Affiliate programs are a tried and tested online selling technique. Thousands of people have started up successful Internet businesses by just advertising other companies products in exchange for a commission when a product sells from their affiliate site.

Getting an affiliate network going for your products though can be a tough deal. You may spend hours posting messages on forums, registering with affiliate directories and writing articles to try and promote your affiliate program, all to no avail. Even when you get affiliates on-board, more often than not you'll find the majority will do nothing with your product.

Thankfully, there is an easier way to build an online affiliate network. What's more, it won't cost you a dime!

Joint Venture Database & Matching Services

Joint venture databases are listings of companies and entrepreneurs who share a common desire to collaborate with other businesses for mutual gain. Businesses listed on such databases join up through their own initiative and often have a set of criteria to which they want to work.

It is the job of the joint venture database to match together compatible businesses listed on the database. They operate much like a dating service, using the criteria laid down by the database members as well as the identification of powerful natural synergies as their primary matching tools.

Matched results are regularly generated and sent to the businesses registered on the database. It is then up to the recipient of the results to decide whether they should pursue a potential collaboration with the businesses identified in the results.

Matching services like www.jvbase.com currently operate without any initial cost to the businesses that register. If you're looking for affiliate contacts who are primed and ready to assist you in building your affiliate network, you really have nothing to lose by getting yourself listed on a joint venture database or two!