Affiliate Marketing Industry

SFI Affiliate Program Review by a Seven Year Affiliate By [https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Donovan_Baldwin/19345]Donovan Baldwin If you have spent any time on the Internet, and particularly if you have been trying to figure out how to make money online, you have run across the SFI affiliate program. Perhaps you have taken the opportunity to investigate it further, perhaps not. However, if you have investigated a little more deeply, you have seen a lot of claims about how great it is, and maybe even a few comments about the SFI "scam." Well, what is the truth about SFI? Let's review the program, shall we? while people obviously want to know if they can make money with the SFI affiliate program, let's deal with the "scam" issue first. After all, if SFI is a scam, then there's no sense going any further, is there? Since I do not know how much experience YOU have with Internet marketing, or network marketing, let me make a couple of points before I get to the question, "Is SFI a scam?" I have been in direct (mail) marketing since 1992, in direct marketing since 1996, and in Internet marketing since 1998. I have seen all kinds of scams, and I have seen all kinds of claims for and against many of the same programs. Here's what I have observed. While there definitely ARE quite a few rip-offs and scams out there, many people who make claims against network marketing and Internet marketing programs make the claims because they fell prey to hyped-up claims about what they could expect from joining the program. Some people join and sit back and wait for something to happen. Some take a few half-hearted swings at selling some product or signing up distributors and then give up. Here's the common thread. ALMOST ALL of those who sign up for network marketing and/or Internet marketing programs HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE DOING! At the same time, almost all have been signed up by someone who has raised their expectations to a fever pitch by making inflated claims about how much money they WILL MAKE, or about how fast their business will grow. The bottom line is, the growth of any business, whether it is selling cosmetics (Avon), motor oil (Amsoil), or a broad range of goods and services (SFI) will depend on the time, effort, and talent of the business owner or operator. The question of whether a business is or is not a scam does not depend on the number of people who have been successful with it, but whether or not it can and will deliver the goods, services, and potential profits it claims. I have been with SFI since 1992, and when I make a sale, my customer gets the product, and I get the commission. I have purchased and used many of the products, and I have been satisfied with what I have received for my payment. Apparently my customers were satisfied as well, as they have often come back and purchased again and again. There have been dissatisfied customers, there always are in retail, and I am sure that many of them do not have a good opinion of SFI. Looking at it this way, if SFI is a scam because some who have done business with it are dissatisfied, then so are Sears, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. There is the issue of misleading claims, however. Well, once someone signs up to be distributor for ANY program, there is not much a company can do to prevent them from making inflated or misleading claims. I remember a few years ago reading a complaint about one of the most honest companies I know. Someone had actually brought a lawsuit against the company. What had happened was that one of the independent distributors had made false claims, directly against company policy, but, as a result, everyone assumed that it was the company making the claim. There ARE a lot of people trying to rip you off out there in Internet-land, and some people who just believe that "advertising" means making the biggest, loudest, most audacious claim you can. All I know is that if you go to one of my SFI websites and purchase something, you will get what you were promised at the price that was quoted, and I will get my commission. If that is a scam, then I am confused about the definition of the word. Sorry that took so long, but, when it comes to SFI, and other network marketing and Internet marketing companies, that issue seems to be a big one. Anyway, you came here for an SFI affiliate program review. So, what IS SFI? What does it do? What can YOU do with it? SFI began about 11 years ago as "Six Figure Income". Over time, it acquired an image of being a get-rich-quick scheme due to the wild and high-flying claims made by many SFI affiliates. Also, however, although starting with only one product available for sale only in the United States, it progressed to being an international organization offering a huge range of products, and the SFI business opportunity, to over 100 countries. In fact, founder Gery Carson's dream was to create a business opportunity available to anyone with a computer and Internet access anywhere in the world. That dream has been a reality for several years now, as thousands of SFI affiliates sell millions of dollars in product every year. As businesses will, over time, the original Six Figure Income affiliate program became the "Secure Future International Marketing Group", retaining the SFI mark which had become known around the world. Recently, Gery Carson launched a new and improved SFI affiliate program based on two sites in particular. TripleClicks and EyeEarn. Of course, you are reading this to find out what you get if you choose to sign up as an SFI affiliate. As it has been since the start of SFI, every new SFI affiliate receives not only one, but a range of free SFI websites, a free online portal leading people to several online stores for name products, free training on how to market online, and an array of free marketing materials, including banners, flyers, text ads, and presentations. There is no cost for any of this to the SFI affiliate, but he or she is tasked with the responsibility of leading people to one of their websites. After that, the SFI infrastructure takes over. People arrive at a professionally designed, and regularly updated, website. Should they make a purchase, they are automatically assigned as a customer of the SFI affiliate whose website they purchased from. SFI will see to processing the payment, delivering the product, and even make the refund if required. The affiliate receives a commission for the sale. Many SFI products are either subscriptions to a service, such as web hosting, membership in the IAHBE (International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs), or the IAB Health Benefits Plan: or are expendable products such as nutritional supplements which need to be re-ordered from time to time. Sales of products such as these allow the SFI affiliate to not only make a commission on the original sale, but to create recurring, or residual, income. Sales of some products will allow the SFI affiliate to receive points, and, with enough points, they can begin to create a downline of other SFI affiliates whose sales will generate additional income. The SFI affiliate program is an excellent place for the beginning Internet marketer to get started for the following reasons: 1. It is entirely free to join 2. It provides all marketing materials, including several professionally designed websites for free 3. It provides an extensive training program in Internet marketing (free) 4. It offers a broad range of products and services for the SFI affiliate to choose to target If you cannot succeed with the SFI affiliate program, there is a good chance that you will not succeed with Internet marketing at all, as your only task would be to lead potential, and interested, customers to the websites provided by the SFI affiliate program. Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer and professional Internet marketer living in Stone Mountain, GA. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has a blog on Internet marketing and related topics at [http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com]. You can learn more about Secure Future International and the SFI affiliate program at [http://xtramoney4me.net/SFI/]http://xtramoney4me.net/SFI/. Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?SFI-Affiliate-Program-Review-by-a-Seven-Year-Affiliate&id=2697116] SFI Affiliate Program Review by a Seven Year Affiliate