Do your research on the companies you will consider pushing. Read the industry magazines like
www.Xbiz.com -
http://business.avn.com/articles/technology/ -
www.ynot.com - and browse the review sites to see what kind of input they can give you.
Talk on the chat boards - this one is good, but crazy. There are others that cannot be named on this board, but you will find some other good ones too.
Go to the shows and meet the program owners face to face once you have established some traffic you can bargain with.
Talk to the other affiliates about their feelings - some may not want to share their info, but many will. It is plenty to do for everyone.
Cheers!