Was every Guru Dirt Poor? *RANT*
I was thinking something today, while I was working on salesletter concepts for my new keyword attack software that’s due for beta release soon, and that’s how a lot of these Internet marketing products are being sold these days.
Does this sound familiar ….
“I was homeless”
“I was living with my parents”
“I had no money in the bank“
and then miraculously they found their “system” and now they are stinking rich!
1) They are totally lying. This is a strong statement for sure, but one that I think needs to be said. I honestly hate reading and hate hearing those statements simply because I don’t believe them. In the real world these situations do exist for sure, but these feel more like somebody trying to pray on my emotions.
Then of course there is the other part of the potential “lie” .. and that’s the rich part. In most cases, people that you have never heard of before, are that way for a reason — they aren’t “underground”, they are unsuccessful (up until now at least). If I see another person in a salesletter standing beside their new sports car (that they most likely rented), I’m going to throw up.
In all honesty, call me crazy, but what I think should happen is that – go figure – your product/service should be able to stand on it’s own, without the story.
The Report, The Software, The Video Series .. what’s in it and what it’s about should be quality enough that people want to buy it. I don’t care how much money you had before and now have — I care about what I can get out of it.
2) The other side actually ties into the above. Maybe the story is at least a little bit true. So what takes a online marketer (or any business) from nobody to somebody?
Action.
That word is so important that I gave it, it’s own line. Stop being an “opportunity seeker” and go for it. Now I must declare, I’m not a saint in this regard either. The keyword software mentioned earlier has been in my back pocket for at least 6 months now. My problem is that I want to make it perfect (which frankly will be another subject I cover soon). But without taking action a few bad things happen.
1) You never trust yourself. You will always be a sucker for the next “big thing”, the next “loophole”, the next “whatever”. You will always fall into this for one simple reason — you’ll never see for yourself what works and what doesn’t. You will always be chasing whatever “may” be out there.
2) You’ll keep wasting time and money. New products/courses cause 2 huge downfalls. The first is obvious and that’s the money it costs you. But the second is sneaky .. it’s the time wasted to learn and understand the information. Never mind what can happen when that information contradicts something you already thought you knew! Then #1 trust will again creep in.
So what’s my point ?
Simple actually …
1) Have a goal. This can be something like: A End Product to Sell, An Affiliate Market to Make Money In, Finish a Website
2) Only purchase items that actually move you closer to that goal – and NOTHING else. This is key… This can be things such as outsourcing things you don’t like or know like content writing, SEO, etc. But it can also be products that help you get to your goal faster. Better keyword research, or faster Web 2.0 distribution, etc.
3) Focused Action. Without this one the other two don’t matter. You must not let your focus wander, in fact if you are reading this email – then you have wondered! Stop reading and go do!
Let me leave you with a site that I just came across that may help some of you out there that are looking for a way to get your content distributed on the web fast, free and easy. http://pixelpipe.com/ Publish photos, video, audio, text and files on over 100 online destinations and counting… (and btw that’s not an affiliate link at all)
Let me know what you think below …
13.08.2010(2:45 pm)
Hey Shaun,
Some very good points made. There are also some very dishonest ‘Gurus’ out there. I have bought products, Have taken action, implemented everything in the product to find I’d shelled out $297 for what worked once for one person. They then marketed it as a virtual ATM blueprint. The trust quandry is then who to trust and trusting yourself not to get scammed again.
I’m a fan of IM Report Card, but it’s becoming apparent that not all the reviews are honest and are added by the product owners under aliases.
Anyway Shaun, I like your style.
Peace out
13.08.2010(2:46 pm)
Hey Shaun,
Some very good points made. There are also some very dishonest ‘Gurus’ out there. I have bought products, Have taken action, implemented everything in the product to find I’d shelled out $297 for what worked once for one person. They then marketed it as a virtual ATM blueprint. The trust quandry is then who to trust and trusting yourself not to get scammed again.
I’m a fan of IM Report Card, but it\’s becoming apparent that not all the reviews are honest and are added by the product owners under aliases.
Anyway Shaun, I like your style.
Peace out
13.08.2010(2:59 pm)
What’s worse Dave is taking public information and selling it for $2k as a new “system” .. hello Ryan Deiss. (this is a must read btw) But what I tend to do is follow people rather than sites. As sites cannot be trusted for the reasons you give. For those that are interested I trust very few people in IM, but they are are (with links)
Aaron Wall – Anything and Everything SEO .. Aaron is as honest as they come ( his take on Ryan Deiss btw)
Andy Jenkins – I’ve known Andy for a long time at the beginning of the original Stompernet. I’ve always loved Andy caused he’s honest and I know he’s walked the walk.. although lately he promotes alot
Dan Theis & Leslie Rhode – I met these 2 when I was in Stompernet and they know their stuff when it comes to SEO – flat out straight shooters, and if you can afford it, their coaching program is great.
Chris Rempel – Another fellow Canadian, Chris walks the walk and is about as honest a IM as I’ve seen.
Jon Leger – One of the best software guys out there and somebody that I’d like to model my IM career after frankly.
There are others, but these are the only people I trust 100%
13.08.2010(9:39 pm)
i forgot to mention Chad Kimbell – Great for Google Maps & YouTube Info, and the best set of dreads I’ve ever seen.
13.08.2010(11:09 pm)
Hi Shaun,
Just read your rant and it’s probably the first time I’ve heard someone question the ‘guru’s story’. I’ve come to realise most of the stories are the same as well, and the story is half of the pitch in that most of us love to hear a rags to riches story. But as you noted, it’s only because it appeals to the opportunistic side of us. Action is indeed the magic missing ingredient and following through and to be honest it’s what I’m still struggling with but I think I’m slowly winning the battle. I know my biggest success atm will be following a system all the way through and then repeating it until I’ve learnt my lessons.
Until then, it’s good to hear someone tell it as it is.
warm regards
Samith
25.09.2010(7:18 pm)
Well said! Those sales pitches all feel like infomercials to me – invariably for cheap, useless merchandise. I realize everyone wants to make money quickly, but a realistic timeframe would help a lot of business owners feel good about their growth – and proud of themselves – a lot earlier.