WSO Advice... Be Careful

by snakez0r

Posted: 12 years ago 39 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Hey Warriors,

I don't post here very much. I usually just keep an eye out for good WSO's here and there for a bit of casual reading. I also like to purchase WSO's relating to acquiring new business as this is a major part of my full time job and it never hurts to have a second opinion.

Recently I purchased and read a WSO which focused on getting new clients. Some of the information on there was good and it was definitely a decent tool for anyone starting their own "offline" venture and needing to learn the basics.

There was one piece of advice however that really threw me off. It involved calling up your prospect and telling them you were from the Yellow Pages and that you were going to follow up the call by sending them a document. You then ask for the business owner's name and address. Alternatively you could tell them you sent them a document, to which they would obviously respond by saying they didn't receive it and then you ask them to clarify their name and address. Quote: "Make something up... just get their name!"

I was absolutely dumbstruck and continued reading the WSO only to find out what other nonsense was inside it. Now surprisingly, like I said before the rest of the WSO was alright... but I was so taken aback by this excerpt that I just needed to say something...

Be careful of the advice you take in WSO's! If ANYONE takes that advice, they could see themselves in a LOT of trouble. This isn't an exaggeration at all. This is 100% illegal. You can't impersonate another company and you should NEVER mislead your potential clients to get information out of them.

Anyway I'm not going to name names or anything, I just wanted to remind people (especially the newbies) that they should think twice about taking any advice they receive and be careful! I'm sure this kind of advice in a WSO isn't a one-off.

And I do want to make it clear that this really isn't common enough to be turned away from buying WSO's. Some of them are absolute gems, not to mention ridiculously cheap. Yes... you're basically paying them to take your contact information. But it's usually a good trade.

Thanks Warriors,
Ben

#advice #careful #wso

Gail_Curran 12 years ago

This is useful advice for some people, I'm sure!

As a buyer, you're entitled to leave a fact-based review in the WSO thread. You can post this information there in order to let others know the downside of the "method."
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Rick Britton 12 years ago

yeah I'm a White hat kinda guy would be asking for a refund
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Dinospider Banned 12 years ago

Very good advice. Although some warriors have good intentions and actually don't understand that this would be illegal, there are also other warriors that are on the "dark side" so to speak.
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Fadiz 12 years ago

I would never trust anyone that's asking me to lie, that's just WRONG and I would report that WSO
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sfx1971

12 years ago

Originally Posted by snakez0r

Hey Warriors,

There was one piece of advice however that really threw me off. It involved calling up your prospect and telling them you were from the Yellow Pages and that you were going to follow up the call by sending them a document. You then ask for the business owner's name and address. Alternatively you could tell them you sent them a document, to which they would obviously respond by saying they didn't receive it and then you ask them to clarify their name and address. Quote: "Make something up... just get their name!"

That is damn straight unethical, probably illegal and just plain dirty.

Utter trash, get a refund

Thanks

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brunom 12 years ago

If you don't like it, review it and ask for a refund. I'm sure people understand what's ethical and what's not.
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Chri5123 12 years ago

Seen all this sort of stuff happen when I worked in sales.

Take everything with a pinch of salt and if you don't agree with a method morally don't do it.

If it feels wrong then it is normally wrong.

Chris
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Changing Man 12 years ago

Any advice to mislead people or to lie is something that should be left well alone.
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snakez0r

12 years ago

I didn't ask for a refund because from the tone used in the WSO, I don't believe the author actually KNEW what he was advising was illegal. Surely he understood it was unethical, but the rest of it was alright and I don't mind spending the $10.

I'll just PM the author and let him know that it's probably not a good thing to advise people to do that while acting as a professional in the field of sales/prospecting!

On that note, it's also a bit of a wake up call that WSO authors aren't always as professional as they may appear from a blurb in the form of a sales letter...

Thanks

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Richard Van

12 years ago

[DELETED]

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tpw

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Richard Van

Report the WSO so the mods can see this advice and remove it. That way you'll save a number of people who won't have a clue this is illegal, going out, doing it and getting caught.

WSO's that endorse fraud get closed all the time. In fact, it happened just a couple weeks ago with another offline WSO.

Go to the WSO thread and hit the Report button

Explain to the mods what you have explained in this thread.

The mods will deal with this as it should be dealt with. They will lock and close the offer.

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Paul Myers 12 years ago

Richard,

You were spot on. Normally, you'd report it. Any of the mods who see those reports can take the necessary action, and reporting that way means the next mod looking at the queue can get to it. That makes for faster responses.

I only asked Ben to PM me because I'd seen his comment and it saved him the time retyping it and others the time reading it. Also reduced the chance of miscommunication.

It's been taken care of.

Paul
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sloanjim 12 years ago

Crumbs...would anyone seriously go into business with someone that has just lied to them? They'd be an idiot to do so.

"ok I told you a lie to get your attention...now let's talk biz"
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louie6925 12 years ago

This is my problem with wso's about how to create a wso! People are being told to release wso's and that complete newbies can do this! ........what happens is people release unprofessional products such as this one!

Do not PM the creator! This sort of thing needs to be on the sales thread to make people aware! Yes you might effect the sales, but rest in the knowledge that you may of saved a lot of people from a lot of grief in the long run!

Great post, thankyou!
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Alexa Smith

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by snakez0r

There was one piece of advice however that really threw me off. It involved calling up your prospect and telling them you were from the Yellow Pages and that you were going to follow up the call by sending them a document. You then ask for the business owner's name and address.

I hope and trust that the forum's general policy is that it won't knowingly house anything endorsing fraud, deception or illegality.

I'd certainly be bringing that to the moderators' attention, myself, and expecting that the product listing will be removed/closed, at least until the product's been amended accordingly!

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snakez0r

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

Good point. I'll PM a mod and let the WSO author sort it out with them.

I'm not going to name and shame because I believe this is just a naive mistake made by the WSO author and nothing more.

Thanks

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sloanjim

12 years ago

yeah and you can pretend to be an authority in niches you have no idea about by raiding YHOO answers etc for information. Man tha'ts just plain wrong! It'll kill off info marketing.

This is my problem with wso's about how to create a wso! People are being told to release wso's and that complete newbies can do this! ........what happens is people release unprofessional products such as this one!

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Paul Barrs 12 years ago

Ah yes, welcome to the world of WSO land... where 1 out of every 3 WSO sellers people have no clue about business ethics and customer service.

Just my experience.

And on the same note, I have had a few of these types of WSO's shut down. If you can directly show that it's way outta line, just report it.

Paul
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kolled 12 years ago

Wow! It is sad that someone can give such misleading advice. Following such advice can lead to facing the long arm of the law. And all for what, getting an extra prospect? Pretty pathetic advice.

I think buyers should be really careful what they follow. If it feels even a little bit unethical, it's better to clarify first than end up in trouble. That WSO definitely deserves to be reported.
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ivanadee 12 years ago

wow.I am just knowing about that kind of wso.
Thanks for sharing
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- Jay Emo 12 years ago
  
  That really sounds like one of many devious cold calling sales techniques, if you've never worked in a sales environment it would come as a shock however even the big blue chips use scummy tactics like that, so the WSO seller probably has got so used to using tactics he sees no problem selling them. I used to work in a similar environment, I went in fresh faced and hungry to earn money, however I had three different names at one point and soon left cos it was such a dirty industry. However many had been it in it for years and were brainwashed into believing that you stoop as low as you can to make the sale and had no problems sleeping at night. Report the WSO as previously recommended on the slim chance the seller will wake up to what they are doing on a daily basis.
  
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  onSubie 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Jay Emo
  
  ..if you've never worked in a sales environment it would come as a shock however even the big blue chips use scummy tactics like that...
  
  Bell Canada used to harrass their customers by calling "not to sell you anything but just to check that everything is okay with your services".
  
  Five minutes into the call they started describing services that you don't have and could add to your bundle.
  
  Bell was fined millions of dollars by the Govt and stopped the practice.
  
  They blamed it on an "overzealous" outsourcing company.
  
  Mahlon
  
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Paul Myers

12 years ago

Ben,

PM me the link to that offer, please. It won't remain posted for long.

Paul

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Richard Van

12 years ago

[DELETED]

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snakez0r

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Ben,PM me the link to that offer, please. It won't remain posted for long.

Paul

PM'd

Originally Posted by WillR

You peeps need to remember that a forum works best when the community gets involved in the running of it. We all need to keep a look out for one another. By that I mean, if you see an offer that tells you to do things that are immoral or illegal, then don't just come here and post about it. The first people you should be telling are Paul or the Helpdesk. They are the guys who press the buttons and make the decisions around here and it's impossible for them to see the inside of every single product. We need to be their eyes and ears. It's up to us to help them out and alert them immediately. Even waiting a day can be the difference between another ten or so newbies buying that product and acting on the bad advice inside it.

You're right. I should've PM'd a mod straight away. I didn't really think of the bigger picture until I saw other warriors' feedback here. That's what a good community does so you passed the test guys

Originally Posted by Richard Van

Sorry Paul,

I did tell the OP to report it nearly three hours ago and to do that instead of PMing a mod.

Apologies, I've deleted that post, I thought reporting it would have been enough. In fact reading Wills post above it appears reporting it is the last thing you do, after telling Thomas or a mod.

I was a bit off kilter with that one.

Don't beat yourself up Rich! I submitted a support ticket and within 30 minutes it was actioned. Ya did good!

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WillR 12 years ago

You peeps need to remember that a forum works best when the community gets involved in the running of it. We all need to keep a look out for one another. By that I mean, if you see an offer that tells you to do things that are immoral or illegal, then don't just come here and post about it. The first people you should be telling are Paul or the Helpdesk. They are the guys who press the buttons and make the decisions around here and it's impossible for them to see the inside of every single product. We need to be their eyes and ears. It's up to us to help them out and alert them immediately. Even waiting a day can be the difference between another ten or so newbies buying that product and acting on the bad advice inside it.
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Joshua Rigley

Banned 12 years ago

Great post. I especially liked this bit:

Originally Posted by snakez0r

Anyway I'm not going to name names or anything, I just wanted to remind people (especially the newbies) that they should think twice about taking any advice they receive and be careful! I'm sure this kind of advice in a WSO isn't a one-off.

And I do want to make it clear that this really isn't common enough to be turned away from buying WSO's. Some of them are absolute gems, not to mention ridiculously cheap. Yes... you're basically paying them to take your contact information. But it's usually a good trade.

Thanks Warriors,
Ben

Most people would go into a screaming rage saying that all WSO sellers are scammers or what have you. It's refreshing to see a level-headed person talk about something like this without blowing things out of proportion.

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Bruce NewMedia 12 years ago

This is unusual, but not unheard of.

I bought a wso awhile back that instructed to stick flyers in mailboxes....not too bright considering you can be fined by the US Postal Service. Hard to believe the WSO author had never heard of this ....unless they never even did what they were telling others to do???
_____
Bruce
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Beth Kins

12 years ago

It amazes me the trash that is able to be published nowadays with no concern to the validity or legality for the consumer if they were to follow what is outlined to them. I don't get how the writer of this ebook was able to instruct others to engage in illegal activity and not get shut down by now. Can they not be reported somehow and the ebook pulled from the forum? Don't get me wrong I'm all about free speech but it crosses a very definite no-no line when you're telling someone to do something illegal.

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Richard Van

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Richard,

You were spot on. Normally, you'd report it. Any of the mods who see those reports can take the necessary action, and reporting that way means the next mod looking at the queue can get to it. That makes for faster responses.

I only asked Ben to PM me because I'd seen his comment and it saved him the time retyping it and others the time reading it. Also reduced the chance of miscommunication.

It's been taken care of.

Paul

My apologies again then, I shouldn't have deleted all three of my posts. I thought I'd better remove them as I looked at yours and others responses like Will's and thought I'd got it wrong.

I think I'd be better off just taking a sideline for a bit. I do try and help my best here but I do wonder if I am sometimes.

I'm a sarcky bugger at times, well most all them probably but every time I do I'm not meaning offence, I'm just a bit of a joker and enjoy a laugh.

So to those that think my posts are snarky, no offence, try and see the lighter side of them.

Originally Posted by Beth Kins

It amazes me the trash that is able to be published nowadays with no concern to the validity or legality for the consumer if they were to follow what is outlined to them. I don't get how the writer of this ebook was able to instruct others to engage in illegal activity and not get shut down by now. Can they not be reported somehow and the ebook pulled from the forum? Don't get me wrong I'm all about free speech but it crosses a very definite no-no line when you're telling someone to do something illegal.

I agree but see the bolded bits and Pauls post, it's gone now and been taken care of.

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tpw 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Richard Van

So to those that think my posts are snarky, no offence, try and see the lighter side of them.

The people who cannot see the lighter side of your snarky comments tend to be the people who were the butt of your jokes.

I know... Same thing happens to me...
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tpw

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Viramara

Not all WSO advice that good. I actually got one wso that claimed to make in xx hours and when I opened it....damn, it's an extended copycat of Willie Crawford's free report "Make Emergency Cash" that's spread in Resell Rights Weekly with PLR.

I couldn't report him however because he had modified the report sooo greatly.

That's the last time I ever purchased wso -- done with it.

Yes, you could have reported him.

It is a fact that it is against the WSO rules to sell anything that was originally PLR.

The actual rule states that your main offer must be something that you created.

On your final comment, painting an entire marketplace with the brush of one bad seller serves only to limit the good information that would otherwise be available to you.

I buy a lot of WSO's, and 80% of them teach me something that makes me money.

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cashp0wer 12 years ago

I would have reported that one and I'm sorry that happened to you. There are some good WSOs on here but you do have to be very careful about what you purchase.
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- Paul Myers 12 years ago
  
  Beth,
  
  I don't get how the writer of this ebook was able to instruct others to engage in illegal activity and not get shut down by now.
  
  Simple. This was the first time a moderator became aware of it. As soon as I saw Ben's post, I asked for the link and, when I got that, shut down the offer and banned the seller.
  
  See that little red triangle to the lower left of each post? Click on that when you see a post that's a problem, and use the form that comes up to report it to the moderators. We'll review it and, if appropriate, act on it.
  
  That's for anything that violates the rules, and advocating illegal activity definitely fits that category.
  
  Paul
  
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luane 12 years ago

I learned in college the phrase "buyer beware" meaning it is up to each of us to check out what we are buying. I rarely ask for a WSO refund, but I have. Most of them are pure gold - shared wisdom from those who are in the trenches making money with this method or that. What amazes me is the pure creative genius and that there are so many different strokes for different folks to achieve the same means.

But - back to the thread...if it sounds misleading...don't follow it and ask for a kind refund. Keep on looking and using the golden nuggets! Kristie
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BrandonMHowe 12 years ago

Yeah...

Tons of garbage out there!

Where do people get these crazy,
unethical schemes from?

You definitely have to be careful
the advice you accept. It could be
very costly if you blindly follow
some shotty method a dude pulled
out of thin air if you end up with
legal troubles, or just flat out lose
your a$$.

We should be so thankful for people
who start threads like these...
THIS advice is what the newbie
class really needs!

For some people it really takes a bit
of time to develop a sense of what's
good and what's crap/dangerous.

Keep on trucking!

B
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Marcus Rockey 12 years ago

For me this is reflective of peoples desperation to earn a quick buck. Very suspect but also common in the offline arena. It is fraught with deception.

It is our responsibility to act accordingly in matters like this by taking action to have the thread removed. Beyond that it is all our responsibilities to bring ethics and good business to this forum and web in general. There is enough dishonesty and wrong intent without us, who know better adding to it.

If we learn from our mistakes all can be forgiven. In my opinion of course

Marcus
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josephpeter 12 years ago

I want to avoid spinning nonsense as much as possible also.
Its tough, the pace that some of you guys work at though.
I know a far old bit about health and nutrition and as competitive
as it may be, i'm going to give it a shot and put my own stamp on it.

Pretending to be the yellow pages, I have to laugh,

What a risk!

JP
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- tpw 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by josephpeter
  
  I know a far old bit about health and nutrition and as competitive
  as it may be, i'm going to give it a shot and put my own stamp on it.
  
  Seller Beware!!
  
  http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ened-jail.html
  
  Although this thread addresses a nutrition blogger in North Carolina, many people in the thread related that these considerations will also apply to bloggers in the UK.
  
  I don't know if it will apply to bloggers in Taiwan, but it sure is worth noting the potential problem in this niche.
  
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Cerbera 12 years ago

Misleading clients from the start is never a good foot in the door. Up front honest is te best policy. You will then get better clients and have a successful business.
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celente 12 years ago

Originally Posted by snakez0r

Yes... you're basically paying them to take your contact information. But it's usually a good trade.

Thanks Warriors,
Ben

Well they can have my name if they give great stuff. Otherwise do not really want to know.

Otherwise there is always the unsubscribe button. :rolleyes:
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WSO Advice... Be Careful

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