Do you sell stuff that you don't use or 'believe' in ??

I know not promoting garbage products has cost me money over the years, but, I really do not care as I just would not feel right doing it.

It's one of my key criteria for selecting a product to promote. If I don't think it works/don't believe in it then I move on to the next product or option. That doesn't mean I have to try every product, it would be impossible in the health niche.
Now, I have been told I like to see the best in people so I'd guess he has used bluehost in the past.
Or maybe he's just laughing all the way to the bank

-edit-
From the man himself:

"All of my niche websites are hosted on Bluehost...Even SmartPassiveIncome started on Bluehost."

I know there's plenty of marketers making bank (or claiming to) by selling all sorts of crap. However, if you want your list to continue trusting in you, I'd advise against it.

As Warren Buffet said, ""It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."

Yes you can probably earn a lot of money selling crapware and mediocre (at best) services and products. But in the end, the one thing that does get damaged is your integrity. And selling poor and inferior products over time will earn you the reputation of a scam artist or hustler at best. Maybe you won't earn as much not promoting this junk, but your subscribers and customers will more than likely be loyal because of the integrity of what you are promoting. Being a successful online entrepreneur isn't all about how much money you earn, but, by how much value you offer. In the long run, sell garbage will eventually hurt your business and reputation.

Rob

Remember when we started 8-9 years ago ! and all the rage at the time was reselling hostgator hosting

used to get 1.5K a month on signups about 40 people per month through a website

That was a good earner there for awhile , one of the threads just recently someone mention that payment for signups was not that good , now not sure if this is just hostgator or all hosting companies

Which if thats true makes me think the figures may be fudged ! but not seeing the site hard to make a define decision.

Jason

Rule number one of selling something! The product has to be the s**t. That needs to be a given!

Rob,

I understand what you are thinking (I think) by asking this question. Something along the lines of:
And if you aren't thinking exactly this, I have in the past about others.

While I agree with the general feeling, a few thoughts to consider:

1. Some people really do have great experiences with EIG companies. Let's face it - if everyone were having super bad experiences then everyone would leave but they don't. Many people recommend them today on the forum that have no commissions in play.

It's like everything in life. Some people think Walmart are scammers selling cheap plastic junk from China while others rely on their cheap prices for many of their family's daily needs from milk to diapers to clothes to electronics. Take any big name - Apple, Microsoft, Delta, FB, Google, the government, etc. and they all have their haters and their supporters.

2. About not using it himself - it may be that he's outgrown it with the traffic he gets but 99.9% of his visitors would still benefit. He may have used them in the past, who knows.

I know big marketers that recommend Aweber but they use InfusionSoft or a provider better suited for their own huge lists.

When they do this, though, it brings the immediate question - if so and so were so good then why don't you use it? And prompts people to ask questions like you did here. This is where marketers can do a better job by explaining why they use 2CO but are recommending CB or they use X hosting but they are pushing Y hosting. A little transparency goes a long way in building trust.

3. We all have a little hypocrite in us. We tell our kids to be healthy but we smoke. We get on to them for not fully participating in gym class but we haven't exercised in years. Etc.

4. $40,000 a month in BH earnings + $92,000 in other earnings in November is a whole nother ball game.

It may be that people at that level of earnings are so focused, with their head down and getting stuff done that they've never thought about or heard about or read about any negative EIG reviews. Most of us that are at a much, much, much lower level than $132,000 a month spend our time differently than those at that level. That's one reason they make the big bucks.

We know the latest news, gossip, have seen the latest reviews, read all the sales emails, surf around, get info on this and that, and are well rounded on all the goings and comings. While people like Pat may not be doing any of that but are 100% focused on maximizing and leveraging their time on stuff that truly matters. And a few people that complain about a huge hosting company may not be important enough to even think about.

I know I have been guilty of this one in the past.

In the end, this is one of those things where there is no right or wrong answer. We don't know his whys of promoting them - we see it's for the good affiliate program but maybe it's something totally on the up and up (such as a good experience) as I mentioned above.

But it is something for us all to think about as we do our own promotions.

Mark

PS Oops I did it again! I just spent time responding to this thread instead of doing what I should have been doing.

The reason why a lot of blog owners promote EIG owned hosting companies is because they pay the highest commissions in the land. Som it;s more convenient to promote them. It's also not right to say a host is not good just because it is owned by EIG. Bluehost and Hostgator which are both EIG hosts have something that a lot of other hosts don't have and as someone who hosts a couple of sites with Hostgator, they have some of the best sipport systems in the hosting industry.

I only sell what I actually believe in, but I do think it's a very useful exercise (IF you have the time) to try and write convincing copy on something you don't believe in, knowing full well that you won't be putting it out there or using it to take anyone's money.

Challenging yourself in this way is like playing devil's advocate in a debate against the side you believe in, and results in a higher skill level and deeper insight (imho)

No, I will not to do that

Sell stuff I don't use - absolutely. It can be a good product even if it's not for me.
But stuff I don't believe in (as in crap) - no. Not just that I loose my clients trust, but shopping online overall.

Personally, I sell products & services that I use for myself (my biz group too).

It means as "Coerenza" here, in Italy

Happened to me right now... promoted a product to my list that was gooood but (if I were honest) it wasn't the most cutting edge thing. Had a couple people mail me in asking why I promoted it.

Reinforced in my head that you should ONLY promote stuff you truly believe will help them out.

Yes.

I test the products I promote, and I believe in the products I create because I ave tested that my training works.

I work in different niches, the only niche products, that I cant test myself are womens stuff, but my GF tests different things, so i can write or make videos about them.

I think, escpecially in the wealth niche, that it is important to test out trainings before recommending it to others.

This way buyers believe you, when you promote stuff.

The longer I have been in IM, the more picky I am with what products I promote.

If you haven't used it yourself you are only guessing and it won't come through in your words. And you will only be parroting what other people are saying.

I could see if you are direct linking but if you are putting your name out there you don't want to be associated with sub par products.

And as we know, in order to sell you have to be more and more involved in the process. So for me, recommending crap is not an option.

Most definitely not.

I was just recently offered the chance to promote a product, which is going to be pretty big launch. I didn't have to buy the product, but I care too much about my subscribers not to buy.

I need to have a full understanding of any product, to not only know whether it's a good fit for my list, but also to do the product justice.

Also, if you don't go through the product fully, how do you make a useful bonus to help promote the product?

I've seen first hand marketers promoting products without having a clue about the ins and outs and it shows.

Quite frankly, all affiliates need to by a review copy, to get the same experience as their customers.

perfonnally i prefer following someone i can eleive on. From these rules i've got from Chris Record ansd some other mentors Do you really trust the person do you like the person do you know the person. i want to follow somoene who got the balls to show me thre truth who is not scared of competition like vick strizheus. wha has trust in himself who has value real true value not shit passed date from last year the thing that are working right now and that always worked out then i can buy the product we're not in the businnes product guys we're in the people businness

The transparency thing goes a long way. I, myself, make clear distinctions between stuff I'm reviewing (as in 'I've used it long enough to do so'), recommending (which could also include things I haven't used from people/companies I've learned to trust, or which have enough reviews at multiple sources to get a reasonable picture), or stuff I'm simply making people aware of.

Whichever category something fits into, I'm transparent about why I'm mentioning it and how well I know it.

I'm also transparent about many of the things I link to use affiliate links.

I only sell products and services I believe in which most of the times are my own.

Absolutely agree with what so many other have said (I'm so glad to see so many internet marketers that actually still have integrity!)

You really have to fully believe in the value of what you sell or promote. Building a successful, LONG TERM business really has to be based on delivering value to other people and genuinely helping them. If the value is not there, people will see through what you are doing, sooner or later, and it will back fire on you, one way or another. If you are not promoting something that has solid value, you can not expect customers to keep coming back, and that's not a long term strategy.

Everyone has their own opinion on this topic.

When I got started online back in 2002, it never crossed my mind that I should promote stuff that I BELIEVE in or use.

When it took me till 2007 to start making money, my mentor just told me and others what to promote even though we never used the products ourselves.

Some say that you should use the product you are promoting to have MORAL AUTHORITY and others don't care and still earn LARGE amounts per month.

It all depends on YOU.

Is the product or service in the best interest of the prospect/customer? If so, by all means, sell it; if not, don't
even think of selling it. You never sell anything you don't believe is in the best interest of the prospect/customer.
but I think you can work for a company you believe in and still sell products that aren't your favorite or that you personally
wouldn't buy It's all about the customer what they would like, not what you would like. It's not important what you like.

That's just like, your opinion man (The Dude).

I see folks whine on this forum about Hostgator and EIG but I've had very good hosting from Hostgator. Still a great host today.

The way I see it a lot of folks pass up good opportunities because they've read something on the internet (usually competition BS or social lies).

It's probably a safe bet you've never used Bluehost. Am I right?

BTW, IMers tend to have multiple sites and multiple host.

I've given this a lot of thought over the years.

..I think it's fine to promote products that you know are right for your audience, while you may have outgrown those same products.

For example, I was with Aweber for years.. and still recommend them despite having moved onto greener pastures myself.

That's because Aweber works and is great for most people needs.. and if you're into affiliate marketing then it's one of the best options around... but imo it's still for newbies who either aren't aware of what's possible with email marketing or can't afford it.