Affiliate Marketing, though ideal as a business model, is not for everyone. The cold hard truth in affiliate marketing is that 99% of affiliates barely make a living while the top 1% are making an absolute killing. The reason is quite simply because those who succeed at affiliate marketing treat it as a real business whereas those who barely get by, treat it as a ?get rich quick? scheme. A certain mindset and temperament is needed to make it work. This is because it takes persistence and patience to build up a full-time income with affiliate marketing, and there is a great deal of uncertainty as you hone your abilities as an affiliate marketer.

Before you proceed, ask yourself the following questions :

- Affiliate marketing is a real business, not some ?get rich quick? hype.

- A lucrative income from affiliate marketing awaits me if I stay clear on my goals and strive towards them consistently.

- I am ready to invest time and money into advertising, and into the tools I need to run a truly efficient marketing campaign.

If you've answered ?YES? to the questions, pat yourself in the back and continue reading?

The potential for you to make truly massive profits in affiliate marketing is there if you make the commitment. On top of that, you'll need to invest in the right tools super affiliates are using for the job.

Affiliate Tool 1 : Domain Name and Web Hosting

These are the 2 basic tools no affiliates should go without. Firstly, you need to remain in control of the traffic you generate. You need a point of contact that allows you to capture names and email addresses, distribute promotional material and work on pre-selling your prospects.

Affiliate Tool 2 : Site Templates, HTML Editor or Basic HTML Knowledge

Obviously you will need this to add content to your site. HTML may scare you off, but worry not. Many web hosts include page-builder software with your hosting accounts. This software allows you to create and edit HTML right in your browser, and do so as easily as editing a Word document.

Affiliate Tool 3 : Professional Auto-responder

An auto-responder is the software that will automate the collection of email addresses entered into a form on your webpage, adding that information on a database and does the job of sending emails to subscribers in the database on autopilot. This is a very important tool in running your affiliate business.

Affiliate Tool 4 : Link Tracking and Testing Software

Testing and tracking are 2 tasks every serious affiliate marketer focuses on. You'll need to know which links are being clicked on and which ones are generating the sales.

With the right mindset and tools, you are now ready to enter into the world of affiliate marketing.