Try Teamwork: Internet Partnerships

Affiliate Programs

Affiliate deals are the simplest forms of Internet partnerships, says John Deneen. Partner companies simply put one another’s links on their Web sites, and offer commissions to one another—usually 5 to 15 percent—if customers who come through those links buy.

For example, Amazon offers other Web retailers a 5-percent commission on a sale if the customer came to the Amazon home page from another site. But if the affiliate site linked directly to one particular book on Amazon’s site and the customer buys that book, Amazon shells out a 15-percent commission, says Deneen.