There are so many 'typical' affiliate programs online, I don't think everyone realizes there ARE many options as far as what kind of network marketing you can become involved with.

So, in order to give you more possibilities to think about, I'm going to relate to you some of the choices you do have and get you thinking about what type of business will best suit you. I'm not going to make any claims as to which type of business I think is best, you're welcome to ask me that on your own if you like, however. I'm just going to describe the options for you and let you decide.

As I list the different options, keep in mind which ones interest you and then search for those best suited to what you want. There are so many companies, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to find the ones that contain all the aspects you like.

PRODUCTS

There are plenty of stories about the old type of network marketing where you had to have a garage full of products in order to get started in the business. That's not true anymore thanks mostly to the Internet. Today, you can still deal in physical products but rather than stockpile them, you simply keep a few for your own use or for exhibit and then just order from the company when a customer is ready to buy. You can even just keep a catalog on hand and not have to maintain an inventory. With the speed of ordering online or over the phone, this is a simple option giving you less overhead expenses when dealing with physical products.

As well, you can now join network marketing businesses that sell only digital or virtual goods. These constitute information businesses where the end products being sold are all online information products or memberships to web sites full of information.

INVESTMENT

You can literally find network marketing opportunities at any level of required investment that you like. There are those that cost in the thousands to join, but pay in the thousands when you get referrals, and there are free to join

STRUCTURE

Some network marketing opportunities require you to work with your downline and others don't. Some expect you to become a leader and work with those you sponsor. Others have systems set up to where you never even really know who the people you refer to the company are.

OFFLINE OR ONLINE

Network marketing has been around longer than the Internet has. You can join programs and work completely offline. You can also work completely online, or any combination of the two that you want.

CUSTOMERS

In some businesses, all you do is refer customers to a web site and then let the site do the work of convincing them to buy. Other businesses require you to work directly with your customers on a one on one basis. Again, you can hit anything in between there also. You could refer people to a site and then choose to do some personal contacting as well.

BUILDING A DOWNLINE

Most network marketing opportunities will require you to sponsor your own downline. In fact, that's all a lot of them want out of you anyway. However, there are some that do extra marketing on their own and will help you build a downline. Some, if you're willing to make the initial investment, will make you a profitable downline over time without you doing a bit of work on your own. However, you can still work on recruiting as well and grow faster.

Hopefully, if all you've been exposed to is a typical Internet affiliate program, you can now see there are other options. At this point, stop and consider just exactly what you would be willing to put into a program and exactly what you expect out of one. Then, keep these options in mind as you go searching for the right company for you.

Joe Bingham, Editor of the NetPlay Newsletters Publish Your Own Quality Ezine with Little Work and a Lot of Help http://www.netplaynewsletters.com/publisher.html