The Bullshit Side of the Internet Marketing Guru Industry
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
Basically the deal is if these guys just kept their customers happy none of this would happen.
What a novel idea right?
What a novel idea right?
True. But the 'internet marketing/make money online' whole guru thing is just so incestual...they're all selling to each other, selling each others stuff, sucking eachothers dicks.
"I'll teach you how I made money online by teaching people how to make money online"
And they're all pompous pricks.
Yeah, it's nothing like your affiliate manager outing your kws and lander to his other affiliates.
I will get him for you.Will +rep tomorrow since I've finished today's quota
Hey now, there is a big difference in selling a rebill product as an affiliate, and selling a dream product thought up that you know is bullshit and you still charge a dream amount for, and then deliver everything but the dream for even more cash.
I have absolutely no respect for any affiliate, network, advertiser, guru, or anyone for that matter that operates with the goal to practice fraud, and sell fraud. ZERO tolerance. That is not only a short goal business, but it causes a serious amount of collateral damage for the industry as a whole, and everyone playing our game. But then again, my opinion and respect is nothing but words and feelings, and will have zero impact on a fraud operation.
I'm a big fan of playing by the rules. I happen to be a strong believer that there is more than enough cash for everyone, hell, I don't like to share but I've never been opposed to making money for myself or my partners.
The rules:
1- Don't lie.
2- Don't cheat.
3- Don't steal.
4- Don't kill/hurt anyone.
The first three rules can be flexible, depending on how much risk you're willing to accept, and like any risk, you should know full well that by being riskier than everyone around you, you must accept that you are liable for the losses (unless you can get bailouts, then I applaud you!).
But there is no flexibility with the fourth rule. If you're selling something and you know it will kill or harm your customers, even if its an info product or a "dream" like making millions like these assholes hock, then you're crossing the line and you deserve to have your legs cut off and sold back to you at a premium. End of story, no fucking around about it.
These guru fucks are the manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. They are also co-affiliates, co-networks, co-advertisers. THAT is the difference between that side of the industry and ours. Its also the defining role between good gurus and bad ones.
I'm not against anyone making a profit from what they are selling or doing, so long as you follow those rules, but don't forget, these guys sell one thing that was never meant to work, only to turn around and have a completely new and never before seen or heard of regurgitation product otherwise known as the same bullshit just repackaged. That's what this story is exposing and focusing on. Its one big shit sandwich and we're all taking a bite out of it whether we like it or not, because that is the game we have chosen and have accepted. This story will not stop guys like these from doing what they do nor will it have an impact large enough to halt future enterprising fuck faces from scamming the world, but it does give a really solid look, in detail, of how it works and the damage it inflicts.
I guess... choose a side, and try your damned hardest not to break those four simple rules. If you get fucked from breaking it, accept it, learn from your mistakes, and hopefully don't do it again. But if you do.. well, I hope a bus hits you the next time you cross the street. The end.
These guys are live right now if anyone is interested.
The Vergecast - live streaming video powered by Livestream
The Vergecast - live streaming video powered by Livestream
Again, maybe I'm missing something because I've never been a "affiliate" marketer, but from the outside the only difference I can see is one of scale.
As an affiliate selling berry/bizopp/grant rebills, you're just the front-end of a much bigger taking-people's-money-whilst-not-providing-much-in-return machine.
These guys owned the whole damn machine. Sure, they have greater culpability, in the same way a drug kingpin goes to jail for longer than a street dealer. But that doesn't mean the kid selling smack on a street corner is doing something that's ok.
The sad thing is, at least in my circle of life, is that the get rich quick bull-shit schemes have become so popular that the average person now believes in them more than they believe in legitimate business models. Which to this day still confuses the fuck out of me.
Countless times I've had talks with friends and people I've met randomly about making money on-line and the large majority of them are fucking clueless, and its sad, I once (awhile back) had someone tell me they were going to make thousands because they just purchased a $9.99 product from Google called "Google Cash" and when I laughed at him and said first off Google has nothing to do with that bull-shit he thought I was the one lying and even after I tried to explain the difference between there business model and a legit business model he reacted like I was the one trying to fuck him out of money.
I'd love to fight the good fight with you guys and I'd watch there movie but its gotten to the point where I see most people as too ignorant to even attempt to help so I now pretty much avoid any topic with people about on-line businesses or making money on-line or pretty much anything that has to do with the internet I'll avoid talking about.
Countless times I've had talks with friends and people I've met randomly about making money on-line and the large majority of them are fucking clueless, and its sad, I once (awhile back) had someone tell me they were going to make thousands because they just purchased a $9.99 product from Google called "Google Cash" and when I laughed at him and said first off Google has nothing to do with that bull-shit he thought I was the one lying and even after I tried to explain the difference between there business model and a legit business model he reacted like I was the one trying to fuck him out of money.
I'd love to fight the good fight with you guys and I'd watch there movie but its gotten to the point where I see most people as too ignorant to even attempt to help so I now pretty much avoid any topic with people about on-line businesses or making money on-line or pretty much anything that has to do with the internet I'll avoid talking about.
- Am I endorsing them? I don't think so.
- Did I think that was a good saying? Yeah absolutely, I think it employs you to think outside the box.
- Should I have used it without giving credit to the original author? No that would make me no better than them.
- Is he the original author? Fuck if I know.
- Should I never use a quality piece of advice from someone who slings shit? Why not good advice is good advice regardless of who's saying it.
But I can kinda see why you'd say that, if you know who he is you'd question why I would use his name in my signature. Bottom line I thought it was a good saying, that was about as much thought as I had put into it until you said something.
Off-topic and at the risk of pointing out the obvious, but you do realise you've misspelled "tyrannical" in your logo, right?
Should we still call ourselves internet marketers?
Trying to explain what you do to friends and family is easier when you say you do marketing on the internet.
How about books, I receive a lot of books from friends who have written real books that adorn the shelfs of good book stores up and down the universe. Because the landscape and rules change so quick, by the time the author writes "the end" if it is a reference book it is out of date, and if it is a book about SEO, PPC it is hideously out of date inside a few months, yet you still see people buying "hope" that they can teach themselves everything inside a few weeks by reading a book.
Trying to explain what you do to friends and family is easier when you say you do marketing on the internet.
How about books, I receive a lot of books from friends who have written real books that adorn the shelfs of good book stores up and down the universe. Because the landscape and rules change so quick, by the time the author writes "the end" if it is a reference book it is out of date, and if it is a book about SEO, PPC it is hideously out of date inside a few months, yet you still see people buying "hope" that they can teach themselves everything inside a few weeks by reading a book.
Indeed.
I've always drawn the line with everything I pitch, so far as if I'm not selling something that I believe will genuinely help the customer, I won't sell it.
Sure there's been chances to sell Acai Berries, where I could have banked a hunded G or something, or all sorts of other crap which I know won't help the customer for shit, but I despise that sort of thing. It's thanks to people pushing that shit that so many people think all they need to do to improve their health is eat berries or go on the next mad diet.
I don't see much of a difference between pushing stuff that's obviously in no way going to help the customer solve their problem, than pushing an ebook which won't help them either. They're both equally useless, and both just exploit the customer. Yes the customer is an idiot for buying into it, too - but that's not an excuse for pushing out lies and exploiting them.
I saw Acai berry sites claiming that they cured diabetes and all sorts of chronic illnesses, it was absolutely disgusting, and the people that are putting together sites like that are scum, IMO. Exploiting people with serious diseases, looking for any ray of hope to cure their disease. Whilst the seller/affiliate knows full well what you're pushing won't do shit, it's sick.
Not to mention - there's plenty of ways to make money pushing good, solid products that help a customer solve their problems.. There's just no need for pushing all the shit out there.
60 minutes? win an award? If you are gonna rat people out like a douche at least give us some real info. Frank Kern and Jeremy Johnson...or as he "reports", Jeremy "Johnston", that hardly scrapes the surface of actual journalism and reporting.
I mean at least tell us about Jon Fisher and his Google Treasure Chest of Dieting Grant Elves
I mean at least tell us about Jon Fisher and his Google Treasure Chest of Dieting Grant Elves
All valid points. I think this one is different because:
1. Selling sign-ups to hook-up dating sites full of pretend women (but no real ones) = $40/month each
2. Selling worthless weight loss products to people desperate to lose weight = $90/month each
3. Selling bullshit government grants packages to people desperate to make money = Don't know how much grants cost... $100 each?
4. Selling payday loans to people who will never be able to pay them back = Same here, I'm not sure how much it costs.. but usually w/ payday loans, you know you're going to pay interest.
5. Selling worthless marketing materials to people desperate to make money online= $20,000$-30,000 each
Like Jon said, buyer beware.