I second what Craig said. One of the best ways is to meet people that know the big names. Your best shot to meet them is by going to IM seminars where you meet people live. The time during the breaks and after the speakers are done is often a lot more important than the actual seminar, because this is where you get to meet other Internet Marketers, where you can connect and build relationships.

Another great method is to promote for the big names first. They will hardly pay any attention to you if they don't know you. John Reese said that he'd only consider people that also made sales for him.

My 2 cents,
Mario