When you start looking for opportunities to make money at home, be aware that scams are out there. Some are simple to see, others not so easy. Be sure there is a tangible product associated with the opportunity. Some programs I have seen claim the opportunity itself is the product. This is a sure sign of a scam. Run away fast!

In any case, it is easy to make money at home using the Internet. You just need a few things to start with. Namely a product, a hungry market, a way to sell the product and a delivery system.

Developing your own product is obviously the best choice here. Selling your own product is known as direct sales and all the proceeds are yours.

If you sell a product developed by someone else, a commission will be your reward. Commissions can be as much as 75%. This is what is known as affiliate marketing and is one of the quickest ways to make money at home.

Whether you go with direct sales or affiliate marketing, you need to find people who want what you have to offer. This is called your "market" and can be identified with a little research. Finding people who want your product is called building a list. A list that is well researched can be extremely profitable.

Notice I said you need a good "customer rapport". This is called the pre-sell and is simply getting to know your customer. Gain their trust and return for future purchases once they have bought from you and had a positive experience.

Now that you have attracted a few customers, you need to give them an easy to buy the product/service. A well written sales letter, a web site and an email management system is required. A good sales letter will drive your visitors into frenzy once they realize that they not only want but NEED the product/service you are offering. Buzz and momentum are created with the result being a sale and a satisfied customer. You can manage your emails with an auto responder. You may get a LOT of emails that need to be responded to. An auto responder will take care of this for you 24 hours a day. The auto responder will keep you in contact with existing customers as well as helping you nurse new contacts along.

A delivery system is provided by a web site. You will also gain a global, international presence with a web site. Customers can download electronic products instantly and shipping information for physical product shipment can be gathered and managed. With a web site, your customers will know where to find you again as well.

It is easy to make money at home with these basics. Follow them and your life can change with the click of a mouse.