The summer has come and gone and we're into the fall season. You may have spent a little extra time during the summer engaging in some R & R and are now back to a regular work schedule. It's probably a good time of year for you to review your affiliate program relationships. With the busy selling season just ahead, you want to make sure you're associated with the right ones for maximum revenue.

The first thing to consider is "promises or guarantees" initially presented to you by your affiliate program. Did the affiliate program give you what they promised they would give you? If they promised you commissions of a certain percentage, did you receive those exact commissions and not a penny less? Did your affiliate parent promise you tier two incomes? If so, did you receive this level of income?

Did your affiliate agreement state you would have access to a tracking service, in real time? Being able to track your traffic, conversions, and downline activity is an important aspect of affiliate marketing. If the program did not offer you this tool, you should ask why. You want to be able to verify your revenue streams when you are part of a program.

Consider the commissions you earn for amount of time, energy, and money expended. Accountants and finance folk call this ROI or return on investment. You want healthy returns, in the form of affiliate income, for your various efforts and expenses. Compare similar affiliate programs to yours. Do they offer the same benefits as the one you are in, with higher commissions? Maybe it's time to jump ship, as long as the quality of product and service is the same or better.

How about the support provided to you by your upline? Are you satisfied with the help you receive from an affiliate program manager. Do you have an upline mentor assigned to you? If so, do they keep in touch with you via e-mail, telephone, video-conferencing, chat-portals, and the like? Remember, those above you in the affiliate chain of command probably have more experience than you do do. They should be offering you the benefit of their knowledge, for your sake and theirs as well.

This is especially true concerning your affiliate program manager. They not only have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to you but resources also. Tap into their resources, which may include article material for your websites and blogs. It may also include pre-written advertisements, and pre-written sales letters for e-mail campaigns. They may also offer you live teleseminars to aid you in becoming a better affiliate marketer. Evaluating your program manager can help you decide the value of the affiliate program.

Evaluate your affiliate program for bonuses, rewards, extra commissions, and such. Of course, you want healthy commissions to start. However, do they give you the opportunity to build on those commissions? If you increase your referrals to the affiliate parent which convert into sales, do they increase your commissions? Do they provide any other incentives for doing so?

Finally, does your affiliate program allow you to keep your referrals for life, no matter when they decide to purchase? The good programs allow you to earn commissions from a referral ad infinitum. Check to make sure that there is not a 30, 60, 90, or whatever number of days stipulation on how long a referral stays connected to you.

Operating as a profitable affiliate marketer means constantly evaluating your affiliate programs. You're in business to make money and you need a quality affiliate program to help you do just that. There are many affiliate programs out there. Take the time to pick those who are the cream of the crop.