This is a great thread, I'd like to add my success story with JVs to the pile.

First of all, JVs are like everything else in marketing... It's a numbers game.

It's exactly like that first ad everyone has to write as an affiliate marketer... You just can't know all the variables about one ad, so when it fails to make them millions, they usually blame the process itself of being flawed... They think they need a million-dollar ad copy writing course or need that big-name JV to send it to their list... Basically blaming the wrong factors when all they needed was to send out a few variations and of course more numbers.

When I wrote my JV Invite emails to all of the Joint Venture Partners for my Surefire Success Launch, I treated that list, made up only of affiliates and experienced marketers, like a numbers game and wrote THEM the best copy I could to SELL them on selling Surefire Success. -You've got to treat it no differently than selling an affiliate product itself. -It's all about convincing others to do what you want them to do, primarily by offering an incentive.

As Mike can tell you, I didn't know too many JVs at all when I came to this board and asked Mike to help me get the word out for Surefire Success. I'd written some free ebooks before, but that was my only for-money product launch.

I'd followed the infamous 'product launch formula' somewhat closely and worked hard on each and every one of the variables. I got some people to Beta test it for me, so I could post their testimonials on the sales page. I worked non-stop on the copy, and looking back it could have been a lot better.

But most of my time for the month leading up to launch through today has been talking to JVs & affiliates, offering them any help I could give them.

I KNOW that's made all the difference. I didn't break the clickbank record but for a whole month after launch I was getting some great numbers and still make daily sales now, 5 months later.

I have never met JVs at a seminar yet so I am living proof that you don't need to line up your JVs in advance to have a successful launch... I found plenty enough Right here. Mike's done a Terrific job in that respect.

Of course if you have a great sales page, and better yet, can show numbers that it converts (such as 5% of all AdSense Traffic you throw at it) then by all means approach all the big-name Gurus out there. I talked to Ewen Chia, Joel Comm, Bob the Teacher, Allyn Gardyne, Ken Evoy, and plenty others that way and they all gave consideration... But in the end my copy wasn't good enough. My fault. -So they are listening, every last one of them.

I still found dozens of biggish-name Gurus through sheer numbers. Liz Tomey, Ben Shaffer, and some of my other contest winners found me through this board, but some of the others I contacted on their Blogs. -Yes, the Blogoshpere is FULL of people with influential readers. I'd rather have ten known bloggers than one known list owner any day... Those write reviews for you that stick around, and the search engines see those!

So JVs come in all forms, and they all take work, every last one. Just don't worry about buying them a beer first, you can approach anyone if you've got the right ingredients for a successful launch.

If you don't, and they can tell you don't, then what possible reason would they have to choose your launch over some other guy's who does that week?

Myself, I only recommend 1 product to my lists each week. I look in places like here to find launches that not only look like they'll sell well, but are priced affordably, really work like promised, and also that are highly targeted to my list. Sometimes the first product I peek at will be great, but sometimes I have to search hard and still won't find one. The bottom line is, each and every affiliate and JV out there has lots of variables to consider about each and every launch they consider, so you have to look at it like a numbers game.

Have a great product, make sure it sells well up front, then approach everyone you can, and offer all the help you can to them. If you just do that then JVs are a Surefire Success.