You know the old saying about judging others by the company they keep?
It works pretty well for judging Internet marketers, too. I’m on the mailing lists of a lot of self-proclaimed Internet marketing gurus. When the 7-Figure Code came out recently, every single one was sending out offers to their lists, giving away their own products for free if you’d buy the 7-Figure Code through their link. Now, I didn’t buy the 7-Figure Code, so I can’t say if it’s a good deal or not. But I do know that the gurus wouldn’t give away their own product for free unless they thought they’d make more from you in return.
There are products I’ve bought that have been huge disappointments, such as Autopilot Profits.
Interestingly, only one of the gurus whose lists I’m on promoted Autopilot Profits. And his emails to his list sounded just like the sales page for Autopilot Profits. This tells me that he didn’t care about providing honest information, he only cared about making a sale. I’m still on his list in the event that something blog-worthy passes through it, but I won’t buy anything on his recommendation.
You can judge Internet marketers by the products they promote. More importantly, as an Internet marketer, you will be judged by the products you promote. If you go for the quick buck you may gain a sale at the cost of your own reputation. In the long run, promoting only products you truly believe in will improve your reputation and aid in branding yourself.
This does imply that you actually have bought and used the products you promote, which is just one of your business expenses as an Internet marketer.
I believe a vast majority of people who market products have not put their own money on the line and purchased said product.
I’d have to agree with that, unfortunately. It’s easier to just pick a product and put some affiliate links and sales page copy on a blog than to put up money and actually review it.
I agree wholeheartedly. I run away from sites based on SPAMY or sleazy-looking affiliate marketing.
That’s why I like the idea of this blog: You’re willing to put money on the line to call their bluff. Your crediblity increases because you are willing to zing as well as praise. And you do it with your own experience with the product, not an off-the-cuff analysis.
I’m not interested in MLM, but I do find it interesting to read your experience with the various MLM ‘opportunities.’
[quote post=”263″]That’s why I like the idea of this blog: You’re willing to put money on the line to call their bluff. Your crediblity increases because you are willing to zing as well as praise. And you do it with your own experience with the product, not an off-the-cuff analysis.[/quote]
Thanks! That’s my main goal, to provide real experiences, so someone else doesn’t need to spend money blind.
[quote post=”263″]I’m not interested in MLM, but I do find it interesting to read your experience with the various MLM ‘opportunities.’[/quote]
MLM is one of those interesting fields. They seem to come up with more and more convoluted structures each year, which makes analyzing them more and more interesting. Ultimately, monetizing a blog is an easier way to make money online, but a lot of people are still attracted to the promises of MLM, so I like to make sure I review quite a few of them.
When I lived in the suburbs, almost every house had a MLM stragegy associated with it. This neighbor was a Shaklee rep. That one across the street sold Tupperware. Next door, the lady sold Pampered Chef stuff. This one’s kid sold Cutco knives, during the summer before she stared college. That one was pushing Bluegreen Alge. The lady up the way sold Discovery Toys. Her husband was an Amway guy, part-time.
All of them were true believers and their own best customers. I’ve bought from my friends as a courtesy, but never found the pricing structure good for me as a customer, or them as vendors.
We had one friend who did very well with Shaklee, but he sold it full time, and would have done far better (in our opinion) selling in a more conventional setting. He is a natural salesman, and would have done well with anything. He really believed in the product and the company, though.