“Learn How to FINALLY Stop Buying Make Money Online Products!”
→Stop Being a Victim of “Shiny Object Syndrome” With the Tips Here and Transition from Being a Buyer to a PRODUCER!
Yeah, that was me… for a long time. This isn’t a good way to live. When you go from program to program, just hoping and praying, it’s a lot like an addiction. If this is you, then it’s time to learn how to manage it. I don’t say you have to go completely cold turkey but you need to first realize what’s going on so you can make some wise decisions.
Let me explain a few things in this article:
- First, let’s go over how I fell into a trap of making money online and what effect it has on you.
- Second, I’ll explain how I got out of that trap and that sick cycle.
- Third, I’ll give advice to everyone selling online regarding what they’re doing wrong (and right).
By showing you my failures and mistakes, I hope to help anyone else who may be stuck in this trap, looking for a way out. The good news is, there IS a definite way out and it’ll really help you truly make some money online. This article is long (sorry) but I go deep into this topic and get kind of personal, explaining what I’ve gone through.
The shorter version of this whole page is this… stop buying programs and start producing them. Once you do that, when you see offers come in, you simply ignore them or just check them out to see what people are doing. You’re not tempted to buy the next, shiny object anymore. It’s liberating! How you do that is you become a producer instead of just someone who buys these products.
I feel like I could turn this page into a short course or book by expanding on things a bit but you’re getting this information for free!
How I Slipped Into the Trap of Making Money Online
Quick note: Before I get into my story, please know there are two sides to internet marketing and making money online. You can either help people get to what they’re looking for by giving them good, solid information, help them learn how to ethically make money online, or there’s the route of scamming people – where you’re only doing it to better yourself – not them. I’ll touch on this at the very end, too.
It all started on accident, really. It started around 2007, a bit after I set up a local directory website that was getting really good traffic. At that point, I was really happy just getting traffic and making some money with ads I had running.
I then got a hold of some software that put tons of Amazon products on my website. It was the perfect storm or something where I had good content, Google wasn’t too picky yet, and I had a solid domain name with a good reputation and traffic. I loaded those products in October and up until Christmas, it just took off. I was making like $125 per day on Amazon. A check for like $4500 showed up in the mail (I don’t think direct deposit was a thing back then) and I was hooked.
I tried a few things, then in early 2009 I got into a new program. Google still was easy to hack and I was ranking sites at #1, getting tons of traffic and raking cash in using Google AdSense. Wow.
Then Panda and Penguin hit and that all went to crap, really. I was able to sell that #1 website for a very nice sum still, so I was still on Cloud 9 at that point.
At this point, I was close to making around $100,000 online. Not bad for a Wisconsin boy.
Once the money ran out, I started looking for the next thing, then the next, then the next, and so on. A few of them worked out well and that’s the problem… a few of them worked out well. Not many but some did, so that kept me hooked – looking for that next, quick way to earn money online. If 1 in 10 offers worked, that would be fine – was my reasoning. And it’s not bad logic, really, but what happened was, I’d try things and if they didn’t instantly take off, I’d be on to the next thing.
It became like a drug, really. I needed a fix. I remember how I’d buy an offer and then be in “bliss mode” where I’d imagine how that money could do things for me if the offer worked. That was my high and I’d ride it out. I’d then later sit down and check out the offer and finally learn it was the same, old crap packaged a new way. The depression would sink in and I wouldn’t even ask for my money back since I felt so bad. Maybe I’d try it and nothing would happen and I’d think it was me and I did it wrong.
The problem was, there would always be a next offer (the next, greatest thing is always just out and you have to get it now, right?) and I thought if I could just get one to work, I’d be done… or would I? It was kind of like feeding money into a slot machine.
And not giving an offer a chance to work kind of made me lazy – to be honest. I try something and if I didn’t get instant results or if it had too many steps, I’d give up. I’d justify my behavior here by calling it my litmus test. Little did I know, this kind of thinking and behavior was becoming something bad, which was growing on me, little but little.
I then started to notice this kind of behavior carrying into other parts of my life – like going to gym or getting fit. I’d try a little, fail, and stop. Maybe I’d try a diet supplement or some new eating plan. I wouldn’t stick to it and I would feel like a failure.
When this kind of thinking and behavior finally carries into all parts of your life, you’ve really become consumed by it and usually without even knowing it. It’s easy to hide usually but it’s there. I noticed I needed most things to work instantly or I’d quit – even relationships. I wouldn’t have patience for things and most good things do take time, so having messed up expectations was not good… it was toxic.
This is real, folks. It starts slow and creeps in without you even knowing it. You get on these people’s lists and you get flooded with offers, seeking the next, big thing. That’s no way to live. I hated being there.
How I Got Out of That Trap
I got to a point where I had enough. I knew I had to make changes in my entire life to get out of the pit I was in. Sure, new products come out all the time, but what do you think is going to happen… one, killer product will come out that finally helps everyone and then nobody will come out with any more offers? No, of course not. They really won’t stop. I think I had to come to this realization. Of course, I knew it was true but I had to really think about it and apply that thinking since so much of this is emotional. I had to make some changes and not just in one area of my life.
I made some changes like I started using a personal trainer and going to a gym that just had classes. It took me probably 10 months before I saw decent progress. Sure, there were some instant gains, but then it took time. And what made the difference was adding just a bit more per week. It put me over into the land of success, you could say. Hanging on and just doing the minimum doesn’t get you the success you need to really reap the benefits. I finally learned that and more… as I’ll explain next.
What really helped was when I finally bought yet another program that was really cheap (like $5) and at the end, the guy had a really great video about how to go forward from the course he laid out. He was really honest about things and he had some great points (with my notes/spin added in – READ THIS):
- In a few days (or maybe in just a few hours if you’re on a lot of people’s lists), you’re going to see another offer in your email, you’ll buy it, and continue in that cycle – unless you break out of it.
- You need to become a producer first and a consumer second. Flip the script. instead of buying, you need to sell.
- Get a producer mindset from now on and stop consuming these programs.
- First figure out what you’re going to sell to others.
- Run a real business online. It should make money and produce profit. From there, go and do the other things you love.
- It’s not all fun and games. It takes work. You’ll do things you hate to do but do them – get the work done. It’s important. You’ll then get to enjoy other things more. Get the work done and do it well – not half assed. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. If everyone’s doing it, then the market is over saturated and it’s not special. Be special by putting in the effort/work.
- Don’t just survive but thrive. Try to do more than you think you’re capable of. You can do it but you have to try.
- Don’t quit too early. Do stuff that sucks. Push through because only then will you see results. Other things in your life get easier because you’re doing things that you hate / that pushes you. Be willing to do it and you’ll get paid like you’re willing to do it. That’s how you get ahead. Stick it out and wait – be patient. Push! Don’t wimp out.
- Go above and beyond – try to be the best at whatever you do. You might not get there but try. Put your heart and soul into it – and then a little more. Do it for yourself to know you did it the best you could. That goes a long way in many ways. It carries over into your life. Live up to your potential.
- Don’t look back on your death bed wishing you did better. Go hard – as hard as you can. It won’t be fun – no way, but buck up and do it. The reward is worth it. You gain self-confidence by accomplishing things.
- Money will only get you so far but knowing you gave your all is even more worth it.
- When you go out and have fun, you have no worries because you know when you were working, you gave it your all. There’s no guilt and no regret (no worries).
- You might suck at first – you will. Expect that. Keep pushing through.
- Failure breeds success. The more you fail, the more you learn. You will get better but it will take time. Expect that. Every time you fail, you get closer to success but if you quit, then you’ll never see success.
What kind of helped me was looking at the upcoming launches over at MunchEye. This is kind of a behind the scenes view of what’s going on. All these product launches are, of course, scheduled. This is how people become affiliates of products. They see what’s coming, check it out, and ask to be affiliates so they can promote the offers to their email lists.
Here are more, great tips from a video I came across:
But the goal here is to flip the script and become a producer, not just a buyer.
What I do is think that if I buy someone’s offer, then that’s $20 or $50 I don’t have to buy solo ads for my own list. I know solo ads will get me leads and sales. Why risk that money on possible crap?
Remember: Do Hard Work and Provide Tons of Value
In 2009, when I hit it big, ranking on Google. I remember writing tons and tons of short articles. It was terrible. I hated it but I set goals and I got it done. I was later rewarded… big time. It worked (and it doesn’t work now, by the way – that was a long time ago). I worked one program hard and it paid off… that’s the point.
The mindset of dipping into this program and that one and not seeing it through is terrible. It’s the opposite of what you need to be doing and it’s addictive. Get out of that.
From all the programs/offers I’ve seen, I’ve gained experience and I’ve learned what to do and what not to do. There were lots of program I bought that were complete crap.
In fact, in this Internet Marketing world, I’ve noticed one guy out there with a really weird name that literally keeps producing a product per month around the same theme. It’s the same thing with a different name. What crap!
What you need to do is provide value. Make that your brand. You know something others don’t – everyone does. Think about what advice people always come to you for and what advice you give them because you know it really well. It’s probably a few things. Those are ideas for books and courses.
That is where you start. There are some skills and tools you’ll need to get going but it’s really not too tough. You do it once, at a minimal level and go from there.
Get the Producer Mindset
Again, the main thing here is to change your mindset to be a producer. Change your point of view and just doing that will go a long way! Look at those offers that come in emails, check out what people are doing but don’t buy them – just use them for ideas and apply it to what you’re going to produce. Be a producer, not a consumer.
Like I’ve eluded to, make sure you produce offers or programs that will actually help people – not feed their addiction. To produce something like that, you’ll have to do it on purpose and work hard at it. To help you get there, I’m going to next list what not to do – my gripes about this industry. I do this so you can learn the best way to create a good JV offer.
If you’ve been buying lots of products like I have, you’ll know what to do or just need a little bit of help. You definitely have the knowledge and education to become a producer!
It Doesn’t Have to Be Absolutely Perfect
The worst part is the “perfect” attitude. Below, I’ll list some things that don’t work but don’t keep refining your product until it’s absolutely perfect because it doesn’t need to be. Yes, make sure it’s good, understandable, and quality but don’t keep revising and revising because you’ll then never get it done and that’s useless. Get started and get to a point where it’s finished.
Google things like “good enough principle” to see what I mean. Doing that changed my life… seriously.
Internet Marketing DOES Take Work!
Stop Thinking That Clicking a Button Makes You Money Instantly – That’s a Lie!
So, I was in the gym this morning and one person talked about their friend on Instagram who quit her job, travels, posts, and get sponsored.
You know what else she said?
She said it took a year for that person to get there.
Let that sink in.
What that means is, that person worked their tail off for work they were going to get paid for later. They had the motivation and discipline to work for free for a while until they eventually got there.
That is what it takes… seriously.
This kind of work is not for everyone, so if you can’t handle that, then my advice it to get out and quit now. I’m completely serious. Otherwise, you’re just going to try things and quit, over and over. That’s miserable. You’ll be in a much worse place later than if you just quit now, so that’s why I say quit now. It’s not for you. Use your time and energy somewhere else because failing over and over again will not be fun for you and it’s depressing.
For the rest of us, get ready to work, work, work!
You may work building up a website, writing books, coding software, or creating videos, and so on. You’ll have hours and hours where you finish the work and don’t get paid for it – not right away, at least. If you stick to it and follow through, doing your best, my time-tested theory is that the cream always rises to the top.
Sure, you may see other Internet Marketers renting expensive cars and houses to shoot their videos in, faking it (some of that is real, actually, but some ARE fake) thinking they’re winning and you’re losing but you keep going. Find that motivation and drive to keep putting the work in, learning, and experimenting. That’s how it’s done.
Then, guess what? There’s a day in your future where it all just comes together! There is!
All that work will pay off and you’ll be able to look back at what you did. Remember failure leads to success and you never really fail unless you give up – so keep going. A lot of us have done it. I’ve got stories I can tell you and if you stick with me, you’ll hear them.
So before going on, make a decision – work your butt off without pay for a while or just quit now. It’s fine to quit if you look at it like an addiction.
Things to Keep in Mind When Posting Your Offer / Sales Page
With that said (don’t make it perfect), I do have some tips and things to remember and check over once you do develop your own product. Remember, it does not have to be in the Make Money Online industry – in fact, do not put something there. Do something you know really well and you’ll be talking to an audience that is not burned out.
And think about it, wouldn’t getting like $10-20/day selling a few books online be nice? That’s $300-600 per month. That’s a lot of groceries or few nights out on the town.
So since I’ve bought a lot of programs/offers, I have some tips for those who sell online in the usual markets.
Your Spelling/Grammar Matter (to Me, at Least)
I’ve flat out turned down offers I’ve seen because someone didn’t use apostrophes correctly (or use them at all). Hey, English is tough and I even get things wrong sometimes but a poorly written sales page points more toward a product that’s going to be difficult to get through instead of one which will be easy to get through.
Does that make sense?
You want more sales, right?
OK, I get it that the people selling their products and programs aren’t New York City advertising firms or professional copywriters. My expectations aren’t that high for these sellers. I make mistakes, too. But if you’re asking me to spend my hard earned money on your products, you need to at least have someone look through your sales page and the materials you’re providing to proof read, spell check and step things up a notch. If that doesn’t matter to you, then to me, that’s an indication of the quality of product you’re selling. Don’t write your sales page like you’re writing a text message to a friend. Be professional.
I just saw another one where someone had a presentation they were going through about YouTube and it said “youtube” everywhere and it was underlined in red like it was spelled wrong. Another was “R.I.P” instead of “R.I.P.” (that last period… acronyms aren’t IP addresses). To me, things like this can be an indication that the course isn’t high quality. If you can’t take 30 seconds to do a find and replace to fix things or have someone look it over, then you honestly don’t care about the quality of what you’re delivering. Like I said, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but come on.
Some things to remember:
- Know the difference between “it’s” and “its”. I know English is confusing but it’s easy to remember. Writing “it’s” ALWAYS means “it is” so there you go. Whenever you see “it’s” read it as “it is” and see if it works.
- It’s “etc.” not “ect.” – just stop writing it the wrong way, please. You look kind of silly.
- Why do people write “Seo” instead of “SEO”? It’s an acronym. Or you see “Url” instead of “URL” which is also an acronym.
- Apostrophes NEVER (EVER!) make words plural. Never. So “video’s” is wrong if you’re trying to make “video” plural. It’s always “videos” (yeah, it is… for realsies). The same with “guru’s” – nope, it’s “gurus” all the time unless it’s the “guru’s plan” or something like that where you’re showing possession. We don’t go out to eat on Thursday’s, we do it on Thursdays but we go to TGI Friday’s. 🙂
- And what’s up with missing the last period on an abbreviation? I’m seeing this so much lately. It’s not “V.I.P” like an IP address but it’s “V.I.P.” with a period at the end.
Pay attention to these details because they might not matter to you but they matter to a portion of your audience. Also, you look kind of silly. Maybe nobody’s saying anything because they don’t want to be “that guy” but they’re thinking it… for sure. Now you know.
For me, it’s a sign or signal about the quality of the course. If they can’t even get the name right or be smart enough to hire someone qualified to look it over for things like this, then how good can the product really be?
Oh, and if anyone out there catches me saying “gurus” in an email, please call me out on it. I hate that phrase in emails… like, a lot.
Consider What Your Product Actually Costs Someone
Think about this – the average member of the audience you’re reaching probably makes about $14 per hour (just a guess). If your product is $27, then you’re asking them to basically work 2 hours at their job in order to make enough money to buy what you’re selling. That’s 2 hours of lifting boxes, flipping burgers, mopping floors, taking orders, or whatever… 2 full hours! Not 2 hours watching a movie – 2 hours working.
So if they’re doing all of that in order to buy your product, why not at least ensure that a somewhat small detail like saying “let’s” (“let us”) instead of “lets” (the verb) is correct? If you’re not good at that, maybe first spend your own $27 to have someone look it over for you. It’s a two way street.
If you cannot do that, then how do I know your software isn’t full of glitches or not have things labeled well where it’s too confusing to use? You’re obviously not paying attention to details on your sales page, so I have to assume it’s going to carry into the rest of your product. Let’s be professional about this and make our industry respectful.
It also tells me that you’re working fast and furious to just get my money instead of delivering quality products. Wouldn’t I have to conclude that with what you’re providing? You are in control of what you produce and if you want to send that message to me, it’s your choice. You’ll have to deal with the consequences – people like me thinking your quality is poor.
I know it’s tough to look at something like a sales page and proof it. You become blind to it. You don’t see mistakes. And maybe all this grammar stuff isn’t your thing. That’s fine. Just get some help.
Course Videos and Webinars Need to be Clear and Understandable
And with video training with your course, if your accent is very strong and if you’re trying to target the US market, maybe consider paying someone else to do the speaking for you. It’s just common sense. You’ll have less charge backs/refunds.
I was sold a course with an English speaker doing the voice over on the sales page and I then get a course with someone that was very hard to understand… that’s pretty close to “bait and switch” in my book – very deceitful.
My tips:
- Use a good microphone. I like condenser mics but they need to be powered. There are a lot of good USB mics that take care of powering them, so it’s easy now.
- When you’re showing your WordPress Dashboard, make sure it’s up to date so that we know your plugin works with the latest version of WordPress. Why do most demo videos show that WP needs an update? And that just looks really sloppy, too.
- When recording your videos, turn off any notifications like Skype and other programs that will make a sound or have a popup every 10 seconds when you’re making a video. Basically, turn everything off that you’re not using. Turn off your phone or mute it, too. Be professional.
- If you’re in a room with big, flat walls, do some sound dampening to remove echo by hanging up some blankets or something on the walls. It’s simple to do! That’ll absorb sound and stop it from bouncing all over the place, making things more clear. You have to do what the professionals do when recording. It’s not hard, just think through it, do a test recording first and make adjustments. Do the best you can.
- When you’re demonstrating something, don’t skip stuff. Don’t type in dummy text just to get through your video but include what strategy you’re using. I don’t like seeing text like “This is some text” in where a description should be. Hey, YOU came up with your method, right? Don’t show something like “This is some text” but show us an example of what YOU do to get the results YOU say YOU got. Give us a real-life example. I don’t know if there should be a lot of text there or a little. Give me a real example, so I see YOUR exact method working. Do it on the standard “dog training” niche if you’re afraid of us stealing your niche.
- And for goodness sake, do not put background music in your training videos or make them difficult to hear. That’s distracting and isn’t helping us understand your accent better. It’s noise. Stop trying to be cool or whatever.
Someone a little while ago, whom I bought a program from, came back a few weeks after I bought it and offered more training – for free! And I don’t mean another, similar offer that complimented their product (cough… upsell) – but real training on their own product. They showed additional methods and strategies to make it work.
Wow. That blew me away.
Awesome!
Is “Built-in Traffic” More Than Just Social Media Links?
I see these offers all the time saying they have “built-in traffic” and about 90% of the time, that means you can share a link to whatever you’re doing on social media accounts. OK, well, that’s kind of expected. Are you doing more than that? If so, then brag about it because that’ll make your product different and stand out.
A Program With Less Steps / Videos is More Appealing to Me
To me (and probably most people), a 22-series video sounds like it’s going to take up too much of my time. You may think that many videos makes it more of a value but it’s just more to go through to learn a simple method. I have to invest too much of my time to get to the point. This shows me you don’t respect my time, so think over that strategy. Simple is better, really.
Break things up so that if I know how to install WordPress, I can skip that part but hours and hours of video and reading is just more work for me.
Fluffy content isn’t adding more value, it’s adding more work… of me going through your lengthy videos. Let me skip ahead.
Don’t add more videos just to add more videos. If you can do it in 3 videos, then do that. If you do have to go through WordPress setup and basic things, then give me the option to skip ahead, past that, and get to the meat.
If your video is slow / tough to get through, you’re not just wasting my time but the time of everyone you sold it to. So if your video could be 5 minutes shorter, that’s 5 minutes times the hundreds of people that bought it – think of it that way. That 5 minutes is 8.3 hours per 100 people.
In the First Part of Your Program, Lay It All Out – Don’t Keep Me Waiting
There are different types of learning styles out there. Your program needs to work for all styles.
For me, give it to me in a nutshell and I’m off and running. I don’t need all the details – just the important ones. Let’s not go through how to set up WordPress for the umpteenth time. Sum it up right away so I know what I’m getting into and if I should spend time going through every… single… video or chapter. Sure, there can be some fine points that I need to know but tell me the general plan and then where I need to pay attention for it to work successfully. I need to understand the whole plan and then as you go, step-by-step, it’ll make more sense to me.
Your training isn’t a sales letter – don’t keep us guessing but lay out the whole plan right away. When you do that, you’re covering how I learn. If you don’t do that, I’m frustrated throughout the whole time, I’m going through your course or program. I need bullet points. Do that and then go into detail because you have other types of learners and newbies who actually need all those details. Just cover all types of learners and you’re good.
Your Money Back Guarantee Needs to Be Stupidly Easy
Again, I maybe ask for a refund once in maybe 15 or 20 times, so I’m not a piker. There was one I returned recently (it was for my company, not me, actually) and they asked me lots of questions and made me jump through some hoops just to get my money back. I won’t buy from them again, no way.
Maybe the program I bought isn’t for me or it happens to be crap but if you put out another program that is really great, I might buy it – but only if getting my money back the first time was simple. If you gave me a hassle, then you’ve lost trust with me and it’ll be difficult to get it back. Your product would have to be 100 times better than the first one instead of just a little bit better. You’re just creating more work for yourself by treating your customers that way.
If what you’re offering is really good and worth the price, people won’t ask for refunds, so you can have a stupid, simple guarantee and not have to worry at all. Do that.
Most Online Marketers Don’t Know Good Customer Service, Unfortunately
One thing I’ve learned with online marketers is that most of them have not ran a business before. Their focus is in the wrong place. They don’t understand customer service and how valuable a paying customer is. You can get into a small dispute with them over how their page wasn’t clear about payments and they don’t take your side, trying to keep you as a paying customer. Or maybe you simply ask for help and get cut off because of their ego. I’ve seen it all.
And trying to get a hold of a seller can be absolutely crazy. Sometimes they hide between a dozen or more domains with no central place to get help. You spend days trying to get someone to listen to your support issue or try to get a refund. You almost have to be a private investigator to get your money back (unless you go straight to your bank but do that as a last resort). All this mess just gives the IM industry a really bad name and reputation.
So just be ready for that if this is new to you and if you do start selling (as you should), treat each customer very well and they will reward you back. Make them a raving fan instead of someone with a sour taste in their mouth about you. Pretend each customer of yours is your only customer!
Do Good Customer Support
Your customers are the lifeblood of your business.
If a problem comes up, that’s actually a good thing. Just like with my business, I want my clients to tell me when there’s a problem. It’s an opportunity. You get a chance to show them how much you care by fixing the problem. If that problem never came up, you wouldn’t have that chance.
What happens is, customers stay with you longer when there was a problem and you fixed it. This isn’t an excuse to cause problems, of course, but if someone does complain, don’t get emotional and reactive and take it personally. Just take care of it the best you can – even go the extra mile to make sure your customer is really happy. That’s how business works.
Don’t give your customers a reason to leave but give them too many reasons to stay!
That’s the key.
That’s how you want to be treated, right?
I don’t understand and I’m actually very shocked when I run into a situation where the person or company I bought something from treats me badly. I don’t get it. They either haven’t been in business long or they think they’re a god or something. Very strange. It’s especially more important in this age of online reviews since you have to work hard for good reviews and bad reviews spring up too quickly. As a business owner, you have to be on top of that but it’s not difficult.
You need 100 raving fans to have a successful business. They’ll keep sending other people they know to you. Treat them well and they will take care of you… period. If you do anything else, you will fail.
Respond quickly (that’s huge), communicate clearly, don’t get emotional (learn self-control), and do whatever you can for your customers. Love them and they will love you back!
And if you can have a way for people to easily ask pre-sales questions, that’s good. They might not have questions but they might just be testing your support to see how quickly you respond. This matters more for products where your offer is a monthly subscription because you’re asking people to commit to your product/service and they want to know they’ll be taken care of. That $27 per month (or whatever) per month is a bag of groceries – think about that. That is what you’re asking people for. They’re going to want to know if your support is good.
Why Are You Offering Me Resell Rights When I Haven’t Gone Through It Yet?
This one I don’t get.
Them: “Hey, would you like to resell this course you haven’t even seen yet?”
Them: “What if we lower the price?”
Me: “Um… are you on the drugs?”
Seriously. It’s a one-time offer (OTO) that I have to decide on right now. But wait, I haven’t even gone through your material yet and you’re asking me to buy it to resell. That’s like asking a girl to marry you on the first date, right? Maybe it’s time to rethink this strategy. Offer it to me after I’ve gone through it. If it’s a great program, then I’m in! The timing is off here… at least for me. It obviously works to some extent but I think this can be done better.
So maybe there are people that are looking for the resellers rights. I get that you have to make it available and you’ll get more sales if you offer it. Some people already have the audience and they have a place to add more programs easily. Sure, that makes sense but for the end user, maybe let them check it out and then offer it later and guide them how to make money doing that. Don’t make it a one-time offer that’s gone right away. Just a thought.
Over Freaking Deliver!
Does that make sense? Give me more than I thought I’d get. Add a surprise bonus or two.
I’ve bought courses where the bonuses were worth WAY more than the courses themselves… which is kind of lame but I, at least, got some value in the deal. Over delivering makes me not want to ask for a refund, so it’s in your best interest.
Put Your Full Name on it!
I seriously get marketing emails from “Paul” or “Steve” or names where there’s just one first name and no last name. What that tells me is they are not willing to put their full name it and they do not stand behind what they’re trying to push. They’re trying to hide.
If you have a good product, you’ll put your full name on it and back it up. Most, good Internet Marketers you see use their full, real name. They work hard. Their products or ones they endorse are their brand, which they stand behind.
If you’re going with just a first name (that’s probably not even your real first name), then I delete it before I even read it. You’re fake and not fully committed to what you’re doing. I just went through and had to rebuild my email filter rules and I unsubscribed from every sender who just had their first name like “Andrew” or something like that where there’s just a first name and they’re too scared to include their last name.
So what does this tell you about email marketing? Make sure your emails are either branded (design-wise) or else make sure you remind people why they’re getting the emails they’re getting. Remind them about the free book or whatever you gave them – list the title of it. People get lots of emails, so tell them why in every email. You can do it at the top or else another way is at the bottom, which is close to that unsubscribe link… a good place to encourage them to stay on your list!
If you’re going to start a brand, put your full name on it and stand behind what you send because it’s your name on it.
Send More Emails to Me Than Just Asking Me to Buy Stuff
When I see your name, do I first think that you want me to buy something or that you’re offering me value?
Definitely email your list often (something I learned from Anik Singal) but don’t make every email an offer. Instead, give me something I can use… for free. Give me a tip or some kind of advice. Heck, tell me about your dog. Just don’t ask me to buy every time.
There’s one girl I see online that offers her list something free once a week. What a great idea! Do that!
[END RANT] Sorry about that but I had to get it out. Yeah, there are people like me out there and my goal with this is to make you think before you release your next product. Let’s try to turn our industry around and pump out good stuff – not mediocre or terrible things. A little polish goes a long way and it’s probably the easiest thing to do during the process of your launch. Take an hour and fix things. Your work will look like it’s higher quality, which pays dividends into the future.
Need Help with Your Offer Page?
If you’d like someone to look over your front end (FE) launch/sales page on your offer before it goes live, I’m available for that kind of work – just contact me. I can objectively look it over and give you feedback along with things to fix or make more clear. If that meant 50 or 500 more sales, wouldn’t that be worth it?
I do this exact kind of work for a living and I’m doing professional copywriting now. A third party looking at your offer before it goes live can cut down on support questions, increase the perception of the quality of your product, and help you convert more traffic into sales.
Note: I didn’t write this article for this reason but I actually added this section after I was done writing it because I was thinking since I’m saying what needs to be fixed, I should also offer to help. I especially want to help someone who is new or someone who is not a native English speaker. I said how things don’t have to be perfect but if you make things clearer and fix mistakes, I believe you will sell more products.
Or get a copywriter to write good copy (text) that converts.
I also have a course that’s like a career in a box if you’re interested.
My Point… Become a Seller!
It’s not all bad. I believe there are a lot of hard working Internet Marketers who put out good products and their aim is to help people. It’s tough to find the right programs / offers – I admit that. And by purchasing so many of these offers, I’ve learned a lot about what’s good and what’s bad. Since I’m becoming a producer/seller now, I believe I know some good techniques and I should be a pretty good Internet Marketer. Even though I’ve paid a lot for this education, in the end, it’s worth it – as long as I use what I’ve learned, right?
If you feel like you’re stuck like I was, then try doing what I say and change your mindset. Take a look at this whole industry from the producer point of view. See how they have to keep sending out offers to their list – then picture yourself on the other side, responding to their offers. Stop and really think about that.
Instead of buying, start producing. Let’s make this industry better – both you and I. Let’s not put out garbage but really provide value and help people. Do you have some success at something? Create a course!
Here’s what I suggest – you have three, main options:
- Stop or pause – If you can or if you feel you have to, stop buying new programs and offers that come out. Go cold turkey if you can.
- If you do find a good tool that compliments or helps with what you already have planned, then maybe consider buying it but don’t do it right away – wait half a day or until the next morning.
- If you find a product that looks good but takes you off your current course, then close that browser tab and stay away from it. New things will come out all the time, so don’t get distracted. You’ll even start feeling good buy NOT buying stuff. That is what happened to me!
- Consider taking a pause when you see a new program. Keep the tab open in your browser but come back to it later. You’re then letting emotion go away. When you come back, you can look at the offer more logically with less emotion going on. Even if they say the price is going up, just pause and come back to it later.
- If you do want to buy something, then maybe check out this website I found called JV Cheap. I think what they do is they buy reseller’s rights and then post things there at a pretty big discount… something like that.
- Take a look behind the scenes. There’s a whole world of people creating products and getting others like them to help promote them. You can see it all at MunchEye. Maybe you don’t know this is going on and you think these products are just all of a sudden being created and there’s instant buzz. That’s not really the case. It’s all planned. Maybe knowing this will change your perspective. I’d love to go on a rant here about how people think the major news is this way and not planned but I’ll save that and post it somewhere else. 🙂 The bottom line… don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Don’t be used. Don’t be a tool.
- One more idea is think about when you don’t spend your money on a program is you keeping your money in your pocket – almost like earning it by not spending it. Others are spending but you’re keeping your own cash – you’re smart!
- Stop and choose – Another option you have is to look over the programs you have bought and see which one looks the best or the most comfortable to you.
- Work that program. Do what they say. If you run into problems or questions, ask them for help. Make them work for the $27 (or whatever amount) you paid them. They have a reputation to uphold.
- Keep working that program for 60 days. Stick to it.
- At the end of 60 days, you’ll know if you either have a winner or a loser but what you get is you learn things. Better yet, you stuck with it and gave it a good shot. If it takes off, then keep working it or modify it to work better. Later on, you can repackage this method as your own with your own spin and sell it to others.
- STOP – I don’t want to send a mixed message here… if you are seriously having a big problem buying offer after offer and you feel like you might be addicted, then you should stop – immediately. Recognize offers and delete those emails. Don’t click on those ads. Run away from them. Seriously… this is your life we’re talking about. Find someone you can be accountable to – someone that will ask you every week if you’ve bought anything. Report honestly to them. Heck, I’ll do that for you if you really don’t have anyone. I’m serious – just contact me.
If you choose to pick a program and work it, that’ll help you ignore new offers. You know you’re busy with something and new offers won’t seem as desirable since going to them will take you off track. And don’t expect awesome results right away. Very often (most often), you have to work at something a bit for it to work. Too many of these offers promise fast results and that’s bad because that’s not how the real world works. Work a program for a while. Know that you’re at the start of something and it’ll pay off in a little while if you keep working at it. Put in the effort – even when you’re not getting results… just keep going!
Then the ultimate goal is to become a producer yourself. Again, you can start and just take a method you’ve used (maybe the one you’re going to start now) and put your own spin on it to make it better.
IMPORTANT: If you do continue and become a producer, I’d suggest you please look at what you’re doing. Are you actually helping other people or are you leading them down a path that can become an addiction?
Take a good, hard look at what kind of internet marketing you’re doing. Make sure you’re not trying to scam people but in fact help them. Scamming can lead you to a dark place, very slowly. I’m glad I’ve only peered into that realm and didn’t get in far at all before I turned around and ran. Don’t go there. It’s enticing for sure but lies and leading others to lies can only lead to destruction. Run and go the other way. Try to help others. There are two sides to internet marketing for sure. Really think about where you are. Let’s change the ugly parts of this industry into something that’s good.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Once you get going, make sure you diversify. Don’t just concentrate on one thing because that is what we all did back before 2012 and then Google changed the rules overnight!
Yeah, that was a crazy time. Honestly, what we all were doing worked so well, why would we even think of doing anything different? It was SUPER easy to rank websites back then. It was like printing money. But things changed and we all learned this lesson the hard way.
Think about these possible scenarios:
- YouTube rules change there overnight and you lose your account from some account evaluation they did.
- Facebook completely changes their rules on advertising or they do something causing mass amounts of people to leave.
- Google again changes how websites rank and your website are no longer found anywhere.
- Email spam rules tighten up so much that your emails are no longer seen.
- WarriorPlus or JVZoo shut down your account without notice.
- and so on.
I don’t want to scare you but just remember that things have and can change overnight again. Don’t invest in just one place – spread it around a bit to protect yourself.
Sure, right away, you pretty much have to concentrate on one thing and that’s fine because you don’t have a lot to lose. But soon enough, you have some assets built up and that is when you need to start thinking this way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is one reason to keep an ear to the ground and at least watch what other people are offering.
And One, Final Word…
The biggest opportunity online is NOT in the “make money online” (MMO) niche. That niche is worn out. The biggest opportunity is definitely outside MMO… mark my words. 🙂
Update – March 2020
OK, I can confess when I make mistakes… I just bought 2 programs in the last week. Wow, are they terrible. They do not live up to the hype on the sales page. One of them just threw me into a control panel once I created an account with no training waiting for me. I couldn’t even figure out what it was. Wow.
I learned my lesson. I’m getting refunds (which I hate doing) but they’re just SO bad… yikes. People, you’re giving our industry such a bad reputation… come on. Just stop it already. Put out something good. People are getting burned and then give up. Do we want really want that? What happens when there actually IS a good product? It takes more and more to convince people it’s not crap. Just stop putting out junk. There should be some kind of certification for what goes up for sale. I’m surprised WarriorPlus and JVZoo haven’t done that yet.
And you know everyone’s hyping a certain product just because there’s a contest, right? Don’t fall for the terrible stuff… but yeah, how do you know?
Ugh, it’s so frustrating.
The good news? Well, I’m taking a copywriting course right now, which I love. I’m learning a ton and it’s all really useful. I plan to revamp my sales pages once I get through the course and this will work perfectly with what I have coming up. The programming is almost done!
Thoughts or Comments?
Whew! There’s a lot here. Please contact me or leave comments here either about what you think of this article or about your results. I’d like to try to help and encourage you on your journey. I’d also like to know that I haven’t been the only one out there who has felt this way.
Please also do me a favor and share this article on social media or forums.
Thank you,
