Selling Internet Marketing Programs

[Eccentric Millionaire]

I have some concern because I've just bought a ready-made
website with 5 classy companies who signed me up as an 'affiliate' on the strength of my name and one NOT an 'affiliate program' according to the true meaning of the word because they charged me a fee (which was part of the package).

Being pedantic, I'm given to understand that that's not an 'affiiliate' - that's MLM - Amway stuff, Pyramid Selling. which from my past experience tells me that that name by any other name " still stinks".

I may be wrong but I still read the hype that I'll eventually secure an explosive exponential income when my downline grows like bacteria!

Yeah, sure....that'll happen! Flying pigs everywhere!

Same old stuff ; the products themselves are eclipsed by browbeating others to get into the racket for distributorship fees and suddenly your friends and famly won't answer the phone to you anymore and they pretend they're not at home if you come around.

I thought, "Oh No! Not Again!"

And the money you receive? What money? At the end of the day, it costs you money to run around for these bastards!

Anyway that's the first thing that causes me angst. The other thing is a
report by John Delavera that selling such programs I've just described is called the
'Incestuous nature of the Internet Marketing Industry.'

Why incestuous?

Because Joe Newbie buys a website teaching him how to be an Internet Marketer and then sells the product to other would-be Internet Marketers, who in turn sell it to other would-be Marketers;
promising fame, fortune and good times for bugger-all work!

It has been explained that this is not the case by other IM writers.
It is certainly not the field for Rip Van Winkles, sloths and freeloaders, bludgers and procrastinators.

Granted.

But what Delavera also commented was that " the world didn't need yet another Internet Marketer." The field is saturated beyond belief with them!
And although there is beyond any reasonable doubt 'Big Money' in Internet Marketing, the 'new kid on the block' is competing with super- savvy PROFESSIONALS who have been at it for years and have forgotten more than the 'newbie' will ever know.
They have the infrastructure in place to connect with not thousands but literally millions of people and they know how to use it.
They are virtuosos and geniuses of copywriting and web-presentation and their conversion rate is staggering.

They have elevated Internet Marketing to a 'fine art'.
The late Corey Rudl comes to mind when I think of a person of this description.

And having read others, he is certainly not the last word on this subject!

To take them on would be like a 9 year old kid who wants to start boxing, challenging Muhummad Ali
or Rocky Marciano in the prime of their careers!

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hey Eccentric,

Great post, great points, all!

Actually, my spring article for Revenue Magazine is on exactly that topic... the tendency for new Internet marketers to 'follow the money' by promoting Internet marketing products, and then find that they've spent money to get into the biz, but end up making NO money at all.

The problem is not so much the competition that they face from the professionals, but that they have no credibility.

Really, who do you trust? Someone with a website that sells the dream, or someone who has been in the trenches and learned how to build a real business on the web by selling real products to real people?

Not one of the real BIG Internet marketers started by selling Internet marketing products. They - we - all began by selling in the B2C arena. Once we figured things out, we decided to share what we learned with others.

That gives a person credibility, and people buy from people they trust.

It's so simple.

That's why I always recommend that newbies pick a topic that is near and dear to their hearts for their first web site. Build some credibility in THAT field, and once you've learned the ropes, put up a 'webmasters' link on your site that points aspiring netpreneurs to products that helped you learn your trade.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Ros

[Eccentric Millionaire]

Thankyou Rosalind

It does! I feel much better now.

Sometimes a person's defeats are more important than their victories.

Because without defeats; how do you expect to learn anything?

And you're right!
Those guys have never been in the trenches.

If they had they may have thought twice about inflicting that sort of suffering on others.


A Safe and Nice Xmas to Yourself and Your Family!

[Rosalind Gardner]

Happy to help! and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones as well!

Cheers,
Ros

[Phillipa]

Pippa here from South Africa,

Hope Everyone had a marvellous time over the festive break.

Eccentric,

I must salute your posting. I have wanted to whine about this very subject for some time. Instead, I email the support depts of the various programmes I have been lured into joining and they don't really give a toss anyway. The supposedly shit hot MLM programmes cannot even keep their geneology upline/downline stats up to date.

A week ago, I fell victim to actually purchasing landing pages, specifically designed to promote the MLM programmes I belong to. Yes, I am a fool. However, the promise is these pages will get ranked on google, and I know enough about SEO to keep them afloat, blah blah. One must see. I have only been in this business 3 months and have made more money reading paid mails, than anything else.

I have read every ebook on the block. I have bought into every promise on the block. Perhaps it is persistence that I lack.

Well, enough droning on.

Just wanted to get back onto the board and wish you all bottoms up for the New Year!

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hi Phillipa,

You may have been 'lured into' buying 'every ebook under the sun' and feel a little foolish, but you must be commended also. The first step to solving that problem is recognizing it as such, which you've done.

I've often told students and clients of my teleconsulting practice "Don't buy another book!" ... not for at least one or two months, depending on the depth of their current book pile.

After you make that resolution, it's amazing how much time is freed up when you're no longer reading every sales page and email offer that comes along to try and lure you in.

With that extra time, you can put your good knowledge to work on money-making activities, rather than money-spending activities... and won't that feel GOOD!

Lack of persistence is not the problem... you seem persistent, you may want to redirect your persistent efforts.

Cheers,
Ros

[Phillipa]

Righto Ros,

I might just take up one of your tips and post to more forums and blogs, this coming year. One way of establishing a net presence, so to speak.

My canadian cronies tell me it's absolutely freezing over there. Keep warm.