What exactly would you like to do with your program? It will be easier to answer with that information. There are several ways it can be started depending on the needs.
Yes the advice I would give too could vary based on type of products, type of payout, per sale or lead, your marketing budget, etc. Give us a little more info so we can give you better advice.
I am in the same position, I have a team of translators who provide name,word,short phrase translations into hebrew,chinese,japanese,arabic,hindi and sanskrit I would like to start an affiliate scheme but we only sell our translations for around $8 each so the commission per sale would only be $1. Is there a recommended software to use for such a scheme?