Is RAP worth $177?

Could you explain it little bit more?

It's worth every penny. I use it for EVERYTHING

Brad,

Dollar for Dollar, it's the best thing going. It will do everything the sales page says and then some. Yes, it can be a bit intimidating to get started, like Alan said, but once you get a feel for it, it's easy as pie.

Has great support from Sid and wonderful forum for help.

If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me or contact me from my site in the sig.

Thanks,

John

Heya David

As you know, I'm one of the people who has (publically) "dinged" you for continually posting your affiliate link to RAP. I have to wonder sometimes whether you have a GoogleAlert set up for every time RAP is mentioned on the WF because if ever there's something posted about it, I can be sure that you and your affiliate link are there (or will be stat).

Now, you reckon the product rocks. I know that. I know you're not just slapping your affiliate link in there willy-nilly; that you really believe it's the best thing since sliced bread.

You usually answer posts with useful information about the script and tell people how much you love it.

I also happen to know that you're an active user of the script.

So I KNOW that YOUR recommendation for RAP is legit. I know that.

But what annoys me about people posting their affiliate link in posts is that it dilutes the information that I (and everyone, actually) can put stock in.

This is not the first (nor, I'm sure, will it be the last) sales and marketing oriented forum at which I've put forward this self-same view.

What I'm arguing, essentially, is that if every man and his dog are posting their affiliate links to this, that, and the other... how am I to know whether the "review" or info offered up is legit or just for the commish?

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In the unlikely event that you have the time and the inclication, feel free to go back through all my posts on the WF. I vaguely recall posting my affiliate link ONCE, with a sign or a note in parentheses saying "Affiliate Link" or something similar. Maybe someone will prove me a liar on that.
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Look, I run a tiny-weeny list in this IM niche. Not because I plan to ever be a mover and shaker in the IM scene (I don't), but simply because I like sharing my ideas, experiences, tips, websites, resources, rants, etc. that I've learnt in my short foray into online marketing and website building and all that malarkey. Truth be told, I'm still a noob. But I'm gettin' there! :-)

Now, the reason I mention this is because I do something on that list which I haven't seen anyone else do: I give people the opportunity to click on the direct link. Wow! What a novel idea, huh? A straight-up, honest, no-strings, respect-your-intelligence-as-someone-else-in-IM recommendation. Whoodathunkit?

Yeah, yeah, I know... givin' away the farm, not a charity, this is a business I'm running here... and all that.

Rubbish!

I don't really care that much whether my readers click on the affiliate links or not. It's not anywhere even CLOSE to my central stream of revenue. And I add messages to the autoresponder whenever I feel like it. It's a little side project, really. Just me shootin' the shit with a handful of other folks who sell using the internet and who are game enough to add another mailing list to their existing addiction.

My approach is based on helping without the bait'n'switch or deception that's rife in IM. There are no emails saying "My friend, [name] just released this awesome new membership site. Go check it out!"

I like to think that I respect people's intelligence. And that by doing so, they'll respect my recommendations. And after a little while, they might even start using my affiliate link. "Here, go and check this site out via the direct link by all means. But here's my affiliate link in the event that you trust me (which you may not)."


But I don't do that in places like this. Places which have given me so much for nothing.


So, anyway, back to the WF...

I want the people who read my posts to this forum to know that I'm not bullshitting them or leading them up the garden path. That when I say something's great, that I mean it.

When I come to the WF (or any other), I want to feel confident that other people, too, are making recommendations in a similar spirit of camaraderie (for want of a better term).

I agree that it doesn't state in the rules of this forum that affiliate links in posts are a no-no.

Agreed.

But can't you see my point that if everyone dropped their affiliate link every time they commented on a product, this place would pretty soon degrade into a pitchfest platform -- as opposed to the solid source of advice offered (mostly) out of the goodness of people's hearts?

My suggestion, David -- if you really want to be a dog at a bone on this one -- (although, this is more generally aimed at anyone who insists on dropping their affiliate links into their posts) is to write what I know are your honest recommendations (and the reasons for them) and at the end put a note saying something like: "If you thought this advice was useful and you'd like to 'Buy me a beer', here's my affiliate link ---> ..."

It's still a bit cheesy on a forum in my opinion, but people might put more credibility in your posts.

(As a slight aside, to take your restaurant example: If you and I are someplace and you suggest the swordfish steak with couscous and blanched asparagus spears, I presume you're not doing so because you hooked up a deal with the restaurant owner to bag yourself a commission for every person who orders it based on your recommendation. I presume you're doing it because you honestly think I'd like it. If I found out that you were getting a kick-back from it, I'd be unlikely to go to lunch with you ever again.

On the other hand, if I meet you at a dinner party and we get to talking about restaurants and you tell me you've dined at a particular restaurant a number of times and offer me a recommendation to try it out...

... I'm likely to believe you.

But hang on... why not be rewarded for that recommendation, huh?

Sure.

Okay... so same scenario...

You tell me you've dined at a particular restaurant a number of times and offer me a recommendation to try it out...

...but wait... in fact, you have a recommendation card that gets me the window seat overlooking the bay (providing it hasn't already been booked the evening I'm interested in) (and which costs the owner nothing extra and isn't a discount coupon either)...

...and I see your Ref-ID for your finder's fee. I may think at first "Bah! He's just telling me this to get whatever the kickback is..." But then, based on whatever the snake-oil factor of your story was, I might reconsider and think "Hmmm... he seemed pretty honest. I actually believe that he thinks this is a good restaurant. So I'll go there. And if it's any good, well, I'm likely to go back. And if I do, then I'll use his card and he'll get his spotter's fee."


If you (or anyone else) only pop up on here whenever your champion product gets a mention and then slip your affiliate link in there along with your comments (as if no one on this forum is gonna notice that), then how am I to take anything that you recommend seriously?

Should I take everything as equally weighted, even though you don't put your affiliate link in there for other things you discuss and recommend?

And then, if that's the case, the best approach (for you) to be taken seriously would be to maintain consistency and put your affiliate link in for everything.

And then if everyone started doing that all the time, how would you or I know whose advice to put any credence in?

Personally, I would leave this forum immediately never to return. I rue the day every man and his dog think it's okay to whack their affiliate link into everything they comment on at this forum.


Allen?


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@the OP: I'm really sorry for such a horrendous example of thread-jacking. To answer your question:

No, it's not worth $177. That's a fair whack of money and you say that you're not very techy. I could be wrong about this, but if you're not comfortable FTPing stuff and installing simple scripts, then I'd guess you're new to this online bizzo (despite your join-date).

You might be a gun salesman and marketer, don't get me wrong. But if the installation of RAP sounds scary, I'm guessing you're new to the whole IM maintain your own website thang.

If that's the case, you may not (although what would I know?) be willing to "risk" $177.

Again, I'd wager that the fact you even posted means you don't have $177 to piss up against the wall.

You can buy other stand-alone affiliate software like iDevAffiliate for around a hundred bucks which still gives you full control over your site. RAP has a certain limiting factor that I dislike extremely: the fact that everything has to go through the main "index.php" page. This means that there are things that I simply can't do on my site and accurately record commissions for my affiliates.

** Although I'm open (and happy!) to be corrected on that, Sid.**

It's an extremely good script, there's no doubt about it. Lots of features, as Scott has already pointed out. And I do use it.

Repeat: I'm not anti-RAP; I own it and use it.

But you have to look at what YOUR needs are versus the feature-set that it offers. As some of the other people have pointed out, if you don't really need those features -- particularly the affiliate stuff -- then it's not worth it. (Even David (TheToolWiz) was straight up with you about that).

Installation is not particularly difficult and as Kyle said, you can outsource that on the cheap if you need to.

But, really, it's easy. Just take it slow and follow the manual. Read through the whole manual first - even if it does seem like gobbledygook - then come back a couple of days later and do the installation following along with the steps in the manual now that you've already "imprinted" the bigger picture overview of the system.

You also have to consider how much of hurry you are in. Personally, (even though I own RAP), I can't wait until the new version of DLGuard comes out, with its affiliate system in place.

PM Sam Stephens if you're interested.

I've been fiddling around with different affiliate solutions for a little while now and posted a couple of threads on here asking for advice about setting up my own because the way I see it is that it's really difficult to change your affiliate system once you're up and running. A little bit like changing your autoresponder when you've got a ton of people on your list.

But again, what would I know? I could be wrong.

If I am, folks, educate me.


If you'd like to set up a bunch of little niche mini-sites and have a quick and easy way to put an affiliate system in place, then RAP is going to work well for you. But then again, so will ClickBank. That's only about 50 bucks.

If you're looking for a more flexible long-term solution on an authority site offering a lot of products over time and the ability to build your site however you like and run whatever sorts of tests and tracking you want to (over and above a whole-page A/B split-test), then RAP is not for you.

So... summary: Work out what YOUR needs are for whichever site or sites you're sizing up RAP for, look at the feature-set, and decide from there. It'll CERTAINLY make you back your money in short shrift if you generate even a handful of affiliates and have a good offer.

But like ANY other tool, it's gotta match your gameplan. You wouldn't bring a running back on in the third period coming back from a powerplay, would you?

Best of luck with it!

TheNightOwl

Thanks to all for sharing their thoughts. I take away from this discussion that RAP is a good medium term solution but once I get beyond the initial multiple Ebook that it might not be.

Has anyone ever seen Jimmy D. Brown's affiliate system? It seems like a lot of the big gurus have some really cool stuff that dynamically creates links. I know the Butterfly script does this.

Is this a better long run solution? (the butterfly script)


Thanks so much!

Brad Spencer

Hmmm, I think I'd give it a try!

First one to give me their affiliate link gets my sale lol

I'm going to invest in it, (Been thinking about it for a while)

Kim

The real issue with affiliate links in posts is that the reader has a harder time sifting through the information to determine if the praise is real or if it's just a sales pitch.

There was a post a while back (Black Friday, if I remember right), where someone said, "Company XYZ has a discount for today only - 75% off. If you want to thank me for the info, use my affiliate link..." To me, that's not an issue.

However, when someone says, "Product X is the greatest. You really need it if you _____. Here's a link --> CLICK HERE!," it dilutes the value of their post as well as the value of the forum overall.

RAP does have a learning curve. It's great for what it offers, and it offers a lot. If you have or want to have an affiliate program or use JV partners in some commission percentage combination on primary products and back-end offers, it will fit the bill. The learning curve is a result of its flexibility. If you only want to do 100% commission to build a list, the $7 script is simpler.

first of all be sure that this product will do everything you need it to. i'm a huge newb so i cant really give you proper advice on that.

im such a huge newb that rap was the first thing i ever used to set up the sight i was working on. this was two weeks ago and its up and running and much more successful than anticipated.

the product i used it for was a give away with a backend upsell. affiliates are given 100% of the sale and are not required to buy the product in order to sell it. i only mentioned this to illustrate why i needed rap.

i had a bit of a struggle due to the learning curve and the fact that i had never used a template before etc. but everything i needed to know was in the pdf.

it was intuitive and easy to use in my newbish opinion and it was very easy to set up the affiliates program.

i had a mentor holding my hand through some of the tough spots but i still think it works great and if you have a need of it and an extra $177 laying around i would definitely grab it. just my opinion, not trying to mention my product or drop an affiliate link.

i've never made any sort of website or anything like that and i figured out how to use rap on my own with the instructional pdf. it's making money and works just fine. when i had some minor technical issues sid gave me all the advice i needed to fix my problem within the rap forum.

hope that helps.

BTW

Has anyone got a RAP site I can look at to see how it works, (Not got mine up yet)

Kim

I appreciate everyone adding to a compelling answer to this question, which is one I also had.

The thing that's helpful to me is I already spent that amount, and it seemed too difficult to use so it's just sat there unused.

I did not know about the support forum, and received no reply to questions e-mailed to Sid.

Because of the ideas people here have shared, I will set aside the time to become familiar (comfortable) with the script and I can see the value in doing that.

Thank you all!

Warmly,
Dan

I will have to look into this in the future.

Two things I want to comment on.

Brad, you need to decide what your business model is, then decide what you want to use. DL Guard and Simple Member Pro are both excellent scripts. Same with Kim's products. All have excellent support.

My personal preference is RAP. It works for me and all of my clients.

As far as 'pimping' RAP, I would love nothing more than to be able to use an affiliate link. The trade off is I offer free installs to those that buy through me...

But the forum rules are clear, No Affiliate Links in the Sig file and it's also been made clear that this is frowned upon in the context of a post. Allen even weigh in on this.

At the same time, if anyone has specific questions about RAP, they are always welcome to PM me, or visit MY site in the sig and email me from there.

I get a lot out of this forum and if I can give back by helping someone here, then I am glad to do so.

Thanks,

John

We use RAP on all of our sites