Coca Cola: "Who else wants to learn our secret formula for $9.95??"

by Howdy Doody Banned
21 replies
Why don't I ever see ads like that? Because people running legitimate businesses don't sell their money-making secrets.

It's stupid, destructive, and just plain bad business.

So next time you read that WSO ad copy, think about it in this light. If you have a strategy that makes a significant amount of money, you're not going to sell it for $7.95. Even if it's not prone to saturation, it's important to maintain some confidentially in business.

There are some great WSOs. Many involve downloading software, coaching, introductory guides, etc. However, the promise to show you how to make $4,055.11 in two days? That's B.S.

You'd be much better off losing your time and money experimenting yourself, and gaining the first-hand experience.

Yes, I've made some generalizations here, but I hope what I've written is food for thought.
#coca #cola
  • Profile picture of the author colio
    Howdy Howdy Doody

    Whilst you're probably going to be labeled as a pessimist & cynic, I tend to agree! My big question I've always wanted to ask the "guru's" is how much money do they make out of actually doing IM through what they teach us & actually publicly available CPA offers, affiliate programs etc, versus how much money they make from selling training courses, their own eBooks etc.

    One has to question why these guru's would want to sell their "secrets" & therefore increase competition. If these money making ideas are sooo good, then why don't they keep them for themselves & just keep making lots of money from them?

    But then, business is business. If you can make money from selling whatever product, be it selling dog training videos or affiliate marketing training courses, why wouldn't you?! If people are still willing to pay for whatever you are selling, then you are going to keep selling it right?

    People do it everyday & the world keeps turning..
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Howard
      There are several reasons why they sell it.

      But most importantly - its their gosh darn business model!

      Also - what competition? Most of the stuff a lot of these guru's sell is HOW to market and sell.

      That isn't like selling Coke, or some secret. Much of it is offline selling tactics applied online.

      Finally, even if it generates competition, it doesn't generate much. Most people do diddly squat with the info handed to them.

      Rob


      Originally Posted by colio View Post

      Howdy Howdy Doody

      One has to question why these guru's would want to sell their "secrets" & therefore increase competition. If these money making ideas are sooo good, then why don't they keep them for themselves & just keep making lots of money from them?
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Howdy Doody View Post

    Why don't I ever see ads like that? Because people running legitimate businesses don't sell their money-making secrets.
    They also don't call themselves "Howdy Doody."
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author activetrader
    Originally Posted by Howdy Doody View Post

    Why don't I ever see ads like that? Because people running legitimate businesses don't sell their money-making secrets.
    Your headline made me laugh!!

    As far as your statement, I personally strongly agree...

    However, I can see why many marketers sell their 'secrets'; because by selling their 'secrets' they are gaining customer base of those who want to learn how to make money online... they will upsell them over and over, as long as they keep them on the list...

    On the other hand, those who sell info products that are NOT about 'how to make money online', but are about how to lose weight, get rid of various infections, build a shed, etc. - those are marketers who I don't usually see disclosing their 'secrets'...

    I personally fall into the later category - I don't sell products about how to make money online, thus I don't sell $7-WSO's containing my 'secrets' ;-)
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    Me

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  • Profile picture of the author John Atkins
    Originally Posted by Howdy Doody View Post


    It's stupid, destructive, and just plain bad business.
    Who cares...

    It works, that's all that matters.

    I think selling pixels online is an incredibly stupid idea. Yet one
    guy generated 1 million dollars from a website that does that... :/



    EDIT:

    It's bad only if you sell lies & BS. If you sell good info that helped
    you succeed, then there's nothin wrong with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fraggler
    There is a difference between a person selling an information product and a person selling false hopes.

    There are numerous reasons for someone to sell their secrets. They might need a quick injection of cash; trying to build up a reputation; have the system loaded in the backend for continual income. Give away your $100/day system to make $1000/day - that's smart! Some people love to teach. Some people make money by teach others to make money.

    There is a lot of rot in the WSO section but your analogy is a little off the mark.
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  • Profile picture of the author bgmacaw
    Originally Posted by Howdy Doody View Post

    Coca Cola: "Who else wants to learn our secret formula for $9.95??"
    From Coca-Cola History: Coca-Cola Heritage Timeline

    Asa Candler bought the formula for Coca-Cola for $2300, not $9.95.

    Candler didn't realize that the future (in 1899) was in bottled soft drinks and two Chattanooga lawyers secured exclusive bottling rights for $1.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Here's a little secret that you'll figure out eventually, HD.

    As long as you think the value of your business is what you already have, you will struggle.

    The true value in your business is what you are yet to create.

    And when you're trying to lock up and guard what you already have so nobody can steal it, guess what you're not doing?

    Creating the next thing.

    You're turning your back on what really gives your business value.

    But please, by all means... keep doing it. I love it when my competition is incompetent.

    Hmm.

    Competent... competitor... compete.

    Hmm.
    Signature
    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I have to think about this one a sec.
    Hmmm - so you have a person that has it down 100%, and he has a chance to make money teaching others how to do it. So TEACHING IS his business. He has the stats that around 95% of the people buying have no bat's chance in hell of ever doing anything with the information purchased. I have been generous - most people quote at 97%. So that leaves 3-5% that need to be watched. Someone is awesome enough, the "Guru" can JV with that person and make some more money with them. Remember, too - the "Guru" already has something that is hard to get an edge over if he's been ethical - and that is his freaking Name....he already has one. So most of the rest of the 3-5% will probably branch into other areas that are either complimentary or completely irrelevant. Only about 1% will have enough fortitude and raw talent to actually try to compete. Odds are it will take awhile for someone to get to a level they can do that. Some actually do surpass the teacher.........but there's a lot of people out there. It would take a LOT of competition to trounce someone completely once they're established. Once they've made enough, you could drive them right off the net and they'd be just fine.

    Okay.........um.............
    No. It's not stupid of them to sell the information. Not too bright to buy it if you can't use it, though.
    Signature

    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author rts2271
      Actually, I'm pretty sure if Coke thought they could get a return over and over from selling the recipe that was higher then selling the drink they would.

      ccmusicman, quick question what part of Illinois? Ex-Sprinfieldian here.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rob Howard
        Originally from the Charleston area, but now I'm closer to St. Louis.

        Rob

        Originally Posted by rts2271 View Post

        Actually, I'm pretty sure if Coke thought they could get a return over and over from selling the recipe that was higher then selling the drink they would.

        ccmusicman, quick question what part of Illinois? Ex-Sprinfieldian here.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alan Petersen
    I hope Coca Cola offers PLR to their secret formula for $9.95!
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  • Profile picture of the author colio
    Hmm.. not sure if that's what Howdy was trying to say in his post. I don't think he was saying that all information selling was bad & not legit businesses. I think his post was more of a warning against particular WSO's that are dirt cheap that try to make out big returns, in very short time frames..

    And he also admitted he was making some generalizations & that there are a lot of WSO's that had value.. well that's what I understood from his post anyways.

    In terms of my original post, I understand what you are saying in terms of competition.. I guess I wasn't taking into account that the guru knows that not many people will do anything of value with their actual information & thus not actually create any competition for them.. so I guess my statement about selling secrets that might create competition is bunk!

    Always learning..
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  • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
    I think the question is: Why sell the secret to making money in the XYZ business when you could just be making money in the XYZ business yourself?

    To answer this question, I'll compare 3 different businesses.

    1. Internet Marketing
    2. Hypnotherapy
    3. Gambling on horse-racing

    To make money in each of these businesses (horse-racing betting isn't really a 'business') you have to do specific jobs. In the first, you have to create websites, blogs, etc. and sell products or advertising, etc. In the second, you need to work with clients as a hypnotherapist. In the third, you need to study form, get down the track, place bets, etc.

    If you have to knowledge and the will you can succeed in any of these. But you will have to work at it.

    A different option would be to teach others how to work in these areas.

    The difference is that while being an internet marketer, a hypnotherapist and a professional gambler are totally different jobs, with totally different tasks and lifestyles - mentoring is largely the same no matter what discipline you are mentoring.

    The answer to the question: why do you choose to be a IM mentor rather than just do IM would probably be, "because I enjoy that work more."

    The same goes for running hypnotherapy courses and selling horse-racing systems.

    Having said this...


    In some areas, there is a lot more money to be made in training than there is in the discipline being taught. That is, there are more people wanting to learn how to do XYZ than there are buying the XYZ product.

    For example, most hypnotherapists barely manage to earn a full time living. It is easier to hire a room and fill it with 10 students paying $2000 each than it is to hire a consulting room and filling it with clients paying $100 each. Here, I speak from experience.

    And while I do know someone personally who earns around $70K a year as a professional gambler - there is a much easier living to be earned selling tips and systems than actually doing the work.

    In conclusion


    Mentors and gurus may choose to sell their 'secrets' because they prefer the job of a teacher/trainer/coach/etc. than actually working in the field.

    - or -

    They may have spotted a market with eager customers and they're making as much as they can out of it. That is, they are actually working in IM.

    I would say that the answer is that it's a bit of both. The degree to which it is more one than the other depends on the mentor / guru in question.
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  • Profile picture of the author DrGUID
    Coke is always Coke, but IM is ever changing.

    I will eventually write a WSO to give away my secrets of how I made money in 2009. But of course I will have a whole load of secret things I'll be doing in 2010.
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    Love passive income? Make money on hubpages. Make money from ClickBank. Preserve your new wealth by investing in gold.

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  • Profile picture of the author kerrisonj
    Dammit,

    I was hoping for a Coke recipe.

    Oh well....

    Back to IM, the biggest thing with teaching anyone is that (as its been posted here before) only a very few will follow through with the information.

    And the 97% will keep on buying the products that are available to sell.

    That doesn't mean they don't work...
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  • Profile picture of the author Ernie Lo
    You got it wrong mate...Coke would sell it for $9.97
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