Is My Mentor Ripping Me Off

by PCLINE

Posted: 14 years ago 19 replies

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Hi Warriors

Im new here and I just got into IM about 10 months ago and things haven't been good so far hence I decided to borrow money from my grandma invest in getting a mentor to help me with my CPA marketing. I have been with him for 2 weeks now and our training is for four weeks (5 days a week) for 1 hour by phone or skype. We are basically doing article mktng and so far I have done everything he has asked me do and on time, creating LP, writing articles, backlinking. But I just feel like I am not getting my money's worth.

I would like to hear what other Mentors here in CPA have been going about things, e.g

1. Do u pick/help pick niches for your students. ( I am told do that myself )

2. Do u give them LP templates that are working for u or do u just google this things and then tell your student to try them. ( My mentor googles them and then let me try/test them )

I may be wrong here, but I thought the purpose of having a mentor is to avoid trial & error to actually dive in to what is working and to have someone guide you and show what is working and what is not ( In this case Article Mktng), coz for offers I can always ask my AM. I am not one of those people you have to babysit and spoon-feed.

To be perfectly honest none of the things that he has shown me so far are new or rocket science, I have been quite this long because I was thinking something will change and I will learn something new. I know this guy is making money with CPA, he has a WSO here and it has been doing well...

I would love to hear from Guys like, Mike Morgan, Kenster, Zerofil, Jeremy, Zimmerman, TE and anyone who might like to give an opinion (of any kind)
of how things usually work in one on one coaching. My Goal when we first started was to be able to atleast make at least $50 a day, I though that was a realistic goal...

#mentor #ripping

Kenster 14 years ago

Is your mentor ripping you off? Honestly I have no way of knowing. I dont know how much you are paying and how much you are making (although I'assume its not $50 per day yet). With that said, I think your goal of $50 per day is very realistic and achievable. Thats a good thing.

Depending on what you are paying will determine how much individualized attention you should be getting.

My personal opinion would be to make sure you are optimizing the time you have with your mentor. This is similar to when I'm speaking with lawyers. They charge an arm and a leg per hour so when I am speaking with them, its all business, no chatting about the weather and everything I need to know is planned ahead of time, thus minimizing the fee I have to pay.

You should do the same with your mentor. Learn as much as you can about article marketing beforehand and then go into each call with an agenda. If you know something already, tell your mentor what you know already so you arent wasting your hour. Have your questions lined up and ready to fire away. Have your follow up questions planned as well. Optimize your time.

You are in control just as much as your mentor. Make sure to ask questions if you dont understand something.

Unfortunately article marketing is the kind of traffic that takes time to see results sometimes. Just because you worked for two weeks and havent made a lot, doesnt mean that work you did wasnt worth it. The results may come in the future as the articles rank or get bumped up. I know everybody wants to see results right now, but that isnt how it works a lot of times.

Ok, I feel like I'm rambling. In sum, whether your mentor is good or worth the money is unknown without more details. Hope things work out!:p
- Thanks
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PCLINE 14 years ago

Thanks Kenster for your feedback, I actually paid him $650, so surely I should be getting lot out of the question, otherwise there would be no point of the coaching, I have bought so many WSOs (including yours, Kenster) over the past few months and I have tried to take action and implement what I have learnt, with little or no success, not that they dont work but I guess for me it is easier if I have someone help me going through it step by step, more like at school, college or Uni. As a student I believed he was the one who had to come prepared with stuff to show me because when we started I told him what I knew about IM and what my level of experience was, to this date I have about 224 articles at EZA with about 3035 views and 60 URL clicks...something is not right somewhere...
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- parzlou 14 years ago
  
  I need to preface this with a disclaimer...... I am in no way trying to disparage any of the IM coaches and such on here or the many fine warriors that have WSO's there are many that have helped me greatly with IM skills... but you need to know they are selling you the shovel not ..WHERE TO DIG the gold . I treat it like the pundits for sports betting and such who promise winners for a fee..... if they could pick winners they sure wouldnt need your money ...think about it...
  
  Now I have learned a lot form this forum and I visit it every day and I still purchase the occasional WSO .... while no where near as many as I did.. I only buy ones that are particular to my niche or skills. I have learned many things in here as far as how to monetize things or drive organic traffic which is all well and good and this is the best site on the internet IMO.... ........
  
  BUT !!!!!
  
  I also have learned that if you do not have niches that people will spend money in your just pissin up a rope and when you do find a keeper that people will spend money in your gonna need cash to drive traffic via ppc and media buys and such .
  
  I also know that if you can write content YOU WILL GET PAID FOR IT ....and with that many articles on ezine obviously you can write or outsource .
  
  So I would start monetizing that skill and when you do land on a hot button niche ... you will have the cash to to drive traffic to it ...
  
  peace
  
  Thanks
  
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Dave Lianelli 14 years ago

PCLine,

there's coaching that does everything for you, help you with everything and that gives you everything you need. Most of the time it's called a product (with coaching)

I don't know about your particular case, but I've worked with people that just didn't do anything. Most of my time talking with them was to get them to work. Just like Nike says: "Just Do It".

It might also be that he doesn't have much experience coaching, or even worse - with the subject he's coaching you on. If it's the first, give him feedback. If it's the latter, get rid of him a.s.a.p.

Also, for a fee of $650 I wouldn't expect to much... If someone can actually teach you how to make $10,000 a month he would charge 10 times that much for his services. On the other hand, you should get your $650 worth from him!

Just my 2c.
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- Jeremy Kelsall 14 years ago
  
  Every coach/student has a different relationship.
  
  The first thing I tell every person that I do any coaching with is: "every method doesn't work for every person" - So, if you are at a point in your coaching where stuff isn't clicking, then you should probably let him/her know so that they can make adjustments.
  
  There is a different level of results that you should expect when going into coaching too.
  
  If you have never made any cash whatsoever before, or very little, at the end of say a month, your expectations should be that you will have a better understanding of CPA, how things work, and have a few conversions under your belt.
  
  If you can get to that point, you have probably just saved yourself $1,000's in product purchases, etc
  
  If you are intermediate, meaning that you are making $50+ a day, then you should expect more obvious results, because they should be able to take a look at what you are doing and help you scale it up so that your earnings are significantly more.
  
  One thing that you shouldn't expect unless it was specifically stated is for your coach to give you his/her campaigns - landers, keywords, etc
  
  They would be doing a disservice to you anyway if they did that...Offers die, terms change, and then you would have no idea how to ramp up again.
  
  If at the end of coaching all you have gotten is: pick an offer, set up a web page, and drive traffic to it, then I would be disappointed.
  
  Make sure you are asking the right questions....
  
  What should I look for in an offer?
  Why is that traffic method good for this offer?
  How can I scale this?
  What specific qualities should my landing pages have?
  etc...
  
  Thanks
  
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  A Blog With Reviews, Drama, and a Few Swear Words.
  
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PCLINE 14 years ago

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far, the goal was pretty clear from the start
1. I WANT TO MAKE AT LEAST $50 A DAY
2. I WANT KNOW HOW TO SPOT A GOOD OFFER
3. I WANT TO KNOW WHEN TO USE A LP OR DIRECT LINK
4. I WANT KNOW HOW TO STRUCTURE MY LP? (He said,"just google it and look at what others are doing, I was hoping he'd give examples)

I certainly dont want a "COPY PASTE' system, just some guidance and someone to point me in the right direction...I am not a pushover but I have been really disappointed so far.. any opinion is welcome guys, thank you
- Thanks
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PCLINE

14 years ago

Parzlou

I outsourced more than half of my articles about 150 of them, so u can imagine the damage there, without any success for that matter

Thanks
1 reply

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parzlou

14 years ago

Originally Posted by PCLINE

I outsourced more than half of my articles about 150 of them, so u can imagine the damage there, without any success for that matter

I feel ya I have shelled out plenty in outsource .. but I meant that you should sell your own original or outsourced articles in PLR packages or sell them individually ... just make sure they are unique and in the hot button niches like weight loss, sex , make money ..etc and you will make money I assure you

peace

Thanks
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davidac

14 years ago

Originally Posted by parzlou

Although this is not directly related to this thread, this has been mentioned and I wanted to ask how I go about selling my own articles in PLR packeages?

Thanks,

David.

Thanks
1 reply

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rg0205 14 years ago

It's difficult for anyone of us to conclude whether your mentor really is ripping you off. Kenster has expressed some very good points.

I would, however, suggest that you re-evaluate your goals and look at how your mentor is helping you reach them.

Sure, like with other types of offers, be it CPA, article marketing and squeeze pages/ LPs are part of the marketing process and it takes time to scale it up.

Also, article writing is not just a matter of throwing a bunch of sentences in it. It also requires a formula to get noticed and ranked / indexed in search engines. I think you've probably already figured this out yourself having tons of articles written but having a low CTR.

I think what you need to do is get yourself organized, too. It's not just a matter of relying solely on what the mentor says. Sometimes, you also have to ask the right questions, too.

So, to break it down, in CPA, what do you need?
1) A product/ offer (Affiliate network, affiliate product, etc.)

2) Provide value and content to make your customer want to sign up
(Landing Pages, Squeeze Pages)

3) Drive traffic to properly monetize
(The uses of paid and free traffic sources)

4) How to test and scale ALL of the above

You already have an idea of the "basic" components. But as many have stated here, not all means and methods of promotion are suitable for all the available niches out there. Thus explains trial and error.

Second to that, not all coach-student relationships actually balance themselves off. What one thinks is common sense, the other finds difficult to comprehend. That doesn't make anyone a supposed dunce, but it's just difference in tandem.

And, please allow me the liberty of addressing your concerns and questions:
1. I WANT TO MAKE AT LEAST $50 A DAY
There are many ways to do this in CPA but there is not one direct answer to it. It's just a matter of testing through trial and error. Also note that no one person will give you their exact blueprint to making money online, otherwise, it just adds to competition in their choice of niche.

2. I WANT KNOW HOW TO SPOT A GOOD OFFER
This is done through keyword research, niche researching...so I think that's one thing you should ask in specific. The "How To Effectively Conduct KW Research and Niche Building Research --- manually? softwares?"

3. I WANT TO KNOW WHEN TO USE A LP OR DIRECT LINK
Again, there are NO clear answers to this because it is proven that some of the direct linking LPs do not convert as well as a customized one would. This again is testing through trial and error.

4. I WANT KNOW HOW TO STRUCTURE MY LP? (He said,"just google it and look at what others are doing, I was hoping he'd give examples)
There are no clear rules to this one either. It just starts off setting clear content and graphics should you choose to build a customized one. But this again depends on your niche.

For example, look over at the WF and you'll see that many offers have lousy LPs but they nonetheless convert well into sales because of the content --- the value in the content BUT this doesn't always apply with other offers that you can promote out there. Some would tell you that putting a "human" face on the LP would convert better, some would say otherwise.

And for this:
1. Do u pick/help pick niches for your students. ( I am told do that myself)
I doubt that any one would help you pick a niche because in my opinion, the success of an individual doesn't solely rely on the niche in question. Some have had success in niches that aren't so "hot". It just depends on the promotional methodology applied and the way they drive traffic.

2. Do u give them LP templates that are working for u or do u just google this things and then tell your student to try them. ( My mentor googles them and then let me try/test them )
I think your mentor should provide samples in this regard and not simply tell you to google, else you'd already have done that yourself. I would, however, say that again, not one person out there would give out their high converting LPs. It adds to competition and more often than not, those LPs have been customized/tweaked in some way.

Let me express that my thoughts and opinions are based on my own personal experience. I am neither a guru nor am I a savvy internet marketer but I've had the opportunity of looking at different coaching models and coaches.

At the moment, I am having issues with one that I "hired" - mostly it's the lack of support available to the questions/concerns that I have.

I, myself, do not believe in spoon feeding so I do make it a point to do the work before I ask further questions, to ensure that I don't "miss out" on the intricacies of application.

The only person who can truly vouch for the value your coach is providing is yourself.

For the most part of it, I don't think that there is any reasonable coach out there who will pick a niche for you simply because that would be telling you to go fetch. It is not teaching you in the sense to really build something off on your own.

I think, it all falls onto researching niches (learning how) and how to drive traffic with the proper content.

So, that said, write down what you know and what you don't know then take it up with him. If he still cannot give you satisfactory answers, you can then decide whether to terminate the coaching.

Hope that helps.
- Thanks
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Kenster

14 years ago

I think a good point is brought up here. Coaching is a skill just as CPA marketing involves certain skills. Some people are just not good at coaching, despite being good at whatever they do. I'm not saying your coach is bad necessarily but I think its important to understand that even if he is a bad coach, he may be a good marketer.

Some people just cant articulate what they do well!

Thanks
1 reply

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Flaura78

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Kenster

It is the same with every one on one training. That's why all the coaches should make a complimentary first hour lesson I think just like driving instructors do. A good coach has to be flexible and find the right tone with everyone. But it doesn't always happen.
I can relate to that, because when I was learning to drive I had an instructor who was just OK because I had no idea what an instructor should be like. When I got a new one, I started to realize that I was literally wasting time and money.
But if someone makes you a promise that you will make at least this or that money they should be confident and give you a guarantee.
I mean if I had time to be a coach (I mean my business is a little complicated and not at all automated yet) I would offer a guarantee, and ask for feedback.
(Maybe I wouldn't make much money...:rolleyes:

Thanks

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Kenster 14 years ago

Flaura, yes good point. The truth is that there are good coaches out there but there are also a lot of bogus ones as well. So as a buyer or student, you want to get some rights such as a first lesson free, pay half now and half at the end, etc.

BUT there are also bad students. As a coach or seller, you want to protect yourself as well and make sure you actually get paid. As an example, I've had one refund from a guy who emailed me about 2 minutes after purchase and said the guide 'wasnt what he expected and wanted a refund'. I honored the refund. Then I got an email from the same guy saying that he never received the download link. I was like how did you not like my product and want a refund because it wasnt good before you even read it haha.

So its a two way street and there is great risk as a student as well as a coach
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solfan 14 years ago

I'll put in my 2 cents here...

A coach doesn't run the ball down the field for you. They teach you how to make decisions on the field.

A coach should be helping you with your independence in the field. You want someone that teaches you how to do the work and even pushes you to do the work.

By having you search google, you're learning how to find something that's working for someone else. You're learning to be independent so you aren't always paying for a coach down the road.

You're told to pick your own niche.. that's part of it. A coach can help you learn how to make wise decisions out of your choices.. but you'll have to ultimately make them and be responsible.

It's like the old saying.. Give a man a fish, he can eat for a day, but teach him to fish and he can feed himself for a lifetime (paraphrased).
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Barry Unruh 14 years ago

I have about 224 articles at EZA with about 3035 views and 60 URL clicks

There seems to be the entire problem. What topics are you and your coach focusing on? It appears to me it should be on your quality and style of articles, and the keyword research being done for them. Only 15 views per article is very low, the the clicks are HORRIBLE.

If I were you, I'd be spending almost all of my time focusing on this aspect with your coach. The landing page is useless if this portion is failing.
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rg0205 14 years ago

KansasDragon made a good point.

So, again
Keyword Research - This goes in line with article marketing, too
Niche Research
Driving Traffic
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Kenster 14 years ago

Another significant challenge is that many of the people doing well out there don't want to work any more. Its not that they don't want to help others out, but they likely got into CPA so they wouldn't have to work long days.

And yes, as Honestbiz says, a good way to go about it is do a lot of research up front. Know what you want and how you want to get there and only then should you pay for a coach to help keep you on track to achieve your goals.

I think this has been a great thread so far. Many great points brought up
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Nathi Fakudze 14 years ago

Hi PCLINE

My advice to you is dont be discouraged, the main issue here I think you havent achieved one for your "Most Important Goal" which is making that $50/day correct me If Im wrong..but what I would say to you is put that $50/day goal at the back of your mind and just try and learn as much as you can from your mentor as possible and at the same time IMPLEMENTING what you are learning, TAKE ACTION & be CONSISTENT. I am sure something will work out that way. I ca completely understand where you are coming from about guidance, people are different, some learn better by themselves some find it easier when they work with someone who has got experience. You are lucky to have a coach, coz they are hard to find and if you do find them they are always busy. Keep working hard and dont lose hope or doubt your mentor, just let him know how he can help u better and quicker, FOR NOW, IF I WERE YOU I WOULD FORGET ABOUT $50/DAY AND JUST LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN & AS FAST AS POSSIBLE SINCE YOU HAVE LIMITED TIME.

All the best PCLINE, dont lose hope and keep working hard...Peace!! And please update us on how things are going on...
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Is My Mentor Ripping Me Off

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