Everything About Making Money Online Has Led Me Down. Is This Even Real?

25 replies
This software, that software, this new outrageous way to make money, that outrageous way to make money, autopilot this, autopilot that, fire your boss, financial freedom talk and also an endless spamming of my email inbox led me to witness that everyone is a con artist.

Or am I wrong? I have wasted my money on this and have whenever possible asked for a refund.

Do people really make money on the internet and if so do they not want to truthfully share it?

So far most if not all that I have witnessed is some con artist making money from selling something that is believed to make money for you.

I don't know what to say anymore..just frustrated, exhausted and broke.
#led #making #money #online #real
  • Profile picture of the author jezter6
    Stop buying junk products and methods and start DOING.

    Learn from making mistakes, but at least get something out there to be seen and potentially purchased.

    if you fail, you know what not to do and move on and try something else. but at least get ONE project going and focus on it for a little while instead of just reading other people's junk and trying a thousand things.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547602].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dad2four
    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    This software, that software, this new outrageous way to make money, that outrageous way to make money, autopilot this, autopilot that, fire your boss, financial freedom talk and also an endless spamming of my email inbox led me to witness that everyone is a con artist.

    Or am I wrong? I have wasted my money on this and have whenever possible asked for a refund.

    Do people really make money on the internet and if so do they not want to truthfully share it?

    So far most if not all that I have witnessed is some con artist making money from selling something that is believed to make money for you.

    I don't know what to say anymore..just frustrated, exhausted and broke.
    I'm no Internet Marketing Millionaire. In fact I work a day job

    BUT

    I can guarantee you that there are many methods of IM that work beautifully.

    I can offer you many examples to help prove this to you. Some of my examples are personal experience so you'll probably be skeptical although my examples are realistic, nothing fantastic.

    1. Three years ago I wrote an autoblogging tool that built me websites automagically. I used Google Adsense to monetize the sites. I created a few of the sites and in all honesty they were absolute junk sites. three of those sites generated some money and one of them went on to generate $100 a year for three years. This site just stopped making me money summer 2014. I spent a total of 20 minutes building that site.

    2. I used direct linking on a free classifieds site send traffic to a clickbank product. I spent no time selecting my product, my ads were absolute junk. In all honesty I was tricking the clicker into clicking to get them over to the product page. I generated $100 using this method with a total of maybe 45 minutes of work.

    3. Lets take CPA as an example. Get yourself an account on some CPA network and look around at how many ads are available. do you think all of these people would continue to participate if they were not getting results? Realize if they get results someone is getting paid for each of the successful submissions.

    4. Go out to Ebay and browse around. Find yourself a successful seller and look at the number of sales that they have. Enourmous numbers. Would they keep selling if they were not turning a profit? That's alot of effort for no money right?

    5. There are sites available on the web that will help you "spy" on adwords users. You can see that they post ads in adwords for years. You can see them tweak their ad, then tweak it back because the previous ad wsa more successful. You can even see how many times their ads are placed and estimates of how much they spend on those ads. Do you think anyone will continue to spend on those ads if they are not generating an income from them? Heck, one of googles main source of income is those ads. Do you think Google could generate billions if they were not creating profit for the majority of their users?

    Look around, you can see evidence all over the place that varioius forms of IM work and work well.

    Get past the "is it real hump" or you will never figure it out.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547610].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author freshideas
      Hey. Certainly feel your frustration. But feeling like this is a good thing and you should use it to your advantage.

      I'm no IM millionaire (YET!) and still have a way to go but here's what helped me to get rid of that same feeling/ frustration you're experiencing. And believe me, when I heard these it didn't sink in and I paid the price for not implementing it straight away.

      No disrespect but often we ask for help but still don't implement the advice provided. I kept on stumbling forth even though I had all the answers already. I was just too thick headed to admit that I've been doing it wrong...

      BTW these are real experiences, passed on from great marketers on this forum & elsewhere and by no means complete. But if you can take something out of it you'll have taken one step in the right direction already.

      Anyway:

      Focus
      Stop buying everything that pops up on your screen that promises millions by next week. You said yourself: it's not working. So just take a step back, clear your inbox from all the marketer's mails you get by the minute. It's cluttering your life and your head. You need cold water in your face so you can have a fresh perspective.

      I told my better half a while back that I just, IM wise, wanted to sweep my arm over the table to clear it from all the junk online products I've horded over the years. She just said: "So do it." Best advice ever!

      Perspective
      If you make a terrible cup of coffee will you use the same ingredients/ formula again. I bet not. So why use the same formula to reach your IM dreams if it's not working? Get a new approach and different viewpoint.

      Why
      Why do you want to make money online? What will drive you? Get you to go sit down even though your friends are out having a good time? Get you to work on even though you're tired after your 9-5 grind? Once you have a goal and you reach it, the reward (a lot of money and satisfaction from doing what you love) will follow.

      Plan
      Now that you have a goal, sit down and break it up into small actionable tasks. Things you can complete on a regular basis that will help you to get closer to your goal. Doesn't have to be big. As long as you can keep moving forward towards you 'why'.

      Action
      Keep taking action. Everyday. Even if it's just a little. If you do nothing, nothing will happen. I sure as hell am not going to do it for you and no one else will. Take responsibility for where you are. Stop blaming this online program or that training and marketer. Use what you have and make it work. It's as simple as deciding. Just keep going.

      Value
      IMPORTANT! Look to provide value online. Help others by solving their problems in the niche that you decide to go for. What are things that you struggled with? How can you help those you get in contact with? Stop being greedy, wanting to make money off every poor soul that comes along and that you 'force' to click your link. Give them value, solve their problems and they'll reward you richly. At my work they like to remind us: "Clients can hear you smile on the phone." Same here. Prospects will pick up whether you're honest. I don't know how but they do.

      Mentor
      Instead of buying a load of software etc, why not search the forum for a mentor, get in touch and see if they're willing to guide you? Doing this literally saved my life. And the value, skills and knowledge I got was worth way more than when I went to college. Invest in yourself. Also keep coming back to this forum and other like these and read what the big guns here have to say. There's more than enough to guide you and help you with all the things I mentioned here.

      Business
      This is a business you're going to run. Be serious about it and treat it like one. It will treat you the same way you treat it. So plan, budget, take action, schedule and evolve. Rinse and repeat what works and always keep testing your limits.

      Once you get the hang of these you will make a success of any program or software or whatever the hell else pops up on your screen. But pick one, make it work and move on to another if you want.

      So there you go. Just my take on your Q.

      Wishing you the best. Not that easy but so worth it! Question is just how determined are you to make it work?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547861].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ben Holmes
    You'll start making money online when you stop buying, and start selling.

    It's really just that simple.

    You sell either your own products, affiliate products, or services (yours or others).

    You learn how to get traffic to your offers.

    You can't make money buying info products from others on how to make money online. You can only start earning when you start doing the work.

    Just my two cents worth...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547672].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Schuman
      I liked what Ben Holmes said. Years ago I read something from Perry Marshall that has always stuck with me. I am paraphrasing it like this...

      "Find a product people need and sell it to them at a profit"...Make sense?

      If we all did that we would all make more money online.

      Originally Posted by Ben Holmes View Post

      You'll start making money online when you stop buying, and start selling.

      It's really just that simple.

      You sell either your own products, affiliate products, or services (yours or others).

      You learn how to get traffic to your offers.

      You can't make money buying info products from others on how to make money online. You can only start earning when you start doing the work.

      Just my two cents worth...
      Signature
      Jeff Schuman - SEO Blog Writer For Hire! Buy affordable, SEO, quality, MMO niche blog articles. Fast turnaround.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548637].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Ben Holmes
        Originally Posted by Jeff Schuman View Post

        I liked what Ben Holmes said. Years ago I read something from Perry Marshall that has always stuck with me. I am paraphrasing it like this...

        "Find a product people need and sell it to them at a profit"...Make sense?

        If we all did that we would all make more money online.
        I have to admit that it wasn't my original thought... I found it here on the Warrior Forum... Someone here said something to the effect that he started making money when he stopped buying, and started selling... I wish I could remember who it was that said that... it's just such a brilliant and pithy statement.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548684].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Villanueva
    Ive been there when I started my online business 10 months ago i even thought my coach was a scam and this doesn't work. But everytime I see his testimonials from his students who are from third world countries making it and killing it, I ask myself how and why?

    The how was easy, any one knows hardwork. It takes massive action to make massive results in IM.

    The next is why? You have to ask really deep down why you want to start IM in the first place.

    My why was to provide my growing family the best life I can provide with my God given talents.

    If your why is to just make money, that will never be strong enough to bust your ass day in and day out.

    Stop looking at what successful people are at now and see where they began, the struggles, sleepless night, triple jobs, and cries they had to go through to while looking at failure ignorantly as a positive learning curve and pushing forward towards little success they got from the start then learning how to scale efficiently by reinvesting back into their business.

    If you can fight through the frustration and really stick to mastering a skill for example, blogging, coaching, list building, paid ads, copywrite or seo, you will see success.

    Dont spread yourself too thin and be a jack of all trades and master of none.

    Ive got about 60 students this date that I worked my butt off getting their business a success and it all started with helping them genuinely. And their success stories will be a much better leverage than my own success stories and earnings put together.

    You chase the paper money first and not genuinely help people get what they want, you will never succeed in this business or any business.

    Time to ask yourself •why" you are doing this business, Learn how to play the game, Copy what the leaders are doing and study their systems, and most of all take consistent ACTION!

    Joe
    Signature
    Need a Coach to generate leads and TRIPLE your online business income?
    Let me Inspire and Empower You!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547711].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AndyFrance
    I would like to give my 2 cents on this matter.

    I have heard all the stories as well. Some guy from nigeria making a million in 5 minutes..

    In my opinion the best way to go about internet marketing is to start building a list. I really doesn't matter if you build it with free or paid traffic. What matters is that you start building an "audience". When you reach a certain size of list say 1000 or 1500 subscribers you will have access to traffic on demand. Everytime you send them an email with an offer or a blogpost or a video or whatever, you will start seeing traffic straight away.

    I really feel that this strategy has lifted my believe in this business. Now when I find a decent offer on clickbank I normally create a custom squeeze page and send an email to my list. I have a list of close to 25.000 people, but even if my list was smaller it would still be useful to get traffic almost instantly.

    You should expect that around 5% opens the email you send and 2% will click the link. (conservative)

    Just my humble opinion - Good luck!

    Best

    Andy
    Signature
    Follow my personal blog Andyfrance.com Traffic Generation + Online Marketing
    My personal Facebook Profile To follow my crazy "Dot Com Lifestyle"
    Sign up for my FREE List Building Course [Super NEWBIE Friendly] 7 Days To 100$
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547743].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author flyingskill
    Well! a good thread. It must go on. Internet Marketing is a Virtual Reality Bro.

    Recap all...

    Search for your ''WHY''

    Ask yourself can you ''Take Action'', instead of Procrastination.

    Don't try to be master of all, you will end up as the master of none!!!!!

    According to Jim Rohn, '' Take Massive Action, It is Called Cure All!

    Regards
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547779].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    Do people really make money on the internet
    No!

    It's all an elaborate hoax designed to make people like you feel stupid.
    Signature
    Get Off The Warrior Forum Now & Don't Come Back If You Want To Succeed!
    All The Real Marketers Are Gone. There's Nothing Left But Weak, Sniveling Wanna-Bees!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547795].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Singletary
    So you are a serial refunder? That's part of your problem. Most of them are either just plain thieves or they are jumping from one thing to another without ever giving anything a real snowball's chance of succeeding.

    You only have to look at this forum to see whether people make money. I'm not talking about the ads and signatures and idiots selling idiots handsfree doodads and make money without lifting a finger systems.

    I'm talking about the original owner that was just a regular guy like me or you. Over the years he started several businesses and most of them aren't around any more. But one idea he had - building a forum or a community for people that were trying to sell things online to get together and help each other did work out and he recently sold it to a big company for $3, 200,000 (that's 3.2 million dollars).

    That's $160,000 a year for 20 years. No employees. No offices. No nothing but an idea, some guts, and some determination to see it through. Most people here admit that if he'd really pushed it and maxed out the potential of the place 3 million would have been a very small drop in the bucket - he could have sold it for much, much, much more.

    So what's your idea? What are you willing to stick to? Who do you want to help? What do you bring to the table?

    Mark



    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    This software, that software, this new outrageous way to make money, that outrageous way to make money, autopilot this, autopilot that, fire your boss, financial freedom talk and also an endless spamming of my email inbox led me to witness that everyone is a con artist.

    Or am I wrong? I have wasted my money on this and have whenever possible asked for a refund.

    Do people really make money on the internet and if so do they not want to truthfully share it?

    So far most if not all that I have witnessed is some con artist making money from selling something that is believed to make money for you.

    I don't know what to say anymore..just frustrated, exhausted and broke.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547833].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    everyone is a con artist
    What a wonderful way to greet the members of a forum with your very first post. Congratulations, you have alienated all those who are here to help you.


    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    I have wasted my money on this and have whenever possible asked for a refund
    And somehow this is the fault of everyone here on the forum. You have chosen to purchase junk products that you've wasted money on and now you blame others because you have gone against the wisdom of tons of marketers here that will tell you not to purchase products until you know what you're doing and until you have a specific need.


    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    So far most if not all that I have witnessed is some con artist making money from selling something that is believed to make money for you
    Obviously you're not looking in the right places. You're being sucked in by all the "con artists" and you have no sense of where you're going or what you should be doing.


    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    I don't know what to say anymore..just frustrated, exhausted and broke.
    As I see it, you have two choices:
    1. Quit Internet marketing right now. You don't have the mindset, temperament, patience or discipline to become a success in this business;
    2. You are in need of a complete reboot of your brain. Forget everything you've learned so far (because you've focused on all the wrong things). Start over and do as most folks here would suggest: watch, study, learn, ask questions, design a plan, and begin working at doing things that will create and grow a business. Don't spend money on junk and hype.
    Until you learn to take full responsibility for your own success, you are going to struggle mightily trying to make money because there will always be people in this business that will entice you to waste your money and time.

    I hope you are able to turn things around,

    Steve
    Signature

    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547862].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Martin Avis
    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    This software, that software, this new outrageous way to make money, that outrageous way to make money, autopilot this, autopilot that, fire your boss, financial freedom talk and also an endless spamming of my email inbox led me to witness that everyone is a con artist.
    Well, there's your problem. Stop skipping from one thing to another. Get out of your head that there is an 'easy' way - and if a product makes outrageous promises, don't buy it. Spam - if indeed it IS spam and not just emails you haven't bothered to cancel - is not worth taking the time to check out, so stop that.

    Or am I wrong? I have wasted my money on this and have whenever possible asked for a refund.
    If you have asked for, and received a refund you haven't wasted anything apart from your time. But have you really tried out the products of just assumed they won't work?

    Do people really make money on the internet and if so do they not want to truthfully share it?
    Of course we do. There are lots of people (me included) who make a darned good living - and teach what we know. The trouble is, Internet marketing is peculiar in that what works brilliantly for me, might not work at all for you. Your skillset may be different to mine. Your attitude may be different. Your aptitude may be different. Your personality -and thus the things you'll enjoy doing - will certainly be different.

    Does that mean that if I teach you how I make a six figure income and it doesn't work for you that I am a scammer? No! It just means that we are different and that you have to do what I did when I started out and find the methods and strategies that WILL work for you.

    There is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution. Even building a list and marketing to it - which is what most people seem to recommend here on the WF - depends on your ability to write, communicate, entertain and connect to your audience. You might suck at all that stuff. Building niche websites might suit you better. Or one of the hundreds of other ways to do 'Internet marketing'.

    So far most if not all that I have witnessed is some con artist making money from selling something that is believed to make money for you.
    I, too, have bought many products that were not suited to my personality but I don't brand their creators as con artists. Of course I know that there are some of those around, but the truth is that most products, and most product creators are pretty genuine. That their product is a bad match for you doesn't make it a bad product. And if, as you say, you can get a refund, there is nothing much lost. You certainly haven't been conned.[/QUOTE]

    I don't know what to say anymore..just frustrated, exhausted and broke.
    Internet marketing IS hard when you are first starting out. It is not a quick fix and anyone who tries to tell you that you can make money from a standing start overnight is not someone you should be buying from.

    And until you can find which type of Internet marketing matches your personality (some never do because they spend so long skipping from one thing to another that they never give themselves a chance) it will be very frustrating.

    All of us who are making full time livings have been there. The thing is that we kept at it and learned what works FOR US.

    If you can't do that, then give up now. Internet marketing probably isn't for you. But if you are prepared to focus on testing out one thing at a time, are prepared to be brutally honest with yourself about where your skills lie and understand that you may not see any real results for months, then it is a great business to be in.

    Martin

    P.S. Looks like Steve and I were typing at the same time! Great minds think alike!
    Signature
    Martin Avis publishes Kickstart Newsletter - Subscribe free at http://kickstartnewsletter.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547868].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author adenclark
    It's all about mastering the art of generating targeted traffic, that you send into a sales funnel that's capable of converting those leads into sales. Then you have a system in place to generate more money from the people that buy, by offering high ticket offers.

    TRAFFIC >> SQUEEZE PAGE >> SALES FUNNEL >> CONVERSIONS >> FRONT-END SALES >> TRACKING >> OPTIMIZING >> SCALING >> EMAIL FOLLOW-UP >> PHONE SALES >> BACK-END OFFERS!

    Not particularly in that order, but you get the idea. Hope that helps.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547882].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author bobby_shahzad
    Hi,

    People do make a lot of money online, you just have to be consistent and Focus on one thing at a time. There is no short cut or get rich quick. You have to consistently work on your niche, generate leads and create relationship with your subscribers. Email marketing is one of best ways to establish relationship with your subscribers. SEO is un predictable so I wont recommend that to you.

    Dont give up, you can do it.
    Signature
    BulkResponse.com Email marketing service , single and double optin accounts. List Hygiene Service Available.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547906].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      I do not necessarily say to stop buying Products.

      But stop buying products to find the next best way to make money online.

      Pick a trusted model (and there are plenty ) and stick with it

      Take a roam around here for a little bit and you will see.

      Once you start putting a Plan to Action still stay up to date on whatever Niche you choose.

      I still buy products after years of being in IM. I do it to keep sharp and knowledgeable on my Niches.

      And to stay current on what works and what doesn't.


      - Robert Andrew
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547933].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author miklanderson2
    Maybe the problem isn't the products you're buying. Maybe you're struggling because you aren't taking the right kind of action. What have YOU actually done to try to make money online? Buying products and refunding them doesn't count.
    Signature

    "A bargain is something you don’t need at a price you can’t resist."
    -Franklin Jones

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9547924].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Robert Puddy
    it took me 3 years to become an overnight success...

    I can remember when I had 5 people on my list and 3 of them were me from testing the form,
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548416].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author moneymagneto
    You have to write a book, and do some hard work to get anywhere with online marketing. You can self publish and then market your book. This is how people make money. Others sell physical products like E-Cigarettes. This counts also as online marketing.

    Anything sold online is online marketing. Whether it's a physical product or a digital product. Digital is just easier to scale as products cost more dough.

    You should learn FB Ad platform, Google Adwords, etc then launch and market your stuff when it's ready.

    NICHE is easy. You write "interest bubbles" or things that interest you personally and then it will be easier to sell that product. I have dozens of interest so I can easily find a Niche product to market.

    It all boils down to hard work, and SMART work. You can't take easy street when working for yourself, it's just as much pressure as working in an office.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548463].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    I've said it once and it looks like I'll say it again:

    If you're new to the business of making money online, my advice is to utilize myriad free learning resources, testing them out, gaining experience, and there will come a point in your new career where - with this experience - you will have a better understanding of which products are good and which are bad.

    Here's the problem: there is very little regulation to the industry or barriers to entry. For example, if I want to release a pharmaceutical product, barriers to entry would be huge, and of course there's stringent regulation. Not so for moneymaking products. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a rudimentary understanding of how to release and sell an electronic product. It's cheap, almost anyone can do it, and there is very little come-back should your product be poor. So the situation of crappy products is bound to arise in this industry.

    The only sure way to protect your time and your financial investment is to get experience before you spend money.
    Signature

    I Coach: Learn More | My Latest WF Thread: Dead Domains/ Passive Traffic

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548477].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author gmarklin
    Buying products that tell you that you will make loads of money by buying this software, and pressing a few buttons, is an outright lie, and you are just throwing your money away.

    You can make money on the internet, but there are no short cuts.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548482].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jasondinner
    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    This software, that software, this new outrageous way to make money, that outrageous way to make money, autopilot this, autopilot that, fire your boss, financial freedom talk
    Are you shopping exclusively in the WSO section? lol
    Signature

    "Human thoughts have the tendency to transform themselves into their physical equivalent." Earl Nightingale

    Super Affiliates Hang Out Here

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548509].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author daled123
    You hear stories such as "Stay at home mum makes $5000 each day"
    Which is plausible and probably true, What you aren't understanding is
    before that day there is work involved to build a business. Would you buy if you was told "6 months learning and 3 months of hard work means that stay at home mum makes $5000 each day"?...
    I didn't think so. Maybe not when the product next to it offers "shortcuts".

    So to answer your question yes people are making good money online, and what you are told
    is usually only the tip of the iceberg and what isn't mentioned is the amount of work involved to make
    vast amounts of money each day. Its all about progress, Stop buying, start Learning, and start doing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548541].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author The Niche Man
    Originally Posted by Titangod View Post

    I don't know what to say anymore..just frustrated, exhausted and broke.




    Don't throw in the towel yet. Now you're in the perfect postion to succeed. It's surprising how many people started in your postiion, including me. The good news.
    • You'll stop spending money on get rich quick baloney!
    • You'll take advantage of all the free information laying at your feet!
    • You (should) know what not to do!
    • You'll listen to the advice in this thread ... instead of the advice in your head!
    Now that your frustrated, exhaused and broke, the only place you can go is up. Now do it the right way this time. What have you got to lose?
    Signature
    Download "Free 80 Page E-Book"
    "201 Ways To Live Better On Less Money".
    "Because The Easiest Way To Make Money is ... ... By Saving Some First!"
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548583].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AffEngineer
    99% of Affiliate Products are over marketed. Not to say they don't work. It takes much longer than what the average newbie would think to make it work.

    The ONLY way to make decent money on the net is just start trying things. Learn from your mistakes and you'll get better and better. You also need a bit of guidance along the way so I'd suggest be part of either Aff Playbook or Stackthatmoney so they can tell you where you can improve your game!

    All the best
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9548645].message }}

Trending Topics