When it comes to making money from the internet through affiliate marketing, there are probably not many people who are into it unlike those who make money from offline affiliate marketing or market runs.

This sort of affiliate marketing involves simply referring potential customers to clients for a commission when a sale is made.

Have you ever being to markets like Yaba, Alaba or Ladipo? There are lots of young men and women there who do nothing more than just bringing customers to shops they already know. Do you think there are doing it for free? No, but they actually get a commission for every sales they bring and they do this because they have a formal relationship with the seller/merchant. They don't make little money and some of them can make as much as N150,000 in a good month

There is a huge market in Nigeria where you can make money as an affiliate or salesman and you don't need to have a shop or office to do it.

It is a self employment program that allows people with little or no capital to simply make money just by taking customers to sellers.

What it takes
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What it basically takes to start is:
- Deciding on the kind of product or service you can market
- Establish a relationship with the seller and agree on a commission in advance e.g. 10%
- Find a way to now drive customer to the merchant
- Decide on whether to get paid as soon as sales is made or at month end.

There are many offline affiliate marketers in Nigeria who do nothing else other than bringing customers to sellers for a commission and these includes areas like:

- Travel and visa processing
- Rent and accomodation
- Jobs and career pursuits
- Clothing and shoes market
- Food and drink market
- Computers and accessories
- Electronics and household items
- Event planning

What they basically do is target products and services that cost a bit high that also brings and attractive commission and then refer customers to the sellers in order to earn about 10% commission when the buyer buys the item.

Think of a situation whereby an affiliate forms a relationship with a seller of generators and tells him that for each generator sold like N45,000, he'd get a commission of N4,500 for it. Another person may refer people to buy laptops and earns about N10,000 from it.

An affiliate would need to have a good knowledge of the market and niche he is focused on and find a way to market it so that clients can easily connect with the sellers while he also ensures that he gets paid for every referral he makes.