From: The Desk of....A Self-Made Marketer

I have personally came close to being scammed by an online business opportunity at least once.  Luckily I was able to redeem my $100 investment from                      Alert Pay within days of subscribing.

The opportunity for being scammed is always present and will continue to exist and even become more prevalent as more entrants enter the online world.

Not only on the internet, but also in the real world, Scams (with a capital P) are also prevalent. My sister just last year (2009) suffered financial loss to the tune of upwards of $80,000 at the hands of a scammer; a resident in the community, dressing up and going to church and maintained an office that made her look like she was the mayor of the town.. Luckily the scammer has been apprehended and investigations are in progress.                                                                                                                          Meanwhile my sister has an Associate degree in business and has enjoyed above average success in the apparel business over the past 20 years..

Scamming can be prevented; minimize or even avoided if one knows what to look for in a real business opportunity (whether online or offline) Like individuals, businesses have characteristics.

However, just because it may be a legitimate opportunity does not mean it is the best for you. You need to make certain that you choose the best available, so that you can start earning profits quickly. Here are five characteristics of a an excellent business opportunity: Well, not excellent, but a real business opportunity.

Quality Product/s/service/s:
The best business opportunities (whether online or off) are those that that have a quality product/s/service/s readily available to the market. If one is serious about creating a successful business by marketing/promoting those product/s/service/s, then by all means try out first and try to understand the various benefits to the end user It's much easier to sell something that you have tried and believe in and you    will find it can prevent a lot of problems and less disappoints, frustrations and even refunds.

Cost of product/service / membership cost
It is important that the price for the product or service as well as the Affiliate membership  cost be set at a value that appears fair to the end user as well as the affiliates that will be marketing the business opportunity. since its agreed that it takes time to build a business, it is important that that the cost of the business opportunity be set at a rate that appears affordable as well as  as a good value to the affiliate. promoting the business/product/services  I personally don't believe in FREE business opportunity. For the most part, banks require the borrower make a down payment on a loan (usually 10 or 20%). The down payment represents a commitment on the part of the borrower. So to, the membership costs represents commitment on the part of the affiliate member.

Valuable Training Opportunities
You will also want to narrow down those opportunities by the training opportunities they make available to  to their marketers/affiliates. I'm finding it difficult to note anything worse than joining a company and later finding out that that they have no training and or support system. While it might be quite possible acquire training on ones' own, it will be noted that the company who offers training and support is or will be more apt to care about their members and affiliates success.

Opportunity to Earn Quickly
It is recognized that while it takes time, money and effort to create a business, it also takes time to start earning a profit, from that business. No one wants to be in the position of having to wait for months and months to receive their first pay check. Always check to find out how long it will take you to receive a pay check, as well as what the average rate of return is for their members..

Impressive Commission Structure
An important factor in determine the merits of the business opportunity is the earning (commission structure ). One should always have the opportunity to earn greater levels of income as ones skills, efficiency and productivity increases,