How Much Proof Do You Need?

[Michael Oksa]

Howdy all,

We have all seen people asking about this product, or that program, and often the question of proof comes up.

Some people's proof threshold is pretty low; they believe everything they read and anything they're told. These people mean well, but they often up in the role of the eternal victim.

Then we have those whose proof threshold is so high that they border on neurotic. They assume every WSO is a scam and anybody charging a price for anything (even necessities like food and gas) is out to rip them off. It's a wonder they are able to survive.

Most people are somewhere in the middle.

Now, that brings me to another point. What constitutes proof? We know some people lie, so we look for other clues. This hunting for clues may be intentional or at the subconscious level.

Here's the problem...

Proof works both ways. If you fall into the first group (the gullible), you are programmed to find what you see as proof of honesty, and you find it easily.

If you fall into the second group (the chronically untrusting), you are programmed to find proof of dishonesty, and will find it where it doesn't even in cases when the truth is being presented.

So...

Here are some questions:

1. How much proof do you need?

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?

I'm really curious to see how this unfolds and can't wait to read the responses.

All the best,
Michael

[sanssecret]

I started out not needing any proof other than what was offered on the sales page. I mean, if it was on the Internet, it had to be right, right? No further investigation needed.

Then I moved into the 'discovery' that if it was on the Internet, that in itself was enough 'proof' it was rubbish and not to be believed. Again, no further investigation needed.

Now, I tend to look at who's behind it, or who's recommending it. Depending on how well I know the person(s) involved, I'll either consider it worth investigating further, or not.

I'm not sure you can ever 'prove' anything really without trying it out for yourself. But I'm definitely open to suggestions if there's an easier way.

[Xmas]

It is so true that you find what you want.

Rose colored glasses comes to mind. We blind ourselves to truths we see all the time because of the outcome we want.

Pretty much we are all out to find what is true or right for us. No one can change your mind about what you believe.

They may present some information, but any mind changing comes from the inside. New information = new evaluation = changed mind.

As a seller, I present the information and let the if go. I have my truth and I present what is true and good to me, others will evaluate and decide.

Some will believe me some won't.

I don't worry about the haters.

[Hesaidblissfully]

I want the author to do everything for me, or else it's a huge scam.



On a more serious note, it's hard to generate any real proof online. Even if someone personally mailed you their bank statement showing that they earned $600,000 last month, that doesn't prove that they made that money by doing what they teach in their $47 e-book.

Proof for me is showing results that are hard to fake. Free content is one of the best forms of proof IMO. If you can show someone through the content that you give away that you know what you're talking about, it builds a lot of credibility for you in my book. Also, free trials and "try before you buy" stuff, though that may not be feasible for everyone.

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by Xmas

It is so true that you find what you want.

Rose colored glasses comes to mind. We blind ourselves to truths we see all the time because of the outcome we want.

Pretty much we are all out to find what is true or right for us. No one can change your mind about what you believe.

They may present some information, but any mind changing comes from the inside. New information = new evaluation = changed mind.

As a seller, I present the information and let the if go. I have my truth and I present what is true and good to me, others will evaluate and decide.

Some will believe me some won't.

I don't worry about the haters.

Hi James,

That's a good equation, and I think a lot of people are like that. However, there are those who do it more like this

New information = check it against what I already think I know = same thinking as before.

Those are the type of people that are difficult to deal with, at least for me.

All the best,
Michael

[Shannon Herod]

When it comes to the Internet marketing niche and more importantly, that WSo board, my proof factor is pretty high. Actually I would go on to say I would never buy anything from anyone that I did not know personally.

Anyway, in general I tend to be pretty easy to sell to. Mostly because I'm open to it. I like sales pitches and I like listening to them. So, if someone has a sales pitch I will usually listen to it. If it's good I'll usually buy.

[Bill Farnham]

Michael,

I think a lot of it has to due with my familiarity with a process, system, or simply past experiences.

If it is something new that I'm being exposed to my 'proof radar' will be in curiousity mode and I am more likely to give the person a bit more leaway.

If I have past experiences that say red flags should be waved then more proof will be needed and that means I need a different level of understanding/explainations, not just additional hype.

As a salesperson, I'm easy to sell to. Im fact, I love a good sales letter that yanks all my triggers.

As far as what constitutes proof that comes down to how well the arguments, for lack of a better word, are presented. Screen shots of earning don't tell a complete story and hence are almost worthless to my way of thinking. I want to see rational thought processes espoused, not somebody's Photoshop skills.

Is there any kind of proof that could change my mind about something? Absolutely. If I test it out and it works, there's my proof. For me it takes concrete results that I've produced myself even if it's on a small level.

I guess I'm one of those middle-of-the-roaders.

~Bill

[ForeignProfessor]

I'm a sceptic. Basically, if you're SELLING me something which can make ME money, why aren't you doing it yourself? If you ARE doing it yourself, then why the hell are you selling me your 'secret'? Scale it up and retire, don't bother me with your offer.

In situations like this I always think of the advice "Do what you're doing, and if it's working, scale it up". This guy selling this product is NOT scaling it up, he's selling it to the WSO forum instead. I know there are people who test launch products here on the warrior forum and ARE very generous here; I didn't mean to insult you guys. I mean to criticize the "$0 down and $1bazillion dollars in a week WITH NO WORK" crowd.

I always look into ANY MMO offer with an attitude of "What's in it for Me?", and "What's in it for them?"

Usually the answer is that they'll make more money selling me their idea than doing it themselves. And that's fine. I just don't buy (literally) it. (And I mean literally, my only purchase has been the war room. Any other money is spent on services, not reports or ebooks etc. Everything you need to know is available for free in my opinionl)

[Christophe Young]

I'm definitely in the more neurotic group! I'm always on the look out for scams and rip-offs. I used to be a little more gullible but not by much.

I'm turned off by hype, outrageous claims, "big name" Gurus and Warriors.. (for the most part) and overly aggressive sales tactics of any kind.

Basically, I'm not an easy sale.

Some call it cynical, I call it being smart. I rarely get scammed.

So, when it comes to proof, I need A LOT of it. I pretty much discount anything that is normally considered proof like earnings screenshots (fake) and testimonials (also mostly fake.)

It comes down to whether or not I can afford to buy something and get nothing out of it. If I bought a $47 ebook/program and it didn't do anything for me, well at least it was only $47. No big loss!

[ForeignProfessor]

Originally Posted by Shannon Herod

I like sales pitches and I like listening to them. So, if someone has a sales pitch I will usually listen to it. If it's good I'll usually buy.

The pitch or the product? If it's the former, let's talk. For days, and days and days and days and days and what's your credit card limit again?

[Cathy Shelver]

I Believe anything people say to me that's why I have to be very careful before I buy.... So as much proof as you give me is enough because I believe you, why lie to me ?

It is a bit hard in this MMO world but people on WF often give me hope that many in this online world are ethical. So don't lie about your earnings

[sbucciarel]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Here are some questions:

1. How much proof do you need?

It's not how much .. it's how genuine it is.

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?

I more often find lack of proof.

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?

In a WSO thread ... a whole bunch of really happy customers, and it would also be nice if some of them actually used the product and reported results. Not shills ... they are usually pretty obvious. Just real, spontaneous testimonials.

In an info product WSO thread for example, I find that glowing testimonials that are posted very soon after the WSO opens look and sound like shills. They have not had time to actually implement the strategy. I also find revenue screenshots to be suspect, because many sellers post screenshots of what they are making by selling the product, not by what they are making by using the product.

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

Most of my sales are websites and if I claim the site has traffic and revenue, I upload screenshots of that, along with referring urls and Google analytics. It's not foolproof, but it's all I got. Someone good with Photoshop can fake revenue proof, so it's always a judgement call.

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?

Same answer as #3 or in addition, someone I know and trust personally recommending the product.

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

I'm really curious to see how this unfolds and can't wait to read the responses.

All the best,
Michael

[theturd]

1. How much proof do you need?

i'm a skeptic for the most part
what doesn't constitute as proof to me is testimonials
i feel like they are all shady for the most part
i like things with a free trial of some sort
or to be introduced through somebody i know and trust

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?

unfortunately its a game of oneupmanship and often because people want attention they tend to oversell and under deliver

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?

read #1

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

i try to design it the way that would lead me to buy a product or service
no meaningless testimonials
try before you buy
and deal with people personally


5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?

of course people talk down other and they services all the time
i look at this as another case of for the most part people just trying to give their own services/products an edge, but i build a good network of people i trust and usually somebody know someone or has personally had a first hand dealing with most

-justin

[Maddi]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Here are some questions:

1. How much proof do you need?

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?

I'm really curious to see how this unfolds and can't wait to read the responses.

All the best,
Michael

Hey Michael, thanks for the OP. Definitely something to be talked about, and here is my thoughts about it.

How much proof do I need?

Depends on the product, if its something I am actively looking for, something that will take my business to the next level, my proof threshold is pretty low from the author at least. Because I want that solution anyway, all I would look for is how helpful is the product going to be, and any results oriented testimonials/reviews.

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?

I have made some great friends here on the Warrior Forum, mostly people I know like and trust don't need to prove me anything if they are selling it. If they didn't stand behind all their products and services, they wouldn't be in my friends list.

As for wso from someone I don't know, I would go look for warriors that I know and trust to see if they have posted in the thread.

But typically, I don't look for either, I let the OP convince me that he is genuine and authentic, will stand behind his product and vouch for it but it also brings into consideration the kind of wso's I personally like to click and read. I don't usually stay on 'one hit wonders' anyway.

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?

A very interesting question. To me how much money does the OP make is not significant. Secondary, may be. But not the main factor involved in making the decision of buying the product.

What carries weight? Results oriented testimonials.

You see many people get sucked in with reviews like 'Awesome product, if you buy it, it will do [ ] for you'

or

'Great report, I wonder why I didn't think of the strategy myself, [author] takes you from [ ] and particulary chapter 3 is great ......

Not Interested.

I try and look for results oriented testimonials and reviews. Someone tried it, and then posted their results, to me they are 10 times more valuable and significant, both as a buyer and a seller.

But sadly, this part is mostly overlooked from either point of view.

As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

Both pretty much. I tend to cater to both type of buyers in my sales letters, or at least try to.

-This is what I have, this what it can do for you, this is what it did for other people, here is what to do to get it works


Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?

Results. Other people who tried it and achieved results, Sellers track record and my due diligence I guess.

Didn't realize it would be that long of a reply, but I hope I didn't bore you.

Thanks
Maddi

[Tina Golden]

Here are some questions:

1. How much proof do you need? It all depends on whose making the offer. If it's someone I know and trust, I don't need any. If it's a complete unknown, I usually hesitate without some proof.

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies? I don't believe I find proof of either one more than the other. I try to remain balanced in this regard.

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless? Social proof from people I actually know carries the most weight with me. Screenshots I pretty much ignore now that I know how easily faked they are. Videos I tend to put more stock in, providing nothing else rings any warning bells. I know these can be faked but it's a lot more difficult so I doubt they are faked as often as screenshots.

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions? Thus far, I have not sold anything that would need proof and I'm not sure I ever will. When the time comes, I will never be using any proof of income as I don't think that's anyone's business. Proof of results other than income I may do.

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something? The only proof that would change my mind once I've made it up would be for someone that I know and trust to convince me that it works.

Interesting thread, Michael.

Tina

[R Hagel]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

1. How much proof do you need?

Not much. Not much at all. About 40 proof will do.




****

Oh, wait. You weren't talking about THAT kind of proof.

OK, in that case I'm with Tina on several of her points. More specifically, I do business with those I already know and trust. They could put up a one-sentence description of the product and an order button... and I'd buy it if I needed it. If I trust the vendor, then no proof required.

If I don't know the vendor, then (as Tina mentioned) proof in the form of a good testimonial from someone else that I know and trust works for me. Screenshots, pics, etc tend not to sway me at all.

Cheers,
Becky

[Dan C. Rinnert]

I put a fair amount of weight into how the seller answers questions and responds to messages.

Myself, I avoid asking questions. Too often, there seems to be an attitude that you shouldn't be asking a lot of questions. It's seven bucks! people will say. Buy it and find out.

But, it's still seven bucks or seventeen bucks or whatever and the odds are good that, even if the product doesn't live up to your expectations, you're not going to ask for a refund because, well, it's seven bucks.

If I asked for a refund on every item I should have asked for a refund on, I would probably be labeled a serial refunder by now.

Plus, if you learned something, it's harder to justify asking for a refund, even if that something wasn't much.

One thing I learned this week when I bought a disappointing WSO that, if a seller doesn't answer a particular question, it may not have been an oversight. I saw a question asked in the WSO thread. Questions above and below were answered by the seller, but this one particular question wasn't. I figured it was an oversight. Everything else seemed to indicate it was a good buy.

Well, after purchasing the WSO, I think it was not an oversight that the seller did not reply to that question. Had he replied and answered truthfully, I would not have purchased the WSO.

So, no more of that for me from now on. If a question goes unanswered, that's going to be a red flag for me, no matter how many other people are saying This thing is great!

[Janice Sperry]

The bigger the claims the more proof I need. However, I usually find myself more skeptical of the "proof" than of the claims. I don't always come up with a definite red light or green light because of some specific point. If there is a glaring falsehood or even an attempt to mislead me I question the whole thing. Often, though, I just take the overall pitch as a whole and think about how it strikes me - believable or questionable.

[BradBergeron]

1. How much proof do you need?
Quite a bit! I am a very cynical person, so I do not trust anybody and I think everyone is out to make a buck of everyone else in this world. I believe that everybody does everything to better themselves - to make money, to be happier, to reach happiness (for religious people).

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?
Proof of lies ALWAYS - it's much more fun to point out proof of a scammer being a fraud

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?
Friend's testimonials carry weight with me. If my friend says he's tried the product and it has worked for him, that makes me much more inclined to buy the product. Screenshots are meaningless IMO. Those things can be edited so easily. Most people (non IMers and non techies) are very naive to the tricks you can do to edit these though.

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?
I try to prove things though I'm more into Site Flipping than Affiliate Marketing but you do the same thing when writing up your auction page.

[Rod Cortez]

Michael,

Here are my answers to the questions you posed and to put my responses in context, I'm naturally a VERY skeptical person:

1. How much proof do you need?
Some - I base my purchases on very specific business needs. I do some product review research as well as find out as much as I can about the seller, which in some cases, is just a corporation that has a website without any "about us"-type of information.

I very seldom buy from a website that does not have contact information and an "about us" type of information so I know who and what I'm buying from.

Admittedly, there are both people and companies that I will purchase from without much research if I already trust them and it meets the needs of my business. A good example of this was Ron Douglas's publicity report because I have a lot of respect for him and our company is currently ramping up a major PR campaign, so I wanted to learn any gold nuggets I could from him. I wasn't disappointed.

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?
Honestly, very seldom do I find either, since I realize it is difficult to prove one way or the other. I focus more on if the product / service meets my specific needs and I feel protected by a guarantee or refund policy (I never invest in infoproducts that do not have a refund policy).

After you've bought hundreds of infoproducts and seen a plethora of marketing systems, you learn (at least in my case) how to laser-focus on whether or not the product is right for your business and if, after some reasonable due diligence, you feel safe enough to pull the trigger and make the purchase.

Sometimes, though, it's really easy to spot if a person is lying. Such as obvious contradictions in their sales copy or presentation. Sometimes their math is way off. Sometimes you can tell when their screenshots have been photoshopped. I could name more but I'm sure you catch my drift.

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?
Specific testimonials from people I respect carry the most weight with me. Far more than someone showing screen shots or video shots of their income. Income claims can easily be manipulated.

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?
It really depends on the market, the distribution channel I'm using, the demographics, positioning, and the price point. I also create sales copy to appeal to both right-brained and left-brained people so I try to have a nice balance between using logic and emotional. Though I tend to favor emotional triggers since a decades worth of testing across 30 plus niches has proven to me time and time again that that's how most people make their purchasing decisions.

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about
something?
Detailed, real-life case studies have changed my mind before. Also talking to someone via Skype or over the phone and hearing their first-hand experience with something has also changed my mind in the past. Social proof from people I trust goes a long way with me.

RoD CorteZ

[ChickenMan]

It's not about HOW much proof one needs, Oksa. It's about how "true" the proof is. Anyone can say "oh this program made me a $1000s" hur hur hur, but can someone really give a review with realistic results rather than fabricated trash to make a sale.

P.S. people are always going to be skeptical of things they do not know about. At times, I am still skeptical.

[Dennis Gaskill]

Hi Michael - This is a thought provoking post. It should be good for promoting an interesting discussion, thanks. Here are my answers:

How much proof do you need?
Enough to tip the scales one way or the other.

Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?
A potentially very revealing question. In life, I'm an optimist, so in normal circumstances I would look for the good.

I also realize there are scammers, plus I know a fair bit about copywriting so I can see past the hype most of the time. This is one area where I try not to let my underlying bias influence my decision. In other words, I look for truth and lies and let the conclusion fall where it may. Kind of a "trust but verify" attitude, you might say.

What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?
Verifiable facts carry the most weight. Logic comes next. If it's someone I've bought from and was happy with the purchase, they have a little more trust from the start. Recommendations from people I trust carry a lot of weight. If the seller is a WF member I'll look at their past posts to see what kind of person they are. To be perfectly honest though, sometimes it just comes down to a "gut feeling" that can't exactly be explained.

Of course, I'm assuming you're asking about a more expensive purchase than something that falls in the impulse purchase price range.

As for what is meaningless (or almost meaningless): screen captures and videos purportedly showing proof of income, testimonials unless I know the person, hype, claims made without proof, reviews that lack facts and details about the product (usually created by affiliates who know little about the product, whose only goal is to earn a commission), big names (unless I know them or have bought from them before), or any claims like these:

a) We've done all the work for you
b) Earn $X in X time ...
c) Dominate the search engines for any keyword
d) Number 1 ranking guaranteed for any keyword
e) Lose weight effortlessly
f) etc.

The one thing I always try to do is see how the copywriter is trying to influence me on an emotional level so I can intentionally avoid making an emotional decision.

As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?
Whether I try to "prove" something often depends on the nature of the product and the price. As for letting people draw their own conclusion, I'm not sure how that can be done. When you write sales copy you are trying to influence the conclusion they draw.

Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?
Personal experience, mine or someone I know and trust.

There you go. Hope I learned something.

[Richard Odell]

On-line no one can hear you scream...



Proof on the Internet is only as good as your persuasion.

Validation is only a screen shot and your ability to put your customer at ease.

[Dennis Gaskill]

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises

Videos I tend to put more stock in, providing nothing else rings any warning bells. I know these can be faked but it's a lot more difficult so I doubt they are faked as often as screenshots.

At one time that was probably true, but scammers adapt quickly. Videos are pretty easily faked too. All they have to do is show a page from their hard drive rather than from the real site.

[WilliamBerg]

1. How much proof do you need?
Impossible to answer. It depends on the price of the product etc. I would say enough proof to show that it is at the very least likely to be true.

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?
Depends on where I look. Some forums I find a lot of lies on, other are more thruth full. Over all with all the scams out there righ tnow I say that atleast 50% are lies.

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?
3rd party proof that i can verify myself carries weight. Things I have to take for face value less.

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

I try to make sure that the product speaks for itself and that it doesn´t need to be oversold.

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?
Rock solid proof

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by Hesaidblissfully

I want the author to do everything for me, or else it's a huge scam.



On a more serious note, it's hard to generate any real proof online. Even if someone personally mailed you their bank statement showing that they earned $600,000 last month, that doesn't prove that they made that money by doing what they teach in their $47 e-book.

Proof for me is showing results that are hard to fake. Free content is one of the best forms of proof IMO. If you can show someone through the content that you give away that you know what you're talking about, it builds a lot of credibility for you in my book. Also, free trials and "try before you buy" stuff, though that may not be feasible for everyone.

I see others have said the same type of thing, but you were first.

Anyway...

As I was writing the original post, I was only thinking of testimonials, screen shots and videos, but not what I would call intrinsic proof.

Of course, even this kind of proof isn't perfect, but it's hard to think of a more convincing type of proof than that.

Good stuff!

All the best,
Michael

[Algo]

The standard forms of proof all seem sales hype to me.

Do snapshots and screengrabs really prove that one has made the sales they claim? Does it matter whether one claims to have made $30k in a month or $112,677 in a year with their system, and whether they have graphic evidence to prove it?

Do testimonials mean anything when one is not showing me the complaints other people may have had?

What does work for me by way of proof is answering all my questions. This works best when marketers anticipate my questions and answer them in the sales copy, Even better is when they do this at the very moment the question pops into my head. A letter (or video) which can accomplish this feels like a conversation, and is very persuasive to me. (Gary Halbert was brilliant at doing this.)

[Mike Hill]

Originally Posted by ForeignProfessor

I'm a sceptic. Basically, if you're SELLING me something which can make ME money, why aren't you doing it yourself? If you ARE doing it yourself, then why the hell are you selling me your 'secret'? Scale it up and retire, don't bother me with your offer.

Because that's what marketers do.. they share something that worked for them (for the most part) although there are marketers that blatantly lie and you can see right through them once you hang out on the internet long enough.

For me, I like to share things through a product that are working for me to increase the stock in my brand. Helping more people will make your own business grow bigger and that means more profits... That's why marketers share what they know.

The other reason they share what they know is because they are not limited thinkers... They realize that in order for things to move forward in a progressive manner, they have to share what they know. Then others will discover new things... Could you imagine if Thomas Edison kept his inventions all to himself... were would we be today?

[mcmahanusa]

I confess, there was a time I was very gullible, and bought more things than I care to recall because of some great sales copy. Interestingly, though, even the things I regret buying had some value, and my education grew.

Now I am very skeptical, and when I read even the most enticing sales copy regarding the most enticing offer, I pause, open up a new tab, and search for information on the provider and the product What I usually find is that the product isn't worth the cost, and it fails to deliver on the promises.

I don't even look at screen shots of purported income, because I have no way to ascertain their validity. I don't need a lot of proof, just enough validation from credible sources to help me reach a decision.

Knowing that it's a WF member with a good reputation goes a long way to satisfying me.

I would almost never buy a heavily hyped overpriced product from a so-called guru. I usually can get better, more useful tools for a lot less (sometimes free) on the WF (other places, too, of course).

[CDarklock]

Answers inline.

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

1. How much proof do you need?

No amount of proof is sufficient.

2. Do you typically find proof of truth, or proof of lies?

Proof of lies. If something is a lie, it's not so hard to discover. The vast majority of proof, however, sits in limbo... it's not clearly a lie, but that doesn't make it true. It's very hard to prove truth while protecting privacy.

3. What types of proof carry weight with you? What types do you find meaningless?

People I trust giving their opinion directly to me. If I ask Steven Wagenheim or Dennis Becker directly what they think of product X and they say they bought it and liked it, they will absolutely never lie to me and say a crap product is good.

4. As a seller, do you try to "prove" things? Or do you just try to convey what your product is about and let people draw their own conclusions?

I so don't trust proof, I just don't believe it's worth the effort to use any.

5. Is there any kind of proof that could change your mind about something?

Pretty much just #3. John "Zeus66" Schwartz once told me to buy a product from a marketer I neither trusted nor liked, and on his word alone I bought the product... which rapidly changed my opinion of that marketer. I don't think anything else would have done that.

[forfun_cash]

As a seller, if you can't provide proof, it really shows your system you are selling is flawed or in a worst case scenario, a scam. There is no reason why the seller can't provide proof. It's is not a sensitive issue at all.

Next, only provide video proof. Screen shots can be photoshopped EASILY. My university classmate is currently earning part time income by offering designing service at digital point forum and he receive request to photoshop clickbank and paypal transactions all day long.

Lastly, the income proof must be related to the method you are selling. For this part, most of the sellers WILL NOT be able to do it. They will often show the income they are earning but are not TOTALLY RELATED to the method they are promoting. Eg. clickbank income proof the guru uses. Yes the income proof they show is mouth-watering but most of it come's from having affiliates to promote for them and not an affiliate themselves. Just my 2cents

[ASCW]

Honestly I care more about the seller's reputation than anything else. I once bought one of John Taylor's WSO's after just barely reading the sales letter. Since he was John Taylor and that guy knows what he's talking about.

ON the other hand I go into the WSO and see like 3+ WSO's all on the front page by the same guy. I NEVER buy these. The people who grind out WSO's rarely are actually walking the walk. Selling 17 dollar ebooks is not the path to true wealth.

[Kevin_Hutto]

The best proof to me is longevity in the market... Is this a person who has consistently put out great content over a period of years... Second is a recomendation by a peer or person that I trust(beyond just their fame or whatever)... For example, a buddy of mine sent out an affiliate offer to his list about a product that he had used and that another guy had created and was re-releasing. He wasnt sending it to me per se, but I am on his list :-) And I trust him. Sure enough, it is one of the best little courses I've been through in a couple years. i never would have bought it on my own... So, third party endorsement is big too.

Last on my list would be some specific ability... If it was a skill that I wanted to learn and someone could demonstrate to me that they had/knew it... And would teach me it, for x$ then I would likely buy as well...