This field can be anything you want, like customer's surname plus last 5 digits of their credit card, their name and phone number, or any other combination you can think of.

When a sale is made this field is compared with a table that contains a list of these fields and affiliate that referred them. If it finds a match, it awards due commission.

If it doesn't find a match, it then looks for an affiliate ID in cookie and makes a new entry to lifetime identifier database.

A simple, yet highly effective system. Database tracking is most reliable way to track in long term.

I highly recommend MYAP with LifeTime Commissions module for lifetime tracking.

My Affiliate Program Software: http://www.myaffiliateprogram.com

------------------------------------ Ultimate Affiliate ------------------------------------

Ultimate Affiliate is a good PERL software suite for UNIX servers. Ultimate Affiliate tracks by cookie, IP address, and can produce dynamic or static web pages that have ID of referring affiliate embedded in all internal URLs. All your affiliates' details are stored in a MySQL database.

With a knowledge of PERL and HTML you can customize virtually any page created by software.

This software can easily handle recurring commissions, and has graphical stats for both you and your affiliates. It can handle up to twelve tiers of commissions.

I recommend you do not pay out on more than two tiers. More than two tiers is multi-level marketing, which generally has a bad image on Internet because it attracts spammers. MLM products also tend to be over- priced to pay for many tiers of commissions

Ultimate Affiliate: http://www.groundbreak.com

================================================ Give your affiliates right tools for job ================================================

One thing that really makes some programs stand head- and-shoulders above rest is real-time tracking that shows affiliates conversion rates for their various links.

That means affiliates can see which of their various links are performing and get an idea why, and what links aren't and how they could be improved.

Affiliates should be able to see number of click- throughs to each of their different links, number of sales that each link has made, and conversion rate for each link should be calculated for them.

This enables them to figure out how to improve their links, and thus make more money for themselves, and for you.

They should also be able to set landing page for these links, so that they can link to specific products.

Affiliates who link to and promote specific products are a lot more successful than those who simply promote your site in general.

The shorter and less your links look like referral URLs better. Some people recognize affiliate URLs, and are suspicious of them.

Consider following (imaginary) URLs:

http://www.pottery-store.com?more-info

http://www.pottery-store.com/cgi-bin/affiliate-referral.cgi?affiliate12341

The first one (where "more-info" is affiliate's username) is much more likely to lure a click-through.

A big advantage of short referral URLs is they are easier to put into newsletters, which are a highly effective way to advertise online.

============================= Help your affiliates help you =============================

Ninety percent of affiliates won't make a lot of money for you. They need encouragement, motivation, and help.

Consider giving performance bonuses to top earners. Run a monthly newsletter and praise your top affiliates in it.

Tell your other affiliates how top earners did it, and about performance bonus you gave them. Give your affiliates ideas on how to promote your products best.

Your top earners will appreciate ego massage, and your other affiliates will find out what's possible if they put their mind to it.

For more details see:

How to make your affiliates enthusiastically loyal http://www.associateprograms.com/search/affiliate-loyalty.shtml

Remember, when you help your affiliates get sales, you help yourself get sales.

============== The end result ==============

Starting a lifetime affiliate program is not easy, but rewards are worth it.

To make your affiliate program successful, you need to make it attractive to affiliates, and best way to do that is offer good rewards.

If you pay lifetime commissions you offer affiliates opportunity to earn more money than they normally would. They will work harder for better commissions and in end, it will pay off with a better, more effective affiliate program, that is more profitable for you.

- Christopher Pearce http://www.LifetimeCommissions.com -

===================== Links in this article: =====================

Problems with Internet Explorer 6 and cookies: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnpriv/html/ie6privacyfeature.asp

Wilson Web: http://wilsonweb.com

My Affiliate Program tracking software: http://www.myaffiliateprogram.com

GroundBreak (Ultimate Affiliate) tracking software: http://www.groundbreak.com

eLance.com, somewhere to start looking for programmers: http://www.elance.com/

How to make your affiliates enthusiastically loyal http://www.associateprograms.com/search/affiliate-loyalty.shtml

I joined several during next few months, but I just could not seem to find right one for me. Many were low cost or free to join, but product was not right. Some had a good product or service, but they expected a monthly fee to be paid even if you could not sell anything. Nothing seemed to be working. I just could not get right combination.

One day I was offered a membership in a new referral program. I checked out website. It seemed too good to be true. I was leary of anything that offered so much for so little. I did all of background checks. It was a legitimate company. Free to join and a low onetime fee ($25) to upgrade to affiliate. Fully refundable at any time. The product is an online community that pays all members a share of advertising profits. A pure Internet company. Nothing to make or ship. Just sign people up and they get paid for using website. The more people I sign up more money I make. Wow, could it be right thing for me!

I joined while company was still in pre-launch. I upgraded to affiliate. I referred others to website and started making a profit. What could be better then using someone else’s company to start my own worldwide business. All my criteria were met. A great product , low cost, good profit.

If you want to succeed in anything you must do two things. 1. Develop a plan with your own criteria. What is right thing? 2. Stay with it.

Just keep searching. Keep trying. Persistence pays.

Thomas http://beam.to/internetprofit