Work Online Money

[singlepic id=5 w=117 h=121 float=left]A well known internet marketer who is launching his latest online study program on making money online. I will not mention names – suffice to say 25+ emails in two weeks was a bit much. Especially since this guy is very successful and was continually telling us the course he is marketing had only five remaining places two weeks ago! I do not begrudge anyone success or prosperity – but the hard sell has just been over the top. Beware all of you who are likely to be swayed by hard sell – I was once and once was enough. What left me feeling uneasy about this particular marketers approach is as follows:

1. The price of participation was framed – “I am giving you this opportunity at the lowest possible price I can because I am a nice guy and I want you to share in my prosperity – really I should be charging you a lot more – I am barely covering my costs…” Well that sounds like a descent thing to do right? Sure it does…

Now lets juxtapose that with – “and for the privilege of participating in this program and making money, because you WILL make money on this program, you get to share the profit with me 50/50!” How great is that??? Now that changes the story just a little don’t you think? So much for “this will only cost $X“. Now we are splitting profits!? Again I do not begrudge anyone to make a profit – but to frame it this way is, to me, duplicitous.

Lets just do some simple math. Suppose there are 100 apprentices (which is what we are lead to believe is the maximum number. I am confident there is way more than that) and they all make $10k. Then this guy, who is barely breaking even takes home a cool $500k… Not bad for say 6 months work and just ‘covering costs‘.

BTW – I emailed his office and asked about he can be claiming to ‘break even‘ when profit sharing is built into the course and this was the reply:

Of course XXX makes money with the course – but he also wants to teach you how to take the information he teaches and then apply that to your own business. The course will teach you how to get traffic and make sales in any niche. So you can either take the course and learn from XXX or you can choose not to and go at it on your own. But on your own you have to pay for the tools and the outsources and during the course XXX provides all of that for you (which is why it is 50/50). There are many people who attribute their success to this course and so like with anything you just have to be willing to take the risk. Take care,

Interesting response huh? I am not sure what I felt about the first para – “duh, of course he makes money…”. SO we are being charged 50/50 for course costs – I can go with that – but that’s bit what us said. And if we are going 50/50 for course costs – why charge $2k (more of less) up front – because remember with 100 folks that $2k becomes $200k! So now we are looking at $700k – if he can’t cover his costs with that – he needs me to do the budgeting!

Interestingly, none of the previous graduates that presented testimonials talked about how much they had actually made as a result of the program. They all said stuff like “X marketer is the real deal”.

2. All potential apprentices, and everyone else, was invited to a live seminar which was ‘sold out’ with 1000 attendees; the lines are jammed. Great – I was very pleased for them (btw this free seminar method seems to be growing in popularity watch out for it). I think a lot of people attended the seminar for the chance to win a free place on the course – a nice incentive. The reality is – how much meaningful information can anyone impart in 1 hour? Anyone that’s every taught anything knows the answer to that. Now I have no doubt this guy knows what he is talking about and is an excellent marketer – but if folks really think they are going to get much USE-ABLE content out of an hour they have got to be kidding. Especially when a sizeable chunk of the hour is dedicated to selling the course. Now we (the audience) was assured, even as he was reminding us (again) “there are only 5 places left” that the urging was not a pressure tactic…. like hell. Now you do the math… what are the chances – with a audience of 1,000 that they would not get five people sign up – four actually because he gave one place away. And today, three days later, we are still receiving emails urging us to join because there are two spots left. Do they think we are that gullible?

Actually, I did email him at the seminar and asked him why he was doing such a hard sell. I never got a reply. Now like I said, I do not doubt this guy knows what he is doing. I do however have doubt. That slippery marketing pitch coupled with the hard sell, the relentless emails and claims of, we have one spot left have certainly eroded my confidence in this particular internet marketer. These guys are all trying to position themselves as Mister Nice Guy – and maybe they are when they are not working.

In closing, please dear newbie – remember: these guys are first and foremost sales people. Making a sale is their objective and hooking you in for repeat sales is where they are headed. “If we don’t get them this time – we will get them eventually” is how the theory goes. So please, please, please look before you leap. Try to the best of your ability to keep your emotions in check. The “LAST CHANCE BUY NOW” time-line will ALWAYS be extended, as you can, no doubt, see by this experience. And if you do, by some strange chance, happen to miss that particular boat – fret not. Another internet marketing “new best thing boat” will come along all too soon.

BTW – as we about to publish this article we received another e-mail with special offer to the same course – what do you know!

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