This is about as low tech as you can get … and can be surprisingly effective. It’s also a good way to gather your family and friends in an effort to test out your customer support skills.

So, what is this effective, low-tech method we speak of? We speak of getting you started with the art of customer support by enlisting the help of those who are closest to you and are most likely to teach you the wrong way and the right way to provide customer support in a loving, safe way.

And for those of you whose eyebrows are currently raised, think of it this way: if you are new to offering customer support, wouldn’t you rather learn what work and what doesn’t work from those who love you and are more likely to accept any mistakes and errors without demanding a refund or writing a negative post about you on their blog?

So, how do you get started?
For starters, choose a product that has wide appeal, can be downloaded instantly, and pays a nice big commission (try ClickBank for ideas).

Forget the “make money” products. Instead, choose niches that are fun and sociable, like kids, crafts, scrapbooking, gaming, or genealogy. This is also the kind of niche that would most likely attract a wide base of any given family.

To get the ball rolling, call a family member you can trust. Explain that you need to raise some quick cash, but you’d rather not borrow from the parents (!). Would they mind forwarding a few emails from you, in which you mention some wonderful cool products, to other family members and friends?

Just say, “Isn’t this better than me joining some obnoxious MLM and bugging everybody to go to meetings?” Hey, the family might be GRATEFUL you’re just asking them to check out an affiliate product!

Explain you need everybody to forward the email to at least five other people, preferably more. All you need is one person in your “inner circle” to become an evangelist for you.

You can forget the drawn-out sales pitch in the email — simply say you’re hoping everyone will help you pay for that emergency car repair, doctor bill, or gambling debt by purchasing one of these cool products — provided, of course, they’re sincerely interested in it.

Promise customer support, which will amount to nothing more than helping the Internet-challenged person download a PDF.

Sound far-fetched? You’d be surprised — very surprised. In a week, you may suddenly find yourself in the middle of a viral campaign of epic proportions.

If the product pays $20 in commissions, don’t be surprised if you make $2,000 in a couple of weeks.

It all depends on how many people pass along your email — and put in a good word for you. And by using the “tell-a-friend” campaign, you’ve given yourself the opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t work from people who care about you.