I Fired my Internet Marketing Gurus
Dear Internet Marketing Gurus,
I arrived home a short while ago from work, and turned on my computer to try to do some work on my blog. When I went to check my email in box there were about 30 emails regarding the next “launch of the century”.
Did we not just do this last week ? Didn’t another one of your friends have a product that they were selling, and you tried to get me to buy that one too ?
I am very glad I haven’t bought anything from you, because it looks to me as if you are giving your last product away as a bonus if I buy your friends latest offering through your affiliate link.
I’m sure that all the people that bought it from you will be very happy to hear that you are now giving something away for free, that they paid for a few months ago.
I really feel sorry for the people that actually believe that “this is the one”, You know the ones that bought your last offer, and it doesn’t seem to be working for them, so they think that this one will do the trick. The ones that are in dire financial trouble wanting a life preserver, and you throw them an anchor.
You Mr Guru better hope that there’s no such thing as karma, cause if there is your in trooouble !!
I noticed a few new faces in the spam that you sent me. New faces to the spam, not internet marketing, and to them I say ” it’s not to late to come back from the dark side “. I know that you can make a few fast bucks, but it’s not worth it.
Yours truly,
Neil Macdonald
Now don’t get me wrong here. I am not saying that all affiliates are bad people. I have affiliate links on my site, and from time to time, when I see a product that I think is genuinely worth it, or that I use, I will put up a link. Some of my best friends are affiliates 
If you are going to buy anything online, please check it out first !! If the person you are buying it from has been around for a while, Google their name, and find out what products they have sold in the past.
Do your due diligence, and do not buy any thing you cannot afford. Do some research, save some money, opportunities on the internet are not going away, they are increasing!!
Do your homework !! Knowledge is power… there is no magic Google dust that will have you making 6 figures in two months.
This is hard work. Just keep doing the next right thing, and you will get there.
Take care,
Neil
Hey Neil
I have been gradually unsubscribing from many of these gurus.
Internet marketers really know how to beat something to death.
Now it no longer matters about the product itself.
The only thing that matters is the JV launch, and everyone is doing it weekly.
Peter
Peter Fuller MBA recently posted..The Law of Awareness – A Personal Story
Hello Peter,
Yeah enough is enough.
It’s good to see some real, successful IMer’s are starting to finally out some of these parasites.
Take care,
Neil
Hi Neil
As someone who has been seduced by many of these one-time-never-to-be-repeated offers in the past, your post made me chuckle! It’s definitely good advice to search online after reading the sales spiel but before you click ‘buy.’ Thanks for sharing.
Lisa
Welcome Lisa,
Glad you can chuckle
I must admit that once, if I would have had an extra thousand dollars sitting around, I would have bought one offer.
It sounded sooo good. Luckily, I had a few days to think about it, and investigated the seller. Not a very good track record to say the least.
Thanks for stopping by, and leaving a comment.
Neil
Hi Neil,
may I use your letter as a template to get rid of some of my newsletters ? It’s really the ugly face of our industry that fancy new “products” seem to be crowding out common business sense. I also like Peter’s comment saying that internet marketers really know how to beat something – themselves ? – to death.
Awesome article, thanks for sharing.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend recently posted..Lessons From Robert Kiyosaki’s “Cashflow Quadrant” For My MLM Network Marketing Business
Hey Oliver,
Please feel free to use this post any way you see fit. I’m flattered.
Some of them amaze me, especially with the new FTC guidelines in the States.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
I have a feeling something will very soon.
Thanks
Neil
You’re so right, Neil.
If one is not careful, you’ll find yourself wasting money on every product out there.
Do your due diligence before you spend your money on these products.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
All the best,
Mavis Nong
Mavis Nong recently posted..Mavis Nong Presents Her FREE Online Marketing Training
Hi Mavis,
We all seem to be in agreement here.
Hopefully someone is reading all these comments,
and they will be spared, what can be a very expensive lesson.
Neil
Hey Neil,
You said the magical word…Do Your Diligence, Homework, or Research. There are great products out there and of course, there are products that suck.
I like this post!
Chat with you later…
Josh
Josh Garcia recently posted..The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers is a Must Have
Hi Josh,
Glad you liked it.
Another bad thing about all this, is that some good people that may have been able to make a go of it,
and be successful online, may quit because they didn’t have the right tools to be able too.
Thanks,
Neil
Hi Neil,
Amen! I love how you tell it like it is! I’ve also “fired” a lot of guru’s because I got so sick and tired of getting the same auto-responder messages sent from multiple marketers promoting the same products. I think that whatever you mail out to your list with an affiliate link had better be a product or service you use and have personal experience with!
Thanks for taking a stand!
Heather
Heather C Stephens recently posted..Personal Branding for Network Marketers- Marketing Funnel & Products
Hi Heather,
I think I just went through internet marketing 101.
It seems like a lot of people have walked away from the self professed gurus,
and started to get busy with their own business, unfortunately some won’t ever get out of the buying cycle, hoping that “this will be the one”.
I see no problem promoting someones products if you have investigated them, or trust them from previous dealings.
My plan now is to follow some good mentors, and possibly join a membership group. Don’t worry I’ve done my homework
Take care,
Neil
Hey, if you you add up all the launches of the century you could have the launch of the millennium. Think about it a launch that could single handedly cure cancer and halt inflation.
On a serious note you are right. There is nothing wrong with trying to promote products you think are good, but over-hype just over doing it in general is a killer.
People need to keep these sales small and only be in trusted products.
Most of these, incredible life changing sales are going to be ignored anyway so why ruin your reputation by dealing in crap.
Steve recently posted..Steve Scott’s Day Off
Hi Steve,
I guess that’s how some people are taught is the way to go about it.
It must be appealing to some, I mean you can get 50% commission or more off these things, if you sell just one on a $ 2000 product, you’ve just made a grand.
I finished the 15 parts of your Blog Success series… great stuff there. That’s what people should be reading, good quality information, not chasing rainbows.
Talk Soon,
Neil
Thanks for the kind words Neil. I do try to give good content.
I was thinking why anyone would want to spend 2000 dollars on a product, when it is doubtful there is no new information out there. Even if it is new, yesterday’s 2000$ product is today’s 47$ product is tomorrow’s lead magnet.
I have spent a lot on different products (likely WELL over $2000)and some have given some pretty neat tricks and training and some have been complete and utter scams. I do not think any could really justify that type of money to get in, though.
Steve recently posted..Steve’s Sunday Selection August 29- 2010
Neil,
I totally agree about using the product before recommending the product.. you come out as a trusted adviser as oppose to a salesman..
thanks for your thought
Hector
Hector Cuevas recently posted..“Live” Case Study- This Changed My Mind About PopUps Forever…
Welcome Hector,
I like that “trusted adviser”. It is also easier. you learn your craft, you share your knowledge, you help people, then people will come to you for advise, not you chasing people for a sale.
Thanks for stopping by, and commenting,
Neil
Hi Neil,
Great post and very good point. You’re absolutely right – it’s really worth taking the time to do your homework before spending your $$$’s on these packages from the so called ‘gurus’. Some of the products out there are great, and worth every penny, others not, it can be very hit and miss. Just buying the ones that promise the most success and fulfillment is not the best approach.
As they say in India, from whence the term ‘guru’ comes, the ‘sat guru’ or ‘true teacher’ is actually within yourself, it is YOU who knows that which you seek. Of course we need tools, but losing site of our own judgment in all the marketing hype is not the way.
Cheers,
Jym
Jym recently posted..Home Business Success vs Weapons of Mass Distraction…
Hi Jym,
I just realized something, you don’t hear too much about these products after the launch.
If they are as good as they are supposed to be, you would think you would.
That’s a lot of new millionaires… Oprah must have missed the story :p
Hi Neil,
This was an entertaining post. Quite honestly I have mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, it IS getting really old to hear of sooooo many products and launches and ways to spend your money for the sake of making money. ((yawn))
On the other hand, there are some truly awesome products out there. There are some that will (when applied) drastically improve your business.
You said it best when you mentioned that research should be done before buying. When doing that research, also keep in mind that the more known you become, the more people will eagerly slam your name in order to showcase their own.
Sleep on it, look at your bank account, and go with your gut in the morning.
Thanks for the thought provoking post!
Susanna
Hi Susanna,
Great point on slamming someone to make a name for yourself.
I have experienced that first hand, you do a good job and your coworkers don’t like that because you are exposing them, or they are plain jealous of your capabilities, so instead of stepping up their game they try to bring you down.
“Sleep on it, look at your bank account, and go with your gut in the morning. “….. Perfect !
Take care,
Neil
You obviously touch a sore point for many of us, Neil.
I am so fed up with blatantly no value, just sell, sell, sell mentality.
Glad you made us all chuckle!
Ana Hoffman
Ana @ Targeted Website Traffic recently posted..3 Unorthodox Ways to Get King-Kong EDU Links
Hey Ana,
Funny thing, I still am on a few email lists, and the ones that I kept rarely try to sell me anything, if anything at all.
I am not against buying anything to improve your business… I love toys !!.
I just have the feeling I’m walking down the midway at the carnival every time I open up my email.
Thanks for the comment,
Neil
Hi Neil,
I agree with you although in a kind of bizarre way I think the lazy masses also fuel this crazed addiction which is why there is always another new launch on the horizon.
Too many are always looking for the magic bullet instead of just putting in the hard work and doing what it takes to be successful.
They live to buy these new products which they hope will be “the one” and of course it never is. The gurus laugh all the way to the bank of course. If people stopped continually buying these products the gurus would soon stop developing them too.
~Marcus
Marcus Baker recently posted..Are you Killing Your MLM Blog by Writing a Post Everyday
Hey Marcus,
Sort of the chicken egg scenario I would say.
The “opportunity seekers” don’t want to hear the truth that it’s tough, and it’s going to take a while.
They want to hear how you can make a gizzilion dollars with no training, no knowledge of the internet, and within a short period of time. And that’s what they’re told.
On the other hand you have the unfortunate people that just don’t know any better because their new.
Thanks for stopping by, and leaving a comment.
Hey Neil,
You are so correct, for the short amount of time ( that I consider short) I have seen new cutting edge programs, deals, or platforms that are “revolutionizing” the industry. And yes I have seen where if you wait a month or two you can normally pick up it up somewhere for free, or come to find out it was like a one hit wonder…..
I have come to realize to stand out and not like everyone else – it is like following the Piper – this is why I am working on a totally different approach right now….shhhh – it’s a secret!
Hi Robert,
Does your new approach involve honesty, integrity, value ?? It’s so crazy it might just work ! LOL
Thanks for the comment,
Neil
That’s why I never buy affiliate marketing courses/products. 99.9% are useless crap, the information is available for free on forums and blogs.
Mike Ramsey recently posted..Antiperspirants To Control Excessive Sweating