Why does income proof mean so much to you?

A while back there was a huge discussion here on a thread about hype....what is hype as a noun and as a verb.
I loved reading that discussion because I understand how much distrust there is on the internet because of the amount of 'hype' and even more importantly flat out 'lying' about the performance of certain products.
I think there has been a lot of disappontment... there has been for me.... and a lot of us 'buyers' are looking for some evidence of results.
So, if I am looking at a product that is making claims about income potential, I would be interested in knowing if the author/seller actually worked with it and used it himself, and if so, what results did he achieve.
That might give me some idea of what I could do with the product if I bought it.
Quality of copy? Whew! How many times have I read that sales copy that got my heart pumping, ordered the deal, and was completely blown away by the product which didn't come close to living up to the sales message.
I think it's kind of an evaluation thing. It helps if you know the seller or anything about his reputation, but I think we do have to be careful.

It lends to the credibility of the author/product.

If it's some no-name marketer with another guru-bashing sales letter, and it had some earnings pic..it will add to his credibitily. But because he's a no-name dude, I would still be skeptical.

However, if it's Frank Kern and he shows pictures of his accounts, then that only reinforces his credibility. I already trust the guy, his free stuff has already worked for me, and I have no reason to believe why it isn't false.

You're planning to launch a product in the IM niche...why don't you split test the "income proof" pics? your audience might be more responsive to the income proof picture (thus, making you more cash) than not having it.

Income proof means nothing to me...

It doesn't.


The truth is, for me, I have no interest in how much money someone else is making - I just want to be sure that I'm going to be interested or educated by whatever they're offering.

I'd happily buy from someone who's never made any money if they're offering information I want or am interested in, and I'd happily not buy from someone making millions if I don't need what they're offering.

For me it's about what I want/need, rather than what they're offering. The 'proof' usually has a negative or negligable effect.

When I sell products I have no interest in telling people what I earn, I just trust that they'll see the value in what I'm offering - if they don't then I know I need to revise my copy.

Andy

Because these days anyone with a computer and half a brain can create a course on how to make money. There is a limited amount of time I have to work on tactics and I'd rather not use flawed tactics.

Income "proof" doesn't mean anything to me and I don't use it in my copy.

Yes, it will "convince" a certain type of person -- but from my experience it's the newbies that get sucked into this stuff and they end up being the worst customers.

If anything it's a red flag for everyone else and you have a bigger burden to prove that you actually did make that money and it actually was made using the system that you're selling.

The few products I've released in the IM field are targeted towards more experienced marketers and therefore income "proof" is more likely a negative.

The bottom line is it's too easy to fake, and even real screenshots don't prove that the money was made using the system being sold.

Testimonials influence my buying decision more so than income proof.

But who is to say these have not been fabricated?

But then, if it's a testimonial from a well-known marketer then it's probably genuine.

It's not income proof people look for - it's proof in general.

The anonymity of the net allows you to "become" MANY different people. If you "invest" in a product, you want to make sure it's not BS.

IF you are providing fantastic income proof, why are you selling me your method????

Why don;t you keep it to yourself and make all the money?

A good product should be good enough to sell itself. If it fills a need, people will buy it.

Writing a 20,000 - 30,000 word sales letter trying to convince someone to buy something they probably do not need is what leads to mistrust in my opinion.

Ted

I've never mentioned my personal income in a salesletter.

If you don't want to bring it up - don't. Show how your
product works instead - more powerful proof can come
in other ways: such as quoting an article with statistics
about the need in the marketplace from a magazine like
Forbes.

Income proof is a powerful tool when you are targeting newbies. Because a newbie has never seen the potential of IM, it is probably a little unbelievable at first.

However, when targeting experienced IM'ers, your reputation had better precede you. I will never buy from someone I have never heard of, no matter how good their photoshopping skills are.

I'm going to answer this, then go back to see what others have to say...

When someone is promoting a method or model, I look for some indication that the method or model has worked more than once. I don't want to finance a one-hit wonder that will never repeat their initial success.

I also look at how reasonable the claims are. If someone shows me a shot of a Clickbank account with five or six figures in sales, and all of them are from one product on one day, it tells me they cashed in on a hot launch. That's fine, if they're promoting a product on how to cash in on hot launches. Otherwise, it's a red flag.

Sometimes the income claims are simply ludicrous...

Right now, today, I could whip up a product to show you how to add $25 million to your bottom line, overnight, without having to sell anything. The proof would be several people holding up large checks. The product would be a 2-minute video showing how to fill out a Florida Lotto ticket so you are eleigible for a $25 million dollar bonus.

On a side note, this is an incredibly effective upsell. Buy the regular $1 ticket for a chance at the prize. Add $1, and they'll add $10 million to your share if you win. Make it $2, and they'll add $25 million. The state sells a ton of $2 and $3 tickets twice a week.

Oops, guess I can't do that product, just gave it away for free...:p

So to answer the question, income proof matters because it has clues to whether the marketer behind the proof is on the up and up, or trying to bamboozle me...