Do you qualify as an Internet Marketing Sucker, like I do? I hope I don’t sound too paranoid on this topic. However, I have wondered whether marketing scammers have a committee that is devoted to how to get me, personally, to buy marketing materials from them. Have you ever felt that way? Have you had your fill of ’secrets’ and ‘buy now or you will never in all eternity see an offer this good again’ or ‘you will get these gazillion really hot bonuses for free if you just click here’ …ad nauseum.

I must admit that, in spite of my scientific background, and in spite of knowing exactly how marketing psychology works, I bit on another really awful deal a couple of days ago. A seemingly harmless price of $27 was easy to pay for an all-everything webinar (and aren’t they all?), because the sales audio was just so convincing about everything that I would get from the webinar. My webinar purchase was also used for upselling me on an irresistible $47 book with lots of bonuses, which was linked to someone else’s report for another itty bitty $9.97. I finally stopped the bleeding there, although I’m sure it went much, much further. I’m also sure that I disappointed a whole chain of affiliates at that point.

Hindsight on Product Value

I forget all of the details, probably just as a way to bury a bad memory. What happened was that I cleared my schedule, secluded myself, put on my headset, and signed into the webinar 5 minutes early just to be sure that I got my spot. I was the only one there for a while.

The webinar was two guys chatting about one of the guy’s copywriting business. Even though the voice quality of the interviewee was horrible, I did learn that ghostwriting is a lot of work without any residuals. I confirmed that observation by visiting a site (freelance.com? – it doesn’t matter) that advertises jobs for freelance writers. As near as I could tell, most jobs offered in the neighborhood of $1-$4 for researching and writing a 500-word article. I couldn’t get off of that site fast enough. Slave wages!

I also learned from the webinar that I’ve got to build networks of satisfied clients who refer more clients if I want to really hit the big time as a copywriter. When I heard that I thought, “Omigod – I actually paid someone to tell me this?” The “interview” went on like this for about an hour. By the end of it I had not taken any notes. This is a sure sign that I heard nothing of value.

Getting Product Value Before You Lose Your Money

If any of this sounds familiar to you, then what I’m about to say will be of great value to you. (And I promise to follow my own advice from now on!) In a regular retail setting, you almost always have an opportunity to see and look over what you might want to buy – a printed book, a set of tires, a magazine, a sandwich, etc. – which is not generally the case online. Ebooks, in fact, are routinely the worst possible value for your dollar on the planet, and you aren’t allowed to examine them ahead of time. Indeed, they routinely have wide margins, big print, and lots of white space, and they are WAY overpriced. Audio and video marketing materials are equally shallow for the money you pay. So what can you do about this?

Here is one strategy: Note that all sales pitches guarantee your money back if you aren’t satisfied, usually within 30 days (which is mandated in the U.S., anyway) and sometimes longer. You have no way of knowing the truth of such guarantee. You do, however, have a grace period through your credit card company, during which you can reverse any charge. The grace period varies, although 24-72 hours is common.

Yes, what I am saying is simply to get the product and seriously evaluate it for whether it measures up to the claims in the sales pitch that led you to buy it. Unless you are brand new at this and truly naïve, you will be able to tell immediately if you have a good product. If not, call your credit card company and cancel the charges.

Be Honest and Expect the Same

It is crucial for you to keep this uppermost in your mind: The universe pays back what you give out. So if you do, in fact, reverse the charges on something or get your money back from the seller, then ethically you must discard the product. Keeping and using something that you didn’t really pay for is stealing, and if that is the way you get through life then that is what you will attract.

If an Offer Sounds Too Good to Be True…

…then it is. Here is where the best strategy, which you have to develop on your own (sorry, I know this isn’t really concrete advice), is to keep a list of other entrepreneurs whom you trust, and listen to them. Sure, many will want you to buy something from them or their affiliates. That is the nature of business, which is fine. You will be able to tell whether they are giving you good value for what they offer.

You can also choose whom you trust from a referral. For example, if you have decided to trust me yet, you can then trust my referral to John Thornhill’s blog at Planet SMS (http://www.planetsmsblog.com). I don’t earn any affiliate income through him, so this referral is genuinely based on my experience with his blog and his products, because of their value to me. Indeed, a clear thread that runs through all of John’s marketing is providing value. He even gives more away free of charge than anyone else I know.

These are just a few things for you to think about and act on, in defense of your money and your time. Don’t waste either. There is, of course, much more to do that will propel you to making money, instead of just defending yourself against spending it foolishly. It will be much more fun for me, and I’d bet for you, when I truly show you how to bring in real dollars. There is so much exciting stuff to write about, and to hear about from you, that this blog is already becoming a great resource for my visitors.

And Now for One of MY Favorite Ways to Make Money

Network marketing. Actually, making money by helping others become successful in network marketing. Like most businesses, online or offline, network marketing businesses (meaning, individuals doing network marketing), have a huge failure rate … 80-90% or more in the first year.

This is a big topic, which deserves a lot of its own space. So for now I’ll just say that the little offer at the top of this blog’s first page, about building your business on a budget, is the best idea for home-based entrepreneurs that I have ever seen. Generating leads is the key to getting off the ground profitably while you are building your main business. It is definitely worth your time to take a little peek at the videos that tell how to do that.

Dr. D