Are you having trouble making ends meet? Do you need to find a way to generate some extra income? If so, which way do you go? If you’re like me, you decided to explore the internet only to find yourself buried in more material that you could read in eight lifetimes! What now? How do you go about filtering through the masses of come-ons?

I find that ads that tell me I can have a fabulous income with little or no work appeal enormously to the greedy, lazy parts of my humanity. Fortunately, I, like most of you, know that there is no such thing as being paid just for showing up. And you can’t afford to be burned. So just how do you proceed? Here’s a check list that’s sure to point you in the right direction!

1) Make sure you’re dealing with a reputable company.

How long has the company been around? Anything less than 2 years is pretty iffy. Is it a member of the Better Business Bureau? This is an excellent sign of integrity. Have any complaints been filed against this company? Let’s hope not.

2) What are the start-up costs? How about maintenance costs?

If you are being asked to purchase a start-up kit costing several hundred dollars or more, you need to really investigate what it is you’ll be receiving for your money. In my experience, you rarely get anything that is worth anywhere near as much as you paid. Also, how much product are you expected to continue to purchase monthly? Do you even use it? Does this leave money in your budget for advertising? Clearly, the best products to promote are ones that you need or would use anyway. Even better would be one that saves you as much money as it costs.

3) Is the product one that you can promote with pride and confidence?

You can only represent a product that you yourself are sold on. If you think that your product is a bit of a rip-off, you won’t be able to hide that, no matter what. Also, is your product something that someone would want to buy without participating in your business? In other words, does your product have legitimate value in and of itself?

4) Does your product have global appeal?

Does your product target only one gender or one age group? Is it confined to certain regions or to only one country? Also, if your product is a vanity or luxury item, these are often the first to go when the economy suffers. Obviously, the wider and the more practical the appeal, the better. If your product can be employed by people throughout the world, this is even better.

5) How much overhead does your product eat up?

If your product needs to be manufactured, packaged, warehoused and delivered, these costs cut into profits. A lower profit margin means a lower payout to you, the representative. Products whose value is determined by informational content offer the highest rate of return. Companies that offer valuable informational products are the most generous and the most lucrative for you, the income-seeker. Plus you and your clients enjoy immediate delivery and do not have to foot the bill for shipping and handling costs.

6) How do I know if something is really just a pyramid scheme?

The word pyramid has gotten a really bad rap. Every viable organization takes on the shape of a pyramid. The president at the top has several department heads under him, who each have several managers, who supervise teams of employees, etc.

The problem lies not in the structure, but in the value (or lack thereof!) of the product and the compensation being passed up and down these lines. If the product is non-existent, or promises to be materialized in the future, or is grossly over-priced, then you are dealing with schemers and thieves. If, on the other hand, you are engaged in a business that pays according to a matrix, (be it 2 x 2, 4 x 4, whatever), as long as the product is a good value for the money and each representative is being compensated fairly, then you have a legitimate multi-level marketing (MLM) structure. It’s good, old-fashioned, legitimate SALES.

Oops! There I went and said it. The dreaded “s” word. I can hear you already. “But I don’t like sales!” “I don’t know how to sell!” “I don’t want to make a pest of myself!” “I don’t want to bug my family and friends!” Believe me, I understand. That brings us to our final point.

7) Does your company supply you with state-of-the-art marketing strategies and ongoing training and support?

If you’re like me, you probably shy away from anything that even resembles hard-sell tactics. If that’s the case, you will want to look for a business that is fully automated with professional websites and internet tools that do all the promoting and background work for you.

Using internet tools is not difficult, BUT if you have never been shown what to do, why, it’s nearly impossible! And nobody likes to be made to feel like an idiot, so it’s important to find an organization that takes you from square one, trains you in the basics, and teaches you, step by step, how to become a professional, and never ever abandons you.

Well, I’ve given you a lot to think about, and I sincerely hope I have helped you. Internet marketing provides us all with a truly wonderful opportunity to realize our dreams. I mean this in the most literal sense. Once you find the right company for you, and get the support you need to go the distance, why, you’ll find that there is plenty of wealth out there to go around for everybody. Isn’t it high time you stepped up to stake your claim?