Ros Raves about Having Heat

Man, it was COLD around here not too long ago. Shiver the thought that my furnace would have on the blink again for two and a half days - as it was in December.

Fortunately, it was warm in December. Even if it wasn't, I had alternatives, the best one being the hotel/casino just a few miles down the road on the lake. With resources, it's easy to turn a little no-heat problem into a little holiday.

But what happens if you don't have resources, or worse, if what you thought you had suddenly disappears?

For example, what would you do if your affiliate earnings suddenly dropped from $50,000 per month to $2,000 per month; or from $2,000 per month to absolutely no income at all?

We don't want to even consider that possibility, now do we?

Well, let's take our heads out of the sand and accept that 'stuff' happens.

Better yet, read today's feature NPC article "Affiliate Prescription: How to Prevent 'Sudden Earnings Collapse" and learn how to protect yourself from such a catastrophe.

Learn even more about affiliate marketing by attending an upcoming seminar. Summaries and links are in the 'Upcoming Seminars' section below.

'Til next time, learn and prosper!

Rosalind

P.S. Stay tuned to the NPC. In the coming weeks and months I'll be covering such topics optimizing for the search engines, how to make foreign exchange rates work to your benefit, and much more! I'm even going to show you how to build a 1,000-page affiliate site in just a few seconds. Surely, you won't want to miss that!

Rosalind Gardner is author of the best-selling "Super Affiliate Handbook: How I Made $436,797 in ONE Year Selling Other People's Stuff Online.

==> Super Affiliate Handbook

Upcoming Seminars & Workshops

What: Becky Hagel's 'Triple C Workshop: From Concept to Creation to Cash
Where: Online
When: starts January 27, 2005

Enjoy a 12 week interactive, online multimedia workshop that teaches you Becky Hagel's product creation and marketing system in detail. Top experts will guide you through the publishing process so you can not only convert your ebook into a print product, you can become a best-selling author!Plus... send me your receipt and I'll send you a very special gift (worth $297) from me. :)

Triple C Workshop

What: eComXpo
Where: Online
When: February 17 - 19th, 2005

Too many exhibitors to list, but let's start with ALL the big named affiliate marketing networks and ALL the affiliate marketing stars. Oh, and not just a few outstanding merchants with affiliate programs either.

eComXpo

What: Joel Christopher and Ted Nicholas' 'Double Birthday Bash'
Where: San Antonio, Texas
When: March 18th and 19th, 2005

Also featuring illustrious names such as Joe Vitale, Jay Conrad Levinson, John 'The Street Kid' Assaraf, Brian Keith Voiles, Tom 'Big Al' Schreiter, Sydney "Queen of eBay" Johnston, Tom Antion, Shawn Casey, Marc Goldman, Alan Bechtold & 2 'Mystery Guests'

'Double Birthday Bash'

What: Yanik Silver's 'Underground' seminar
Where: Washington, D.C.,
When: April 28 - 30, 2005.

I could tell you who's gonna be there, but then it wouldn't be the 'Underground' seminar... so just click the link below... and shhhhhhh.

'Underground' seminar.

Feature - Affiliate Prescription: How to Prevent 'Sudden Earnings Collapse'

What would you do if your affiliate earnings suddenly dropped from $50,000 per month to $2,000 per month; or from $2,000 per month to absolutely no income at all?

How would you pay your super-sized mortgage and auto loans?

Never mind trivial items like shelter and transportation – who's going to pay the groceries? Your mother-in-law? Forget it. She always knew you should get a 'real job' and now she's going to lord it all over you.

Don't think that such catastrophes can't or don't happen.

They can and they do.

Merchants go belly-up and the commission checks stop arriving.

Products become obsolete or illegal, and entire markets disappear. (Remember BETA video cassette players? They didn't even make good boat anchors.)

For example, let's consider the implications of the following news release from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) in the United States, "DEA Unveils International Toll-Free Hotline to Report Illegal Prescription Drug Sales and Rogue Pharmacies Operating on the Internet".

Read the full press release.

At issue here are doctors who prescribe drugs without seeing patients in person. It's a downright dangerous practice, and the medical questionnaires on pharmaceutical web sites don't begin to solve the problem.

As a result, doctors and online pharmacies in several states had fines levied against them, and some pharmacies have had their licenses lost or revoked.

OK, but how does that affect you as an affiliate?

Well, here's a post I found on the RXAffiliateForum with the subject line "My Conversation with the FBI".

"I spoke with the Special agent in charge for the southeastern region for INTERNET pharmacies. I was told in no uncertain terms it is illegal to dispense medications without a doctor/patient relationship. The FBI, DEA and other regulatory and enforcement agencies are investigating all websites that operate in this fashion."

"In addition there is no distinction between websites (read 'affiliate websites'), Ops (Online pharmacies) and pharmacies. Just a heads up."

Just a 'heads up', indeed!

Here's another post that I found at the same forum.

"I've taken HUGE losses in the OP (Online Pharmacy) industry. ABC Merchant Site (name changed) owes me over $15,000! And XYZ Merchant Site (name changed) owes me over $5000! …There are people who have lost 2, 3, 4... even 5 times the amount that I have! And I've lost over $20,000! If you read through old posts on this forum, you will find TONS of people in the same boat. Some people have even taken legal action... but very few have got any money."

After those online pharmacies pay their fines, there probably isn't much left to cover their affiliates' commission checks.

According to Richard A. Chapo, Esq. of AdultInternetLaw.com, "it is clear that affiliates of online pharmacies can be prosecuted in states such as Nevada".

Mr. Chapo encourages webmasters of online pharmacies to "review the programs they are promoting to make sure that they are not in conflict with the Controlled Substance Acts of various states, such as Nevada. There is little doubt that the industry will see many more prosecutions in this area of the online industry."

Scarey, huh? Yes, but the point is not to scare you away from affiliate marketing.

The point is that there are potential 'problems' with any business arena you may want to enter. You simply need to be both cautious and aware.

So, what's the prescription for protecting yourself from sudden earnings collapse?

Well, just like you can't expect to stay healthy or thrive on a steady diet of cake, neither should you hope to maintain or grow an affiliate business with a single type of product.

There are thousands of merchants with affiliate programs, and tens of thousands of products in different markets from which to choose, so start choosing. Expand and diversify your product range and build a solid and healthy affiliate business!

In other words, hedge your bets - and no, that doesn't necessarily mean that you should promote online casinos. :-)