Is it really true that you can never pay to be an affiliate but still receive all the affiliate incentives and pay packages? It is true. Many affiliate programs are dropping their membership fees, their "set up fees, " and their administration fees and offering their affiliates a straight up deal. They want you to promote for them. So they want you to come and put your efforts into their company.

Let’s be honest. The early days of affiliate marketing were pretty much a mess. The parent companies wanted sales teams that they didn’t have to pay for, train, or provide real salaries and yet they wanted to see some results. I think the lowest commission I ever remember seeing was somewhere around a penny per sale. The rate of the item for sale was more than $20. A penny seemed a bit cheap to me.

Over time, the affiliate programs realized that they had developed a new plan. This plan was much better. It offers real commissions, often based in between the going rate for other sales positions in sales and marketing. The parent company was still making money. In fact, they were making sure that they ended up recruiting better, more capable marketers in order to increase their overall profits.

Simply by dropping the useless and somewhat silly fees that can go along with affiliate marketing and increasing the potential for increased revenue, the parent companies have been able to watch their sales and their profits soar. It turned out to be a good deal for everyone involved.

There have been some harsh words said regarding affiliate marketing. Of course, there will always be affiliate marketing programs that simply deserve some harsh words. It's human nature. Not all the affiliate programs have realized how much better they would do if they simply just let people show up and take care of their business. When there is real money to be made, the parent company attracts a better quality of sales person who ends up joining their team.

The really cool part about the growth of the industry is that it is slowly forcing the other industries to take a good hard look at how they are running their affiliate programs. Since there is a lot of money to be made with affiliate marketing, it should be said that since we can now find companies that offer a fair commission without fees and destructive practices, anyone that wants to learn the finer points of affiliate marketing can do so with ease.

It’s been a long road for the affiliate companies. Some of the original companies are still in business, but their businesses are thriving under these new unspoken guidelines. These simple but important changes have made being an affiliate a much nicer existence. Despite all of the negative press, the pressure from labor departments, and even a few IRS scandals, the need to never pay to be an affiliate again is one that many of us have been waiting for.

Regardless of your reason for looking into an affiliate program, the good news is that you really should never pay to be an affiliate again. On top of that, your affiliate commissions should reflect something reasonable. If they are still trying to sell you on a penny commission, move on. You can find outstanding affiliate programs that pay fairly and are only interested in your success so that they can be successful as well.

You probably know about making money being an affiliate. You should never pay to be an affiliate. You can find plenty of other ways to earn the cash you deserve. click here for an example of one of the MANY proven products that you can sell without putting out any money.