Do you smell of raw meat every time you go into the WSO forum? (Protect yourself...)

The WSO Forum -- like any marketplace in the world -- has a couple sharks lurking in it. And then you make the faux pas of visiting the forum wearing your Lady Gaga meat dress. Ooops, it's not hard to see that this isn't going to end well.

Here's my point...

Over the years I've read about people getting ripped off repeatedly -- not just here, but all around the net. Some lose a few dozen bucks. Some lose hundreds. Some lose their shirts.

And then there are others who never get ripped off. They love every WSO they buy. Every freelancer they hire in the "Warriors For Hire" section delivers great work on time. They hardly if ever even have to ask for a refund on anything they buy.

What's the difference between these two groups of people? Well, for starters, members of the second group don't wear meat dresses when they go swimming. And here are three other ways this group is different. They:


1. Have a business plan -- and stick to it. Before you even think of going into the WSO forum, come up with a business plan. No, really. Because the more focused you are about what you need for your business, the less likely it is that you'll purchase the next bright and shiny thing you see.




2. Turn off the heart and switch on the head. Yeah, I know -- those sales letters are incredibly good at tapping into your emotions and seemingly switching off some of your logic. But you can make a choice to think logically about any offer.

For example, a writer comes on the forum and offers "high quality" 10,000 word ebooks for $100 (paid in full upfront) with a 72 hour turnaround. Suddenly the thread fills up with dozens of people saying, "I'll take it!"

Those who let their emotions rule will see all the social proof and say, "I'll take it too!" They send off their $100 and wait. (Psst: They'll be in for a looooong wait.)

Those who think logically about the offer will wonder how this writer can offer "high quality" at a penny a word. With a 72 hour turnaround. With dozens of others already in the queue.

This person keeps his money in his pocket. And good thing, too, because dozens of buyers either end up spending months waiting for their product (best case scenario), or they spend months chasing after the writer AND they lose their $100 to boot.




3. Do research. This is the big one. Those who don't get ripped off do their due diligence... OR they simply never spend an amount they can't afford to lose.

For example, it doesn't make sense to spend an hour researching a seller over a $5 report. But if you're going to buy that $5 report from an unknown seller, then you be better be prepared to lose the cash.

(And if you can't afford to lose $5, get the heck out of the WSO forum and get a job. No, really. I mean it. Start making money rather than spending it.)


Now, if you're buying something that you consider expensive -- or if you're looking to hire a freelancer for a long-term project -- then it makes sense to do your due diligence.

Here are some common yellow flags (proceed cautiously) and red flags (keep your money in your pocket and run like hell):


-- The seller is new. I don't care how many posts s/he has or how many thanks s/he has racked up. Some WF members have a "system" for getting a lot of posts and thanks right off the bat, in an effort to boost credibility. Yet they've only been on the forum for a few weeks.

Here's the thing: People who've only invested a couple weeks in building their reputation on this forum aren't going to be worried about losing it. Some of these folks churn and burn their way through multiple WSO accounts.

Now, take someone who's developed a good reputation either off the forum or has spent a good chunk of time doing so on the forum. This person's reputation is an asset. And he's not as likely to take your $100 and run, because his good reputation is worth more than that.





-- The seller has lots of one liners and "calls to action" for other people to thank him or her. This person is trying to build credibility, but in a superficial way, by boosting post count and "thanks" numbers. Better to find someone who's building credibility by being a valued, contributing, helpful member of this forum.





-- The seller doesn't participate outside the WSO forum. And that means that you don't have any post history to see if this person is a valued, contributing, helpful member.





-- The seller is fairly anonymous. In other words, you can't find any evidence that this person exists outside this forum.




-- The seller has other WSOs that didn't end well. Enough said.





-- The seller seems to have a new personality. Maybe, just maybe, the original person who owned this aged account sold it to some slimeball.

It goes something like this: The original member started an account three years ago and makes several good posts. Then silence for a long period of time. Suddenly this account is posting again -- but something isn't right.

For example...

The person who used to post three paragraphs minimum now only posts one liners. The person who used to have perfect English suddenly can't string a sentence together (or vice versa). The person who used to sign his posts "Jack" suddenly starts signing them with a different name. Ooops.

Run, WSO buyer, run. (And report your observations to the mods.)





-- The reviews are all superficial. If you see reviews like: "Wow, good work!" and "Neato, great read!" ... ignore 'em. They really don't tell you anything.





-- You don't know the reviewers. A WSO gets several good reviews, but all the reviewers are new members. Hmmm. Fishy.





-- Many reviews were all posted soon after the WSO launches. You'll see WSO sellers trying to pad the first page or so of their WSO threads with good reviews. They hand out the WSO review copies to a bunch of people, launch the WSO, and tell their reviewers to post their comments.

Of course these reviewers were hand-picked by the seller, and the reviewers got something for free, so there may be some bias there. Of course you can't know that for sure, as some of the reviews will be honest.

Here's a hint: Read ALL comments on the thread. So if a thread is five pages long, don't just read the first page and hit the order button. Read through to the end... you might be surprised by what you see.





-- The seller is advocating something illegal/shady/etc. Have you ever seen something like this: "Here's how to rip off someone else's YouTube video, rebrand it and make a fortune with it!" If so, keep your wallet in your pocket and report your observations to the mods.






-- There's income proof. And claims of easy money. And promises that if you just follow this system, you too will be rich.

Fuhgetaboutit. Stop looking for the magic button and start building a business. That one tiny bit of advice will save you a LOT of money this year.






-- Your gut is telling you to run. Something doesn't feel right, but you're tempted to hit the "buy" button anyway? Don't. Listen to your gut. Run. You do NOT need this WSO.



***

It's not a complete list, but it's a good start.

~Becky