My new product!

henry, I stopped after your introduction...

"want to improve your game to the level of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant..."

People are going to read that and go "this guy is full of it". Come on, Kobe is the greatest player in the world. There are maybe a handful of basketball players EVER that are as good as Kobe.

It's good to hype your product (sometimes even over-hyping it), but come on, that's just silly. That type of over-hyping will turn people off quickly.

I think you're probably going to end up getting a Cease & Desist letter from Mr. Bryant's lawyers if you try to sell that. If you even get it up for sale on Clickbank, which I highly doubt you will.

The sales page is awful. Forget about the lockout and all the rest of the jive and get to the point already. People want to know what you've got right up front. Tell them.

The white text against the black background is really hard on the eyes and many won't stick around to read it. It's also been proven in many marketing tests that black text against a white background outpulls white against black significantly.

With all that said, I think you have issues using Bryant's name and maybe his techniques. Even if you've just made a study of the guy and are reporting the stuff he does you're going to be on thin ice because the way things are set up people are being led to believe this is Kobe's stuff.

Top pro athletes value their names. You've got his name in your domain and all over your site. You might be okay for a while but if you start selling anything expect to get shut down PDQ. Good luck.

I dont get it...Why is this product not acceptable? A man by the name of Pat Nixon wrote a book called "The Kobe Code" and sells it not only online...but in stores...HES using Bryants name? Plus there are many others who have written a book on Kobe...I'm not the first. Please someone confirm this for me I have worked so hard on not only the product but a couple bonuses...

I have to give you props for the design - it's very well done.

ClickBank will never accept this product. Why not? Because they don't need any hassles that might come from trademark laws. Change the name and take out pics of celebrities.

It looks good though I'll give you that. What program did you use to create the page?

first, i am not a lawyer or qualified to give legal advice, so dont take this post as such.

kobe gets paid millions of dollars by companies to endorse their product. you are implying that kobe is endorsing this product with your marketing style. and i am assuming you have not paid kobe for the endorsement.

as far as other books on kobe. many times, famous people do get some sort of royalties on books sales and stuff like this. most big name athletes get a percentage of the profits on sales of their merchandise.

the legal problem i think you may have is that you are implying that this is kobes technique. if it is, kobe may ask you why you are profiting by selling his technique. what right do you have to steal his technique and market it for your profit.

if it is however, your technique based on a study of kobe then your product may be ok, but you are probably going to have to steer clear of marketing this book as kobes technique.

as for the disclaimer. according to the ftc, its no longer good enough to simply say "results not typical". now it is actually illegal to make claims that are not typical results. most people dont follow this law, but it is the law. and since you may be on thin legal ground with some other stuff, you may need to tone down the hype.

Also in your sales letter false scarcity is a big no-no with clickbank

HURRY! ONLY 12 COPIES LEFT

And also guys, there is no controversial stuff in there. No bad mouthing Kobe. He ACTUALLY uses these moves regulary, exactly how taught in the book. It's actually a very cool book.

I have "The Kobe Code"...Ijust read the back of the book once again...lol if that's accepted and its out in stores....mine should too. Ill type it out tonight. Gave me a sigh of relief :p

Saying this:

"want to improve your game to the level of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant..."

as well as having his name in your domain name is going to open you up to a lawsuit for using the IP of another entity to market your product. The case would likely be open/close and you'd lose it.

Most athletic entities have blanket coverage by legal firms who sole purpose is to punish those who utilize the IP of their clients.

Learn how to play basketball like Koby Bryant for $15?

Hi

The difference between "The Kobe Code" and your book is that "The Kobe Code" is a journalistic look at the Lakers from the inside. You can use famous names without their authorization if you are writing news, biography or journalistic pieces.

In your case you are using his name on a product. And not just any product, a basketball instruction product that claims to teach "Kobe’s Patented Moves and Confidential Training". And you are not only using his name and reputation, you are using his image all over the web site and the cover of the ebook. You need the rights to all those images just to display them. Pro athlete images like that aren't generally found at stock photo sites.

Without an actual legal endorsement from Kobe Bryant, that will get you in trouble with his lawyers for infringing on his name and trademarks and from the FTC for false claims and implying you are teaching things you couldn't possibly know.

I could write a book called "The Secret Affairs of William Shatner" as a journalistic expose of past romantic trysts. But I could not create a video course called "The William Shatner Acting Technique" and claim I am teaching his secret methods.

What you could do is change the product to something like "Killer B-Ball Training Secrets" and then market it with indirect association, rather than direct claims about the product.

Do you want to power your game to the level of superstars like Kobe and Lebraun?

Do you want the secret training techniques to elevate yourself to another level?

Do you wonder how superstars like Kobe can maintain a consistent high level of performance?

This book breaks open the secret coaching notebooks, superstar diaries and the closed session training techniques used by the best players, coaches and trainers in professional basketball.


On another note. This isn't really a "desperate buyers" niche like IM or weight loss so you are wasting your time with the "scarcity" offer. Aside from the new CB rules.

None of this will seem that important to you until someone from Kobe's team sees the website.

Has it been accepted by Clickbank? This looks like a product CB wouldn't touch with a 10' pole.

Mahlon

Thanks guys, I will definitely look into that advice. On second note, saying Do you want to power your game to the level of superstars like Kobe and Lebraun?
Isnt that pretty much the same thing I'm implying in my header?

IGNORE any haters and negative nellies. As warriors, instead of criticizing in a negative context we should give our fellow warrior constructive feedback and positive support. You took action and made something happen which is something the majority of this forum will not do.

Regarding the legal side of the "Kobe" angle, speak with a lawyer. Forget what people on this forum say. There might be a way to position the ebook along the lines of "the unauthorized guide to Kobe's insiders secrets" or something like that.

Now the folks pointing out the proof and belief issue of becoming like Kobe have some merit. BUT you don't have to dismiss the angle or idea you just need to rework it and tone it down.

My hat goes of to you. You have joined the elite ranks of people who actually get **** done.

You are a creator!

It doesn't even matter if this product succeeds or fails. If you take everything you've learned in this process and persist along the path your already walking, the odds of you succeeding at some point is pretty much in the bag...

Much love!

Mr. Daniel Deegan, my man...THANK YOU!

There are so many other people out there writing about celebrities and what not. You are right though, I will just tone things down a bit.

Do you think I should just tone down the sales page a bit, have it there somewhere saying: "This product by no means guarantees you will reach the level of a legend like Kobe Bryant, it is just meant as a guide that was put together by expert analysis, study, and research on Kobe. This product will HELP." Something along the lines of that...

Thanks again man, nothing beats staying positive.

Much love to you too!

i have to say it looks really nice

haha thanks a lot. Should I just stamp an Unauthorized somewhere around the top of the site? Or just submit it to clickbank see what they say...? hmm not sure yet.

hey henry24:

I'm a basketball fan myself too and I'v also purchased some basketball training programs online myself from those guys called Taylor Allen and Alex Moroko!

Maybe u can contact them to clarify some details about selling basketball training products online.

Hope it will work out for u~!

Cheers~!

As much as this all sounds painful to you and how we are all shooting down your product, its only looking out for you. We are trying to help you stay out of legal trouble and not have a 100% failed product. take what everyone is saying here as gold and use it. We have all been in your shoes before too.

I dunno... You said that you have only made $100 online so far. Honeslty, by posting this here, you have opened yourself up for some serious abuse...LOL.

Look, I hope you start to make money, but if you want to sell a product that people will take seriosuly through Clickbank, you'll have to spend some money to have a quality sales page designed and some quality copy written. Your graphics are ok, but do you have the right to put Kobe's name on something.

Man, that's risky. I'm quite sure that Clickbank will not approve thi sproduct, and if they do, it won't be long before you are contacted by one of Kobe's publiciicst, or worse, a legal representative.

If you want my advice, pull the page down and go back to the drawing board.

Lol what the heck? who said I was trying to teach someone how to make money online? It's just my new product man, I wanted everyones opinion on it. And damn, some people just like to hate. There are MANY books out there using Kobe names, one in example is "The Kobe Code"...what gave Pat Mixon the right to use Kobe's name and write a book? Nothing and No one! He just did! And It's his best selling book. I cant wait to prove the naysayers wrong. Thanks anyways. And to those with the positive feedback, thanks a lot!!!

Henry - ClickBank will accept it. Even with their new stringent rules they'll accept it. They've got everything from Witchcraft to make a million dollars delivering pizza eBooks in the marketplace coming in every week.

I would ease up on the colors and add more content. Maybe a nice white background, black text and see if the graphics can adapt to that color scheme. Make it less busy.

The reason the "long sales letters" do so well is they keep the reader engaged. You've got to have more content to get people's attention. Draw them in and keep them reading.

The longer they're on your site the more likely they are to buy something.

Take a look at the Diet Solution Program and the Truth About Abs - both of those sites have dozens of blog posts, video posts, articles, free ebooks etc. It's content rich and it shows the value of the information you're creating and selling.

Also - check out the Magic of Making Up. Long sales letter with 3 videos embedded into it. I bet someone spends about 20mins on that page.

Good luck and ignore all the whiners.

BTW - last thing, I'd never promote your book if it's $15. That's enough for me as an affiliate to get as commission.

You gotta add more value to this thing and up the price to $37 at least.

Let me know how it goes - I like this niche.

IANAL - and I can't act, so I'm not available to play one even on radio.

The whole site is just wrong and screams scam. Don't get me wrong, you've obviously put a lot of work into the design and hours and hours of work into the product. Fundamanetally I'm sure it's an excellent product - but it isn't "Kobe’s Patented Moves and Confidential Training Regimen"

If his training program is confidential, it's highly unlikely that he would tell it to you so that you can sell it for $15 yourself. He'd be selling the program himself and making $xxx per sale.

That in itself screams "scam" to me about your site. Who are you? How do you know Kobe's secrets?

Calling your product "The Kobe Bryant Technique" goes beyond implying that you have his permission. It implies you know him. It implies that you know what his "confidential training regimen" (your own phrase) is.

I would rename the product and buy a more appropriate domain name - one that won't be taken from you the instant his lawyers find the site.

Why not something like "play basket ball like a pro". Do you even have permission to use those photos? Did you take them yourself or purchase from a legitimate stock photo site?

As for "only 12 copies remaining". What????? Why are you worrying about putting it on Clickbank. Just sell them to a friend, take the site down and save yourself the hassle

You have a nicely designed site and possibly an excellent product. Don't ruin it with false claims, false hype and so many copyright infringements that it's impossible to point them all out.

Start again with the branding and the product will probably do well. Good luck.

I don't need your negative energy. If I sent you the main product and the two bonuses I have for this I am sure you will change your mind. These are phenomenal products. All three of them. Only 15 dollars. People spend money on the stupidest things now a days. I did this for the fans, basketball lovers, and myself. It's not a low quality product, it is very helpful and informative. I am not by any means claiming that I know Kobe and it was Kobe that gave me the secrets or whatever you're trying to say...I'm just saying after lots of analysis, research, and study...I came to the conclusion that these are Kobe' best moves and these are the things that make him so great. With fact to back it up too. This is a self help guide that is going to make basketball players better. On top of that it is going to thrill the reader because of the great detailed information inside.

Lol sorry didnt mean to be rude there...its just i feel like I am not doing anything wrong, MANY books have been written on Kobe by random authors.

Kudos on taking the initiative to create your own info product - it truly is the most important pillar to an online business.

Other than the advice given around using protected names, trade names, personal names, etc... other advice I would give is...

1. Get some testimonials - these days proof is so important to help buyers make the decision on training-type topics. You want to trial these methods with others until you see some results and then capture those as testimonials

2. I would definitely back off on putting Bryant's name on the product - the issue is that if you were to become successful with this, more attention will be payed and you will be impacted

3. Focus a little more on the specific benefits of using your methods, exactly what will they improve and what result will it have for your audience (better chance at making the team, stand-out, etc...

Jeff