by teepee
36 replies
I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

Can you blame us?
#marketers #scam
  • Profile picture of the author GMD
    Banned
    What you've outlined doesn't make it a "scam".

    The word "scam" is thrown around a little too freely without the user really knowing what it means.

    It's really quite simple:

    If you question it, don't buy it.

    Nobody around here is saying you "have" to buy somebody's program in order to make money. There's gold in the streets around here. And it's all free if you take the time to learn what's going to work for you.

    The marketplace will dictate the survival or demise of any system or product. Here, included.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by GMD View Post


      There's gold in the streets around here.
      Precisely! If you do searches on the topics and/or methods you're interested in as well as make a mental note of the warrior posters who provide good solid information and tips, you'll find many golden nuggets.

      After doing the above mentioned, when you are finished strolling about the forum at the end of the day, the dust you brush off your feet will be gold dust. It just doesn't get any better than that.

      Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

    All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

    Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

    It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

    Can you blame us?
    Seriously, if this is how you feel then you should just pack it up right now and get a job.
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    • Profile picture of the author teepee
      I had a job for 32 years. That's enough for most people.
      Now looking for that little extra to supplement the pension.
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  • Profile picture of the author retsced
    It makes no difference how many scams are out there, your destiny is in your own hands. Now quit bitchin and get back to work.
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    • Profile picture of the author teepee
      Whoa! Do I again have a boss?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jesse L
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

    All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

    Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

    It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

    Can you blame us?
    Well, if you are buying a plan to tell people how to make money, without making money yourself, does that make it a scam or you a scammer, also?

    Read and learn, not just what to do but also what not to do. One of those not to do's is complaining about posts that you have a choice not to read or a product that you have a choice not to buy. Educate yourself with all of the FREE advice on here and then you will be better able to judge the scams from the real stuff. Knowledge is power after all.
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    • Profile picture of the author teepee
      Anyone who says he or she has never been scammed is living in a glass bubble.
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      • Profile picture of the author GMD
        Banned
        Originally Posted by teepee View Post

        Anyone who says he or she has never been scammed is living in a glass bubble.
        I drive a car.

        Should I stop driving and stay in my bedroom because I'm afraid to get into an accident?

        I like Chinese food.

        Should I avoid takeout because I might find a hair in my Wonton soup?

        I like information and cool gadgets.

        Should I stop buying IM related products because I'm afraid I'll get scammed?

        Of course not.

        Once, I put $1 into the candy machine at the hospital where my daughter was and guess what? I'll be damned if the Twix parked at button D-1 didn't hang there and not drop to the bottom for me to grab.

        Have I been "scammed"?

        IF YOU QUESTION SOMETHING, NOBODY IS FORCING YOU TO BUY IT. DON'T BUY IT.

        LEARN THE DEFINITION OF WHAT A "SCAM" IS. IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK.
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  • Profile picture of the author eniggma
    Dude there are so many ways to make money online. PROVEN ways. I agree that there are scammers out there of course, and there are plenty more that do not actually do what they teach. But don't call it all scams. Things will automatically become clearer when you realize its about you being observant enough to WATCH and LISTEN to what these people are doing, NOT what they are selling. That's when I finally started to see the gold nuggets that this forum has and learn so much. That is when it becomes easier to weed out the garbage.

    Watch and learn as these top marketers make a killing off the ones full of shiny object syndrome, buying product after product and ultimately not doing a thing with it even though they have everything they need if they just stick with it and succeed. There was a post on here I read where it was said if you buy just a couple good WSO's you already have enough there to build a six figure business. I believe it because the basics of IM always stay the same. Most of the time all these folks are selling is an easy way to get around the HARD WORK OF STICKING TO THE BASICS. That is why many end up with a hard drive full of crap because they always end up realizing that hard truth in the end but do not want to deal with it so they go out and buy another push button solution and the cycle continues.
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  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

    All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

    Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

    It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

    Can you blame us?
    Just because you have upsells, middlesells etc. Doesn't make anything a scam. It's called marketing and that's what makes people money.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

      Can you blame us?
      Depends. Is the problem really with the product, or with your willingness to make something work?

      No product will cover every detail you might need. There are baseline assumptions behind all of them. For example, the seller of a WP plugin assumes you can install Wordpress and have some notion of uploading files. If you buy the product and don't have that knowledge, is the product a scam?

      Enthusiasm should come from your goals. Sales copy can rekindle that some, but it shouldn't be expected to sustain it.


      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author DubDubDubDot
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        No product will cover every detail you might need.
        This is likely a major source of buyers feeling as though they've been scammed. When the sales text contains wording that implies total newbies can make $X, they are going to be ticked off when following the plan produces little to no income.

        Originally Posted by FredJones View Post

        Why should an upsell be a scam?
        In some cases the upsells could be seen as scams by buyers. For instance, if the first offer was promoted as a newbie solution and then other offers followed that were necessary for the business model to function.

        Example...

        "No skills? No problem! For $97 this will teach you how to make $500k per year!"

        Then two weeks later...

        "Ya know that thing I sold you before? Having a problem getting traffic to it? LOL! You need to buy this other course for $200."

        and so on...
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          I'm very upset with the OP.

          I started reading this thread because I thought it was going to show me how to be a scam marketer.
          For years, I've been delivering good service to satisfied customers. And I wanted to try something different. I thought "What about all those scams I hear so much about?"

          So I started my search. First I went to the Offline marketing section. Nope, everyone there is just asking questions and sharing ideas. Then I went to the WSO section. Nope, just the usual "For a few dollars I'll spill everything I know" stuff.

          So I decided to try the general threads. Somebody should know how to run a scam! Don't you guys think?

          So I had my hopes up. As I read the title of this thread I started wringing my hands in delight thinking "Finally, I'm going to find out what all this scam business is about!"

          Nope? Disappointed again. Just someone asking another question.

          If I don't learn about how to run a scam here in the next 30 days...I'm leaving...and asking for a refund.

          Of course, if I don't get a refund, I guess that's a scam...so I'll finally be happy. :rolleyes:



          Joseph Robinson; "This'll end well".
          One of the brightest posts I've read in a long time. Thanks for the moment.
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  • Profile picture of the author roomi12344
    End of the day it is you who have to decide what is good or bad for you.
    You will find good and bad quality stuff in every walk of life.
    Find a business model and stick to that until you get success in it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Don Grace
    "You want fries with that"... "Do you want to donate to cancer research" at the grocery store... "Do you want 2 years extra service protection for your new computer"... "Do you want leather seats in your new car"...

    Those are all upsells, do you complain about that too?

    Here is an example of a REAL scam and I'm embarrassed to say this happened to me 10 years ago. Long story short, I put in 10k for a "Sure thing"... Next thing you know this company skipped town and took everyone's money.

    THAT my friend is a scam. A scam is not anything where you can get a refund and say no harm no fowl. The word scam is used too loosely by people looking for excuses to their own lack of action.
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    • Profile picture of the author FredJones
      A scam is a scam is a scam - but upsells and downsells and midsells are not scams. They are just what they are - upsells, downsells and midsells, at the promise of selling an upsell, a downsell or a midsell.

      Why should an upsell be a scam? A scam is something that does not deliver, deliberately, what it promises to deliver. So again, note the clause "deliberately" - that's why software with bugs are not scams. Example: Windows has a number of bugs but would you call that a scam? No way.

      At the same time, there are enough scams going aronud - so you need to stay awake while buying something...
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  • Profile picture of the author Jacob Pionke
    As Paul Myers said above, people seem to be buying all those IM and MMO products thinking, that it will make them money it self. They Buy it, and think "Where is the button, the button i use to make money"They look, look.....look again but they cant find it. So its a SCAM!

    They don't realise that its just information(Well not if its a plugin) which someone shares with you, and if you implement it, it will work. But you have to do it your self, no one else will do it for you. !!!
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  • Profile picture of the author johnben1444
    The only place where scam really comes in is when you make sales and it is covered or if the company refuse to pay your earnings.

    Anything aside this is not a scam, promoting whatever kind of products and services are almost the same.

    1. Find a niche/product/service
    2. Find your target keywords
    3. Setup your site, have it optimized
    4. Build your list where applicable.
    5. Start your off site SEO
    6. Explore other means of traffic like social media, video, forums, press release, web 2.0 and many others..
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
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    • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
      Originally Posted by Joseph Robinson View Post

      Claude, click my sig. I'll teach you how to scam .
      Joseph; You do not have a sig. I see, you scammed me by making me click on something that wasn't there. Very clever......very clever. :rolleyes:

      But I fooled you...I refused to click on the non-existent link. Thereby foiling your diabolical plan.

      I win this contest of wits!


      On a more serious note....
      About what we perceive with WSOs.

      Nothing is ever as good or bad as you first think it is. If you are very excited, and think that a product will save you...you just don't know enough about it yet. If you think a WSO is a complete waste of time, it's likely you just don't know how to implement it yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Gray
    Best advice I can give to not getting scammed?

    Figure out what you want to learn
    Find the best coach or coaches in this field
    Research those coaches here and on other forums
    Learn from them and take action

    Upsells, down sells and other marketing methods are exactly that, marketing methods. They are not scams.

    It's all about due diligence my friend.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveFinch
    Stop paying for info and spend more time discovering the info on forums like this one. At times, some people give out some seriously useful tidbits and bit by bit, you'll gather enough to put something together for yourself.

    Just realise that it pays to look at it in the long term. Anything worthwhile will not happen overnight. There are plenty that say it can, but ignore them and stick to your own plan, rather than one of theirs.

    All the best.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    You know, buying one or two crappy products in the early going is part of the rites of passage into MMO/IM. Keep doing it and it's clear you ain't cut out for this type of thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Spencer Jones
    What an opportunity... Really...

    Stay away from the 98% and be part of the 2% that get's all the attraction... :0

    Dr.Spencer Jones
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  • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."
    You're improperly equating "marketers" with "offers." It appears you are a failing marketer and blaming the result on not buying the right product.

    Time to take some responsibility.

    What you may need are less "offers" with specific plans to implement, which are common on the forum, and more basic marketing guidance.

    For instance, spend some money buying every Dan Kennedy book. Then, buy an "offer" about using a WordPress plugin to get more traffic.

    The general knowledge with a specific product will work hand in hand. The more you learn the easier the marketing will become.

    Or, maybe you need to be better at evaluating what "offers" to buy.

    I don't know if 98% of all marketers fail, but I once ran an IM hosting and marketing service and it became obvious, very quickly, why so many failed: a lack of basic business and marketing skills, and an unwillingness to spend the time to acquire those skills.

    .
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      Originally Posted by teepee View Post


      Can you blame us?
      Who is US?

      I KNOW what a SCAM is, hehehe (been through the real McCoy), and you don't come close with anything you've described.

      What's even probably more unreal is the product did what it said it would and I actually made some money (even though that was not the intention of the product). See if you can wrap your head around that one.

      Originally Posted by teepee View Post

      Anyone who says he or she has never been scammed is living in a glass bubble.
      Are you talking both online an offline or just online?
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      "May I have ten thousand marbles, please?"

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  • Profile picture of the author EasyMoneyDre
    I would think it is more of 98% of all marketer's don't put in the effort and patience needed - you don't start making money instantly, you have to actually put in work and learn new skills.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanreynolds
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

    All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

    Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

    It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

    Can you blame us?
    Teepee - can you accurately describe what your ideal product or Internet marketing course would include? What would be its focus, and what could it implement to ensure participation until the end?

    Just trying to get a feel for what exactly it is you found lacking from the products you have had experience with.

    From one marketer to another...
    Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author SamuelCarter
    I just want to add, The products that are offered generally do work, but the buyer has to implement it correctly and apply the strategy. People have high expectation that a purchase of a product with miraculously make them rich, No it takes time and PERSEVERANCE. You need to keep at it and it what every you focus your energy will be a success. Alter your mindset to achieve success. Human nature is to give up easily to avoid the sensational of failure and pain!

    Its good to fail, Its all about learning!"

    Samuel
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  • Profile picture of the author impro42
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

    All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

    Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

    It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

    Can you blame us?

    Not so much scams, but there are a lot of individuals that take advantage of everyone's want for becoming rich quick. There are a million different articles and WSOs and more about how to become rich quick when the reality is that 99% of anyone who makes a lot of money had to work extremely hard to make that money and it does not come easy and it isn't going to come from buying some $10 ebook. That is the reality. Will all of these things help you to some degree to further your knowledge and skills? Sure it will but don't expect it to make you rich.
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  • Profile picture of the author 247acheiver
    In this day and age of IM, you really have to do your own due diligence...

    There are no guarantees in anything of course but when considering where you will and will not put your money, it really comes down to you and using your head.

    After reading a ton of testimonials for programs, ad sites etc, in time you WILL be able to see through the fluff and what is legit and not will stand out.

    In time you begin to develop almost a sixth sense when it comes to smelling out scams.
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    • Profile picture of the author impro42
      Originally Posted by 247acheiver View Post


      In time you begin to develop almost a sixth sense when it comes to smelling out scams.
      Ha well said!
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Originally Posted by teepee View Post

    I'm sick and tired of reading: "98% of all marketers fail." Is it possible that the correct statement should read: "98% of all offers are SCAMS."

    All these offers appear to be truthful, legal, above board until you dig further into the program and find its flaw, what's missing, how much of a money scam is it.

    Upsells, downsells, middlesells, they all have them.

    It's pretty hard to remain enthused about such a product and we end up abandoning it.

    Can you blame us?
    How about this one. 98% of wanna be Internet Marketers are looking for an easy button and are an easy mark for dodgy products.

    98% of wanna be Internet Marketers want what is promised ... easy money, no skills required, no work involved (even though common sense should tell you that it doesn't exist).

    I'm personally sick of hearing about all the frustrations of dreamers who aren't really interested in the good products ... the ones that tell you that you need to do work to make it work and make no guaranteed income claims.
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    • Profile picture of the author CassAngel
      There can be an upside to being scammed. It can really help to burst that little 'fantasy dream' bubble in there that says that one of the $97 magic button solutions will mean that you're driving a Lambo next month.

      Then you can get on with reality and work towards success.
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