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Which Guru to trust? Guru 1, Guru 2, Guru 3???

by emailmaribel
30 replies
Am I the only one feeling this way? It seems that lately most people are claiming to be GURU's, when in reality they aren't....

When I first joined WF, I found valuable WSO's and created my list of trusted sources/sellers from those products.

However, those 'trusted sources' are now forced to promote products from other "claimed guru's" that really aren't valuable (realistically), therefore, it's hard to really buy with confidence.

Am I the only one feeling this way? What marketers do you still follow that are still trustworthy or worth following?
#guru #marketing #trust
  • Profile picture of the author Josh Monroe
    Originally Posted by emailmaribel View Post

    Am I the only one feeling this way? It seems that lately most people are claiming to be GURU's, when in reality they aren't....

    When I first joined WF, I found valuable WSO's and created my list of trusted sources/sellers from those products.

    However, those 'trusted sources' are now forced to promote products from other "claimed guru's" that really aren't valuable (realistically), therefore, it's hard to really buy with confidence.

    Am I the only one feeling this way? What marketers do you still follow that are still trustworthy or worth following?
    I agree with you 100%. Even the so called "honest guru's" seem to be knowingly promoting trash products for a quick buck.

    I think these days to qualify as a guru, you simply need to put out a "mediocre" product.
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    • Profile picture of the author AdenWhite
      Originally Posted by jgeeked View Post

      I agree with you 100%. Even the so called "honest guru's" seem to be knowingly promoting trash products for a quick buck.

      I think these days to qualify as a guru, you simply need to put out a "mediocre" product.
      Imagine the temptation though. You've got a big list, and you know -- as long as the copy is good, you can make thousands at the click of a button, with a simple copied and pasted, canned email message.

      Wan't a holiday? -- aah, I'll just mail the list.

      So easy. So tempting. (no I'm not recommending it).
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  • Profile picture of the author davejug1
    Research research and more research. Due diligence is essential, but even with the best research, you are still spitting into the wind and taking a punt. Just reducing therisks.
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    • Profile picture of the author r30ducez
      Originally Posted by davejug1 View Post

      Research research and more research. Due diligence is essential, but even with the best research, you are still spitting into the wind and taking a punt. Just reducing therisks.
      I agree, doing research is essential. I have used WF many times when researching products. There are usually some very good and honest reviews, and I'm not just talking about WSO's, I can pretty much find something being said about any product within a day of being launched.
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    • Profile picture of the author HorseStall
      Originally Posted by davejug1 View Post

      Research research and more research. Due diligence is essential, but even with the best research, you are still spitting into the wind and taking a punt. Just reducing therisks.
      I agree you really need to qualify any advice you receive and consider the source. There is a lot of good information out there, but unfortunately there is also a fair amount of bad information that you have to sift through to find it.
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  • Profile picture of the author shmerns
    I can understand how you feel. Try and take the nuggets of
    information that you have learned from each of these "gurus" and
    use what is relevant.

    Part of marketing is promoting other people's products to your list,
    so "guru's" are no different. It's smart marketing and you can learn
    from it.

    I have been on the list of some of the best marketers in the industry
    and look forward to their emails. Many of the best are sometimes people
    you have never heard of.

    I happen to love Charlie Page and George Brown.

    Don't lose faith, there are great people out there promoting quality products!

    Lori P :
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  • Profile picture of the author mkaylor
    I like Matt Wolf at businessandblogs. He's very straight shooting and he tells you exactly how to do things. He doesn't speak in broad terms like most others. I also really like his podcast.

    I'd love to know if there are others as open as Matt is about making money?
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    You're right - there are a lot of "fake it til you make it" people here.

    Every day we see people starting threads titled something like "this is how to be successful" and then find out they're newbies who are just posting what they 'think' will work and actually have no success doing it for themselves.

    A lot of people come here seeing the members as gullible newbies who will buy anything with the right hyped up sales page.

    You just need to be clear about your own plans and what you're trying to achieve and only accept input from people within the context of how it can help you move forward.

    If you keep your plans loose and wait for others to tell you what to do - they'll be lining up to give you advice and sell you a plan.

    It's only a problem if you don't have your own idea about what you're trying to achieve, otherwise it's just noise that you can ignore.

    Andy
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    nothing to see here.

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  • Profile picture of the author JasonParker
    There's definitely no lack of good gurus, that's for sure.

    Right now my "guru" is my Account Manager at a CPA network.

    I guess you should seek out a guru who does what you're looking to accomplish and there should be plenty.
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  • Profile picture of the author rooze
    Unfortunately there's no real way through this other than experience. A few people get lucky and form a relationship with a person or persons with whom they can work with in the longer term and grow to trust. The majority bounce from one guru to the next, learn their lessons the hard way, and eventually emerge at the other end much wiser and usually far more cynical.

    EDIT
    I should've added - I look at IM in much the same way as I do at gambling. It's a similar thing that draws people in. So my advice is the same to gamblers as it is to people getting into IM - Don't put in more than you can safely afford to lose.
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  • Profile picture of the author Arroway
    I've seen people become actual Gurus within a year or so. If you are persistent, study hard and work hard, you can get there quite fast.

    Scientists have determined that it takes around 10,000 hours of practice to master something, like playing the piano or studying a field of science. It's the same with IM - study/work on it 12 hours every day and you will have your 10k hours in 2,28 years. And you don't need that long to master a single subject within IM.

    This is why I always keep an open mind - and when I judge someone, I know this judgment won't be valid anymore a year later.

    Allen
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    Allen Arroway - marketer, philanthropist and passionate teacher.
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    • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
      Originally Posted by Arroway View Post

      Scientists have determined that it takes around 10,000 hours of practice to master something, like playing the piano or studying a field of science.
      What scientists are you referring to? The 10,000 hour rule is the theme of the book, Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, who is a journalist. The 10,000 hour rule seems to be what might be considered a maxim and not a scientific theory.
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      :)

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  • Profile picture of the author temlawn
    Right now my "guru" is my Account Manager at a CPA network
    The question is.. and should be .. what actually makes a guru. Just because some guy makes 'Claims' doesn't mean that those 'Claims' are honest and true.
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    • Profile picture of the author JasonParker
      Originally Posted by temlawn View Post

      The question is.. and should be .. what actually makes a guru. Just because some guy makes 'Claims' doesn't mean that those 'Claims' are honest and true.
      Well I've only been doing CPA for a few weeks and I'm already making over $50 a day profit from it by following this guy's advice to a tee. I predict I'll start making well over $300 a day profit with it within the next 45 to 60 days as I build out a few more winning campaigns... So I'd say he's a pretty good guru.

      But I assumed he was good because Account Managers of CPA networks are said to have seen A LOT of scenarios. And they can teach you a lot from experience.

      ...

      As for your question... How do you know if they're honest and true claims? Become psychic I guess. Or do your due diligence to find the right mentor. Don't just start throwing money around on impulse based on some screens shots of earnings.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      I"m not a guru. I'm just a hard working stiff. Well, I used to be a hard working
      stiff. Now I spend most of my time playing games.

      Here's some free advice for you from what I've learned from knocking my head
      against stone walls for many years.

      1. Stop thinking like a "marketer" and start thinking like a "buyer".

      What do you want in life? Why do you want it? When you go to buy something,
      regardless of what it is, what are the factors that make you pick choice A over
      choice B?

      For that matter, why do you want the bloody thing at all?

      For example, when I go to buy a PC video game in general, I do so because
      I want to entertain myself. I want something to fill up the empty hours. I need
      an escape. Video games give me that.

      When I buy a specific video game, I do so because I think THAT game is going
      to give me the enjoyment I'm looking for.

      This same process applies to all products and services. Sure, the reasons are
      different depending on the product (I buy a PC printer so I can print out my
      documents...period. No joy involved. Just get my work done.) but the thought
      process we go through is all the same.

      Even impulse buys, to some extent, go through this process.

      You're walking through a supermarket and you see a magazine rack with a
      photo of Whitney on the cover. The headline says something like, "The true
      story of how she died." You immediately grab it to buy it because you just
      HAVE to know. It wasn't something you were planning on buying, but it was
      something that caught your eye because of the nature of what it was.

      Same thing for going to the supermarket in general. NEVER go there hungry,
      which a lot of people do. What happens? You pass by the candy section and
      grab a Milky Way bar. Why? you like Milky Way? Why do you like Milky Way?
      Because you tried it once.

      Why did you try it once?

      Advertising. Either from the TV or a friend who said to you, "Hey man, did
      you ever try one of these? Damn they're good."

      Referrals are so powerful. That's why sales copy has testimonials. They're
      not there just to look pretty.

      Again though, stop thinking like a sales person. Think like the person who is
      actually going to BUY the darn thing.

      What are they looking for and why?

      How can you get them to buy from YOU and NOT your competitor?

      2. Once you've determined what it is you're going to sell after doing all that
      "John Doe will buy this because..." shtick, map out a plan for both creating
      the product/service and then marketing it to the masses, keeping in mind the
      whole time what YOU would want to see in print when presented with the
      offer.

      And if you don't know (the product is totally foreign to you) then ask people
      who ARE interested in that product. Ask them why THEY buy it?

      How the hell can you sell something to somebody if you have absolutely NO
      idea why they would buy it in the first place?

      3. Closely monitor your results. Is the marketing strategy you're using working?

      Sometimes we guess wrong, even with all the market research. Coke screwed
      the pooch big time when they came out with "New" Coke. People hated it.

      We don't always come up with a winner. I have had more than my share of
      turkeys. The key is understanding what went wrong. Why didn't people buy
      your product?

      4. Finally...get the hell out of the "how to make money online niche" if you
      haven't actually done it yourself. How they hell can you teach people to make
      money when you're broke?

      There are so many things you can sell that are so low key and low pressure.

      Look around your home at all the crap YOU bought.

      Sell stuff that REAL people buy. Yes, believe it or not, there is a world outside
      of "how to make money online." I am living that world now, and quite honestly,
      this marketing stuff is starting to become a stranger to me. I have lost my
      taste for it.

      But I still know how to do it.

      You can't sell stuff to people that they DON'T want.

      I didn't say need. I said WANT.

      I don't care how much you think somebody NEEDS your product. Maybe they
      do. But if they don't WANT it, they won't buy it.

      People don't buy with their heads. They buy with their livers. Stop trying to
      logically get people to buy your jank. They don't operate that way.

      Push their hot buttons. Make them see how miserable their life will be
      without your product.

      John Doe suffering from erectile dysfunction wants to see the following
      headline on your sales letter.

      "Guaranteed To..." and you can fill in the rest. I don't want to get graphic
      here.

      Then tell him about all the passionate nights he'll have with his girl. It's not
      the problem itself he wants solved, it's the FUN he's going to have once it
      IS Solved.

      Benefits, benefits, benefits.

      What the hell do I get out of this?

      If you can't answer that question with something that makes your prospect
      go "wow" then your product is crap.

      Okay, I've rambled on long enough.

      Again, I'm not a guru. You don't need a guru to help you.

      Read the line below again and you'll finally get it.

      "Stop thinking like a marketer and start thinking like a buyer."

      Once you do that, you'll find that you'll actually be able to sell stuff online.
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      • Profile picture of the author David Sneen
        I like your question Maribel. It stands to reason that we need to use the filter in our brain as we consider various online offers. As Andy said, there are a lot of fake it til you make it people out there.

        We have a very good way to measure online marketers. Most "gurus" will give you a freebie of some sort to get your name on their emailing list. If that freebie has value, that should bode well for the guru.
        Signature
        David Sneen
        It's what you do when no one is watching
        that determines what you will be able to
        do when everyone is watching.
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  • Profile picture of the author HarrieB
    Well, these so called gurus are made Gurus by people like us only who want to make quick money online without lifting a finger!!

    The best thing is, just stick to one particular thing what exactly U wanna do like fb marketing or SEO or social emdia or affiliate or clikbank or amazon, what you exactly wanna do, not do something which some one else says.
    After U make ur decision, u can start a thread here asking for best courses related to that field. People will tell you about WSO'S . Just grab a couple of them which have good reviews and are recommended by others. Read them and start taking action!! :-)

    With hit and trial method, you should be able to rank well!!
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  • Profile picture of the author temlawn
    @Jason Parker - Please dont take that quote wrong. I actually liked what you had to say. I didnt mean it as a put down, but the reverse. Your guru is somebody who knows their stuff and can prove it which your cpa manager has done
    Great Job!
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    • Profile picture of the author JasonParker
      Originally Posted by temlawn View Post

      @Jason Parker - Please dont take that quote wrong. I actually liked what you had to say. I didnt mean it as a put down, but the reverse. Your guru is somebody who knows their stuff and can prove it which your cpa manager has done
      Great Job!
      No offense taken at all

      I was just trying to answer your question... which is really hard to answer for me.

      Because I just try to find people who are successfully doing what I want to do.

      When I find someone, I do exactly what they say to do. And if I start making money doing what they tell me to do and I enjoy doing it, then I continue learning from em.
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  • Profile picture of the author Channing
    Banned
    None of them are worth even taking a big dump on.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shoot
    I stay away from any "Guru" Or "Guru Ouster ". Both are full of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author slcroft
    Yes, the term 'guru' is too readily bestowed on people (normally by themselves), it doesn't mean to say that there aren't people out there you can trust.

    A guru in my eyes is someone who can prove that they are an expert on a particular subject (CPA, social media etc), has the ability to teach their 'followers', for want of a better word and still stay very personable and don't disappear up their own backside.

    I am on many of the guru's list and yes, most of them always promote the next big thing, but you can always learn from their techniques, how they word their emails (most decent one's won't use the generic swipe emails), whether they just market or whether they also offer advice.

    Again, just read what Steve Wagenheim has to say, he makes some very valid points.

    I also agree with Lori, sometimes the best people are those who keep themselves just below the radar, as many don't like the 'guru' tag.

    Good luck

    Simon
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    • Profile picture of the author The Real Deal
      The problem with most so-called "Gurus" is that even the most successful ones seem to have made the vast majority of their fortunes by selling information products about how to "make money online"!

      What I believe we need to do as members of this forum is to award "Guru Status" (is that even a proper term? ) to those people that have proven themselves to be experts in an area of online marketing that isn't related to the IM niche...

      There are loads of successful marketers out there that have made vast fortunes online, (much more than most "Gurus" have), and never had anything to do with the IM niche. We need to try to get these people to open up and share more of their expertise.

      I have gained so much from the fantastic members of this forum over many years as a lurker, and I have promised myself that I will start to share a lot more in the future. I hope others will do the same!

      I made a post here Successful Internet Marketers Strategies the other day about one Guru that is not related to IM niche but has made hundreds of millions and that I have followed for many years.
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      • Profile picture of the author Simmeon
        Originally Posted by The Real Deal View Post

        I believe we need to do as members of this forum is to award "Guru Status"
        Let's NOT do that!
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        • Profile picture of the author Thaddaeus T. Hogg
          Well now, the only REAL gooroo you need to be concernin yourself with is ole Thad. I am the ONLY interneet marketeer who is well-versed in the long lost art of Kang Marketing! It is a primitive form of marketeering what comes from the "land down under"; in fact, one of my many titles is Kang Goo Roo!
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          http://www.hillbillymarketer.com
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  • Profile picture of the author ahbittersweet8
    The self proclaiming gurus are the ones you have to be careful. Cannot stress enough the importance of research, both here on warriorforum and just basic googling
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  • Profile picture of the author mojojuju
    I am a guru. Now follow me and do as I say. Listen to my advice uncritically. Worship the ground I walk on. Send me money. Take action.
    Signature

    :)

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  • Profile picture of the author AdenWhite
    According to Wikipedia: A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others (teacher).

    Not so sure the word "guru" is used appropriately these days?
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  • Profile picture of the author emailmaribel
    Well, thanks to everyone who took the time to reply to this thread....
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  • Profile picture of the author azmanar
    Originally Posted by emailmaribel View Post

    Am I the only one feeling this way? It seems that lately most people are claiming to be GURU's, when in reality they aren't....

    When I first joined WF, I found valuable WSO's and created my list of trusted sources/sellers from those products.

    However, those 'trusted sources' are now forced to promote products from other "claimed guru's" that really aren't valuable (realistically), therefore, it's hard to really buy with confidence.

    Am I the only one feeling this way? What marketers do you still follow that are still trustworthy or worth following?
    Hi,

    Why do you need more gurus?

    You've already bought enough WSOs that you can extract step-by-step techniques and custom them to suit your purpose ( or goals ).

    So you've learnt what you need to learn already on ways of earning from multiple streams.

    Time for getting more insights from quality references, instead of the next guru hypes.

    How about these:
    - learning to tweak and calibrate techniques you already know to raise conversions.
    - getting to know new social channels in promoting whatever you're trying to accomplish - branding, sales, leads or yields.

    There are lots and lots of good insights from HOT WHITE PAPERS given away FREE by Research Companies.

    Don't worry about analysis paralysis. There is no need to analyze. You just need to customize. Research Papers on IM present tested methods and results. They will give you transferable principles that works.

    So what you and I really need are facts & proofs, not guru hypes.
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    === >>> Tomorrow Should Be Better Than Today
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