old lady that only spends 3 hours a week on her computer and somehow earns $50,000 a month? And how many times have you read an ad that tells you how you can make $10,000 in one month from now if you sign up right away?

We have all seen these ads and we have all responded to them at one time or another. Chances are, if you're in an affiliate program now, you were hooked by a line like that. But what separates the "gurus" from the people who make little or no money is that the gurus understand what this really is: mythology. These stories, while they might be true, promote mythological thinking that tricks people into trying every opportunity that looks good at the moment, rather than focusing on a single opportunity.

These "opportunities" not only prevent you from succeeding, but they have an even nastier byproduct: they promote the mythology that you either succeed on the Internet in 15 minutes or you will never succeed at all.

This is simply not true, yet it is the reason why almost no one succeeds with affiliate marketing: they can never stay with one opportunity more than a couple months. If they do not have instant success, they give up and move on--restarting the same building process they abandoned. They never reap the profit of cumulative efforts. They build a foundation, they leave before starting the actual building--and then they move to another company, start the foundation, and then leave once again.

Without exception, every successful Internet marketer has spent an enormous amount of time both researching and experimenting with online business. Most have failed miserably a number of times and most have spent a significant amount of time working their way to the top and achieving profit. It really is pretty hard to earn an income on the Internet, but it is entirely doable if you are following a proven plan and if you are willing to abandon lofty mythology for a plan rooted in reality.

Affiliate marketing is one of the best places to start making a profit online. In fact, almost every successful Internet marketer I know started her career selling affiliate products. Many of them still do. What made them successful is that they found a legitimate opportunity to make money (whether or not it was the best one available), they found replicable processes that got them visitors and profit, and then they repeated those processes and reinvested those profits until they got to where they are now.

Most people cannot accept that making money with affiliate programs is this simple. I have found that most affiliate marketers who do not earn an income online either a) do not want to do actual work or b) have developed a mythological mindset from reading affiliate program advertisements--and can only think in terms of making money on the Internet through magic, rather than results-oriented action.

In closing, I will summarize and then dispel all of the popular Internet affiliate marketing myths, so you can skip the learning curve and start building your empire today:

Myth #1: There is an affiliate program out there that will do all of the work for you and make you rich without requiring effort on your part.

Truth: You have a much better chance of earning an income on the Internet if you work on the affiliate program you are in currently in (as long as it is a legitimate opportunity) than if you search the entire Internet for a better opportunity. There is definitely a lot to be said for having a responsive, successful upline, but ultimately, your success will depend on your actions. You can sell anything on the Internet; you just have to spend enough time in the building and learning process.

Myth #2: You must spend an exorbitant amount of money on advertising to make money on the Internet.

Truth: Every single successful Internet marketer puts heavy testing, good design, and reliable follow-up over heavy spending. They minimize costs and they make sure what they are actually spending produces empirically-acceptable results.

If you ignore this you will fail. A lot of real life corporations spend thousands of dollars monthly on PPC campaigns and end up making no money at all because they don't start small and test their results. They just throw money at the problem and hope for sales. You don't have thousands of dollars to throw away, so don't do this.

Myth #3: You will succeed or fail on the Internet or on any Internet money-making venture within month.

Truth: Most Internet marketers have spent time building an enormous empire with big mailing lists and regular website visitors. They worked to become successful. You must also.

If you want to find an affiliate program that makes you rich instantly without putting in any work, then continue spending money. Send me an email when you find it because I have personally looked at hundreds--and while some are better than others--none offer success without action.

The Internet is riddled with mythology. If you want to succeed, you must reject this mythology and look for clear, work-for-results solutions. You must create plans and put them into action immediately. You must build and cultivate a base of subscribers and visitors. And above all, you must accept that you can only achieve profit through sweat, not luck.

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You may use this article for reprint, as long as it remains unaltered and the resource box and author information are included. - Isaiah Hull