My Take on the Stomping Rampage

130 replies
K, so here is my take on the Stomping the Search Engines promotion that is filling my email box.

Should I really take you seriously with your copy and paste marketing attempts? With a promotion of this size you have to add value to the offer.

Simply dressing the link with an email message isn't enough.

Realize that your subscribers (me being one) just got seven messages in a row, each with a different subject line, making the same link available and telling me that "Yay, it is up now!" or some variation.

You need to be adding something of value to the offer. Yes,we love you and what you have to say. We wouldn't keep our subscription if we didn't. But please let this one let be the "light bulb" went on with and help you add something extra special to the mix.

For me, I'm not into to the "seo" stuff. I cut my chops on black hat page generation (the randomness of which still makes me money) and get more bang from my buck buying expired domain names that give me all of the effort the prior owners put into it for little more than the cost of registration.

Phil
#rampage #stomping
  • Profile picture of the author chiboa
    Sure... it gets annoying getting the same promo over and over... this has hardly been the first. Don't take the copy and pastes seriously... but how can you discount the product?

    I am not sure you can compare picking up expired domains to the work Fallon and Jenkins do with SEO in their businesses.

    Maybe I am missing your point...
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    • Profile picture of the author Jose Delgado
      I've gotten WAY more than seven emails promoting it.

      I simply deleted them all! :p
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      • Profile picture of the author Ephrils
        I'm not on many lists so I didn't get bombarded with them(still need to double check my email to be sure) but if I could put a referrer in I'd put Frank Kern :p His was the ONLY email I clicked through to find out what the whole big release was. And apparently he sat this one out. So, in my case, if anyone gets credit for me signing up it's Frank. I was looking for a referral box just in case
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        • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
          I have NEVER been so unimpressed with so many upsells in my life!!

          i love these guys, as I really believe that they know what they are talking about, but when i had to click through what seemed liked 3, 4, 5 times just to complete my order, that's when I said - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

          You want to upsell?? Fine no worries, I understand the biz, but please don't bombard me with these offers that cause me to lose respect in what you claim to be, such upstanding young gentlemen that are so forthright.

          I will still keep myself on their email list, because they are indeed good at what they do, it's just I have less respect for them after this whole fiasco with this seemingly never-ending upsell. God I hate pushy people!!
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          • Profile picture of the author Jesus Perez
            I just got an email from Yaro promoting this and the link doesn't even work. And it's his 2nd email because the 1st didn't work.

            Ay-yi-yi. Talk about a poor 1st impression to 'Stomping'.
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            • Profile picture of the author davebo
              Banned
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              • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
                Amazing how we are all in IM but are ticked off by marketing.
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                Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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                • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
                  It's ridiculous that you guys would complain about upsells on a basically FREE product! They are not a charity, you should be learning from their upsell process, not hating on it. They would be foolish NOT to upsell.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                    Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

                    It's ridiculous that you guys would complain about upsells on a basically FREE product! They are not a charity, you should be learning from their upsell process, not hating on it. They would be foolish NOT to upsell.
                    I figured the least I could do was hear them out after they offered all they did for a mere $10 s&h. Yes, I still succomb to the theory of reciprocity.

                    Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

                    Amazing how we are all in IM but are ticked off by marketing
                    There's some truth to that. But wouldn't you agree that it may be just as much the seller's fault as it is the buyer's? Since their prospects are well versed in the ways of marketing, a little bit of measured creativity could possibly go a long way.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
                    Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

                    They would be foolish NOT to upsell.
                    I agree entirely, but there does come a point when enough is enough.

                    There is such a thing as upsell nightmare and if it loses them the sale, it aint workin is it. (How many more sales did they lose I wonder)

                    Kim
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                  • Profile picture of the author lassitermarketing
                    Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

                    It's ridiculous that you guys would complain about upsells on a basically FREE product! They are not a charity, you should be learning from their upsell process, not hating on it. They would be foolish NOT to upsell.
                    Amen.

                    I thought it was well done. If you don't want the upsell, then just click no.

                    I was taking notes on the process and got a free upsell lesson out of it.
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                    Susan Lassiter-Lyons
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                    • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
                      Interesting thread.

                      We've got people setting mouse traps getting upset when the mice steal the cheese.

                      We've got the same old lazy marketers not taking 20 minutes to differentiate themselves by crafting their own email.

                      Where is the popcorn emoticon?
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                      • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                        Originally Posted by Bruce Wedding View Post

                        Interesting thread.

                        We've got people setting mouse traps getting upset when the mice steal the cheese.

                        We've got the same old lazy marketers not taking 20 minutes to differentiate themselves by crafting their own email.

                        Where is the popcorn emoticon?
                        Not exactly an appropriate analogy Bruce as a mouse trap is set to kill the mouse, not help them get better search engine rankings.

                        Last time I checked, Brad and Andy weren't out to harm any marketers by baiting them with their product.
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                        • Profile picture of the author Joseph Park
                          Hi all,

                          To be honest, I also signed up to their free offer with the intent to cancel it before the 2nd month. But I think that's part of the deal that they expected and I'm sure they would make a lot of money on their upsells and monthly subscription who would really benefit from the megazine.

                          And about their upsells, I almost bought it because what they offered for $97 was a superior product. Even their 2nd upsell and 3rd was amazing. I think they've done a very good job promoting it.

                          It seems like most of the gurus now learned to wait and see who's going big these days and just promote his/her products to make a huge commission instead of developing their own. Well, who's to blame?

                          Joe
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                          • Profile picture of the author ExRat
                            Hi Bruce/Jason,

                            Interesting thread.

                            We've got people setting mouse traps getting upset when the mice steal the cheese.

                            We've got the same old lazy marketers not taking 20 minutes to differentiate themselves by crafting their own email.

                            Where is the popcorn emoticon?
                            It's here -



                            I liked Bruce's comment after seeing people get all twisted because someone signed up knowing they only wanted free stuff and that they would unsubscribe.

                            I'm sure the stomper boys are happy with that. They have the sign up details, and who knows - they may relegate the freebie-seekers to a 'bombard with offers' list or (perish the thought) sell their details on to a company that pitches them over the phone/direct mail.

                            Not exactly an appropriate analogy Bruce as a mouse trap is set to kill the mouse, not help them get better search engine rankings.

                            Last time I checked, Brad and Andy weren't out to harm any marketers by baiting them with their product.
                            In fact, it is an appropriate analogy. The fact that the minor details are different is exactly what makes it an analogy.

                            The traps that were set are -

                            1) the upsells

                            2) the continuity

                            3) the possibility that they might (shudder) sell the details of the subscribers

                            If someone joins up knowing that they will unsubscribe, then they are effectively 'stealing the cheese' - IE - avoiding the trap. The cheese is the 'bait' which is the 'free' content.

                            I think for some people, however much they might want or have benefitted from the content, after seeing people commenting saying 'I can't get the sign up form to work, how can I contact them?' and other breathless demonstrations of their desperateness to grab something for 'free', it is just too demeaning to join the fray and stand in line saying 'Baaaaaaa!'

                            Plus, too many times the details of people who go for 'free' continuity offers ARE sold to companies who buy leads - and it's often done a little further down the line when the recipient of the sales pitches and emails will not understand exactly where they have come from.
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                            Roger Davis

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                            • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                              Hey Roger,

                              I agree that the analogy is a good one if... used in another instance.

                              The fact is, a "mouse trap" is intended to harm, or kill something. It's an extremely negative thing.

                              The upsells intention are not there to harm anyone. In fact, it's just the contrary. They aren't selling crap. It's good cheese. It's worth the $$$. Their intention is help people, not snap a metal wire across their throat.

                              So therefore, I feel the analogy is unfair.

                              Witty, but still unfair.
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                              • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                                Regarding the ~30 hour delay in launch which was brought up earlier in this thread - and the web page still being live during that time - it was the shopping cart that went down. Andy Jenkins shared some details on this, and took full blame for the major delay. He said they had made updates right up to the last minute, but their last full backup was 12 hours old. So they had a lot to re-work when the server that hosts their shopping cart went down. I'd assume thats the secure server - which explains why the sales page leading to it might still be live. I dont know ALL the details, I'm sharing what I heard (or rather, what I recall from what I heard - directly from Andy).

                                I thought to myself "that stinks - should have been backing up every 10 minutes". But I dont even want to confess when my last full backup was done, so I bit my tongue.

                                Regardless, they certainly didnt gain anything by it. If anything, tons of momentum was lost in the process.
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                                • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                                  Also, a little something to consider on the backend OTO's that seemed to annoy a certain percentage of people...

                                  All of those offers were not originally available - and werent going to be.

                                  They made the comment (I saw it over Twitter) that they were going to add some cool options to make up for the wait. So many of those offers were meant as a "bonus option" since everyone had to wait so long for the release.

                                  Take it or leave it, of course. But the fact remains that they havent released a standalone product for years, so its a great opportunity to get your hands on some of their training material without joining as a member for $800/month. Personally, I like that option!

                                  I already have review copies of both free products, but I'm placing an order anyway just so I can shop the OTO's
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                                  • Profile picture of the author chiboa
                                    Seems that everyone is so used to the crap peddled in this industry, when they see some quality information they get all bent out of shape... and instead of taking notes on how two successful guys are running their business they complain about the process...

                                    Unreal.

                                    I would venture to guess... the ones that are peddling the crap are the ones that are the most pissed off. Offers like these make them have to work ALOT harder.
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                                  • Profile picture of the author ExRat
                                    Hi Jason,

                                    Well we could easily get drawn into a long drawn out debate here over nothing. And as an exrat, you'd expect me to see mousetraps as particularly negative.

                                    The fact is, a "mouse trap" is intended to harm, or kill something. It's an extremely negative thing.
                                    I disagree. Imagine your house is infested with mice which are spreading disease and excrement and your child gets ill - you call in pest control. The reason you do this is because it would be futile to try and round up the mice by hand and humanely extract them from your house - they'll just come straight back to their nests.

                                    If your statement is correct, then anyone who works in pest control (particularly any who enjoy their work, saving children from infection etc) must be a really negative person.

                                    The mousetrap analogy is commonly used in our language to describe any situation where bait is used to trap someone/something.

                                    Therefore if this analogy can't be used because it is 'negative', then there a whole bunch of marketing subjects that we can't discuss and use analogies for, such as -

                                    a) using free products to get an opt-in

                                    b) using surveys to get customer feedback

                                    c) using a blog to gain user generated content

                                    All of these are similar to mousetraps.

                                    Exactly the same as say, buying the youtube account of someone who gets tons of hits for his amazing guitar work BUT - the guitar work has been cleverly faked AND the only reason it was bought was to stick an affiliate link in the description...according to your logic this is very negative and therefore wrong.

                                    Or other ninja tricks designed to manipulate in order to profit :rolleyes:

                                    The use of the word negativity aimed at someone to try and negate their point is probably the most misused thing in this forum - and that is a bad thing too - it's a negative thing in itself, which goes against any positivity pledges made previously (again)

                                    The upsells intention are not there to harm anyone.
                                    That's the whole point of an analogy.

                                    analogy definition |Dictionary.com

                                    a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based: the analogy between the heart and a pump.
                                    Logic. a form of reasoning in which one thing is inferred to be similar to another thing in a certain respect, on the basis of the known similarity between the things in other respects.
                                    If I said that someone had made a free offer and it drew takers in 'like bees to honey' - it doesn't matter that the takers aren't actually bees, nor that the product is not actually honey - although I could say that it created a buzz (groan). :rolleyes:

                                    Their intention is help people, not snap a metal wire across their throat.
                                    You could say that their intention is to help people. And you could also say that their intention is to profit.

                                    Which one is it? Is the product really free? Are the upsells free? Is the continuity free?

                                    I find that if someone's intention is purely to help and has nothing to do with profit then it is free. Sorry to have to offer a drawn out disagreement Jason but your argument holds water like a mousetrap hangs on to elephants. It must be late Saturday night in SoCal currently? I'm up for a pointless debate whatever the time is...
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                                    Roger Davis

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                                    • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                                      haha man,

                                      I got a great xbox 360 game to play instead...

                                      MX vs ATV
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                                    • Profile picture of the author MaskedMarketer
                                      Originally Posted by ExRat View Post

                                      You could say that their intention is to help people. And you could also say that their intention is to profit.

                                      Which one is it? Is the product really free? Are the upsells free? Is the continuity free?
                                      You could also say their intentions can possibly be both.

                                      The way you phrase your statements makes it seem that it can't be both. Because the people purchasing these products should be profiting too. If they use the info correctly.

                                      Personally, if I can take free help or pay for it, I'd rather pay for help (At least for most business purposes)

                                      "you get what you pay for" can apply here
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                                      "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor
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                                      "I Pay Less Attention to What Men Say. I Just Watch What They Do."
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                              • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
                                Originally Posted by Jason Moffatt View Post

                                Hey Roger,

                                I agree that the analogy is a good one if... used in another instance.

                                The fact is, a "mouse trap" is intended to harm, or kill something. It's an extremely negative thing.

                                The upsells intention are not there to harm anyone. In fact, it's just the contrary. They aren't selling crap. It's good cheese. It's worth the $$$. Their intention is help people, not snap a metal wire across their throat.

                                So therefore, I feel the analogy is unfair.

                                Witty, but still unfair.
                                Jason,

                                You got to work with me a little. The way I thought about it, mouse traps are meant to CATCH mice.

                                If I'd said, "You've got marketers setting live traps, getting upset..." it's just not going to roll off the tongue as well and fewer people know what a live trap is.

                                Anyway, the cancellations in a promotion like this are expected going in. I just heard Ryan Deis talking about how a certain percentage cancels immediately, a certain percentage after they see the first offer, then the rest stick for a period of time commensurate with the quality of the product.

                                It's business and I don't know why it would upset you to hear someone have the balls to admit doing it.

                                I've certainly stood around drinking beer with marketers that are continuity masters, and everyone here knows their name, and heard them laugh about all the people that stick because they forget to cancel. In fact, the continuity business modlel expects that behavior too.

                                What's the difference besides one puts money in your friends pocket and one doesn't? You need to get some objectivity, dude.
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                            • Profile picture of the author MaskedMarketer
                              Originally Posted by ExRat View Post

                              3) the possibility that they might (shudder) sell the details of the subscribers
                              That's right... I know coaching companies that bought leads from some these "gurus" this board looks up too. Its a shame they sell or sold their lists at one point.
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                              "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor
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                              "I Pay Less Attention to What Men Say. I Just Watch What They Do."
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                • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
                  Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

                  Amazing how we are all in IM but are ticked off by marketing.
                  Scott, it's not the marketing we're ticked off about. It's the lack of imagination
                  and effort that the people put into it.

                  I love reading marketing emails. Please, sell to me...I'm begging!

                  That's how I learn stuff. But when people use the same worn out ads, there
                  is nothing to learn. It's like reading the same novel over and over again.
                  Eventually, you know the plot by heart and just can't read it anymore.

                  I have no problem with marketing to me.

                  What I do have a problem with is laziness and lack of imagination.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                    I would say the solution is to unsubscribe from those newsletters or mailing lists... Simple enough.
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                    • Profile picture of the author ecoverartist
                      Well, the problem is, those are newsletters that generally deliver good content. And I can take being sold to from time to time...but when you get the SAME pitch from EVERYBODY, then it gets old.

                      What ever happened to innovation? :confused:
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                      • Profile picture of the author JayXtreme
                        I make my money on the backend

                        Peace

                        Jay
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                        Bare Murkage.........

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                      • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                        I cant speak for everyone, but if you happen to be on my mailing list I use a legit email address and read all replies - and always welcome feedback. I think if you let publishers know your thoughts, and communicate that feedback with them directly, it could help make a difference.

                        They read these threads, and other hot topics around the web (on blogs, twitter, etc) but a personal note could go a long way.
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                        • Profile picture of the author ThomasW
                          To add to the fun: Vince Nouvel offered to reimburse purchasers for the shipping and handling if he was sent a receipt of purchase. 2 days have gone by and no reimbursement has appeared. Interesting addition to all of the above.
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                          • Profile picture of the author davebo
                            Banned
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                            • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                              80% of my blog posts are not about StomperNet. And I dont pay people to comment on my blog. And I'm no longer replying to you.
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                          • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
                            Originally Posted by ThomasW View Post

                            To add to the fun: Vince Nouvel offered to reimburse purchasers for the shipping and handling if he was sent a receipt of purchase. 2 days have gone by and no reimbursement has appeared. Interesting addition to all of the above.
                            I don't know who Vince is, but two freaking days is not much time to be processing stuff, depending on his systems.

                            I think the speed of the net might be making us spoiled in our expectations.
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                            • Profile picture of the author thatgirlJ
                              Originally Posted by Justin Jordan View Post

                              I don't know who Vince is, but two freaking days is not much time to be processing stuff, depending on his systems.

                              I think the speed of the net might be making us spoiled in our expectations.
                              Good point! And I hope that person is also aware that it was just the weekend! I don't know Vince, but give the guy some breathing room :rolleyes:

                              As for the upsells...I actually went back and got them, LOL. I didn't read the sales page for them when I went through the process the first time because I generally try to make myself immune to them. But after reading through them I realized it would be silly not to get something that could massively help my business.

                              I hope to report great things about my ENORMOUS package (or several packages) once I get them.

                              There were three upsells, and I'm okay with it. (I'm normally annoyed by these things, but it obviously worked in this case with many, many people).

                              In case you're interested, here is an up close look at the magazine (it's not my site)

                              Looks way cool!

                              The Net Effect - StomperNet’s Print Journal : Are You a Busy Mom? Busy Moms Online is Here for You
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                              • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
                                "I hope to report great things about my ENORMOUS package"

                                Must...resist...jokes about Jenn's package.....
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                                • Profile picture of the author thatgirlJ
                                  Originally Posted by Justin Jordan View Post

                                  "I hope to report great things about my ENORMOUS package"

                                  Must...resist...jokes about Jenn's package.....
                                  I thought to myself as I posted "I wonder who's going to joke about this"
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                                  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
                                    Originally Posted by Jenn Dize View Post

                                    I thought to myself as I posted "I wonder who's going to joke about this"
                                    I can't stop laughing. Too funny.
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                                    Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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                                    • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                                      StomperNet just released a big announcement: 12 unadvertised customer bonuses to everyone that took them up on their free offer.

                                      Had a chance to see the video yet?
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                                      • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
                                        Originally Posted by Lynn Terry View Post

                                        StomperNet just released a big announcement: 12 unadvertised customer bonuses to everyone that took them up on their free offer.

                                        Had a chance to see the video yet?
                                        I just watched it. I'm blown away. There is a lot of stuff there for free, wow. So cool. I half expected " An our next bonus is a new BMW " dang.. they've raised the bar. I was thinking its going to make it hard for the little guys.
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                                        Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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                                  • Profile picture of the author Jose Delgado
                                    "I hope to report great things about my ENORMOUS package"
                                    Ohhhh Come ON Jenn!

                                    Don't scare ME!

                                    I liked Ya!!!!!



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                          • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
                            Originally Posted by ThomasW View Post

                            To add to the fun: Vince Nouvel offered to reimburse purchasers for the shipping and handling if he was sent a receipt of purchase. 2 days have gone by and no reimbursement has appeared. Interesting addition to all of the above.
                            Interesting that somebody is complaining after 2 days.

                            Did he promise to reimburse faster than that?

                            Have you already received and paid your credit card bill for the shipping charges from 2 days ago?

                            Give us a break.
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                • Profile picture of the author SeanIM
                  Originally Posted by Scott Ames View Post

                  Amazing how we are all in IM but are ticked off by marketing.
                  Amazing isn't it?

                  -S
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            • Profile picture of the author Yaro
              Originally Posted by BlueSquares View Post

              I just got an email from Yaro promoting this and the link doesn't even work. And it's his 2nd email because the 1st didn't work.

              Ay-yi-yi. Talk about a poor 1st impression to 'Stomping'.
              Not sure why you had that problem. It might have been an AWeber click tracking link that didn't work too well (that seems to happen for a few people).

              I had about 300 people order through me and several thousand clicked the link in the email, so it was definitely working.

              Also if you had a chance to read the second email I sent about it, you will have seen it was one of the most honest appraisals of how to get the best out of an offer like StomperNet made with STSE2 (I gave a pretty stern warning about it).

              I have never received so many email replies from that second email I sent thanking me for being so honest and non-hypey when talking about a product so many others were pushing hard.
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          • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
            Originally Posted by marxwarfor View Post

            I have NEVER been so unimpressed with so many upsells in my life!!

            i love these guys, as I really believe that they know what they are talking about, but when i had to click through what seemed liked 3, 4, 5 times just to complete my order, that's when I said - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

            You want to upsell?? Fine no worries, I understand the biz, but please don't bombard me with these offers that cause me to lose respect in what you claim to be, such upstanding young gentlemen that are so forthright.

            I will still keep myself on their email list, because they are indeed good at what they do, it's just I have less respect for them after this whole fiasco with this seemingly never-ending upsell. God I hate pushy people!!
            My sentiments exactly.

            I don't mind AN upsell. But upsell hell get's me clickin' the back button and
            bailing out of the cart quicker than you can say Jack Flash.

            I entered my name and e-mail and proceeded to 'Step 2 of 2'. Then I looked
            at the links at the bottom and it was clear that a series of nausiating upsells
            lay ahead. So it wasn't Step 2 of 2 at all.

            Well up yours StomperNet - I don't need your information that much.

            Alarm bells began to ring so I bailed out.

            And before some wise crack obnoxious marketer says 'hey are you
            a marketer who doesn't like being marketed to?' here's my response:

            I don't mind being marketed to if I'm treated with respect and it's a
            good experience. Start doing bait and switch and I'll take my money
            and attention elsewhere.

            Best wishes,

            Shaun
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            • Profile picture of the author Paul Buckley
              Since when has annoying your customers/prospects been considered good marketing?
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              "Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something." -Plato

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              • Profile picture of the author James Schramko
                I am really enjoying not being on everybodys list and my productivity is up as a result.

                It makes sense to offer a little extra value if you do recommend a product and everyone else is too. I put on something for my clients because they deserve the respect of an honest review and an extra way to get the best out of the product.
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              • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
                Originally Posted by Paul Buckley View Post

                Since when has annoying your customers/prospects been considered good marketing?
                Thank you also for understanding my friend!

                God help me, that if I ever get the mentality that push, push and push some more, to the point where you're pissing your customers off....., is considered 'better' marketing, no matter how good my bonus is, please shoot me now
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              • Profile picture of the author Paul Gram
                Originally Posted by Paul Buckley View Post

                Since when has annoying your customers/prospects been considered good marketing?
                I was not annoyed at all by the upsells. It took about 30 seconds to click past them, no big deal at all. I don't understand why people are worked up over this.
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                • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
                  Originally Posted by Paul Gram View Post

                  I was not annoyed at all by the upsells. It took about 30 seconds to click past them, no big deal at all. I don't understand why people are worked up over this.
                  Principle my good friend Paul - 'Principle'
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            • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
              THANK YOU SHAUN!!!

              I couldn't have said i better. As far as Paul Gram is concerned, that is if he read my post correctly, i said that i have 'no problem' with an upsell', it's part of the biz that I even do myself. However, when you're doing so much of the 'bait and switch' as Shaun said, well that's where I take issue.

              Yes those guys are good, and I appreciate their 'free offer' - good deal? - yes........ so that gives you the right to keep pushing your whole inventory on me also???!!!

              Please don't shove it down my throat either for Christ's sakes!!!

              The irony is, if they hadn't been so aggressive, I might have actually bought something else from them, if they had been a little less obtrusive.
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              • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                Originally Posted by marxwarfor View Post

                THANK YOU SHAUN!!!

                I couldn't have said i better. As far as Paul Gram is concerned, that is if he read my post correctly, i said that i have 'no problem' with an upsell', it's part of the biz that I even do myself. However, when you're doing so much of the 'bait and switch' as Shaun said, well that's where I take issue.

                Yes those guys are good, and I appreciate their 'free offer' - good deal? - yes........ so that gives you the right to keep pushing your whole inventory on me also???!!!

                Please don't shove it down my throat either for Christ's sakes!!!

                The irony is, if they hadn't been so aggressive, I might have actually bought something else from them, if they had been a little less obtrusive.
                Please be careful of the accusations you make. There was IN NO WAY "bait and switch" involved. Had you read the offers you would see that clearly. If the upsells annoyed you and you didn't read the offers, no big deal. But let's not throw around unsubstantiated acccusations.
                Signature
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                ~ Zig Ziglar
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                • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
                  Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

                  Please be careful of the accusations you make. There was IN NO WAY "bait and switch" involved. Had you read the offers you would see that clearly. If the upsells annoyed you and you didn't read the offers, no big deal. But let's not throw around unsubstantiated acccusations.
                  Actually Lance,

                  You are absolutely right!!! My sincere apologies...I didn't mean to use that term - I agree with you, they didn't use that tactic (maybe I've had a rough day - ( ), but I firmly stand by everything else I have said.
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                  • Profile picture of the author jjpmarketing
                    Yeah the upsells were a little annoying... but I get the reasoning behind them. As a marketer I understand... but also as a marketer I know all I need to do is click "no thanks" and keep doing so until the end.

                    They have an $800 per month membership site. So I will click through 100 upsells if I can get my hands on any of their SEO How To's. I mean if people are willing to pay $800 per month for that knowledge. I am willing to suffer through a few upsells just to get my hands on a little piece of that knowledge for $9.95 in shipping.

                    Besides that aren't interested in knowing if it annoys their customer. Those 10 people who were promoting their STSE2 product were playing a numbers game. Put your product in front of enough people, and eventually someone will pay for 1 or more of the upsells.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                    Originally Posted by marxwarfor View Post

                    Actually Lance,

                    You are absolutely right!!! My sincere apologies...I didn't mean to use that term - I agree with you, they didn't use that tactic (maybe I've had a rough day - ( ), but I firmly stand by everything else I have said.
                    And I agree with pretty much all of it. Only thing I challenge a little bit I addressed earlier in my reply about tolerating the upsells due to the theory of reciprocity. But I'll conceed that even reciprocity has it's boundaries which when crossed may wipe out any feelings of indebtedness entirely.

                    I mean, the people who give you sample bites of sausage at the grocery store don't hit you up to buy a gallon of ice cream for dessert after you buy a box of the sausages.

                    It's a fine line. I'm more concerned about getting it right in my promotions than whether or not others do. But none the less, it's a real issue that's worthy of consideration.
                    Signature
                    "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
                    ~ Zig Ziglar
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                • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
                  Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

                  Please be careful of the accusations you make. There was IN NO WAY "bait and switch" involved. Had you read the offers you would see that clearly. If the upsells annoyed you and you didn't read the offers, no big deal. But let's not throw around unsubstantiated acccusations.
                  Ooops - my mistake. I mentioned the term bait and switch first.

                  I've just looked up the term in Wikipedia and found out what the terms means.

                  Bait and switch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                  Now that I understand the term better, it's not really what I meant in this case.

                  What I meant to say (albeit with an ignorance of the term bait and switch) was
                  that the way the Stomper deal came across to me was as follows:

                  Here's a great deal. Get Stomping the Search Engines 2 for free, if you try our
                  NetEffect magazine.

                  Cool I thought. Nice deal - I'd have to be stupid not to take them up on it.

                  Then I get to the next step (supposedly Step 2 or 2 which it wasn't - their
                  first error).

                  Now my alarm bells are starting to ring. A series of upsells await. This is what
                  they really wanted to sell me. Now they've switched their offer to suck as much
                  money out of me as possible.

                  I've long admired Brad and Andy and purchased their original Stomping the Search
                  Engines years ago and StomperNet too. But this one just went over the line
                  of aggressive, obnoxious, self-centered marketing.

                  Best wishes,

                  Shaun
                  Signature

                  .

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                  • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                    Originally Posted by Shaun OReilly View Post


                    Here's a great deal. Get Stomping the Search Engines 2 for free, if you try our
                    NetEffect magazine.

                    Cool I thought. Nice deal - I'd have to be stupid not to take them up on it.

                    Then I get to the next step (supposedly Step 2 or 2 which it wasn't - their
                    first error).

                    Now my alarm bells are starting to ring. A series of upsells await. This is what
                    they really wanted to sell me. Now they've switched their offer to suck as much
                    money out of me as possible.

                    I've long admired Brad and Andy and purchased their original Stomping the Search
                    Engines years ago and StomperNet too. But this one just went over the line
                    of aggressive, obnoxious, self-centered marketing.

                    Best wishes,

                    Shaun

                    I agree totally. Probably would have used some milder adjectives, but I agree. I simply took them up on the initial offer as well as the free DVD offer and clicked "No Thanks" for all the others.

                    Which I'm sure they're fine with. Because not only is there a good possibility that I'll continue paying $30/month for Net Effect and $20/month for the DVDs, but also a high possibility that I'll join the $800/month StomperNet in the future if enough value is obtained through these 2 smaller introductory products.

                    Essentially what they've done is made their waiting list for Stomper Net even more valuable. Assuming they deliver the value on these products of course.

                    IMO, the other upsells were merely potential profit centers (all seemed to be great offers) for an otherwise loss leader promotion. Basically icing on the cake. Does that make sense?
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                    "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
                    ~ Zig Ziglar
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                    • Profile picture of the author marxwarfor
                      Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

                      I agree totally. Probably would have used some milder adjectives, but I agree. I simply took them up on the initial offer as well as the free DVD offer and clicked "No Thanks" for all the others.

                      Which I'm sure they're fine with. Because not only is there a good possibility that I'll continue paying $30/month for Net Effect and $20/month for the DVDs, but also a high possibility that I'll join the $800/month StomperNet in the future if enough value is obtained through these 2 smaller introductory products.

                      Essentially what they've done is made their waiting list for Stomper Net even more valuable. Assuming they deliver the value on these products of course.

                      IMO, the other upsells were merely potential profit centers (all seemed to be great offers) for an otherwise loss leader promotion. Basically icing on the cake. Does that make sense?
                      Very well said Lance - very well said... HOWEVER...

                      I'd be pretty damned bummed out if I didn't get a gallon of ice-cream after chowin' down some grisly sausage!!
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          • Profile picture of the author Carlsbadd
            Originally Posted by marxwarfor View Post

            I have NEVER been so unimpressed with so many upsells in my life!!

            i love these guys, as I really believe that they know what they are talking about, but when i had to click through what seemed liked 3, 4, 5 times just to complete my order, that's when I said - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

            You want to upsell?? Fine no worries, I understand the biz, but please don't bombard me with these offers that cause me to lose respect in what you claim to be, such upstanding young gentlemen that are so forthright.

            I will still keep myself on their email list, because they are indeed good at what they do, it's just I have less respect for them after this whole fiasco with this seemingly never-ending upsell. God I hate pushy people!!


            I agree, screen after screen, enough already. If I was so interested in getting the free program for just the shipping do ya really think I am gonna shell out more money ??

            all in all I can't complain though, that's a killer price for that program.
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            • Profile picture of the author jjpmarketing
              I have to say this... I never respond kindly to upsells. I believe it is shameful way to sell products. If you want to sell me something don't use scarcity tactics or any other bullshit methods like that. Just offer solid value and content, and I will pay what it is worth.

              If you offer something like dvd's for free + shipping. I will probably take you up on that offer. I will look at your upsells, but I will probably be less inclined to purchase, just because it is an upsell. I for one hate GoDaddy's constant sales pitch.

              Makes me think of a car dealership. Trying to sell me this, that and something else along with a car. I just want to buy a damn car. I don't want all of that other crap. If I did... I would ask for it.

              But at the same time, I don't get annoyed by it... I just never buy into it when it gets thrown at me.

              Traffic Secrets 2.0 is a perfect example. A lot of value and a reasonable price. No need to throw a bunch of upsales at the customer. Just offer a good product at a good price. That's it.
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              • Profile picture of the author Bob Monie
                Did any of your guys have a problem with ordering, stupid order form keeps telling me my subscription was unsuccessful and to check my card number, iv typed iv filled the darn form out 30 times now and nothing will work. I know for sure my card number is right, rang my bank and everything is in order there aswell.

                What was the display page after the order processed, all i got was a stompervision page with no content and stompernet written in the middle of it. No emails saying i was successful either.

                Im so frusterated with it and il be soooo devo if i dont get it.
                aaaahhhhh
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                • Profile picture of the author thatgirlJ
                  Originally Posted by Bob Monie View Post

                  Did any of your guys have a problem with ordering, stupid order form keeps telling me my subscription was unsuccessful and to check my card number, iv typed iv filled the darn form out 30 times now and nothing will work. I know for sure my card number is right, rang my bank and everything is in order there aswell.

                  What was the display page after the order processed, all i got was a stompervision page with no content and stompernet written in the middle of it. No emails saying i was successful either.

                  Im so frusterated with it and il be soooo devo if i dont get it.
                  aaaahhhhh
                  Hey, this happened to me last night. It turned out that my order hadn't gone through. I tried it again and it worked! You should be taken through some upsell pages and then on to confirmation. An e-mail confirm should arrive soon after.

                  If you try it again and it still doesn't work you should give them a call. Word is (via Lynn Terry's excellent coverage of it at Stomping the Search Engines 2 (FAQ) ) that they have several full time staffers answering calls to field order problems.

                  Good luck!
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                  • Profile picture of the author jjpmarketing
                    If the cc number is correct... You should also check to make certain you know exactly what the billing address is on file with your cc company. Also make certain you have cvv2 number correct.

                    These are usually the 2 main culprits for causing an order to get rejected.
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                  • Profile picture of the author Bob Monie
                    Originally Posted by Jenn Dize View Post

                    Hey, this happened to me last night. It turned out that my order hadn't gone through. I tried it again and it worked! You should be taken through some upsell pages and then on to confirmation. An e-mail confirm should arrive soon after.

                    If you try it again and it still doesn't work you should give them a call. Word is (via Lynn Terry's excellent coverage of it at Stomping the Search Engines 2 (FAQ) ) that they have several full time staffers answering calls to field order problems.

                    Good luck!
                    Thanx for your help Jenn, iv tried about 40 times now and keep getting that same message when i know for sure that all my details are correct.

                    Would you happen to know where i can find their contact support number so i can ring them. I cant seem to find it anywhere.

                    Thanx
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                    • Profile picture of the author thatgirlJ
                      Originally Posted by Bob Monie View Post

                      Thanx for your help Jenn, iv tried about 40 times now and keep getting that same message when i know for sure that all my details are correct.

                      Would you happen to know where i can find their contact support number so i can ring them. I cant seem to find it anywhere.

                      Thanx
                      Sure thing, I found this at the bottom of the sales page:
                      Thanks for your interest in StomperNet!

                      To get more information about StomperNet, StomperNet products, or to request information on becoming a member of StomperNet, please send an email to: stomperinfo@stompernet.com

                      For any customer service issues, please contact our customer advocacy department directly by email at: stse2support@stompernet.com

                      For The NET Effect related inquiries, please contact our publisher at: publisher@stompernet.com

                      If you're interested in becoming a StomperNet affiliate, please visit: https://member.stompernet.net/jvpanel/signup.php

                      For all Joint Venture inquiries please send an email to: jointventure@stompernet.com

                      Interested in a position at StomperNet? Please send your resume and cover letter to humanresources@stompernet.com

                      StomperNet, LLC
                      6420 Atlantic Blvd
                      Suite 145
                      Norcross, GA 30071
                      Phone: (404) 348-4401
                      So, you can try one of those avenues
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                      • Profile picture of the author freudianslip27
                        It goes to show that even putting in just a little effort makes you so much more ahead of the game.

                        Sometimes i don't try something because I think "everyone else is, there isn't room", and then eventually I do give it a go, and do well. My conclusion is that so few people actually follow through with stuff!

                        Matt
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                        WarriorForum Rules!

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                        • Profile picture of the author virtualpro
                          I like upsell because everytime I say 'No' to it, the discount followed .

                          It kind of entertain to see a button which tell me 'I've missed the rare courses ever created'. Then at the moment I click it, they immediately beg me to buy it with $100 discounted. Really funny!
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              • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                Originally Posted by jjpmarketing View Post

                Traffic Secrets 2.0 is a perfect example. A lot of value and a reasonable price. No need to throw a bunch of upsales at the customer. Just offer a good product at a good price. That's it.
                And that's where John Reese is brilliant. Rather than get defensive and accuse marketers of whining for being marketed to, he realizes that his market is hip to tactis that non IM markets haven't really been exposed to. And they know why they're being used. That's a lot to overcome. You had better bring your A game. But when a guy like John Reese decides that it's better left alone, that tells me something about how in tune he is with his target market.

                Irresistable offers are the cat's meow. But stack too many of them on top of each other and "irresistable" transforms into "unbelievable". Unbelievable offers create confusion and a confused prospect never buys.

                I'm not saying it can't be done. But with every passing promotion it becomes a more delicate situation when doing it in the IM market.
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                "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonl70
      Originally Posted by chiboa View Post

      Sure... it gets annoying getting the same promo over and over... this has hardly been the first. Don't take the copy and pastes seriously... but how can you discount the product?

      I am not sure you can compare picking up expired domains to the work Fallon and Jenkins do with SEO in their businesses.

      Maybe I am missing your point...
      expired domain names can be GREAT for seo.
      Already indexed, aged, and with back links and PR included
      Signature

      -Jason

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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
    I just watched a Mike Filsaime video on upsells, downsells, etc. where he featured GoDaddy.

    The StomperNet upsell, downsell was nothing compaired to GoDaddy. My gosh theirs goes on for infinity until you break out. My assumption is that it sells stuff and that's why they do it.
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    Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
      I think I'm gonna dump all my money into Kleenex stock!
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      • Profile picture of the author davebo
        Banned
        [DELETED]
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        • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
          Originally Posted by davebo View Post

          *enter Jason Mofatt Kissup brigade*
          huh? I don't get it.

          And I'm not even drunk yet
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        • Profile picture of the author Alex Sol
          I got 5 e-mails and deleted them all without reading except Frank Kern's.

          I clicked on the link... I signed up for the "free DVD's"... I did not read the upsells > Scroll Down > No Thank You > Next >Scroll Down > No Thank You... finally got to the last page, made sure that I was actually charged for SHIPPING only > Order.

          Copy/paste (save in a document on my PC) the CANCELLATION info - to cancel the monthly 39$ subscription as soon as I got the DVD's ...

          Simple.
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          Alex Sol, Full time online marketer since 2007
          The Extra Paycheck Blog | Extra Paycheck Podcast
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          • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
            Originally Posted by kiev View Post

            I got 5 e-mails and deleted them all without reading except Frank Kern's.

            I clicked on the link... I signed up for the "free DVD's"... I did not read the upsells > Scroll Down > No Thank You > Next >Scroll Down > No Thank You... finally got to the last page, made sure that I was actually charged for SHIPPING only > Order.

            Copy/paste (save in a document on my PC) the CANCELLATION info - to cancel the monthly 39$ subscription as soon as I got the DVD's ...

            Simple.
            Total PRICK!

            Last dude who posted something like this, Kern instantly went into his system and deleted the dudes order, and 86'd him from his mailing lists.

            I hope the Stomper dudes do the same to you.

            At least give the vendors a chance to prove themselves people. If you don't find value in the product, fine, cancel.

            But going into the deal knowing you are going to cancel is total duetschbag maneuver.
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            • Profile picture of the author Alex Sol
              Originally Posted by Jason Moffatt View Post

              Total PRICK!

              Last dude who posted something like this, Kern instantly went into his system and deleted the dudes order, and 86'd him from his mailing lists.

              I hope the Stomper dudes do the same to you.

              At least give the vendors a chance to prove themselves people. If you don't find value in the product, fine, cancel.

              But going into the deal knowing you are going to cancel is total duetschbag maneuver.
              Why? They were offering a FREE DVD right?
              So I signed up for a free DVD

              If their magazine is of any value - I might keep the subscription... You never know.

              When I first signed up to WA - it was only to get the BONUS and I was gonna cancel the WA that same month... well I've been a member for 10 months now - I like the value.
              We'll see what these guys have to offer... But if it's the same info you find on Warriors, WA, DP and blogs - then why keep it?

              p.s. here is what Frank said:

              "All I know is:

              1. This is a free offer.

              2. It's probably very, very good."

              lol... so I signed up for that FREE offer. Nothing more.
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              The Extra Paycheck Blog | Extra Paycheck Podcast
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              • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                Originally Posted by kiev View Post

                Why? They were offering a FREE DVD right?
                So I signed up for a free DVD

                If their magazine is of any value - I might keep the subscription... You never know.

                When I first signed up to WA - it was only to get the BONUS and I was gonna cancel the WA that same month... well I've been a member for 10 months now - I like the value.
                We'll see what these huys have to offer... But if it's the same info you find on Warriors, WA, DP and blogs - then why keep it?
                Bullshit dude.

                Just look at your post.

                "Copy/paste (save in a document on my PC) the CANCELLATION info - to cancel the monthly 39$ subscription as soon as I got the DVD's ...

                Simple."


                That says it all right there.

                I should email those dudes and tell them to send you nothing.
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                • Profile picture of the author Alex Sol
                  Originally Posted by Jason Moffatt View Post

                  Bullshit dude.

                  Just look at your post.

                  "Copy/paste (save in a document on my PC) the CANCELLATION info - to cancel the monthly 39$ subscription as soon as I got the DVD's ...

                  Simple."


                  That says it all right there.

                  I should email those dudes and tell them to send you nothing.
                  Don't get me wrong. This is my intention for every "FREE" product I get. Sometimes the value is so great - I keep it. and 40$/months is nothing... however 90% of the time you get total B.S. ... This is why every time I sign up - I start with a pessimistic mood. As I said it was the same for WA... If their magazine is of any value - I will most likely keep it.

                  But if it is B.S. - I actually do hope they won't send anything, less problems for me.
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                  Alex Sol, Full time online marketer since 2007
                  The Extra Paycheck Blog | Extra Paycheck Podcast
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                • Profile picture of the author davebo
                  Banned
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                  • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                    Piss off Dave.

                    I'm glad the dude took the free offer.

                    It was the intent of blatantly ripping these guys off with no intention of giving them a chance to prove their stuff was worthy that I had a problem with.

                    He said it himself, not me.

                    So get yo stuff straight dude and quit trying to misconstrue my words.

                    Oh, and guess why I actually have a "kissup brigade" dude?

                    Might be a bit of validity to why so many hundreds of people stick up for me, just like I do for my friends.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                      Sorry for the "Sailor Tongue" all.

                      Funny thing is, I'm in a really good mood today.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Alex Sol
                      Originally Posted by Jason Moffatt View Post

                      Piss off Dave.

                      I'm glad the dude took the free offer.

                      It was the intent of blatantly ripping these guys off with no intention of giving them a chance to prove their stuff was worthy that I had a problem with.

                      He said it himself, not me.

                      So get yo stuff straight dude and quit trying to misconstrue my words.

                      Oh, and guess why I actually have a "kissup brigade" dude?

                      Might be a bit of validity to why so many hundreds of people stick up for me, just like I do for my friends.
                      Wow, man.
                      Calm down. Yes, I said I will cancel - because I do cancel 90% of the time. I will give them a chance, of course, I just hope it's not some re-hashed info that I stumble across on daily bases anyways... You can't tell me how good it is, or bad. You don't know what I find good content or bad content... Let's just wait and see.
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                      Alex Sol, Full time online marketer since 2007
                      The Extra Paycheck Blog | Extra Paycheck Podcast
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                      • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                        Originally Posted by kiev View Post

                        Wow, man.
                        Calm down. Yes, I said I will cancel - because I do cancel 90% of the time. I will give them a chance, of course, I just hope it's not some re-hashed info that I stumble across on daily bases anyways... You can't tell me how good it is, or bad. You don't know what I find good content or bad content... Let's just wait and see.
                        Yeah dude, I'm sorry.

                        But it's just appalling the gutterball attitude that many marketers have. Sorta gets the blood boiling.

                        And I tend to type with emotion. I need to stop. I tell myself everyday.... "don't go post there, just stay away".

                        But it's like crack!
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                        • Profile picture of the author Alex Sol
                          Regardless... I will keep the same attitude every time I order. I hope you understand and I hope you agree that 90% of the stuff is total junk... After optin in for many "crap offers" - you become very sceptical...

                          I am trying to promote my own poroduct - most of the IM'ers know EVERYTHING that is in my course - this is why I market it to NEWBIES... and even then, sometime I get random sales, and a refund request within 5 minutes... Dude, that's HOURS of videos watched in 5 minutes...??? But anyways... it's a part of the game, and we all play it.
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                          Alex Sol, Full time online marketer since 2007
                          The Extra Paycheck Blog | Extra Paycheck Podcast
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                          • Profile picture of the author Jason Moffatt
                            Originally Posted by kiev View Post

                            Regardless... I will keep the same attitude every time I order. I hope you understand and I hope you agree that 90% of the stuff is total junk... After optin in for many "crap offers" - you become very sceptical...

                            I am trying to promote my own poroduct - most of the IM'ers know EVERYTHING that is in my course - this is why I market it to NEWBIES... and even then, sometime I get random sales, and a refund request within 5 minutes... Dude, that's HOURS of videos watched in 5 minutes...??? But anyways... it's a part of the game, and we all play it.
                            I agree it is part of the game.

                            But so are "BLACKLISTS".

                            And don't think for one moment that smart vendors don't keep tabs on exactly who displays this type of behavior. I'd tell you more, but I'm not sure I'm suppose to.

                            I'm not sure if Stomper keeps a BlackList, but they'd be wise to.
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                        • Profile picture of the author giveusallfreedom
                          If you don't want people to cancel the membership after getting your free gift, then don't give a free gift. Is this so hard???

                          I just watched Filsaime's bonus video from the Kern launch and he talks about how he set up a free gift for "VIPs" that bought his product on an autoresponder. The thing is anyone could have sent an email to the autoresponder and got the free gift even if they didn't buy the product. You know what he said?

                          "Who cares. They shouldn't be putting that energy out into the universe, but whatever." (That's not an exact quote, but really close.)

                          This is the second promotion like this that I've considered. Kern's was the first. I joined Kern's with every intention of cancelling, but some Warriors here talked me into at least checking it out because his stuff is supposed to be that great.

                          This promotion though, I said the same thing as some of the other posters. I got to page 2 of 2 and said never mind. I didn't sign up and the product costs like $220 less than Kern's.
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                          • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                            The ones who cancel after just receiving the free gift aren't the ones to spend your energy on.
                            Signature
                            "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
                            ~ Zig Ziglar
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                            • Profile picture of the author tradermike2008
                              I bought it, but was annoyed not with the upsale but the delay. John Reese did the same thing. He delayed his launch for a few hours. I think its a ploy and makes me think they are pullnig a trick.

                              With the stompernet notice when they said they were delaying they had an opt-in box for you to put your email in so they would notify you when it was live. So they were collecting opt-ins from the affiliates off of people going to the sales page.

                              I think it was a ploy to collect emails and make people think there was some sense of urgency. They first said the servers were down, but if they were down the site wouldn't load up. Then they changed it so something wrong with their order processing - but you would think they would have tested that.

                              It is hard to believe and so was the Reese thing. Annoying, but whatever. I bought it, will subscribe to it and test it out for awhile. But makes me not feel a reciprocity deal or something that I think is an appeal for doing a "free stuff" type deal.
                              Signature

                              I'm the ownder of WallStreetWindow.com where I do several big mega launches a year. I also moderate a mastermind group of financial stock trading/forex marketers and affiliate marketers who shares ideas and a launch calendar check it out: http://theprivatealliance.com

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                              • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
                                Banned
                                Originally Posted by tradermike2008 View Post

                                I bought it, but was annoyed not with the upsale but the delay. John Reese did the same thing. He delayed his launch for a few hours. I think its a ploy and makes me think they are pullnig a trick.

                                With the stompernet notice when they said they were delaying they had an opt-in box for you to put your email in so they would notify you when it was live. So they were collecting opt-ins from the affiliates off of people going to the sales page.

                                I think it was a ploy to collect emails and make people think there was some sense of urgency. They first said the servers were down, but if they were down the site wouldn't load up. Then they changed it so something wrong with their order processing - but you would think they would have tested that.

                                It is hard to believe and so was the Reese thing. Annoying, but whatever. I bought it, will subscribe to it and test it out for awhile. But makes me not feel a reciprocity deal or something that I think is an appeal for doing a "free stuff" type deal.
                                What's hard to believe is that there are still people out there who believe wasting the time of and alienating potential customers is a deliberate business strategy.

                                It was the intent of blatantly ripping these guys off with no intention of giving them a chance to prove their stuff was worthy that I had a problem with.
                                Uh, come again? I guess I missed that part in the fine print.

                                As for the upsells, please. Unprincipled? Give me a break. Inconvenient perhaps. You could have clicked the "no thanks" buttons and completed the order in less time than it took you to come here and whine about it. That's what I did.

                                Oops! I guess I ripped them off too since I didn't even read or consider their upsells.

                                Oh well....
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                            • Profile picture of the author Bearded
                              Think about it this way.

                              They're giving away MASSIVE value for free.

                              That's going to attract a LOT of freebie seekers who have no intention of sticking.

                              The fact that the upsells scare off some people is a GOOD thing for them.

                              It weeds out the non-customers.

                              The people who do stick around are good candidates for future promotions.

                              Joe
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                              • Profile picture of the author drmani
                                Jay Abraham teaches 'taking the risk out of a transaction'

                                If you get twice as many refunds but make 5 times as many sales, isn't it worth doing?

                                A free trial is just that. A TRIAL.

                                No obligation on the part of the 'trier'.

                                All responsibility rests on the 'marketer' - to convince a prospect to turn a 'shy yes' into a resounding vote of confidence that turns into evangelism.

                                Neither can be bought by bullying, enforcing a pseudo-reciprocity or guilt complex, or indeed anything less than providing stellar, outstanding VALUE.

                                All success
                                Dr.Mani
                                Signature
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                                • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
                                  I'm an internet marketer, and in most of my niches I am my own target market. A great position, because I can guage things on my own response.

                                  I was actually excited that they were finally releasing stand-alone products outside of the $800/month membership option. It gives me an opportunity to 'trial' their quality and depth at a reasonable no-obligation price.

                                  But the fact that I was thrilled at that opportunity threw up my "marketing flag" too - making me realize that the fact that I was happy about the backend offers means I am obviously their target market (and ideal member). I've reviewed StSE 2.0 & The Net Effect, and am going to choose a couple more products to review from the line-up before I make my final decision... but I'll probably be standing in line when they re-open membership (unless I find a back door before then).
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                              • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
                                BRB [decided to edit my rant and instead I'm going to launch a new product but include 15 upsells.. LOL]
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                                • Profile picture of the author marcanthony
                                  For those of you that are tired of receiving the same emails.

                                  Why don't you unsubscribe from some of these lists?

                                  Just a thought...

                                  Oh... The Upsell issue.

                                  Upselling, while annoying to many of you, is a great marketing tactic.

                                  I get it... it annoys some of you.

                                  But all you have to do on the upsell page is: Scroll down to the bottom of the page, skip over the very beautiful and enticing order button. And click on the inept "no thanks" link. And go on about your business.

                                  I have to honestly say that some of the criticism here sounds like jealousy.
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                                  • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
                                    Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                    For those of you that are tired of receiving the same emails.

                                    Why don't you unsubscribe from some of these lists?

                                    Just a thought...

                                    Oh... The Upsell issue.

                                    Upselling, while annoying to many of you, is a great marketing tactic.

                                    I get it... it annoys some of you.

                                    But all you have to do on the upsell page is: Scroll down to the bottom of the page, skip over the very beautiful and enticing order button. And click on the inept "no thanks" link. And go on about your business.

                                    I have to honestly say that some of the criticism here sounds like jealousy.

                                    You read my mind... LOL

                                    Mike Hill
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                                  • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
                                    Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                    Oh... The Upsell issue.

                                    Upselling, while annoying to many of you, is a great marketing tactic.

                                    I get it... it annoys some of you.

                                    But all you have to do on the upsell page is: Scroll down to the bottom of the page, skip over the very beautiful and enticing order button. And click on the inept "no thanks" link. And go on about your business.

                                    I have to honestly say that some of the criticism here sounds like jealousy.
                                    Upselling is a great marketing STRATEGY - used tastefully.

                                    I don't mind an upsell at all. AN upsell - two max. Over that and I back
                                    out of the order process. But that's just me. I'm mature enough to
                                    know that others think differently and that's OK.

                                    Some people love multiple upsells. Some people hate multiple upsells.
                                    Others are indifferent to multiple upsells. Different strokes for different
                                    folks.

                                    Some marketers are happy to put their customers through Upsell Hell
                                    as long as their numbers show it's worth it to them. Other marketers
                                    prefer not to put their customers through Upsell Hell no matter how
                                    better their numbers will be. Again, different strokes for different folks.

                                    No one method is 'the way'. I'm just crystal clear on the way I prefer
                                    to treat my customers and the way I like to be treated as a customer.

                                    For example, yesterday GoDaddy had a $0.99 deal on dot com domains.
                                    Would I like a dot com domain for $0.99? Sure. But not from GoDaddy.
                                    I detest their inane checkout process with mutliple upsells. I choose not
                                    to go through that and will spend MORE money elsewhere - happily.

                                    It's different strokes for different folks.

                                    You can only attract customers to the degree that you're prepared to
                                    repel. Some methods turn people on, and others turn people off or have
                                    them running away completely.

                                    As for jealousy that's not the case for me. I wish the StomperNet team
                                    all the best with their efforts attracting their type of customer with their
                                    methods. It'll just not be me.

                                    Interestingly, I purchased Stomping the Search Engines 1.0 years ago
                                    and it was a simple checkout process so I bought.

                                    I purchased a membership to StomperNet at $800/month and it was a
                                    simple checkout process so I bought.

                                    Their checkout process turned me off this time so I backed up. I've got
                                    most of their core material anyway.

                                    Best wishes,

                                    Shaun
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                                  • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                                    Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                    Upselling, while annoying to many of you, is a great marketing tactic.

                                    I get it... it annoys some of you.

                                    But all you have to do on the upsell page is: Scroll down to the bottom of the page, skip over the very beautiful and enticing order button. And click on the inept "no thanks" link. And go on about your business.
                                    The fact that it's a great marketing tactic hasn't been questioned. The manner of it's application has. While I too simply clicked the "no thnanks" button, that's not the point. Some people are so annoyed that they're passing up the entire offer.

                                    BUT...

                                    What people need to think about is that Brad and Andy are very successful and smart. They surely have their finger on the pulse. If they start to see abandonment due to the upsells that justifies a change, they'll change it.

                                    And I can honestly say that I thought each upsell was a genuine good value. No so with some other promotions. But these sure were. I just passed due to the amount of info I already have to digest and implement and the limited time I have to do so.

                                    Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                    I have to honestly say that some of the criticism here sounds like jealousy.
                                    Come on, don't be so fast to discount the opinion of fellow Warriors simply because you're on the other side of the fence.
                                    Signature
                                    "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
                                    ~ Zig Ziglar
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                                    • Profile picture of the author Lance K
                                      I wrote this as part of my last reply, but I thought it may warrant it's own reply so perhaps more people would see it...

                                      What people need to think about is that Brad and Andy are very successful and smart. They surely have their finger on the pulse. If they start to see abandonment due to the upsells that justifies a change, they'll change it.
                                      Signature
                                      "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
                                      ~ Zig Ziglar
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                                      • Profile picture of the author Phil Craig
                                        Boy,

                                        This sure morphed into an interesting thread.

                                        Frankly, I don't mind up sells, down sells, OTOs, twisted OTOs, any of it. It's proven marketing.

                                        Back to my point...

                                        My point was to the affiliates promoting the product to their lists:

                                        If a subscriber (me) receives 7 email messages from different authors (I did) all saying something to the effect of "yay, the site is up... go now," ... that, in my opinion, is lazy and ineffective.

                                        The mailer didn't think through the fact that their subscriber (me) is on several lists.

                                        So when you promote something that is being promoted by a lot of other people, why not be different and offer value? Stand out from the rest instead of just pimping the product.

                                        That's the point.

                                        Phil
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                                      • Profile picture of the author Dontrell Lyons
                                        Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

                                        I wrote this as part of my last reply, but I thought it may warrant it's own reply so perhaps more people would see it...

                                        What people need to think about is that Brad and Andy are very successful and smart. They surely have their finger on the pulse. If they start to see abandonment due to the upsells that justifies a change, they'll change it.
                                        That is exactly True! After all they are marketers and what do marketers do? They sell stuff, they tweak the ads, see what converts and what doesn't so that they make the most money for what they put in it.

                                        Prime example if you ever listen to the radio, you hear the same ad over and over, sometimes it gets on ya nerves. But the truth is there are 1,000's of people who haven't even heard the message yet! In this case, Newbie Internet Marketers.

                                        Everybody can say there tired of upsells but there's customers out there that need to be sold more to get educated more.

                                        And that my friends is what you call successful marketing. hehe

                                        Just my thoughts
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                                    • Profile picture of the author marcanthony
                                      Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

                                      Come on, don't be so fast to discount the opinion of fellow Warriors simply because you're on the other side of the fence.
                                      I hear you Lance.

                                      But...

                                      My statement wasn't meant as an insult, nor did I intend to discount the opinion of anyone here.

                                      The "Jealous" comment was more of an observation.

                                      As far as everything else that I said... Hey, I think that reckless upsells are distasteful, just like the next person.

                                      I also think that they are very easy to ignore.

                                      Peace
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                                    • Profile picture of the author marcanthony
                                      Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

                                      And I can honestly say that I thought each upsell was a genuine good value. No so with some other promotions. But these sure were. I just passed due to the amount of info I already have to digest and implement and the limited time I have to do so.
                                      Their upsells where solid... the best that I've ever seen.
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                                  • Profile picture of the author MaskedMarketer
                                    Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                    I have to honestly say that some of the criticism here sounds like jealousy.
                                    Agreed.

                                    But I also agree that people complain about it (in the IM community) because it happens so much, with so many products, but honestly, who cares, its working for the owner, and you should be doing it too! People should stop getting so emotional.

                                    Also, successful businesses should have a back end. With an upsell offer, you can potentially sell these back end products quicker.
                                    Signature

                                    "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor
                                    "


                                    "I Pay Less Attention to What Men Say. I Just Watch What They Do."
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                                  • Profile picture of the author Matt Fulger
                                    Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                    For those of you that are tired of receiving the same emails.

                                    Why don't you unsubscribe from some of these lists?

                                    Just a thought...

                                    Oh... The Upsell issue.

                                    Upselling, while annoying to many of you, is a great marketing tactic.

                                    I get it... it annoys some of you.

                                    But all you have to do on the upsell page is: Scroll down to the bottom of the page, skip over the very beautiful and enticing order button. And click on the inept "no thanks" link. And go on about your business.

                                    I have to honestly say that some of the criticism here sounds like jealousy.
                                    Marc,

                                    While I agree with your statements, there are some offers where the upsells go beyond the point of annoying to the point where I've asked for a refund before I ever got to see the actual product. WHY? Because the onslaught of upsells was more than just distracting and/or annoying. Once I've paid for a product, I'd like it to be delivered right away. I shouldn't have to go through 15 upsells in order to get to the actual product download page.

                                    It doesn't bother me when I simply have to scroll down and click on a "no thanks" link, but it's not always link that. Sometimes, you click the link just to get another OTO. "Wait before you continue, yada yada yada...." Offering unobtrusive upsells on the download page would be more likely get my attention than the forced OTO's before I ever get to the download page.

                                    Now, offering ONE OTO before the download is fine. But some marketers get too carried away offering one OTO after another, making it a total pain to get to the actual download.

                                    Once I've paid, I expect to get to download my purchase asap. I don't like having to go through another sales funnel just to get to my product. I've bought some products where I've had to sign up to several lists before I get my download info. And then get several upsells before the download page is revealed.

                                    My Point is, some marketers take the upsells to the extreme and end up pissing their clients off rather than gaining trust, etc.

                                    Just my 2 cents.

                                    Peace & Prosperity,
                                    Matt Fulger
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                                    • Profile picture of the author marcanthony
                                      Originally Posted by Matt Fulger View Post

                                      Marc,

                                      While I agree with your statements, there are some offers where the upsells go beyond the point of annoying to the point where I've asked for a refund before I ever got to see the actual product. WHY? Because the onslaught of upsells was more than just distracting and/or annoying. Once I've paid for a product, I'd like it to be delivered right away. I shouldn't have to go through 15 upsells in order to get to the actual product download page.

                                      It doesn't bother me when I simply have to scroll down and click on a "no thanks" link, but it's not always link that. Sometimes, you click the link just to get another OTO. "Wait before you continue, yada yada yada...." Offering unobtrusive upsells on the download page would be more likely get my attention than the forced OTO's before I ever get to the download page.

                                      Now, offering ONE OTO before the download is fine. But some marketers get too carried away offering one OTO after another, making it a total pain to get to the actual download.

                                      Once I've paid, I expect to get to download my purchase asap. I don't like having to go through another sales funnel just to get to my product. I've bought some products where I've had to sign up to several lists before I get my download info. And then get several upsells before the download page is revealed.

                                      My Point is, some marketers take the upsells to the extreme and end up pissing their clients off rather than gaining trust, etc.

                                      Just my 2 cents.

                                      Peace & Prosperity,
                                      Matt Fulger
                                      Hey Matt,

                                      I hear ya! And, I agree. The upsells can occasionally get a little crazy.

                                      But, I still have to fall back on what I said before... they can be ignored.

                                      However, in this case, Stomper's upsells were the best that I've seen... not sure that ignoring them would be the best idea.

                                      I can't wait to go through the newsletter journal thingy. I forget what they call it.

                                      Take care buddy

                                      p.s. Not everyone gets pissed off by multiple upsells. And if they did, we wouldn't see the "guru's" using them so much. They have teams of people that do a lot of testing for them. If the test results were poor, they wouldn't upsell as much.
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                                      • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
                                        Originally Posted by marcanthony View Post

                                        Not everyone gets pissed off by multiple upsells. And if they did, we wouldn't see the "guru's" using them so much. They have teams of people that do a lot of testing for them. If the test results were poor, they wouldn't upsell as much.
                                        That's true Marc. Some like 'em, some hate 'em and some don't really mind
                                        either way.

                                        Brad and Andy are avid testers and trackers so they'll be going over the
                                        numbers for this launch of Stomping the Search Engines 2 with a fine
                                        tooth comb.

                                        However, in this launch situation I don't know if they tested the effect
                                        of the number of upsells on response: e.g. one upsell vs. different
                                        numbers of upsells.

                                        The way to know if they're on the right track is to see if the next launch
                                        from the StomperNet camp includes a series of upsells like STSE2. If they
                                        repeat a similar pattern, then you know they like what their numbers are
                                        telling them.

                                        Best wishes,

                                        Shaun
                                        Signature

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                                        • Profile picture of the author marcanthony
                                          Originally Posted by Shaun OReilly View Post

                                          The way to know if they're on the right track is to see if the next launch from the StomperNet camp includes a series of upsells like STSE2. If they
                                          repeat a similar pattern, then you know they like what their numbers are
                                          telling them.
                                          We shall see!

                                          But I'm very confident that they are on the right track. Their following is so strong, they could a million upsells and I wouldn't be a bother.

                                          Let's not forget that they have helped people become millionaires.

                                          That's why I don't skip their upsells. In fact, they're are exempt from "going to far" with their upsells in my book.

                                          Take care Shaun!
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                                      • Profile picture of the author elitemarketer
                                        I wonder if we all fell in love with Andy and Brad due to the fact that Frank Kern was the one writing their scripts for the videos, salesletters, emails and sales process?

                                        Just a thought!

                                        To be honest the upsells didn't bother me that much but what did was when Andy made the remark "Sorry for this Ghetto Video"

                                        I create video's with me at my desk all the time and I don't see how that is "Ghetto"... lol

                                        But I do understand that it was a launch and compared to the very professional one its was nothing to brag about but saying that it was ghetto as if the video's I make that don't look like a Jeopardy show are Ghetto is what got me to lose some respect for Andy a little bit! I understand he has a Video Background but don't knock the type of videos that your customer base is creating daily!

                                        And I don't think they planned on stalling because if they did have that planned I don't think they would have scripted something like "Sorry for this Ghetto Video"

                                        Hey whatever though, they know their shit and I will stay a customer as long as they continue to offer the best SEO info out there since SEO is and always will be a crucial part of my businesses.
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                              • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
                                Been clicking through endless upsales for years because I am one of those types who has to see "whats behind door #2, 3, ..."

                                Jeffery 100% :-)
                                Signature
                                In the minute it took me to write this post.. someone died of Covid 19. RIP.
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                                • Profile picture of the author ExRat
                                  Hi Jason,
                                  haha man,

                                  I got a great xbox 360 game to play instead...

                                  MX vs ATV
                                  That does look good, especially the monster truck. What happens if you use it to drive over the guy on the motorbike as soon as the race starts? Does he get squashed?
                                  Signature


                                  Roger Davis

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                                  • Profile picture of the author jjpmarketing
                                    Actually there is a humane way to do it... I had a mouse in my house once and didn't want to kill it... so I looked for ways to capture it and release it. There was a device that could capture up to 10 at a time I believe. You put it along the wall and the mice will run right into this... and you can then release them to the wild or whatever.

                                    I never got the chance to try it. I left a sack of trash sitting in the kitchen overnight... and even with it tied up... the mouse still seemed to get indside of it. So I just took the garbage out the next day... and figured he would be right at home in the garbage bag.

                                    ===================

                                    Wouldn't it be more like leading a stray back to your house with little pieces of scrap food... take it in and feed it a little at a time... only to have the dog wreck your house.... ruin your furniture.... ok... well maybe not that bad... but something like that.
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                • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
                  When they first offered it I was braced for a free offer with an $800 a month continuity. When I saw it was only $39 I jumped in and plan on keeping it. I even bought an upsell.

                  I think its an excellent deal.
                  Signature

                  Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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          • Profile picture of the author BruceWayne
            Originally Posted by kiev View Post

            I got 5 e-mails and deleted them all without reading except Frank Kern's.

            I clicked on the link... I signed up for the "free DVD's"... I did not read the upsells > Scroll Down > No Thank You > Next >Scroll Down > No Thank You... finally got to the last page, made sure that I was actually charged for SHIPPING only > Order.

            Copy/paste (save in a document on my PC) the CANCELLATION info - to cancel the monthly 39$ subscription as soon as I got the DVD's ...

            Simple.
            Wow. I'm so in agreement with Jason . . .

            Total PRICK! . . . But going into the deal knowing you are going to cancel is total duetschbag maneuver.
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            • Profile picture of the author codeism
              After reading everyone's replies (great insights, folks), something I think we're missing the point on is this:

              Not every product works for everyone. I didn't promote or recommend StomperNet and/or Stomping the Search Engines to my audience because I think the material, while great, really doesn't match up to what I'm helping them get through during their marketing journey. It's important to match material to audiences, and not simply assume that everybody is going to get a certain value out of something.

              I enjoyed the Going Natural Series, and I think the Stomper team are truly dedicated to helping people make money online for the long haul - but for what I want to do in my own company, I don't see a reason to invest at this moment.

              I look at what my short term - mid term - long term goals are, and what products are on the market. Right now, product creation is what we're focused on, both digital and physical - we know how to do it, the road ahead now is taking massive, focused, targeted, PASSIONATE action. With respect to my fellow product creators, affiliates, and marketing colleagues, I have chosen to limit my supplemental product purchases until I've taken more action. (*phrased carefully, I mean no disrespect whatsoever, friends*)

              It's easy to get caught up in the rush, the high of the good deal -- we're marketers, this is our passion -- and i know I'm not the only one that really digs into salesletters! I've read the Stomper salesletter from top to bottom, and it's definitely in my creation station swipe file, along with some other classics (my favorite is the Wall Street "Two Men" ad, can I get a witness?)

              Re: multiple upsells -- done well, multiple upsells key in on related desires (secondary and/or tertiary wants of a niche audience), which is why they're effective, but we already know that part. It really is a numbers game. Personally, I don't do OTO's very often, but I don't begrudge someone if that's what they want to do.

              The List Issue is another ball of wax (last one, I promise!) -- product creators cannot successfully police each and every affiliate. The general method of getting the word out about a new product or service is through JV's with lists -- as marketers and info junkies, we're on a *lot* more lists than someone in a non-IM related niche. It happens.

              I stay on lists because I like to see how others pitch -- I'm new to list building, but not new to creating relationships. So my focus is on learning the medium (email marketing), and I find a lot of great stuff.

              Someone upthread mentioned jealousy - no jealousy on this nichelady's part, to be sure -- envy is useless. action + unshakable faith = impressive results. Why envy when you can be?

              Work Hard, Play Hard, Love Easily!
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              • Profile picture of the author Shannon Herod
                I believe this was a great deal. I also look forward to being a subscriber for a very long time.

                The team at StomperNet have proven themselves to give extraordinary content for absolutely free. I can only imagine what they're paid material like.

                Actually, if you look at the statement above this is what moving the free line all about.

                With that said, how can you possibly expect them to not try to upsell you. I personally had no problems with the upsell procedure.

                But, I am a very good marketer and know what works, so I guess I expected it.

                If you are a marketer here and dislike upselling your prospects and customers you are no doubt leaving money on the table.

                Also, I hate it when I go to McDonalds and they asked me if I would like to supersize that. How dare they try to upsell me. Rotten scoundrels.

                As a matter of fact I'm going to return this half gone quarter pounder with cheese!


                Shannon
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
    Ditto - I was very impressed. Especially that *everyone* who took them up on the free offer gets access to all 12 bonuses. Super cool...
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  • Profile picture of the author Ephrils
    I just watched their unadvertised bonuses. I'm ....speechless.

    SEO is a big gap in my internet knowledge holding me back. It's a piece of knowledge that I seriously need to understand and apply to the big picture to really bring in some money. I know the basics, but not enough to get by. So, I was ONLY excited about getting Stomping The Search Engines 2, spending a week or more with it, and then start the steps to dominate the search engines. Now...

    Information overload! :p

    I'm very impressed. Webinars, software, memberships...

    It's overwhelming.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
      Incredibly generous really. My advice on the 12 new free customer bonuses: pick and choose how you are going to invest your time. There's no way to absorb it ALL, so be strategic about it
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      • Profile picture of the author Scott Ames
        Originally Posted by Lynn Terry View Post

        Incredibly generous really. My advice on the 12 new free customer bonuses: pick and choose how you are going to invest your time. There's no way to absorb it ALL, so be strategic about it
        Which bonus are you most excited about? I've been wanting some Jeff Johnson stuff for a while so that's mine. ALl the others are really cool too so its hard to say what will be my favorite.
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        Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

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        • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
          Honestly, I'm more interested in the StomperNet products. I'm going to have to really weed through the bonuses and be picky about them (due to time investment required to consume material). That said, I havent ever studied Eben Pagan's stuff, so that's probably topping my list to check out. ALL of it looks good, so I'll be making some tough decisions I'm sure!
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  • Profile picture of the author Ruth Hendrickson
    I don't mind an upsell here and there. Like Mike Filsaime said in a video, it's like McDonald's asking "would you like a coke with that?" But when I buy something and then get bombarded with multiple upsells, it becomes really annoying.

    How would you like to walk into McDonalds, order a burger, and then get asked, "would you like a coke with that?" "and would you like some fries?" well how about a milkshake to go along with your coke? and I'm sure you'd like to have a hot apple pie to go with it all. Don't you think that would get pretty annoying after a while?

    All the upsells on some of these products is getting ridiculous. Just my opinion.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shannon Herod
      I have never seen anything like this before. Brad and Andy have change the way the game is played!


      Shannon
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
      Originally Posted by Ruth Hendrickson View Post

      I don't mind an upsell here and there. Like Mike Filsaime said in a video, it's like McDonald's asking "would you like a coke with that?" But when I buy something and then get bombarded with multiple upsells, it becomes really annoying.

      How would you like to walk into McDonalds, order a burger, and then get asked, "would you like a coke with that?" "and would you like some fries?" well how about a milkshake to go along with your coke? and I'm sure you'd like to have a hot apple pie to go with it all. Don't you think that would get pretty annoying after a while?

      All the upsells on some of these products is getting ridiculous. Just my opinion.
      On this slight tangent -

      I'm not real keen on the pre upsell thing at fast food places (I think Burger King chiefly does this) where they ask you if you'd like to buy whatever before you have a chance to order.

      Annoys me.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ephrils
        Originally Posted by Justin Jordan View Post

        On this slight tangent -

        I'm not real keen on the pre upsell thing at fast food places (I think Burger King chiefly does this) where they ask you if you'd like to buy whatever before you have a chance to order.

        Annoys me.
        I've heard it said one of the best upsells of all time was "Would you like fries with that?"

        There's still stuff to be learned from them.
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        Originally Posted by Justin Jordan View Post

        On this slight tangent -

        I'm not real keen on the pre upsell thing at fast food places (I think Burger King chiefly does this) where they ask you if you'd like to buy whatever before you have a chance to order.

        Annoys me.
        Even if they're cutting you 50% off on antacid and 2 ply toilet paper?
        Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
    Actually, that happens to me at McDonalds sometimes.

    Its worth repeating though, that many of the options you see with the StomperNet offer specifically were added as "bonus options" to make up for the late release. Andy addressed that in the video during the downtime.
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  • Profile picture of the author moseleyw1111
    I look at it and I though it was a good offer and I went on and placed an order.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
    I know what you mean, Justin - Hardee's does that too. If I even go to a fast food place, I already know what I want when I get there :p
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
      Originally Posted by Lynn Terry View Post

      I know what you mean, Justin - Hardee's does that too. If I even go to a fast food place, I already know what I want when I get there :p
      Yeah, since I've been getting my health in order, I've been avoiding fast food, but man I hated that stuff.

      On the other hand, I understand they do it to build new products and that it can't really hurt them. But still. I don't mind after product sales, generally, but when I'm buying stuff I'm buying stuff and I don't want people bugging me.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
    I'm so tempted to rent your siggy
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynn Terry
    Um okay - master procrastinator here just submitted her order to StomperNet. So I walked through the entire process myself (even though I already have both products) and I honestly dont get what all the fuss is about. I didnt feel at all "bombarded" or "offended" or any of that...

    I set up my video cam and shot the whole process. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to put a video in my post here, so I wont unless you guys give me the go-ahead on that.

    It truly was a painless procedure...
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
      Originally Posted by Lynn Terry View Post

      Um okay - master procrastinator here just submitted her order to StomperNet. So I walked through the entire process myself (even though I already have both products) and I honestly dont get what all the fuss is about. I didnt feel at all "bombarded" or "offended" or any of that...

      Me, neither. When I saw this thread before I ordered, I thought it was going to be tons of upsells, but there were only 2 or 3 pages, real quick process and easy to skip anything you didn't want.

      It was also clear I could bail out anytime, since I was pretty sure my order for the initial product was in once I got past that page.

      I've bought things that had way more upsells/downsells.
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  • Profile picture of the author alg6565
    As someone who did sign up for the $97 upsell I had a few issues:

    1) When I added the "free" trial video to the order my P&P charges increased by $15; contrast that with the P&P charged for the $97 product which was just over $6. Clearly, they are making some money on an inflated P&P charge.

    2) My most serious issue was with the shopping cart. I went into the deal expecting to just pay maybe $30-40. I signed up for the magazine (to get STSE2) and the video, P&P was just over $30 to the UK. I then get all these upsells and statements to the effect that the order process has not been completed yet and that you need to customize your order etc. - the clear implication to me was that the order had not yet been finalized.

    Think about it: most shopping carts allow you to add items to the cart, you then go to the checkout and complete the purchase. That is a model that most of us are used to.

    That is not what happened in my case. I added the $97 video series to my order, then was offered the $247 upsell product which I declined, then I was offered the basic version of the same product for $147. I was tempted to buy this product but did not want to spend that much money on the credit card I had entered the details for. I backed up on my browser to change the card details, but ended up losing the page.

    Before I had a chance to go through the process again, I saw from my email messages that my order had already been placed for both the STSE2 and the $97 product.

    I do not think for one moment that the Stomper team have adopted this payment scheme by chance. They probably know damn well that many people get carried away with their purchases, adding item after item to the shopping basket, but then come to their senses when they see the combined total at the checkout stage.

    I am pretty annoyed that they give an impression that you are customising your order but you are in fact not adding items to a shopping cart, which is what most of us expect, but are processing the order immediately you click on the item button.

    I am sure that the information will be useful but I feel that I have been manipulated by a payment process that differs from that used by most responsible ecommerce sites


    Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    Speaking as someone TOTALLY unqualified to comment...having ignored all the emails I got about this launch...I'm going to anyway

    The reason this passed under my radar is simply my perception that:

    Stomper = More than I can afford.

    Now whether I missed out on a great 'free' product (or a great $20 product with free S+H...?) is by the by.

    Upsells are OK, it's bread & butter stuff. Sounds like there were quite a few, which is great for some & will piss off others. Whatever.

    Presumably the offer was stated in such a way that the buyer was under no obligation to carry on with the continuity program.

    And no obligation means just that. Why get all hot under the collar when someone chooses not to pony up the monthly subscription?

    If you offer it, you honour it. And you expect a percentage of folk to take advantage of it.

    That's the game, right?

    I'm sure Brad & Andy aren't in the least bit bothered anyway.

    My takeaway is don't get mad when you sell people on a free offer & find out they don't want to spend money later.

    It's not your prospect's obligation (that word again) to whip out their credit card to pay for your kid's college fund...it's your obligation to solve your prospect's problems so convincingly they'll HAPPILY buy from you.

    And that's just my opinion, which may or may not be valid in the big wide world.

    Steve
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