Are You One of Those Guys?

24 Oct 2008

Are You One of Those Guys?

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I don’t like to be a negative guy, and for the most part I prefer to build up others rather than tear them down but in this case I just can’t help it. Every day I am bombarded with emails and messages about so and so releasing his newest course on how to make money doing whatever. I join the lists to watch the marketing process, not necessarily to buy, but I still get annoyed with the list relationships these marketers have.

One guy promised not to email me unless he had something important to offer, which ended up being nearly every other day when he wanted to promote a buddy’s course. Many others recommend products they’ve probably never tried before. This whole “listbuilding” thing really gets to me because I view it as a violation of the business/consumer relationship.

How would you really know which course is worth buying as opposed to one that is made by some guy that never made a dime online before he sold his course on how to make money online? I may not be making thousands of dollars per day selling subscriptions, but I would rather preserve my integrity than sell out to a listbuilding technique.

Making money without selling something tangible is a short term business model and a used car salesman tactic that I would prefer to stay away from. If I sound angry here, it is because I am. I prefer to build trust with my readers through experience and proof rather than a quick testimonial page. I am fortunate enough to know how to stay away from these guys, but many don’t learn until they’ve spent thousands of dollars in return for a cheap seminar or E-course. These guys rely on your preference to buy a course rather than to do the hard work it takes to build long term business success.

So in short, don’t be afraid to better your skills, but for every expensive paid course you buy, try to find 3-5 free ones first. Make sure you use all your free avenues before you spend thousands of dollars on a course. And for the love of whatever deity you choose, start the hard work today! Don’t put it off in the hope of learning more first.

There are guys out there selling legitimate courses that show you long term and sustainable business models, such as Chris Guillebeau’s course. I promise, that isn’t an affiliate link either! Do your homework and watch how these marketers interact with people before you buy from them. I’d much rather buy from a transparent and honest marketer that I can follow on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook than some fly by night PPC course salesman.

And lastly, if you are one of those guys…just stop it already. Sure, you can bank on the average Joe buying your course for a month or so, but eventually you are going to have to find a real way to make money or else you will be forever tied to your list. If you are offering truly great content in your course, then offer a fair price. Stop taking advantage of people just because you can. Did I miss anything?

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Lastly, did you get my free E-Book Yet?