Wednesday

Gotta Go Political

Well the elections are over and what's different? Not much. Now to be fair the new folks have not moved in yet. But it is sad that everyone is arguing over how much of our money they will let us keep and no one of note is talking about cutting the size of the government.

Not going to go through the waste and corruption here--you can find plenty on line.But I hope people will start to demand honesty and discipline from our government.

This is THE ISSUE for every citizen.

Monday

You can sing the blues believing the "news"



This week I found 6 products using "news" pages to make their products look legitimate. How can you tell? Take a closer look at the content and the disclaimers. On one site none of the other navigation links worked. When I went to the home page it simply said "Hola". On other pages 90% of the content was selling a single product.


What should you do?
1. Always do a thorough search on a product you are thinking of buying. Google the product name plus the word "scam" or "review"
2. Take the time to search sites for any disclaimers.
3. Check the about us section. Legitimate news feeds will give you their background.
4. Some sites are not news sites but informational sites that also sell product. In some of these cases you can find useful information in others its just sales copy. Again do your home work so you know what you're getting into.

Friday

What you see is what you get! Often it's Nothing!

Good morning! This week I came across an offer to buy a program that had helped an ex-gas pump dude (the "pro" selling this course, based on the photograph 20-25 years old) make an amazing, stupendous, crazy successful 15 gazillion dollars in JUST ONE WEEK!! Wow, how could I NOT buy this great course right away?

Mmm, Not. What I did do is send them this email:
"I enjoyed reading your sales page but it does not tell me what I would be buying? You will understand there are millions of these kind of pages so it would help me if you could provide some additional detail so I can evaluate if this is a program I can work with.

Thank you for your time"


What I got back was:
"...it is an affiliate marketing course. But we don't expect you to do everything yourself, that's why we have 1 on 1coaching program, where one of our experts will work with you to make sure you do make money.

Please let us know if you have any questions."


Of course I have questions...well really just one: Tell me what I would be buying?

These programs should be avoided. They ask us, the consumer, to give them money, based on hype, without first knowing exactly what we're buying. Ridiculous!

Needless to say this correspondence did not go anywhere. It offers two success lessons.

1. If you do not know exactly what you're buying do not give them your money. Even with a money back guarantee....often that is a scam as well.
2. A good program is upfront and honest. They let you see what they are offering. Sometimes they will even let you have a trial period.

Internet marketing success is not about gimmicks. Like weight loss products, there are plenty of magic bullet programs that are based on some truth but do absolutely nothing for you long term. Everyone knows what is needed (in the case of weight loss-diet and exercise) but too often do not want to do what it takes to be successful.

If you want to succeed in any business let me recommend the following:

1. Have a friend or partner that can help you with your strengths and weaknesses.
2. If you need help join a group or have a reliable and accessible coach.
3. Have a good marketing plan.
4. Learn what you need to measure to track your progress.
5. Do not procrastinate-even little steps are fine.
6. Read quality business and marketing blogs, books etc
7. Start with something you know.
8. Offer your customers real value!

I hope this helps.

Tuesday

Long time gone

I have been off starting a new business and I am happy to say it is going well. Back on my blog here to reach out to those that come across this blog to be extra careful these days with offers from Internet marketers.

My general rules for not getting ripped off are:
1. Never trust a money back guarantee-even if it has one of those cheesy seals
2. If you can not get a free look then you're probably better off going else where
3. When they mention money more than 3 times in the first 3 minutes--LEAVE
4. Use internet safe credit cards that let you limit the amount available if you are certain you want to go ahead and buy something. We have tested several money back guarantee offers that tried to hit our cc after we canceled.
5. If you can't find clear terms and conditions that you can understand--LEAVE

If you ever have a question feel free to drop me an email and I will let you know what I have on any particular offering.

Friday

Internet Briefcase

The radio ads are everywhere for Internet Briefcase--a work from home opportunity. What you need to know up front is that this is tied into Carbon Copy Pro (CCP) and Wealth Builders International (WBI).

Armed with that information you should be able to determine if this is right for you. It appears that this is a new way to inject new life into an MLM program that has been around a long, long time.

In my earlier review I mentioned I do not like the idea of buying a kit so you can learn what's in the program. That is nuts! It is strongly recommended that anyone looking into Internet Briefcase do some careful due diligence.

On the website it has alot of the same pitch from CCP...make 100 millionaires etc. This is one of the longest squeeze pages I have seen and when you finally get to the bottom you still do not know what is required of you or what you're getting in to. ON to page 2! (Oh boy I can hardly wait...what exciting news is next!) the sales pitch continues and now it more about if you have what it takes.

Here you are told that buying this starter kit is a key part of the opportunity and only if you have__ [fill in the blank with just about any admirable business quality...drive, integrity etc]__are they interested in you. So once they have called you out, challenged you, one might say, to see if you think you can cut it, are you given the privilege of coughing up $49 (less if on sale) to get a kit that tells you a little more about the program. In my opinion this is always a walk a way signal. There is so much you don't know after reading these pages about the business, that spending money to see if you can be like one of the featured folks on the page makes no sense to me.

The website justifies asking for money to learn about the program, saying:

•We want to stop people from wasting their time and money by getting started in an opportunity that is not right for them. That would only create friction, and we’d rather you look forward to your home based business.

•The Test Drive Kit allows candidates to make an educated decision without risking hundreds or even thousands of dollars to find whether or not this is right for them.


In most other businesses when a seller wants a buyer to make an informed decision, they provide all the needed information up front. There is nothing in CCP or WBI that can't be explained on a web page or downloadable PDF. It could be explained in less copy than you find on the Internet Briefcase landing page. Would you go shopping at a store inwhich when you ask a store manager for help.... he tells you to buy the information first. Ridiculous.

Last note, as you research WBI and CCP you will learn that after spending $49 from that point on there are hooks to get more money from you...and if you can get others to come in behind you you might make money. I do not recommend Internet Briefcase or CCP.

Good luck and I hope this helps your research.

Saturday

Anthony Morrison

While channel surfing for money making opportunities today. I came across an Anthony Morrison TV infomercial. After 30 minutes of listening to him talk about "techniques" and strategies" with absolutely no substance,I came away thinking its another internet marketer selling rehashed ideas under a new cover.

TIVO'g the program lets me pause the program so I can read the disclaimer that they have to put up...but most can't read because its small, white type that does not stay on the screen long enough. Anyway it says that the majority of the people buying the book don't make money. Hmmm? I will have to see what I can learn about that.

The book is $19.95 but they charge an inflated shipping charge. So I don't like that "strategy". Check Amazon.com and you'll see that shipping and handling should be a fraction of that amount. So I think I will pass on that book opportunity and look for it at a yard sale.

....This is an added comment after the original post above. You have to Google Anthony Morrison. There are several customers reporting that when they called to order Anthony Morrison's book that in addition to the $19.95 book price, their credit cards were hit for an additional charge of over $80. Here are some URLs on the subject: http://www.friendsinbusiness.com/board1/index.cgi/noframes/read/160672 and http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r20611890-Scam-Anthony-MorrisonHidden-Millionaires-Infomercial

Here is an excerpt:
n my opinion, Anthony Morrison is scamming everyone. Don't go to his seminars or buy books. He isn't telling any secrets. You can learn so much free from people on the internet willing to share. He is giving bad advice to newbies by starting them in Pay Per Click adverting. His web site is just sitting there. The affiliate is paying the bill and taking the risk of pay per click advertising, banners and what ever else, plus paying $50
a month. Think about it, it only costs about $10 to host your own website. All the affiliate programs he offers you can sign up for free yourself. There are good products out there to teach people internet business. Don't listen to Anthony. He is scamming people big time in my opinion!


Any business that inflates shipping costs, uses high pressure phone sales tactics and, worst of all, adds charges to a customers credit card should be avoided. Now when you read about Anthony Morrison online you have to take it all in with a grain of salt-you may not get the full story in one place. I will call the number and see how they justify charging more than the price of the book. Bottom line: The fact that I can find several consumers complaining about the same overcharge is disturbing and a real red flag.

Wednesday

Looking for a job

I have started a project on putting together the best information to help folks find a job or additional income. With regard to the additional income part that is half scam busting and half identifying good value.

After being away for awhile it was amazing how full my inbox was with the latest "have-to-have" junk offers. It was $7 for this magic solution,or $37 for this amazing tool that will make me million-MILLIONS I SAY!!- in just 15 minutes. Boy these type of hyped up, hollow, no-good rip-off offers really bother me. These marketers think nothing of it to take money away from folks that are probably working very hard for each dollar they make. They know what they are selling is crummy but they do it anyway. Shameful!

Well the job site/community will have information like this (Scam and rip-off info)to hopefully keep people out of trouble. The other side of the site is giving leads, training and other tips. I would love to hear from folks (email is above in the header) who can recommend sites that do job training well and those that do not.

Thank you for your help.

Tuesday

Rapid Profit Method

Though I have asked to be removed from Mike Cheney's mailing list I guess he did not get the memo...I still get snake oil pitches. Every week I get another must own secret to success. The latest says, "Secret Method Automatically [my emphasis added] Generates Anywhere from $10K to HIGH SIX FIGURES in a Matter of Hours...Over and Over Again, Like Clockwork! (if you stay awake through the video you will see the pitch changes slightly and now it says he makes this kind of money) Thank goodness the FTC now makes these marketers come clean and in the presentation he disclaims that you may not make a dime at this.

Here is the first problem with programs like this...you do not know all a marketer does or does not do with a "program" so you can't evaluate if you would do well or how you could duplicate the results they promote.

To save you some time (the subsequent video went on for more than 20 minutes) you should know that no "method" is shared, described or detailed in anyway. There are some good links to help you learn more about this program but I found the following post most helpful:

This is the basic idea of RPM.

1. You choose a market where you have an interest and you
know people are already spending money.

2. Then you identify a few of the experts in that market and hold a tele-training or webinar with those experts.

3. During the tele-training/webinar the expert shares helpful information.

4. As soon as you’ve held 4 or more of the tele-trainings/webinars the recordings are combined to create your very own product.


Reading other reviews you will see it gets a mixed bag of pros and cons. On whole it seems the cons out number the pros. No where in the presentation does it even allude to the fact that you need to find "experts" and convince them to help you. That is a major problem, in my opinion.

The one take away here is that the sales page video hit all the typical sales points- easy, little time needed, make a lot of money, pictures of statements trying to prove success and a sense of urgency.-and in the end never did tell you anything about the method. So the consumer has to take the chance of buying a product site unseen. As with just about all these EZ-learn-internet-marketing courses there are always critical tasks that need to get done in order to work. Tasks usually not disclosed upfront. It's the same situation here--you the consumer does not get a good idea of what will be required of you until after you have given them your credit card number. This is not a good situation for you to be in.

So before getting sucked into the useless sales pitch take the time to look around and do some due diligence. It will save you a ton of cash!

Monday

Is it a scam? This site has an opinion

Hey folks this site is an intersting read. This site, http://www.mlm-thetruth.com ,has some interesting things to say about MLM and other online businesses.

The purpose of this blog is to provide actionable information to those looking to start or just learn more about doing business online. To that end I think this site is worth the time to review it.

Saturday

Keep 2010 safe

Wow the holiday season has flown by and the new year is here and just like the cold weather the number business opportunity pitches has blown in with the new year. Magazines, radio, TV and the Internet are replete with pitches to help us be our own boss, own our own business, be financially independent or perhaps make millions in just 15 minutes a day. Oh brother!

So what is an honest, ambitious person to do to start a business and not get ripped off? Good questions here are some thoughts and ideas that might help you separate the real opportunities from the bogus ones.

1. Use common sense. Many pitches say no experience needed or something to that effect. Great! You may not need any experience but do the customers you will be selling to want it? For example, I saw an ad for becoming a business finance consultant. The pitch promoted how the parent company will give you all you need to sell loans and leases to businesses. Fine....but do you think that someone who is running a businesses is going to jeopardize her business entering into a financial transaction that could, if done wrong, wipe out her business? Of course not. So before entering into a franchise or buying into a business consider both sides of the business transaction to think through if its right for you. Ask friends and people who may be your future customer what do they look for when considering purchasing the product or service you plan to sell.

2. Critically look at how they sell the opportunity. Is the material or website upfront and honest? Honest in the sense that they are not clever or cute about hiding fees and costs. Sticking with the business financial professional pitch, the materials pitched how businesses are looking for capital (true) and that the government is pumping in money (conditionally true) to help businesses. [Reader thinks: wow this is great!...tell me more] The pitch claimed "no franchise fee" and as the reader browsed the website the price of this great opportunity was conspicuously missing. Digging into the website I found the first reference to cost on the request more information page... you have to make an investment of nearly $15,000 for training. (A little misleading I think). I personally would not go any further because in my opinion if the company is not upfront and direct about the cost are they going to be just as allusive when I need their help to get the business moving forward? I would have much preferred to see the cost discussed upfront with a clear explanation and value proposition. Hey, if they have a great opportunity then its worth the price and they should be able to discuss this clearly and upfront.Rule of thumb is that a pitch company is not going to have questionable behavior in one aspect of the business and be golden in another. They are who they are and don't hope that after you buy in that all of a sudden the company is going to change their spots to help you. So carefully determine if the company is being honest and clear with you or are they allusive and tricky?
3. Good companies answer good questions. I recently called on an ad and the first thing the company representative did was start filling out an information sheet on me. I tried to interject that I had one questions...a yes or no question at that. The rep said, "ok" and then asked the next question on his questionnaire. Leaving me to wonder what was their focus: helping me choose their opportunity or get my phone and email for some other pitch they could send me? A company that is offering a solid business opportunity knows they have a good opportunity because they have the experience and customers (franchisees/owners) to prove it and therefore will be focused on helping you come to that same understanding. They are focused on answering your questions because they know the more you ask they better they are going to look. If the follow up is all about getting you to send your money and get answers later then punt! You can do better elsewhere
4. Lastly, a good company does not want just your money they want you to be successful. A good company is looking for people who will be a good representative of their product or service. I know they cannot know what effort you will put into a business or how successful you will be, but they do know what others have had to do to be successful and can discuss that upfront with you. Here is what I mean. Look online at all the Internet marketing gurus/teachers. No matter what "system" or "program" they are selling they tell you you will be rich. They do not know that! And, the truth is you will only make money if you can successfully find and convince people to buy your product. It is at this point that so many programs turn into scams. It does not matter if its selling vitamins, loans or cleaning products if you do not know how to find and convince customers to buy, you are not going to succeed. I can count on one hand the number of sales pages I have read that have given the reader a complete and unbiased presentation on what a prospective business owner will have to do to be successful. An ad or web page that is all hype and pitch with little or no substance should be avoided. An another sign of a good company is the follow up you receive. If you have not bought but have asked for information what kind of follow up emails are you getting? If you bought, what follow up are you getting? Does someone check in with you to see what help you need? Don't over look this.

Good luck on your business ventures and I hope this will help you as you evaluate your opportunities.