Are Most Clickbank Products Failures?

22 replies
I was just looking around cb-analytics as I was looking for some jv partners. I segmented by month launched (btw, there are average of about 800 launched per month, June had over 3,000!). I was looking at pretty much every niche, just snooping. In May this year there was probably less than 3% that even showed page views on cb-analytics. I dug deeper and many not even a gravity score since launch. Are people really spending all that time and money for flops on cb? I really thought I would see maybe 30-40% flops, but this was surprising to me.
Lastly, finding a jv partner to do give a free bonus to is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. Pm'd many folks on the JV board here and nothing. I have great product for list building if anyone wants to give away to their list or as a bonus to a product.
#clickbank #failures #products
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by rashamba View Post

    Are Most Clickbank Products Failures?
    It's terribly difficult to answer, because there are about 15,000 currently active products, and who's seen/analysed enough of them to know whether most are failures? It's a guessing game.

    My own guess is that (as most people would, loosely/generally speaking, define "failures"), they probably are; yes.

    Because there's very, very little quality control. And the entry-barriers for "internet marketing" are so low as to be virtually non-existent. So there are probably thousands of things listed there that barely make a sale at all. Is my guess. But I'm too busy identifying the ones that aren't (perhaps a small proportion, but still a large number), and trying to make a good living from those, to think about it too much.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318017].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JackTriggs
    Yes to be blunt...

    BUT IF...

    you have a quality product in a hot market that provides real value...

    you have a salespage/sales funnel that can convert...

    you have affiliates/JV Partners who you can attract/train up/get in with over drinks!!

    you have traffic coming mainly from paid sources (which you are turning a profit on)

    Then you will never have to fear about being one of the losers...wealth will naturally come to you!!

    On top of that you'll have a buyers list which you can upsell on affiliate programs/continuity programs...other forms of information etc
    Signature
    Make $1000's Every Month By "Cool Dude Marketing"? You Gotta Check This
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318298].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rich Struck
    It's easier to create a product than it is to make it successful. You see this in all kinds of businesses... For example, I know a guy who has one of the most beautiful little niche stores you'll ever see BUT nobody ever comes in - he's completely lost about what he should do next. Opening it was the easy part. Same thing with websites and ebooks etc.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318313].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Many Clickbank products do have crappy sales pages and no affiliate tools. Low gravity is not necessarily a reflection on the products themselves, but rather seems to be poor marketing of both vendors and affiliates. There are some gems with a gravity of zero, and can (and do) sell after some market package enhancements.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318526].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by rashamba View Post

    Are people really spending all that time and money for flops on cb? I really thought I would see maybe 30-40% flops, but this was surprising to me.
    It shouldn't be. Let's try a thought experiment - what the Germans call a Gedankenspiel.

    Imagine that we have a hundred people all putting out Clickbank products of varying quality.

    And to start with, each and every one of those people releases exactly one product.

    It should be pretty easy to understand that exactly 50 of these products are below average, and exactly 50 of them are above average. Right?

    So now they all go off and start creating new products.

    The above average products take longer to produce.

    So the below-average vendors get their products out before the above-average vendors do. In fact, the worse the product is, the faster it will come out.

    So by the time the top-quality vendor releases his product, all of the other vendors have released two or more products. And the worse those vendors are, the more products they've released.

    So there are two top-quality products in the marketplace, but about 150 above-average products, and something like 500 total products.

    So 70% of the products are below-average, and on top of that, we don't usually consider "average" a success.

    Instead, we consider about the top 25% a success, which is roughly 50 of the products, so 90% of those 500 products are not successful.

    Meanwhile, about 50% of the products are outright garbage because garbage is so fast and easy to produce.

    In other words, it is both natural and normal for the "average" product not to be of "average" quality, but instead to be outright garbage; and it is likewise natural and normal for "success" to be represented by a single-digit percentage.

    So that shouldn't surprise you. Just like when the news talks about the tiny percentage of super-rich, or the large percentage of people in poverty, that shouldn't surprise you.

    If you just think about how things work and what causes success or failure, it should be reasonably clear that failure is the default state of things and success is by definition extraordinary.
    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
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318546].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Carl Fridsjö
      I think CDarklock is absolutely correct. Most of the products is average or below - which is not too strange if you think about it. It's hard, tough and requires some skill to create quality products and I believe internet products, more than "real products", generally attract people with less skill. I mean, It takes less effort to make a e-book and put it on clickbank than actually printing out a hard-copy book and get it out to real stores.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318606].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JackTriggs
    Then again, a lot of quality products can be produced quickly...but that's if the product is outsourced by people who know what they are doing..this also includes conversions,jvs,affiliates,own traffic, upsells etc (naturally)

    Therefore we can rephrase the thread title Are Most CB Products failures to

    Are Most CB Product Owners Clueless?

    Yes
    Signature
    Make $1000's Every Month By "Cool Dude Marketing"? You Gotta Check This
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318585].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author celente
      Originally Posted by JackTriggs View Post

      Then again, a lot of quality products can be produced quickly...but that's if the product is outsourced by people who know what they are doing..this also includes conversions,jvs,affiliates,own traffic, upsells etc (naturally)

      Therefore we can rephrase the thread title Are Most CB Products failures to

      Are Most CB Product Owners Clueless?

      Yes
      This is so true, you can outsource lots of stuff, even by the best guys and still have a dud product.

      YOu need to have a combination of a good niche, good offer, great product, great back end, upsells and most important GOOD COPY...that is crucial. Even when you run a WSO and get massive amounts of traffic, it is really your COPY that is going to make people say yey or nay!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318749].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author capitalalchemy
        I agree and have noticed this. You will practically see products for "how to put a shirt on". Right now I'm working on my 2nd product, and although my first product wasn't a huge hit, it still has done OK.

        But the simple fact is, if you take your time and put quality and the user first, I don't see how you can fail, at least as long as you are making something that people need.

        Being a perfectionist to some degree as long as you are still moving forward can be good. Another problem that I have with many vendors is that they have decent gravity for their products, amazing sales pages and amazing graphics, but then we you purchase the "ebook" for $47 it's like 12 pages long. I mean really? what a rip off.

        If you truly make the effort to make the best damn product that you are capable of making and not rushing it to launch then it's possible to get at least OK gravity and turn it into a source of income, but it cracks me up how many people obviously are being greedy by putting out really crappy products.

        This has a domino effect. It causes people who bought said product for the first time as a CB user to never trust CB again. It also causes them to run for the hills when they see anything that even remotely resembles a sales letter.

        The biggest problem that I see in marketing is people who clearly do it out of greed and desperation.

        Eban Pagan said something once that changed my life and has made this process easier. He asked "is your BUSINESS sell-able?", meaning not just the product itself, but the whole package. When you approach it from that perspective and put love and quality into every newsletter, article, page of the product, audio file, video, word on the sales page, graphic, etc -- then you have something to be proud of and sell one day.

        That's something to keep in mind when developing a product AND looking at a product from an affiliate's point of view. How well branded is it? when doing your research about the crowd of people, does the vendor obviously seem to understand their emotions/questions/problems?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318808].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by capitalalchemy View Post

          It causes people who bought said product for the first time as a CB user to never trust CB again.
          I don't think that's actually a widespread view, at all.

          Most people, if they buy a Morphy Richards kettle from Amazon and it turns out to be a real horror of a kettle, and the worst they've ever owned, interpret that as a possible reason not to buy another Morphy Richards kettle - not as a reason never to shop at Amazon again.

          ClickBank is only a retailer, not a manufacturer.

          I think most people do realise that and "blame" the vendor, rather than the retailer, if they buy something bad.

          Originally Posted by capitalalchemy View Post

          Eban Pagan said something once that changed my life and has made this process easier. He asked "is your BUSINESS sell-able?", meaning not just the product itself, but the whole package. When you approach it from that perspective and put love and quality into every newsletter, article, page of the product, audio file, video, word on the sales page, graphic, etc -- then you have something to be proud of and sell one day.
          The sentiment itself is both impressive and realistic, but was actually far better expressed by Michael Gerber in his "E-Myth" lectures and books (which were also evidently Eban Pagan's source, for his version). Recommended.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4320777].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            I think most people do realise that and "blame" the vendor, rather than the retailer, if they buy something bad.
            I think most people have also realised that most Clickbank vendors have exactly one product, so it's near-impossible to tell whether this Clickbank product is from the same vendor as that Clickbank product. So the only label they have left to put on the product is "Clickbank," not a vendor name.
            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
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4322444].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
              Banned
              Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

              I think most people have also realised that most Clickbank vendors have exactly one product,
              I suspect quite a few people haven't quite worked that one out, really.

              Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

              So the only label they have left to put on the product is "Clickbank," not a vendor name.
              Yes, this is probably so.

              A pity, from ClickBank's perspective, of course. Undeniably they do a lot, themselves, in other contexts, to damage their own public image and reputation, but still I can't help feeling a little sorry for them in this context, when the retailer sometimes gets "blamed" rather than the manufacturers.
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4322501].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author SeasideMarketer
                Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

                I suspect quite a few people haven't quite worked that one out, really.



                Yes, this is probably so.

                A pity, from ClickBank's perspective, of course. Undeniably they do a lot, themselves, in other contexts, to damage their own public image and reputation, but still I can't help feeling a little sorry for them in this context, when the retailer sometimes gets "blamed" rather than the manufacturers.
                It begs the question though...why aren't they a bit more stringent on the product approval process especially for certain niches...it would solve a lot of their problems
                Signature
                ''Don't Be A Plonker All Your Life Rodney!!" Del Boy [Only Fools And Horses]
                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4322554].message }}
                • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
                  Banned
                  Originally Posted by SeasideMarketer View Post

                  It begs the question though...why aren't they a bit more stringent on the product approval process especially for certain niches...it would solve a lot of their problems
                  Yes, I agree.

                  Many of the sales pages, specifically, seem to be quite grotesquely non-FTC compliant (albeit that the sales pages themselves aren't actually displayed on ClickBank's site: they're on the vendors' own sites).
                  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4322593].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author dunkinbbb
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            I don't think that's actually a widespread view, at all.

            Most people, if they buy a Morphy Richards kettle from Amazon and it turns out to be a real horror of a kettle, and the worst they've ever owned, interpret that as a possible reason not to buy another Morphy Richards kettle - not as a reason never to shop at Amazon again.

            ClickBank is only a retailer, not a manufacturer.

            I think most people do realise that and "blame" the vendor, rather than the retailer, if they buy something bad.



            The sentiment itself is both impressive and realistic, but was actually far better expressed by Michael Gerber in his "E-Myth" lectures and books (which were also evidently Eban Pagan's source, for his version). Recommended.

            Its interesting how many of the "big name guru" stuff, Eben Pagan, Rick Scheffron and the like have taken their ideas from offline people - like Michael Gerber, Jay Abrahams, etc without attribution and built mega businesses.

            And, now, of course, the current trend is to take online marketing strategies and tactics and market them to offline businesses. LOL

            dunkinbbb
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4322639].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author capitalalchemy
            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

            I don't think that's actually a widespread view, at all.

            Most people, if they buy a Morphy Richards kettle from Amazon and it turns out to be a real horror of a kettle, and the worst they've ever owned, interpret that as a possible reason not to buy another Morphy Richards kettle - not as a reason never to shop at Amazon again.

            ClickBank is only a retailer, not a manufacturer.

            I think most people do realise that and "blame" the vendor, rather than the retailer, if they buy something bad.
            I'm sure that you are right to some degree, but I'm only speaking from experience from talking to people offline who have bought CB products, without telling them what I do.

            A lot of folks that I have spoken to will be like "oh, that ClickBank place. Yeah, I bought something through them and it was almost impossible to get a refund, couldn't get anyone to talk to me or answer questions, etc"....

            I have spoken to many people who have said that same thing. None of them ever remembered what the product was, and they don't always seem to understand that the vendor is responsible for communication. They tend to blame Clickbank for the lacking of efforts on the vendor's part.

            It really is a reflection of CB, and talk to anyone over at the company and they will say the same thing, which is why vendors need to do their part.

            Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post


            The sentiment itself is both impressive and realistic, but was actually far better expressed by Michael Gerber in his "E-Myth" lectures and books (which were also evidently Eban Pagan's source, for his version). Recommended.
            Awesome! I'm ashamed to say that I've never heard of Mr. Gerber, but will definitely look into his material. Thanks for the heads up!

            It is funny how a lot of people regurgitate information in different delivery!
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4323123].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jason Fulton
    Yes, but this is a very simple answer.

    Most people fail to make any money online aswell, doesn't mean people don't.

    It costs you under $100 to set up a product and have it ready to sell on Clickbank. In the hope of making fortunes a lot of people just set their product up and wait for the THOUSANDS of affiliates to start promoting. In reality we all know this doesn't happen and their product sits on Clickbank idle , thus being complete failure,

    Jason
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318629].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
    With very few barriers to entry and even fewer good converting sales pages, I wouldn't be surprised 90%+ are unsuccessful little business enterprises. Even if the product is of immense value, most vendors are unable or unwilling to sell it properly from their page....they don;t want to put in the time and effort.
    _____
    Bruce
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4318708].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author magnates
    How do determine if a product is successful or not ?

    Is it because it has training for affiliates ?

    Is by how many sales it gets?

    For me , a successful product is one which hits it sales target and is a product that at least delivers on the promises on sales page ...

    Some might agree , some might disagree but your product are affecting lives .

    Years after you sold your product , you want to know if your product really helped people

    Can you really say that with a lot of crappy silver bullet products on Cb ?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4320881].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jasonthewebmaster
    Banned
    Mine isn't... why not promote it? Swipes | Places Dot Com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4320977].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RobCopywriter
    Well, im not expert on clickbank but I have been told you can pick up some quality products there, im not too sure as I haven't really bought anything from the site or checked out any of the products but im sure there are only a small percentage which are failures.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4322786].message }}

Trending Topics