AndyBlackSEO

Hi,

I am based in the UK and received a call yesterday from the states. The guy was from Mike Filsaimes company / people and was wanting to talk to me to see if I was a suitable candidate to join a new coaching programme headed by Mike Filsaime and other experts within the internet marketing field.

I don't have details on costings or anything yet but just wondered if anybody else has been asked about this programme or have received any calls. The programme is called Prosper Coaching and is linked with 'Harvard University' and 'Prosper University'.

Do any of you have any information on this programme? It sounds like it could potentially teach people how to skyrocket their online earnings and reach maximum potential, but I don't know anything about it.

Are Mikes coaching programmes any good? Are his courses viable?

It would be good to hear from anyone who has an opinion on this or any knowledge or experience with Mikes coasching programmes or Prosper University.

The guy is calling me back on thursday night to discuss things further.

Thanks

Andy

Jay Truman

Hi Andy,

keep in mind i have no experience with mike or prosper, but if this is the same prosper im thinking of.. i believe they are an outsourced coaching center. im pretty sure anyone can hire prosper to do there coaching for them..

i think robert allen also used them before or does use them.

Abdul Aziz

Prosper is an outsourced coaching program. Stephen Pierce and Shawn Casey use them as well, and probably a bunch of other big name marketers. Mike Filsaime does have an in-house coaching program, or at least he did at one point. If you want personal attention from Mike's team, Prosper is certainly not the way to go. I've never been a part of Mike's coaching program, but I did get a call about it from a rep and it seemed pretty good. They offered a lot of software and products to go along with the coaching, which is much more than I can say for Prosper.

I had a bad experience with Prosper some time ago. They said they would help me model my Internet business in the way I wanted. So I said I wanted an affiliate business. After a couple of weeks, I noticed that my coach kept trying to push drop shipping on me. Then, after telling him in very clear terms that I wanted to do affiliate marketing, he told me he didn't have experience with it. They gave me another coach, but they didn't replace the wasted sessions I had with the previous coach.

The website has a huge resource center with tons of calls, audios, pdfs, and other things about different aspects of starting an Internet business. None of the information is cutting edge or anything. It gives you a basic Internet marketing education, maybe intermediate, and that's about it.

There is benefit in it, sure. But I'd say avoid it. You can get more for your money elsewhere. They'll charge what they can get out of you. You might hear prices anywere from a few hundred to over ten grand. The prices might indicate different levels of service up to a certain point, but the levels of service don't differ so much as to justify the big difference in price. The way they charge is pretty shady in my book.

AndyBlackSEO

That's great guys, thanks for your help!

Andy

eechisim

Hi Andy,

Do you enrolled in the prosper coaching program? as I also received the call from them today.

romolo

Hi,

I too got a call today and I am wandering if anyone has joined them and what it's all about and if it is worth it....
Please reply to this thread and let me know..

thanks
rom

janix

Hi

I joined Prosper about a month ago and have very mixed feelings. If I were an empty headed, bored housewife with nothing else to do I would say the course is inspirational. However, I already know about types of companies and setting up ecommerce sites and wanted a lot of help and support on product and keyword research.

I felt it was worth a try, but so far I am pretty disappointed. I live in Europe and they have NO knowledge of anything outside the US. I have asked for information about living in Europe and selling to the US market but again, they have no idea of legal issues regarding sales tax and company tax in that situation.

I also wanted to be able to network with other students preferably from Europe because of Time Zones, but once I had joined that possibility has disappeared.

It depends on what you want. If you have zero knowledge of anything internet/company and you live in the US or Canada, you may get your moneys worth. If you don't, be prepared to spend extra to find out stuff for yourself. The one good thing I would add is that they introduced me to Magellan Commerce which is a great site if you don't want to build your own e-commerce site + you get a free trial. Magellan Commerce.

As far as costs go, Prosper got a $3000 agreement out of me but my estimate on value so far is much less than 10% of that.

Hope this helps, Jan

LocoDice

I am always hugely skeptical over any training institute that call themself a 'university' that clearly have no beer drinking clubs for their undergraduates

AndyBlackSEO

Haha. Thanks for your input guys. Good point about the boozers. Every uni should have one.

I never went the prosper route in the end. I think I have a pretty good handle on IM anyway so am just moving forward my own way. It's been a good decision I think.

superbiz

Got a call from these guys...for a Mike Filsaime Coaching program...they never mentioned that they are an outsourced coaching. When I asked them specifically, they did accept that they are an outsourced coaching center (Prosper Coaching). I just thought of sharing my experience. Maybe it will save you some time and money.

Basically the person called me and talked for one whole hour...trying to gather as much personal information. He asked about my personal details/income/credit limits and many other intrusive questions...I just played along to see where this would lead. After that he said he would talk to his 'Director' and let me know if I was 'eligible' for the coaching!!

Of course, he called back the next day saying that I was eligible etc etc...and guess what the cost of the coaching was...the amount was equal to the remaining credit on my credit card!...wow what a coincidence!....their explanation was that the coaching is way more than $10,000, but as they wanted me to get a good deal, they would get me in at whatever rate I could max out my credit card!

Next I was forwarded to a 'Director' who talked to me for another one and a half hours....he said they would basically teach about auctions/drop shipping and affiliate marketing. I was definitely not impressed. It just did not seem worth the approx $5500 they were asking me to pay. He just kept trying to sign me up and finally gave up.

I did not actually buy their coaching so I can not say if it delivers or not. But just observing the way they tried to get me to pay the maximum they could get out of me, I do not feel comfortable dealing with them.
I just posted this so that people may know what to expect when they get a call from these guys.

Global365

Anytime anyone says "wanting to talk to me to see if I was a suitable candidate to join a new coaching programme"

in English basically means, "do you have any money" is a pretty good signal, kinda like, " we only have 99 left and won't be selling anymore after they are gone!"

Tell them to go take a flying leap.....

I need more coffee ;-)

RB

I had a bad experience with Prosper also. I was charged exactly what was available on my credit card too! I went through some coaching with a mentor who knew a little more than I did. Mike Filsaime was not with prosper when I got scammed. I've never heard anything bad about Mike Filsaime - only good things. but who would have thought that Robert Allen would allow his name to be involved in such a rip off scam.

Lesson #1 - never give anyone info about your credit card, why would they be asking anyway, other than to get into your wallet. If a stranger approached you in a grocery store, and asked you how much credit you have available - would you answer?

Lesson #2 - check the scam boards first, there's plenty on Rip Off Report and other sites. Also, post your experiences on these sites.

Lesson #3 - check out your other options. Had I known about Ken Evoy's Site Build It for $300/year I would have already joined it to get my general introductory internet education. I did eventually join SBI, and still use the research tools and read everything that Ken Evoy writes. In fact, the biggest competitors for my website are SBI sites. When done right, they go right to the top.

Lesson #4 - Don't forget about your rescind rights. I think you have 3 days to retract the purchase if you used your credit card.

Lesson #5 - Just join the warrior forum and hang out here. I have learned so much from the great folks here, and I have never been ripped off. Every product is most affordable, if you actually have to pay.

Glad you didn't go with Prosper Andy. And BTW, I bought your article writer pro. You are right, you have a good grip on this internet marketing thing without having to bother with Prosper.
RB

CanuckWarrior

You must have missed the Affiliate Jump feedback.

As for coaching, I got a call from a different group. Not Filsaime's group, but another big name who no doubt had my best interests at heart.

Of course it was only $5000 for the "privilege" to join their "elite" group (for starters), blah, blah, blah.

When I tried to pin him down on what $5K got me, it sounded more like an entrance fee to a yacht club where everyone wears cardigans tied around their neck and deck shoes than anything remotely useful or new.

To me, these "coaching" types seem more like timeshare salesman than real businessmen.

RB

Love that analogy Canuck! Everyone must have features to sell, even if they are not related specifically to the item being sold. The prospect can then associate the unrelated feature to the item being sold. The power of suggestion can go a long way.

Maybe we should all study this sales process and adapt it to our process and methods. It must still be working as they are in business and it's been 4 or 5 years since I've talked to them.

RB

bhealthy

My experience from Prosper came from Robert G Allen as well and I unfortunately did sign up. I asked specifically if they could help me with certain items before signing up and they assured me that they could give me all the professional help I would need in that area. After joining while trying to ask for assistance I was told that I would need to contact a professional for that type of help. I was annoyed but by the fifth time I heard the same answer to my questions (all of which were in different areas) I realized that prosper has no interest in helping you in any form except for separating you from you money. If you decide to work with them I would recommend that you record your conversations with them so that if you decide to take them to court, you will have proof that they made promises and proof that they did not have any intent of fulfilling those promises when they do not answer your questions. It's a good thing you decided to skip the program in my humble opinion.

Charles Harper

I almost signed up, but this was for another marketer about 2 years ago.

They tried to get me interested in drop shipping, also.

Thankfully, my bank rejected the transaction because it was from overseas.

As a result, I had time to step back and think and decided not to go forward.

And yes, the fee was the exact amount that was available on two credit cards. I can't remember how they got that information out of me. But they spent a good deal of time building trust in the conversation.

The sales process was akin to that of a used car salesman complete with a sales person, the sales manager and F&I closer at the end.

It wasn't too long after that in which I was forced to leave being a Boarding School Houseparent, so I am thankful that my bank said no. The Lord protects us sometimes when we are too stupid to protect ourselves.

When I think about the explanation that I would have potentially had to give my wife, I cringe.

CT

JeromyS

I just got off the phone with a guy promoting Stephen Pierce's coaching program, which I presume is Prosper. Same deal, needed to prospect me. Asked me questions (none financial though interestingly), I indicated that I already had considerable knowledge about Internet Marketing and Making Money online. He of course pried into what I was doing, where I was making money, etc. Then he began to suggest that perhaps I should develop my own info product and that their program could 'guide' me in that direction.

I know well of Stephen Pierce, certainly he is well known for making a whole lot of money online. But if I felt compelled to be coached into his 'system', why would I go to a outsourced coach...Kind of an insult I think to people that might otherwise be interested in (premium) learning, directly from him.

I followed along, out of interest in the process. I have received calls like this before, Mike Filsaime, Skip McGrath, PPC Classroom and now Stephen Pierce.

I am not going to bash these guys, perhaps the 'right' people, following Prospers outsourced service, do well. It bothers me that they farm out the service, but that doesn't mean its a bad service. The problem comes when we want it to succeed, we want/need money. Moving a bit of the responsibility of generating that money to some consultant that offers to 'hold your hand' is enticing. Before making that leap though, understand that regardless of wither you use a coaching system, or a online guide or whatever, you will reach points where considerable work needs to be done. This is where I think most people clam up, all the work and so many tasks that most don't have a lot of experience with (if any); research, hosting, building a website, developing Hoards of Unique content, email follow up series, pdf guide, video, graphics, seo, then backlinks and more backlinks.

This entire system is already well know and documented in a 1000+ different ways. Right here on Warrior there is a wealth of information on all these topics, and there are plenty of folks offering these different services. If you have already done a whole bunch of 'systems' then you probably just need to start doing something, develop your own plan, coaching might help with that, but it is something that can easily be done by yourself. I don't know what the success rate is of these coaching programs. Personally, its not for me, but I don't know that I would out and out call it a scam, they do provide a service, but ultimately it is still up to the student to take action and do the work needed to actually become successful. It is simply unrealistic to expect any system to do it for you, there is a lot work, some can be outsourced, some can't, lots of learning to be done, trial and error, failure generally before success, and time. I'd suggest looking for a cheaper guide/system to get started.
JeromyS

julietsbiz

I don't know where these guys get their information from but I received the same call today and I almost paid a hundred dollars for a coaching program that I really need and can't afford right now mainly because they used Mikes name! Otherwise I would not give them the time of day! I should have known better, if something sounds too good to be true it usually is! Thank goodness I decided at the last minute to check it out and the first item I see is the letter from someone in the UK. And what was really strange is I don't answer long distance calls because they are usually bills and the first call I get from this guy is a local number!! GRrrrrrr! So I took the money I would have given to this......well it is not really a scam but I don't think Mike Filsaime has anything to do with it either and they implied that Mike had taken a personal interest in me LOL, what a dork! Anyway I paid for a membership in this forum and I believe I will get all the coaching I need right here! I just hope that I will also find a way to give back as well ;-) Glad you were here

Kim Davis

I have received calls as well and all I hear when I listen is want money and more money. If you want this much it cost this much but if you want that it cost more... blah blah

I am sure there is some value in them if you have nothing better to do with your money but I really think if you are dedicated enough you can get all the help you need here for free.