Just my thoughts about making money online

Hi Carlos,

does that mean you made enough money?

Unmasking gurus itself does not necessarily help beginners. Where would they find that free information?

I bought some very good WSOs that helped me a lot. Had I decided to search for the same information for free I would probably still be searching.

Those gurus get paid for for putting together the information which almost always saves the user a huge amount of time.

Cheers
Dan Hower

I bet this thread gets heated quickly. In a single statement you just upset 99% of the WF community. :p

You have a point there but a lot always look for a coach and paid $$$ just to have one-to-one coaching. It's not our problem but theirs since they believe that they need their coaches to get going.

I encountered a long-term client who do what Mr. X says when the fact is the technique is no longer applicable with all the updates and yet he kept on using the platform and do these and that warning few dollars a month. After 2 years, he quit.

I spoke to him and told him what I learned and what we really do yet he didn't listen and suddenly he quit and said he no longer have budget. Well, I tried all the techniques from Mr. X and I had all the access to his materials and I have to admit that it's really not a good one if you want to be successful in this business but my client wasn't really the type of person who ask for suggestions from others so it was also his fault. Still I pity him.

Also, not all gurus are fake or pretenders; you just need to find the right one. haha

What will you gain from "unmasking them" and not making money? How about ignoring them and making money by your self? I never made a guru rich by not buying any product that I can find online for free. I did not waste my time dealing with them... How about doing the same and focus on your own? Is there any personal benefit for you if you succeed in "unmasking" them?

Cigarette and liquor companies are also getting rich while providing useless products. Can you "unmask" them too? What's the difference?

It's only difficult because you say so. It's all up to you and what you believe really.

Of course all the information anyone ever needs on pretty much all subjects is available online...if you know where to look

For some people they don't mind buying a course on setting up a Twitter account, installing wordpress, losing weight etc because of the way you teach and present the information to them , plus the convenience of paying someone who has done the work of getting everything you need gathered in one easy format.

Instead of worrying about what others are doing and whether or not their teachings work for you - focus on improving what you need to make money online.

Pass the pop corn....

Yes you need to learn all 3 things to succeed online. Selling through the written word is much harder than selling face to face due to lack of tone and facial expressions.

Carlos No, you need to have an understanding of how to properly sell through the written word. But before that, you need to learn how to get targeted traffic to your offer and then convert (sell) to that traffic. Every time your target customer sees your offer they think "how will this help me?" That's why wso offers sell!

Carlos You have a choice to buy or not. You are responsible for your own actions. Lots of valuable information is available for free.

Carlos There is no magic formula and there are no true get rich quick methods UNLESS you have a system that YOU have created and is working.

Carlos I wish you the best of luck on this and I hope you succeed, but you better eat plenty of Wheaties in the morning before you take on such a monumental task.

Adam

Can I post OT?

Tsk tsk, I think I have to focus on this squidoo thing I just purchased from WSO folder.... Looks like the Squid is so fresh and I can clearly see the money through it's colorful skin...

I am making 5 digits a month.
Next question please....

One overlooked "skill" to be successful in IM is critical thinking.

Learning to think (it is a learned skill) will save you a lot of hassle in your online endeavours.

Tell me in one sentence what you really want to do and I'll grant your wish....

I know how to roof a house. I've done it. The last time my house needed a new roof I paid to have it done. Why? Because it was cheaper to pay a contractor to do it in one day than to put everthing else on hold for a week while I did it myself. Its the same with internet marketing. A dentist can build a website, but its much cheaper to have one built than to put his practice on hold while he learns how for free. Are there people selling worthless crap? Sure, since man began trading there have been scam artists in EVERY profession. Ther are also those who give value that far exceeds the price. Several of which are on this forum.

really? you're just gonna stop showing my replies?

Trust me, If a bum like me could do it so can anyone else. Forget gurus. Most of the the information they provide is available right now for free, you just have to do some research. Just think about those fake "gurus" as bumps in the road in your journey.

As of FREE business, you'd need to put some investment into it anyway, there is no such thing as business without investments, well at least a good one.

While you're at it, unmask every mechanic in the world because he is charging for something that you can learn to do with a few youtube videos.
Keep your momentum going and unmask every coach out there because they are teaching free information that can be attained in other ways.

Sure, there are some rotten apples in the Internet Marketing industry, as is the case in every other industry. However, the overall concept of these products has good intentions and there is no need for a superhero to save anyone.

Expose the rotten apples and don't worry about the rest.

Cheers,

Most of my winning formulas have come together from several programs and forums pieced together. I see both sides of it.

The best thing to do is read reviews of any program before purchase and don't be afraid to take advantage of the money back guarantee if you feel you didn't get your monies worth.

Ive had four coaches and spent all kinds of money when learning IM. Worth every penny IMHO. There's a ton of great products out there and I still buy them just to stay on top of my game.

The problem here is beginners mindset... "Those pesky guru's are just trying to get my money".

Well, isn't getting money what you're trying to do? That's called running a business-- no different from what you're trying to learn and no different from that pesky clerk at 7-11 charging you for a cup of coffee and a donut. (How dare they charge for goods and services)

Also, most IM products come with money back guarantees. If you can get refunded, then the product cannot be called a scam. A real scam is when you give someone 10k and they skip town (happened to me once)

Hate to say it but it's usually lack of action plus bad mindset that causes failure... but it's always easier to say "It's not my fault" to save face.

Let the buyer beware, Carlos. Don't buy an ebook and expect to get rich like the author.

In my experiences, making money online is more of an art than a science. Someone can post their ebook telling how they did it but that doesn't necessarily mean you will have the same success as him. For example, If picasso told you how to paint a masterpiece could you do the same? For the same reason people read real estate investing books and some succeed while others go broke.

The thing to do with these ebooks is hopefully get a few tips and apply them to your techniques.

But yes you can find everything you need online for free. The trick is taking the correct action and not wasting time on usless things - likebuying more ebooks.

All gurus are BS. People that believe that they can buy some 10 page pdf that will teach them how to make $1000 / day are ridiculous and in most cases their IM journey ends after the purchase. Most people that buy those WSO are just looking for an easy way out, a money making machine that requires 0 work. Once the realize that it's a myth, they stop their IM career.
People need to realize that NO ONE will tell you or sell you their secrets / methods that makes them money. The ONLY THING they WILL SELL you is what USED TO work, but now became crowded or barely works anymore and at it's end.
For example, remember the WSO "Make $1000 with Fiverr" where the seller would tell you how to copy fiverr gigs and paste them to other sites?
Well, why do you think he created that WSO? Do you really believe he did it just to help you out? Do you really believe that he'd rather create and sell WSO then create 100's of gigs and pump money from his method?
The reason why he sold the WSO is because everyone eventually caught up to it and it became too crowded. Fiverr clone sites are went down to sh*t, and the method eventually started dying, so what's the best way to squeeze the last penny out of it? Offer it as a WSO.

Quit chasing money making programs. Making money on the internet really breaks down to 2 sections - Affiliate sites & Adsense OR Start a business that offers services / products.

Carlos,

To use a metaphor, I think you're throwing the baby out with the bath water. What I mean by that is there are some gurus who want to help people make money and there are some who are interested in only helping themselves. What you need to do is separate the chaff from the wheat so you end up with the good ones.

Your comment about everything being free and on the Internet is 100% correct expect for one thing; it's easier to study if the information is compiled into a nice neat package like in a book. For example, since I love to cook, I can easily find any recipe on the Internet but there are times when I find it convenient to have a book with bookmarks of my favorite recipes.

Or, let's take it in another direction. If you know how to make a hamburger, why would you ever want to go to a restaurant and order one? What even bother with places like McDonald's or Burger King. They're just scamming you, aren't they, since you know how to make a burger yourself.

I know you'll think what you want to think and I can respect that. But I think there will always be a market for people who want to buy things that are organized and packaged nice and neatly.

I see what you're saying, but honestly, it drives me nuts when people say that (you can find the info free online).

I mean, technically these days you could find any info free online if you looked long and hard enough.

What you're paying for is the time savings and clearing the clutter.

If you could find all the steps of a given seo course for free online, but to do so, you had to spend a month sifting though garbage to eventually get your step-by-step plan...

... are you really saying that's a better option than paying some guru $97 to have it laid out for you in one day?

I'm a big believer in investing in yourself. So many struggling affiliates want everything for free. They seem to spend so much time pinching pennies that they never have time to devote to learning what works and implementing it.

It's the refund mentality.

"Oh I'll just refund if it doesn't work."

Drives me nuts. How about, stop buying crap that you know won't work and start looking into products that DON'T sound too good to be true... and that actually show you what the system is on the sales page, rather than using hype and flash to trick you into buying.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. This wasn't aimed at you, but on the negativity and "poor me" mindset in general that seems to plague a lot of ppl who're struggling.

Carlos,
I really don't understand your point.

Yes I agree that there are some crumby courses ans products out there. But surely, you can't believe all are crumby.

And if you really think nothing works, why would you even waste your time trying to be some kind of IM ombudsman.

Yes, there are bad products. And unfortunately there are a lot of people struggling in trying to make money online. I've heard numbers in the 95% range however I have no idea if they are accurate.

But frankly, I think people struggle because they are continually trying to buy their way to online success.

And by that, I'm not referring to paid traffic (which I consider a very good investment)

I;'m referring to people thrashing around buying plugin after plugin and course after course.

I now make a full time income in my IM work.

And I didn't really start making it until I disengaged my wallet, and engaged my brain.

Just my thoughts, for what they are worth.
Cheers
Patrick Batty

I have bought plenty of products that work and plenty of products that are total crap. Like many people are up here saying, it is common sense. Usually the porducts that have the sales pages that just want to throw picture after picture of their clickbank accounts are the ones that don't work. Furthermore, no one product will give you everything you need to be successful online. It is culmination of things that YOU will have to put together on your own. It takes time and it takes work. There are no shortcuts online or in any business for that matter.

But there are some snakes out there....lol

Well said Paul...

I guess people are frustrated by their own lack of execution? I know I bought a bunch of different stuff when I first started (and I still buy WSO's and other stuff now)...and most of it DID help me in some way...but I really didn't get any traction until I tried my hand and made some mistakes...and then learned from that and moved in the right direction until I had a steady biz.

OP, why do you feel someone owes it to you to show you how to do this for free? What other profession where 6 figures is a REAL possiblity offers you free education/training? I can't think of any off hand...

I can appreciate all the posts in this thread, as there are many different opinions and they are correct (depending on where you are in your journey). I don't mind paying for the knowledge that somebody else has, but I don't want to buy garbage that has no chance of working for me or anybody for that matter.

Rick

CarlosFarfan2012,

There are so many things wrong with your post I hardly know where to begin...

However, I DO understand your frustration. We've all gone through information overload, scams, etc. No question: there ARE a lot of pretenders and scammers out there.

BUT, it DOESN'T mean that EVERYONE selling "how to make money online" info is a scammer. Basic statistics and averages will tell you that.

1. You're making a rookie mistake: assuming ALL marketers are scammers.

Not so.

I can tell you from personal experience: there ARE people out there who have made a LOT of money online, showing others how to do it. The trick is to separate those from the pretenders. I truly sympathize with your frustration, but it's still YOUR JOB to find those people who are the real deal. No one else will do it for you. We can offer suggestions and recommendations. But ultimately, it's up to you to find and learn from those people who you want to learn from.

I personally have a very short list of OUTSTANDING online marketers who also do a fantastic job of coaching others to be successful in IM. Ali Brown (AliBrown.com) and Jeff Walker (ProductLaunchFormula.com) are just two of them.

They all have high integrity and provide outstanding service.

2. You're touching on a MAJOR philosophical issue: capitalism vs. socialism.

Most online marketing experts sell their info. They don't give it away for free. Why should they? They worked hard to become a success and know what it takes. They know how valuable their info is. So they charge accordingly, as they should.

You don't walk into WalMart expecting to walk out with free stuff. Why should you walk away with products and services from the guru for free???

If they had to give it away for free, most wouldn't bother because they could make a lot more money selling their own (non-IM) products and services.

And like most things, you get what you pay for. When you find the right person, don't be afraid to spend good money.

3. You can find all the info you need for free?

Maybe. But the Google is like a giant barn full of puzzle pieces. How long is it going to take you to put it all together? Business moves at the speed of light these days. By the time you figure it out, it will be obsolete and your competitors will have zoomed WAY ahead of you.

People pay experts to:

A. Help them put all of the pieces together into a sensible, step-by-step plan

B. Save time. (Paying an expert is a LOT less time-consuming than searching through Google!)

C. Save money. The knowledge and help people receive from experts also saves a lot of money through a) time saved, b) new resources they learn of and 3) knowledge NOT gained through expensive experience. In other words, you shortcut the learning/experience curve.

But there are a lot of things Google CAN'T do for you. It CAN'T help you with mindset issues, which is just as important to your success as the mechanics.

It CAN'T always answer your specific business questions relating to a specific situation/problem you've run into.

It CAN'T always help you get an important JV partner. When you pay a good mentor, you also gain access to their network and often, your mentor will recommend you to someone, which is PRICELESS for getting your foot in the door.

As I've posted numerous times on this board: I've paid my mentor $11K since 2010 and $8K of that was just this year. It's been worth every penny! I've been THRILLED with what I've learned from her and with her coaching.

Bottom line: a good coach will speed up your success, whether it's through their e-books, CDs, live events or coaching.

You just need to find the right person for you. And then put your blinders on and FOCUS. Stop looking at everybody else's stuff and FOCUS!

Bottom line: there ARE good mentors/coaches out there with high integrity. You just need to find them. (Hint: get off the WF!) When you find one you resonate with, don't be afraid to spend good money. Start out with their low-priced books and courses and then move up to their high-end events and coaching.

Don't bother "unmasking" "false" gurus. It's simply a waste of time. There will ALWAYS be scammers. You're not going to rid the world of them. Just don't let the scammers steal any more of your life than they already have. Don't give them your money, but more importantly, don't give them your time, attention or space in your head.

Focus on YOU and what you need to do to succeed. Spend your time finding the info you need and the mentor you need. Then FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful.

To help you, here's the short list of people I buy from and listen to. They are all OUTSTANDING and most of them I've spent over $1K with over the years. Pick one and get going! No more whining.

1. Ali Brown (AliBrown.com) This is the lady who got me started with her Online Success Blueprint. She now offers an online training program called Elevate which she opens for new enrollment every few months. She just closed enrollment the other day, but look for open enrollment within 3-4 months.

2. Jeff Walker (ProductLaunchFormula.com) -- Jeff is OUTSTANDING! Love his stuff. And you can trust him. He's currently launching the latest version of PLF. If you're ready to get started NOW, I'd start here.

3. Sheri McConnell (SmartWomenInstitute.com) -- Sheri is my mentor and the lady I've paid over $11K to. LOVE her! However, if you're interested, you're out of luck. She's no longer doing business coaching. Sorry!

4. Lisa Sasevich (TheInvisibleClose.com) -- Lisa teaches speaking, both on stage and on teleseminars. She also teaches you how to create irresistible offers and convert MORE of your prospects to clients.

5. Fabienne Fredrickson (ClientAttraction.com) -- Fabienne teaches business owners and solopreneurs of all types how to get more clients.

6. Dan Kennedy -- (DanKennedy.com) -- Dan Kennedy has been around a LONG time and has been hugely successful himself, in addition to successfully teaching others how to use direct marketing to grow their businesses.

Check out his series of "No B.S." books (just $10 each) and then get his Magnetic Marketing kit. It's OUTSTANDING!

These are some of the top people I've learned from and form the core group of people I buy from and listen to.

There ya go! If you want to be successful, this is a good place to start. Bottom line, if you at least won't make a real, solid attempt at making money online with this info, either you're just lazy or you don't want it bad enough.

Venting is one thing. But whining doesn't serve you or anyone else.

Michelle

No, you need a few more things than that.

You need a viable product or service. You need an interested audience.

Yes you need traffic, but there are many, many ways to drive target traffic besides just good content: ads, joint ventures, speaking gigs, etc.

Seems like Google hasn't told you a few things...

Michelle

I don't buy into the guru talk personally. Anyone who calls themselves a guru I think bs and go about my day. There are people that make money and people that don't. Simple as that. We all have the ability to make money online if we use our brains and the free information the world wide web provides wisely.

Yes everything you need can be found for free except hosting and domain like you said. Most of the WSO bought out are just re writes of stuff you can find online that does not mean you can't find a couple of gems here and there.

you can basically learn anything about anything on the internet for free.

The point is, we all pay people to (hopefully) condense information into a compiled format.

"One could get a first-class education from a shelf of books five feet long."
- Charles william Elliot - Harvard President 1869

I think that you have a great point!

Woaw, i was looking back in time and i just came across this thread. I can't believe i was so blind and angry at my own failures and mistakes.

First of all i want to apologize to the community for bringing in all this negativity about making money online. I have to admit that i was in a difficult position at that moment and i didn't fully understand how things work on the internet marketing world.

I want to thanks members who criticized me and made me see that i was wrong. I can finally say i learned my lesson through all this years of struggle and for all the newbies out there coming up for the first time i just can say NEVER GIVE UP!

This forum has opened my eyes and taught me a lot of things and still does. Thanks to all the community for your support and thanks to all those brilliant minds sharing their success, techniques and tips.

Cheers!!!