How many times have you fallen for this? Marketer is pimping their latest ebook or software to their sheeple. This ebook is going to revolutionize how you do business online without a doubt. You think maybe this is the one that could push you into affiliate marketing greatness. Let’s visit their landing page shall we?
Looks like, well, wow, this baby is $67. Not sure about that…scrolling down the sales page and, BAM! Check it out! Bonuses. Rock on. Let’s see. This one is some audio thing. This one is for Adsense. Here’s one for building my own lists. And wow. Check out the VALUE of these babies. They each could sell for over $100. There must be 10 free bonuses just for buying this one ebook. What a freakin’ deal.
Total this package up and the guberu tells me that the package alone is worth over $4,000, but I am getting that value just for the price of buying the latest swag.
I used to fall for this added value crap all the time. But think about it, my fellow lost balls. If these products were really worth anything the guberus would NOT be giving it away.
Do you really think that if you spend $67 that the whole package can honestly be worth $4K? If it was worth $4K they would be selling it for, well, $5K.
It’s like going to the store a buying a shirt for retail and the store giving you a pair of shoes that retailed for $125. Why did they do that? Because the shoes didn’t sell or they were last year’s model. If they could sell them for $125 they would. So now it just makes buying the shirt look better, even though you’ll never wear the shoes because they were last year’s style or help make you look like a tool.
Same thing with these online marketers.
I have an idea. Reduce the price of your over-hyped and over-priced ebook to less than 50 cents a page, like every other real book on the planet and keep your stupid bonuses. Could you imagine buying a tech book for learning to become a Microsoft engineer and paying over a dollar a page for the thing? Anyway, I digress.
I can tell you right now that all the time and drive space I waste on bonus material could have been better spent by just simply building another web site.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m laughing and crying at the same time. I stumbled on your blog trying to find the latest and greatest IM tool. (Don’t ask me how I got here.)
I love the way you put into words the rants I have had with my husband about this online venture of mine. I thought I was the only one ready to pull my hair out from the hype and promises.
I consider myself a very hard sell when it comes to sales pitches. Yet, I’ve crumbled to those long sales letters too.
My big question still is- are the IM gurus the only ones making money at this?
Your blog rocks! Keep it going!
(Believe it or not, this is my first ever comment to a blog)
Hey Faith. Thanks for reading and the nice words.
I think you have asked a very good question. I too would love to know if the gurus are the only ones making money on these offerings. I mean, for the most part, I have not made any money on those stupid e-books I’ve bought, or been able to make anything of the bonuses I’ve received for buying them. And let’s not get started with all the software that I purchased in the hopes of making money.
I believe that there is money to be made online. I use a few tools that I am certain have helped me make a few bucks. But the constant deluge of ebooks, courses, membership sites and tools are really only making the savvy marketer money. Good for them. Bad for all of us who can’t spot a piece of crap through the slick sales copy.
It all boils down to building a website that people want to visit. If I would simply build another page or website every time I got seduced by an Adsense riches course or affiliate marketing e-book, I would be so much better off.
{ 1 trackback }