Why Do We Buy Stuff When We Know Enough???

[ktlasm]

Hey Team,

Just a question out of sheer curiosity as I sit here burning the midnight oil. I've been in the IM game for some years(5 officially) now, and have enjoyed my journey thus far. It's been no cake walk and becoming full time was a arduous feat in itself. Nonetheless, I've been able to take from many sources and learn what I needed to learn that got me to this point. Though I feel my knowledge thus far is above average. It still baffles me that I will shell out cash for products that still yet have the ability to convey their value in a manner that makes me feel as if I need it. Now, along the way I've cultivated some great relationships with some of the top IM'rs and receive a lot of products free, but for those I don't know I find myself getting sucked into buying their creation. Why do I or any of us still do this when the skills and know how we possess is more than sufficient to acquire results beyond measure? Your thoughts are appreciated.

Kevin

[Gerardas Norkus]

Oh yes, I still do buy as you do...

Sometimes it seems that I will find another great secret and apply it to my business and sometimes it happens, but not so often anymore as it was when I first started.

[Tinkerbell]

Kevin,

The answer is...what if?

[snapper]

I think it is a great reminder of the power of a good sales funnel/page. People who have been doing this for a while know what to do but are still swept into the excitement of a good sales page.

I have found it is often as a result of circumstances. You know what to do and often identify the next thing that requires your attention and low and behold along comes something which fills that need. Damn... you just have to have that product.

This has happened to me a number of times lately... I realized I needed better tracking and along comes a product that fills that need, same with cosmetic changes you can make to your sales page to make it convert better and low and behold along come Perry and Ryan with a product which addresses that problem.

It is like they are getting a sneak look inside my head - how rude and intrusive can you get - and on top of that these people relieve me of some cash - the cheek of it!

[marciayudkin]

Kevin,

All marketing experts spend a TON of money every year on other people's information products. Tens of thousands of dollars a year, in most cases.

Why would they do that, since they are much more advanced and successful than you are?

Here's why.

1. To keep their finger on the pulse of trends that they had better not overlook.

2. To spark new approaches and insights. I have often gotten my best ideas from products where I knew 99% of what was discussed, because the 1% was an example of a sort that made me think. I have even gotten great ideas from products where I disagreed with most of what was said, because I ask myself why I disagree.

3. To see how other people package their ideas. Once in a while I have gotten a great idea from seeing something different in how another expert put their product together. I then apply the idea to a completely different topic.

You seem to be implying that you were suckered into those purchases. However, from the standpoint of the experts, one never "knows enough" and there is always something to learn even when we are at the guru level ourselves.

Marcia Yudkin

[Mary Gallivan]

Hi Kevin

I think there are several reasons we do this at times.

1. To reinforce our idea of what we are doing is right. By that I mean, although something we are doing is making money for us, it's a way of reassuring us that this is how other experts in the field are doing it.

2. There's always something new to learn. There are times I have bought something and have know or been using 99% of the info but sometimes their is that little 'gold nugget' of extra information that is worth the money paid for the product.

3. To get someone else's perspective on how they do the same thing.

4. Curiosity - how does their product compare with mine?

I'm sure you'll get lots more thoughts on this.

Mary

[ktlasm]

Marcia,

My friend, no way am I saying I was suckered...lol. I've been in the game long enough to know foolery when I see. But, that's not to say it couldn't happen still - it's just unlikely. I do agree with the 3 points you express in your post, and I definitely feel they resonate with countless people. It's just funny to see how all of us no matter what level of success attained. Still have the impulse to buy, buy, buy...lol. It's funny to me, truly.

Keep rockin' and I appreciate your post, my friend.

[ktlasm]

Mary,

Sooooooo dead on, my friend. Especially the "curiosity" point you make...I'm guilty as a lion in the rabbits cage...lol

[BIG Mike]

I'm the complete opposite - I only buy those products that suit my own business model or those I am planning to expand into. I also only buy them when I'm ready (meaning I've allocated time to review and implement them) and my budget supports it.

I never simply buy because it's a new launch or anything - I don't let product owners drive my purchasing decisions.

As far as keeping the pulse on the industry, you can do that right here without spending a dime or being needlessly distracted.

Learning and keeping pace with the markets I work in are too important to me to spend a lot of time on things I'll probably never get to.

[archiebunk]

I'm a noob. My two cents probably dont mean much. I keep getting e-mails that I should buy this and that because one person is better than the other. Everybody out there is an expert. I have one person I buy from and if I can get to where I'm making a fair amount of money and doing it right, I won't have to keep buying from more people. If you want to learn new things then go out on your own and try to figure out how they did what they want to sell you.

[ktlasm]

Archie,

Very, very valid point my friend...

[Mr. Goof Off]

I consider myself a "been around the block" newb. I buy because of the copy....I should know better, but, I am still seduced by copy. I feel like mr. x is bringing something that I hadn't seen and like a kid on a saturday night I got to go to the dance because if I don't I will miss something. The mind is infinite and no matter how much you think you know it is always that possibility that there is something missing and you have to have that, "last piece", of the puzzle. A good example is the email I got from Jay Abraham recently. In the newsletter Jay mentions if you bought everything he has ever had his new marketing will blow all that you learned out the water. Now I know there are alot of Abraham nuts out here, and, I am sure they absolutely will be buying whatever he's selling this go round because they don't want to miss out.

My take....

[sbucciarel]

I stopped buying MMO ebooks a long time ago. I'd rather buy a piece of software that makes life easier or backlinks for my sites, etc.

[tremayne]

Hi Kevin!

Here's my take:

1- In the beginning we know nothing and think we need to know everything.
2- We become so confused with the mass of information we decide to stop buying any more. After all, half of what we bought is still unopened.
3- We decide the path we want to take and realize we don't need at least half of what we've bought...but then we *do* need ... to further our walk down out chosen path.
4- If, like me, you have ADD or as my fellow ADD friend calls it, CCD for Compulsive Creative Disorder, you begin to focus on one thing at a time.
5- Then you read that when you need additional knowledge it will appear as if by magic - and it does, via the magic of the credit card.
6- I continued to spend $500 - $1,000 a month even though I knew exactly what I was doing and where I was going. The magpie mentality for those shiny new things that just *might* later fit the jigsaw and if not bought now will be gone forever. Sure!
7- But now I think I have solved the problem! I have long known I need to build a team. I have now hired a CPA firm recommended to me by someone on this forum, and just yesterday I hired a copywriter for a new product site. Because of these two commitments, the money is not there to buy the latest bright object!

I feel greatly relieved to hire experts who have spend many years honing their craft, thus saving me the time, frustration, expense and mistakes of trying to learn something new myself. I am one of the best at what I do and so I have decided to stick to my own knitting. I am lousy (according to the results) at marketing.

I have the beginning of a great team of established experts. If I need more, I will hire more. Meanwhile, I can cut out 9/10ths of all my incoming emails, forget about studying countless hours of videos, spend no more on software or courses, and have much more time for me and for doing what I'm best at.

I think this is what the seven-figure guys realize and this is how they can earn seven figures. (Clue: Many who turn out massively-selling programs admit they know nothing about programming.)

These ideas may not work for anyone else, but it has taken me four years, 7 days a week, to learn this lesson. Perhaps I'm simply a slow learner?

And now I have to step outside and smell the roses - if they didn't become extinct during my slave-like years of study and work.

Sydney

[daedalus1]

I would agree that curiosity is a big one.

Not to mention the people that sell marketing products, necessarily are world class marketers... all they need to do is sew a little bit of curiosity, or make it seem like there's a huge piece of the puzzle that we've been missing all along!

There is also entertainment value in it for sure. I think Chris McNeeney's sales letters are very seductive and entertaining to read.

[MikeRogers]

Why do we buy more music when we already know most of the tunes?

Why do we buy a Porsche when we have a perfectly good Volkswagen just sitting there in the garage?

I think it may well boil down to love of the business. We love internet marketing, therefore we buy internet marketing related products.

I had a wife once who owned twenty-four pair of shoes... A bit disconcerting since she only had two feet (as far as I knew). But the point being, we buy that which makes us happiest.

MikeRogers

[MisterMunch]

I have turned a little towards spending my cash on tools that will make things easier+ outsourcing tasks I do not have the willpower to complete myself.

Still I often buy some reports for the curiosity. Mostly for entertainment, but I fool myself to think that I will use it. It is always fun to see how people have discovered new methods to make money online.

[Colin Theriot]

I can tell you right now exactly why people continue to buy things the way you describe. It's actually a very well documented and fundamental flaw in the way the human brain works. Fortunately, if you're at least aware of it, you can guard against it.

Or if you're like me, use it against people to make them want to buy things. (Only things that they will like, of course.)

Oops. Almost forgot to link to it: Information bias (psychology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[tryinhere]

Originally Posted by ktlasm

Why do I or any of us still do this when the skills and know how we possess is more than sufficient to acquire results beyond measure? Your thoughts are appreciated.
Kevin

As we start to walk down the road of life we often fall over some rocks and such we learn as we go forward.

Every now and then on life's journey we are stopped by those people, those people who know everything, when that happens I tend to hold my tongue and walk another path. Quickly, as life is a journey where we never stop learning.

[Amir.S]

Hi Kevin,

"HOPE" is what keeps us alive. Just like you I still keep buying stuff in the HOPE that I may learn something new, to give me just that little extra edge.

I belive that we should keep learning till we go to our grave, as if we dont we stop growing.

However if I buy a product that has given me no real value what so ever I promptly ask for a refund, shame I cant be reimbursed for my wasted time

[Microbusiness Media]

I started out buying lots of products. This went on for years, until I started started to get a focused effort on creating one business. I agree with BIG Mike on this one, I only buy those products that fit my business model.

I still want to know whats out there, and it is easy to get caught up in the hype and buy stuff you don't necessarily need.

You just need to have the discipline to avoid stuff that will not benefit you right away or things that are distractions from your current projects.

I think that part of growing in Internet Marketing is learning to focus on mastering one project and understanding the barebones of what you need to succeed.

Then once you get something to work and you start making serious money, you can have the luxury of buying products out of curiosity without going too much in the hole.

[ktlasm]

Treymayne,

My friend, wow...probably one of the post I'll have to read again...So grateful for it, my man...Nice! Especially the very first one...Yes, we think we need to know everything...Great point!

[Ron.]

WE buy stuff as it relates to IM because some products are missing the small piece of info that can get you over the hump.


For me, I like affiliate marketing so I buy many things related to affiliate marketing. One thing that I noticed that is missing from MOST if not all affiliate programs is information on how to TEST a product before you go into a full fledged sales and marketing process.

Most of the programs talk about building free crappy blogs, building a list, article marketing, keyword research, etc... But almost none talk about how to test a product FIRST.

That's a area I really want to nail down.

Originally Posted by ktlasm

Hey Team,

Just a question out of sheer curiosity as I sit here burning the midnight oil. I've been in the IM game for some years(5 officially) now, and have enjoyed my journey thus far. It's been no cake walk and becoming full time was a arduous feat in itself. Nonetheless, I've been able to take from many sources and learn what I needed to learn that got me to this point. Though I feel my knowledge thus far is above average. It still baffles me that I will shell out cash for products that still yet have the ability to convey their value in a manner that makes me feel as if I need it. Now, along the way I've cultivated some great relationships with some of the top IM'rs and receive a lot of products free, but for those I don't know I find myself getting sucked into buying their creation. Why do I or any of us still do this when the skills and know how we possess is more than sufficient to acquire results beyond measure? Your thoughts are appreciated.

Kevin

[satrap]

I never my self bought any of this kind of product, as i believe there is no secret, its all information which can be found and learned for free using places like the great WF.
but as a person who take so much interest in studying human brain and behavior, i can say that we as human always are looking for someone or something else who we think has the answer. and the frightening thing is, it doesn't matter how educated you are on a subject, like your self in affiliate marketing, you still fall for offers that honestly are advertised with every little thing that agitates the human emotion and response. yes they do a good job!
i know that there are some good product out there too, but my simple solution for not buying every crap that advertises you are going to get reach and so on... is simple asking my self; if this product is as good as the seller says it is, and it makes it easy to leave your dream life, then how come the seller him self is not leaving the dream life and instead is spending all this advertisement money and time to make money by selling this product to me? (maybe that's his definition of dream life, but i have no interest!)

[ktlasm]

Purely some great points being made here, folks...truly!

[tremayne]

Originally Posted by ktlasm

Treymayne,

My friend, wow...probably one of the post I'll have to read again...So grateful for it, my man...Nice! Especially the very first one...Yes, we think we need to know everything...Great point!

Hi Kevin!

Hope it helps!

Sydney

[tremayne]

Originally Posted by satrap

I never my self bought any of this kind of product, as i believe there is no secret, its all information which can be found and learned for free using places like the great WF.
but as a person who take so much interest in studying human brain and behavior, i can say that we as human always are looking for someone or something else who we think has the answer. and the frightening thing is, it doesn't matter how educated you are on a subject, like your self in affiliate marketing, you still fall for offers that honestly are advertised with every little thing that agitates the human emotion and response. yes they do a good job!
i know that there are some good product out there too, but my simple solution for not buying every crap that advertises you are going to get reach and so on... is simple asking my self; if this product is as good as the seller says it is, and it makes it easy to leave your dream life, then how come the seller him self is not leaving the dream life and instead is spending all this advertisement money and time to make money by selling this product to me? (maybe that's his definition of dream life, but i have no interest!)

Satrap:

I am not an IM; in fact I have just hired a company to look after marketing for me because they are experts at marketing and I never will be.

But you raise a point that, in defense of many, I feel needs to be addressed. I am one of the best at what I do and I am not embarrassed to say that. If you, Satrap, are one of the best at what you do, you know it and that's not boasting.

My motivation, and I believe that of many others, is that as many people as possible should avoid the many mistakes I made along the way and lead better lives as a result of that. I have no pressing need for money and since I am 'retired' I have no need to escape from a J.O.B; I did that a long time ago.

To suggest that all those who are selling something are some type of fraudster is, I believe, unfair to many of us. Sure, there are fraudsters; there are in every business. But based on that please don't paint all of us with the same brush.

Sydney

[um1001]

This is a big problem for lots of people.

Here's what I do every time I have the urge to buy some product - I will make the purchase some kind of reward. I'll tell myself I can buy <insert incredible product here> as soon as I finish submitting 5 articles to 20 directories or write the outline for the next week.

Almost every time I force myself to be a producer instead of a consumer, I transition that initial excitement back to my OWN products and my OWN ideas.

...Almost every time...

[willdean]

I will always continue to buy more products. The reason is not so much to learn something from the product, but usually to examine the sales process and the funnel.

I code my purchases with different changes (address variations, name spelling, etc)so I can track where peices of sales information are coming from easily.

This has allowed me to add thousands of dollars to my back end.

I will continue to do this forever (well, maybe not that long) and I would suggest every serious marketer do the same.

It really works.

Best to all,
William Dean

[ktlasm]

Will,

Truly, a different approach my man...Sweet for you, boss.

[Steven Fullman]

Sydney Tremayne.

You've spoken to ME more in 2 posts than almost anyone bashing my inbox has in 2 years.

Thank you.
Steve

[andrew_writes]

hi,

Almost every marketer I know including myself does this.

I think basically, people just like to spend money especially if it seems to be a deal.

I think that those of us who already know the information we buy, or some form of it rationalize the purchases by saying:

1. I'm keeping tabs on my competition
2. I'll use it some day just for the unique twist of the product
3. I'll resell it or create one better

The truth of the whole matter from my point of view is simply that we love IM.

If it were horses, we'd buy a horse, horse shoes, etc but it's IM and whether most of want to admit or not, those of us who love it, successful or not are addicted to everything it has to offer.

So, that's what it boils down to, we are addict, well I know I am.

Hello..My name is Andrew and I'm a non recovering IM addict and proud of it.

See you at the next step meeting...

[Kenster]

The truth is that this industry is always changing so you never know everything that is going on, so products are good way to stay on top of what methods people are using. Mastermind groups are even better


This is why I dont mind purchasing different products...one little tiny piece of information you learn in one of these products can make huge money. Thats whats great about internet marketing, one little thing can make the difference between making x per day and xx per day. So, yes 95% of the products I continue to buy wont do me any good, but the one that I take away an important nugget of information will more than pay for all those worthless products.

Just my take on it

[tremayne]

Originally Posted by Steven Fullman

Sydney Tremayne.

You've spoken to ME more in 2 posts than almost anyone bashing my inbox has in 2 years.

Thank you.
Steve

I'm flattered, Steve, and will do my best to contribute whenever I can ... though these days I don't get much time to participate. Too many launches (outside the IM field).

Thank you,

Sydney

[BIG Mike]

Everyone should go back and re-read posts #14 and #27 by Sydney - there's the secret to building a 7 figure plus, sustainable business online or off.

It's all about good management - managing your resources and managing your business activities instead of letting your business manage you. It's also about surrounding yourself, with talented, productive people (experts), instead of trying to be a jack of all trades yourself - this is business in its purest form.

Well put Sydney - excellent contribution to the discussion

[Neromancer]

I think that sometimes we buy things out of sheer curiosity;
still if the copy is compelling we are really buying that - the copy -
a good reminder that ANYTHING (pet rock comes to mind can be
sold to peeps . . .

[ItsDubC]

I don't see it as a problem as long as you're buying infoproducts that focus on different aspects of IM. The internet is constantly evolving and buying infoproducts on a regular basis in the hopes of learning about new techniques is one way to ensure that you stay ahead of the game.

[shukes]

Originally Posted by snapper

I think it is a great reminder of the power of a good sales funnel/page. People who have been doing this for a while know what to do but are still swept into the excitement of a good sales page.

I have found it is often as a result of circumstances. You know what to do and often identify the next thing that requires your attention and low and behold along comes something which fills that need. Damn... you just have to have that product.

This has happened to me a number of times lately... I realized I needed better tracking and along comes a product that fills that need, same with cosmetic changes you can make to your sales page to make it convert better and low and behold along come Perry and Ryan with a product which addresses that problem.

It is like they are getting a sneak look inside my head - how rude and intrusive can you get - and on top of that these people relieve me of some cash - the cheek of it!

Oh yes, you have that right, just what I was thinking, getting better now at resisting that urge to click "Pay Now"

I still walk away from my PC thinking I should have bought that, when as yousay, I probably have all the nesscesary info in my head anyway.

shukes

[tremayne]

Originally Posted by BIG Mike

Everyone should go back and re-read posts #14 and #27 by Sydney - there's the secret to building a 7 figure plus, sustainable business online or off.

It's all about good management - managing your resources and managing your business activities instead of letting your business manage you. It's also about surrounding yourself, with talented, productive people (experts), instead of trying to be a jack of all trades yourself - this is business in its purest form.

Well put Sydney - excellent contribution to the discussion

Hello Mike!

Thank you for your comments but it really didn't take intelligence on my part. In fact, maybe the lack of it for taking so long to wake up!

It took four years to understand no one will ever learn to be an expert in every aspect of IM...and if they did, it would all have changed by the time they finished.

What I laid out was my story and, I suspect, the story of the majority of people who get into IM. Fortunately (or unfortunately!) for me I am stubborn. I am sure many people are overwhelmed in the beginning and give up too soon. If they just kept going eventually they would break through all the noise and become successful at what they are trying to do.

(Can you imagine: I was well into development of a product to teach people to be successful in the stock market when the financial crisis hit. I came close to giving up right then but I am now very glad I didn't. Now that the product is about to be relaunched as a continuity program the timing is perfect!)

At the risk of offending a lot of people, I looked at but avoided affiliate marketing. It is held out to be a quick fix: no product to develop, no customer service, put up a few ads and earn at least as much as the poor guy who spend years learning how to develop the product. But unless you become an expert with AdSense or something similar you are more likely to get your head handed to you than to make a profit.

Besides, if you develop your own product you work with something about which you have a passion. Who can really get passionate about a cream that professes to cure hemorrhoids? How can that get you up in the morning excited?

Developing my products has been about far more than money; it has been about truly helping people to avoid mistakes I made in the past. That is a far stronger motivator than personal wealth - though some of that comes in handy too!

So all I did in my post was lay out the path I have taken. I hope it helps some but there are many for whom it probably is not appropriate. They will have their own and better paths.

I guess the bottom line is never to give up on whatever you decide to do, whatever path you take. We all make lots of mistakes, but those are *learning* events. If what you are doing clearly is not working (like my marketing!!!) do something else to push your plan forward. Don't change plans or you will forever do this and never get anywhere. You don't need to plow straight through a brick wall; look for a way around it instead. Perhaps there's even a gate!

Good fortune to all!

Sydney

[Intrepreneur]

It's all part of the game. If you were employed by an IM'er he would do all the buying and you wouldn't even know but would be instrcuted what to do. But considering you are the leader of your own business then you are going to buy more and more to keep up to date with the latest and greatest. In fact the same with any business they contantly buy into new products and schemes to improve.

In respect of "noob's" and why they buy even though they know. I beleive it's because of the natural inclination of a high percentage of people to only be able to act on something if they receive constant feedback. Therefore an ebook (videos etc) won't suit a high percentage of people but they will try to fix this by buying more and more ebooks which seldom/never works.

[JohnB23]

Some of it for me is curiosity. I've become a crazed Jay Abraham nut (like the above post that mentions Jay's new material).

-I came from a real poverty of knowledge. The highschool I went to was terrible (graduated in 96). Probably in the bottom 20-25% of the country nationally. Looking back on it, it was really bad. It was certainly *not* intellectually stimulating. We were watching the OJ simpson case in class in 95/96, that was "newsworthy". Imagine if I had been studying marketing or IM then?

I think part of accumulating products or info is "revenge" on moronic influences you had in your past.

-I don't think people understand the power and breadth of implication of some of the things they know. So you buy the same thing presented in different ways so it sinks.

-Part of it is, I like learnings things I've never known before. Some people go out and buy shoes or watches or clothes. We buy info products

-The top gurus are always learning. There's a reason for it.

-One important nugget of information is worth it in any product or course.

-There are so many facets of business or IM. Technical, tactical means, strategic issues. Changing how you spend your time (or what you spend your time on) could significantly increase the other two. Also the market, or conditions can change, so do you ever "know enough"?

[eriktin]

The answer is simple and clear

That's.......

Learning is endless process

[bryan85]

In the online marketing world.... too much is never enough!!!

You can simply stop learning.Period!!!

What works today, might not work tomorrow.

Bryan