Lately I have been thinking about all the varied ways companies and people are finding to make a living by selling VoIP products and services. Some people for example have done an amazing job as affiliates meaning they get a piece of every sale they direct to a company. Vonage for example has a great affiliate program that many webmasters subscribe to and lots of sales that Vonage makes are attributable to such partners.

The affiliate route has its benefits as long as you have a base of people that you have access to or perhaps visit your site.

But this is just one way to get into VoIP and perhaps the easiest. If you don’t have a website that generates lots of traffic how do you get into this business?

Simple, you become a VoIP reseller. You can sell IP PBXs or you can sell a hosted service. The question is which is better? Perhaps it is good to have a mix of both? Services generally generate longer-term but smaller revenue streams but depending on your customer’s needs you may want to have both arrows at your disposal. After all you just don’t know what a customer wants until you have spoken with them about their needs and desires and the problems they need to solve.

Once you decide what you want to sell you need to decide what questions to ask your potential partner and as importantly how to work with your provider. How do you avoid getting burned? How do you craft agreements to ensure that you and your customers are protected. What are your needs? What are the pitfalls of partnering? Have you examined the relationship from all angles?

The VoIP market is expected to continue the rapid growth levels it has achieved recently for many years into the future. The companies that jump into this market early with a clear vision of where they fit into the massive VoIP ecosystem have the best chance of making money in the long run.

In addition picking a series of partners that are committed to your success is critical. You must be aware of the pitfalls of aligning yourself with partners who aren’t the ones who have your best interests at heart. In addition you must ensure the products and services your resell are a fit for the skills you posses.

The VoIP market is one of the most lucrative ways to make money but if you don’t know what you are doing you can end up with more red than black ink.