Ever been told "That looks kinda scammy.."?

by rmolina88

Posted: 11 years ago 16 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

A friend of mine who hates his 9-5 job has been begging me to show him how I make money online for the longest time.

We finally got together recently and I told him the entire process of list building. I showed him my squeeze page, autoresponder, and logged into my clickbank and paypal accounts for proof.

The first thing he said was:

"That looks kinda scammy".

After that, he said "Do people really buy this crap?"

I told him it's really no different than what a marketing dept for a big company does, but he said he trusts dealing with actual "tangible" goods and that my business won't last in the long run. :rolleyes:

I have to admit while it does feel good he's no longer gonna be on my case about it, I couldn't help but feel a bit insulted.

The big difference is that I'm here awake on an early Monday morning while he still has to go to sleep and wake up for a 9-5 he hates.

Any of you ever have this happen?

#that looks kinda scammy #told

franktwin 11 years ago

People are always going to be skeptical if they either 1) don't understand the concept... 2) not making money from this venture.... Main important thing is that you are making money... there are some people that can sell ice to an Eskimo...its all in the pitch.

If he is in the 9-5er... then he is a lifer and would always say that
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- JensSteyaert 11 years ago
  
  I have always people saying they would love to make money online, but the don't have the courage to start. Ofcourse it takes a brave person to quit their dayjob and jump into internet marketing, but if they would really want it they can do it...
  
  I think the reaction you had here is from an uninformed person who doesn't have the slightest idea how everything works, and who is driven by fear of the unknown..
  
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  ExRat 11 years ago
  
  Hi rmolina88,
  
  The first thing he said was:
  
  "That looks kinda scammy".
  
  He's right - it is kinda scammy.
  
  But I would wager that if you were to go along to his day job and examine the nature of the business he works for, you'd most likely find that what they do is 'kinda scammy' too.
  
  You'd probably also find that his contribution via his job means that he is indirectly/unknowingly taking part in whatever kinda scammy behaviour they are undertaking, therefore he's in no position to criticise your business without risking becoming hypocritical.
  
  I couldn't help but feel a bit insulted.
  
  Both of you have a choice. You can either choose to live in blissful ignorance or face harsh realities. It's down to personal preference.
  
  But in my opinion, most clickbank products as well as most big corporations make their money in a 'kinda scammy' manner, profiting from other peoples lack of awareness and inability to make rational, but rather emotional, impulsive decisions. That's just the way it is currently.
  
  People are regularly going to get all bent out of shape about this subject and most times without even realising that they are a part of the problem, whether as a buyer or a seller or some other kind of participant.
  
  I'm sure there's a clickbank product out there somewhere claiming to 'cure' this ailment.
  
  'All bent out of shape? You need this...'
  
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John Jonas Phil VA

11 years ago

When I started working as a VA and I was explaining to my aunt what I was doing (I was doing email marketing at that time), she thought I was one of those Nigerian email scammers who ask for people's bank account numbers to steal their money. For a year my sister (who is also and VA) and I were not allowed to enter her home because she thought we were nothing but thieves.

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jasonl70

11 years ago

and yet amazon, B&N, and google sell e-books.. weight loss books, make money books, etc - all available at your local bookstore, as well as digitally.

This is nothing but direct marketing.. and it HAS been around for a long a time..

my business won't last in the long run

maybe his issue is with direct marketing ?

Dell computers - sold via direct marketing.
Pro Activ - started as direct marketing..
heck, there'a ton of products - both well known, and otherwise - that have been sold via direct marketing.. because it works

Originally Posted by John Jonas Phil VA

of course, she does realize that the nigerian scam has nothing to do with stealing money from people via their bank account #'s??

The scam is that you're asked to cover a "transfer fee" from the bank in order for them to transfer the funds.. they aren't stealing money from the victims accounts - their victims are knowingly wiring over their money to the scammers.

sorry - a bit OT..

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Andyhenry 11 years ago

Originally Posted by rmolina88

he said he trusts dealing with actual "tangible" goods and that my business won't last in the long run. :rolleyes:

He should come to the UK and see all the big retailers that are going out of business because they only sell 'tangible' goods.

I don't know what you're selling and there are a lot of crap info products out there, but that doesn't mean the model is the problem.

Just look at Amazons Kindle sales and tell me that only tangible products will sell.
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- HellaFamous 11 years ago
  
  I personally wouldn't be offended. before getting into the internet marketing world i NEVER EVER bought anything marketed through a squeeze page. Why well for one thing, the squeeze pages i would be sent to were typically about fitness and i've been in the industry too long to fall for any snakeoil supplement some "guru" and secondly squeeze pages to me look down right spammy, get rich quicky, scammy, all of the above. The only squeeze pages i've bought from were after being in the internet marketing business, and that's only because that's just how everyone markets their service.
  
  I wouldn't take offense, because squeeze pages look insanely scammy, but they work and at the end of the day we're doing this for the money.
  
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Finch 11 years ago

People use the word 'scam' for just about anything associated to direct marketing. They fail to disassociate the genuine scams from the legal programs that prey on their own naivety.

Consumers will do what consumers have always done. Nothing wrong with that. But don't expect to win a Noble Peace Prize, and don't expect to receive adulation over the dinner table when you're discussing your career!

I wrote a piece about this a while ago: “Do Affiliate Marketers Ever Feel Guilty?” « Finch Sells

To summarise, it's a shame that our skills go towards the promotion of crappy products. But people aren't buying in to the products. They're buying in to their own dreams.

There's a difference between scamming, and taking advantage of consumerism. But neither strategy will make you popular.
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napoleonfirst 11 years ago

Well, some people just do not get what you mean. The programming from childhood is still too much for them.
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Rbtmarshall 11 years ago

Direct marketing an information product definitely seems more "scammy" than direct marketing a physical product.
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Daniel Evans

11 years ago

Originally Posted by rmolina88

We finally got together recently and I told him the entire process of list building. I showed him my squeeze page, autoresponder, and logged into my clickbank and paypal accounts for proof.

The first thing he said was:

"That looks kinda scammy".

This is exactly the reason why people should strive to be diferent with their squeeze pages because a whole demographic has been indoctrinated to assume that the typical squeeze page represents a scam.

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James Campbell 11 years ago

What he is really saying is: "I don't understand what you're doing"

Transaltion: "Because I don't understand what you're doing, it must be a scam." People are afraid of what they don't understand (for the most part) and they will dismiss it as quickly as possible in order for their mind to be able to fall back into the world they do understand.

Ever try explaining day trading or forex trading for a living to the average person who invests only in a savings account and maybe some sort of retirement fund that gets the 4% a year?

First words that come out of their mouth: illegal, scam, dangerous, risky

People live in their own little bubble.
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Stuart Walker 11 years ago

I know plenty of people like this. A guy I know is always telling me he wishes he could go traveling, make money online, how he hates his call centre job etc but whenever I try to offer some advice about how he COULD afford to go traveling (I traveled on and off for years after graduating from uni on hardly any money or through working dead end jobs for a short while to save) or that there are ways for him to make cash without going to the call centre he doesn't actually pay any attention to it.

Some people are just meant to live, work and die in the same place all their lives.
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jcinqmars 11 years ago

Ya! All the freakin time! I don't bother talking to friends and family about what I do anymore. I have a primary business and when asked what I do, I always refer to my primary. Which is actually use full because it intrigues them as to how I can work from home using my primary! Conversations have been started and new customers/business builders were found with that very answer.
So don't be insulted, people ALWAYS make fun of or discount things they do not understand. Be happy and comfortable as the enigma in your crowd, the enigma that has mountains of time freedom and flexibility!

Onward and upward!
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jasonl70 11 years ago

Let's pretend I am in the poker niche.

As an affiliate for some poker related products:
friend: What do you do?
me: I publish a poker related newsletter.

And I leave it at that.. I don't volunteer the format (that it's via email, online, etc.) - I don't say I am an "Internet marketer". If they ask me more, I'll divulge more: most people choose to have it delivered online; I make money via ads and product sales;etc

If I'm the product owner of a course on playing poker, then:

friend: what do you do?
me: I publish a poker newsletter, and have a training course on advanced poker strategies.
- or just -
me: I train people on advanced poker strategies.

My business isn't "internet marketing" - it's not how I look at it, so I don't usually have this problem when it comes to explaining it.

Would Tony Robbins say he's a direct marketer, or an "informercial marketer"?? or would he say he's a motivational teacher and trainer??
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rmolina88 11 years ago

Great responses everyone!

I can at least say my mother approves since she kinda does something similar to IM, but in a different niche.
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