Do You Respect the Gurus?

hate is such a strong word. i would say, no i dont hate them, after all the experiences shared, and the informations and knowledge shared. i dont see any reason to hate them.

This is a "trial and error" game, there are lots of self proclaimed guru´s out there just selling their latest must have products.They are only interested in selling, not teaching.So, you need to be careful and not jump on every new product coming out.

I don´t hate them, I just believe you need to think for yourself and not believe everything they try to sell you.

For instance, when some "guru" is trying to sell you a "guaranteed way of getting one million visitors to your site by tomorrow" you can pretty much say it is a scam.

I think the question is stupid.. (sorry)

It's meaningless.

The people you're referring to (whoever they are - the word Guru is applied in the eye of the beholder) are just normal people doing the best they can to create success in their life.

The thing you're probably pushing against is the way some people do business - that's not to do with whether they're a guru or not, it's just what they're doing - which is just the best they can in the position they're in.

Quite often we respect people that have achieved things that we desire to achieve in our own life - People with a negative mindset can also resent people like this because it highlights the lack of success they see in their own life.

The way we feel comes from our own mindset and our beliefs and is not really anything to do with other people and what they're doing.

To ask a generic question like 'Do you hate or respect "the Gurus"?' just plays to peoples mindsets and doesn't even refer to any specific people.

I've seen a lot of IMers behave badly and also a lot behave tremedously well - so how I could ever make a generic judgement about them all within the label Guru?

For what it's worth I think we should focus on examples that we aspire to and ignore the rest.

Andy

That's a fallacy.

People share what's working for them here all the time.

Knowing what works for other people has very little to do with what will work for you - so many people dismiss the gold nuggets that are shared.

a guru is in you eyes only. "experienced marketers" are just that, experienced, if you keep at it you will also become experienced. if i ever had a gripe it would be the inaccability of these gurus. and can you blame them. if you had a list of 50 000 people and each and every one asked you for the best combination to put onto their pizzas nobody would ever make any money.
buy their product, learn, do, and carry on with your own marketing.
hell for that matter while i have you here - i am a guru on at least 10 different things in life.
ask me a question "+)

I love the "gurus". Without them, I would still be making nothing online. They showed me how to do well online and teach me what to do every day through their actions.

Solomon Huey

Well said Andy

"That's a fallacy.

People share what's working for them here all the time.

Knowing what works for other people has very little to do with what will work for you - so many people dismiss the gold nuggets that are shared."

I agree straight talk.

It depends.
Some gurus earn money by keep selling products to their customers, those I don't like.
Some gurus really provide useful tips and information to clear your doubts, I really reapect them for their efforts and will likely to buy their products. These gurus success because they really help others to success.

Well said Elvin, no one will ever complain if you over-deliver on your product, information or customer service.

All my best!

Rick Davies
ProfitMart.com

Guru's are just successfull Internet marketers. Why would someone want to hate successfull people unless they are not jealous of their success

I admire them and they give all of us aspiring marketers who want to be successful hope and ideas.

I am about to launch my 1st product and I sent my product to a friend for a review (all I was expecting was some comments on the product) luckily this guy has took me under his wing and is helping in the launch.

Left on my own I would have just completed a 30 - 40 page ebook and thrown it up on the net and if I was lucky earn a few dollars from it.

Ok it's taking longer than expected, that's because he has made it a lot more proffesional to include training videos etc. and to make sure it gives real value for money.

Now there is no way this guy would call himself a Guru, yes he earns a full time living on the net but he is not in the league of the super earners.

To me though he is a Guru and I love him for it.

One thing that has always puzzled me is the "old rehashed stuff" complaint. Now there are some very fundamental things that have worked and will always work such as list building, relationship marketing, providing value to your prospects and subscribers etc.

So there will be ebooks/courses/seminars that will touch upon the basics with the route taken by the Internet Marketers to create the path of success they carved out. What has happened over the years is that people consuming these courses want to know something *new* that works and not just stuff that works. What they fail to realize is that if the same stuff is being "rehashed and retaught" then it is a matter of sticking to the basics.

Sometimes, I feel people seek 'entertainment' in IM because they are so bored of reading the same old stuff. However if you ask them what they did with the 'old stuff' that they know so very well, the answer is often 'Nothing.'

I wouldn't really hate them, in fact many of online experts helped me a lot to under stand many concepts, I cant just ignore the fact and start hating them, in fact I love them.

I respect the gurus for there intellegence and how they are able to be so creative and make money, but honestly I don't like gurus. Its like when your a noob and you look up to them then one day you have the chance to talk to them and there complete aholes am not saying all of them are like that just the ones I have met no pointing fingers.

If you ask me, the word "guru" in internet marketing defines a person that probably has more experience & more knowledge than the average internet marketer has...

BUT, unfortunatley there are many "so called gurus" that are not "gurus" at all.

I follow a lot of "gurus" and I have to say that about 75% of them are not true "gurus"...

They are just individuals that have a lot of people behind them that will ALWAYS praise them whether they provide good info or not. :/

For example I'm in a list of a well known "guru" (Not going to mention any names).

This guy has found success because of his great ability to write good, awesome & convincing reviews...

All he does is promote affiliate products to his customers...


What's wrong with that?

Nothing. If you provide your customers with good products that is...


Before I promote an e-book or something with my affiliate link, I will personally buy the e-book myself!

That way I will know for sure if my customers are going to get a good product or not!

I know that a lot of these so called gurus don't! They just invent a good review e-mail and send it along with their affiliate link through their e-mail list and hope that people will buy.


So let's go back to the OP's question...

Do I respect the "gurus"...

I respect ANY internet marketer that offers value to his customers. He/she could be a guru or the average jane/joe that is still starting out...


... It doesn't matter to me.


If you provide good products to your customers
that will really help, then yes... you have earned my respect!

Cheers

Hate is too strong a word. Never bought a product from one that lived up to the hype or price. Rehashed info that you can find for free on Google or cheaper products. I don't trust them and don't buy any of their stuff and don't get on their mailing lists.

I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, most gurus have excellent skills and excellent lessons to teach. I have great respect and admiration for their accomplishments.

On the other, the vast majority of them are not overtly teaching those skills and lessons! They know what they do isn't what they're teaching, but they keep teaching the same thing anyway.

If what they're teaching doesn't work, and they know it, and they still keep teaching it because it's something they can sell... I lose respect for them as colleagues and peers.

Another thing I really dislike about certain gurus is their complete lack of respect for other approaches. You either do it their way, or you're a complete idiot because nothing else works.

So it goes both ways. There are a couple gurus that continually amaze me, and have earned my respect in spades; Tony Robbins immediately comes to mind. There are others who seem to be constantly skirting the edge of professional ethics, like Robert Kiyosaki, and I get pretty skeptical.

I like a few... I respect them all for their knowledge.

The ones with cool personalities I gravitate to (Kern, Jamo).

There was one particular guru that I really hated seeing all the time but I had to do a self-check. I had to be honest with myself. I did not like that person because they were doing something I was not doing. They were getting results and they were showing folks they were getting results. I was pouring up the Hater-Aid in a big glass and not putting anything into action to get me to where they were. I have since learned that in order to get from point A to point B...I have to get a plan and implement it. It's easy to sit around all day and talk about who we don't like but are we doing anything to help our bottom line with our business? I don't have time now to think about who I'm hate'n because I'm too busy moving forward with my business plan and itching for success. In fact, I have now taken that envy I had and turned it positive and look at it as something to strive for. I think there is a term that says, "Don't hate, congratulate". I'm gonna thank this person for fueling me with the fire I need to keep moving forward and not stay stuck in one spot with my plans.

This struck me as a bit of a daft question too. I don't believe in IM 'gurus', so the question might as well have been 'Do you respect the Easter bunnies?'.

Given that I'm more certain of what Easter bunnies are than of what gurus are, I'm assuming they are either very good teachers or very good salespeople (or both). Why would this command respect? Being skillful and being respectable aren't the same thing at all.

If it turns out that the rabbit holes of the mythical Land Of Guru are populated after all, I doubt that any of their inhabitants will be giving much thought to whether you respect them. The best will be hoping they can teach you something, and the rest will just be hoping they can sell you something.

I think the thing with Guru's they don't give you all the peices to the puzzle, thats why they earn and you dont

Don't you just hate all the "rehashed" products and marketing these days.

Bring back the Ford Model T.

I simply hate driving round in my "rehashed" Audi A6.

I hate the fact that things get "rehashed" don't you?

What utter garbage has been spoken.

Then again perhaps the problem is that it's been the garbage that has been "rehashed".

I don't know whether he's a Guru or just an everyday mankini-clad mass hamster breeder, but Kevin Riley's products give you all the pieces to the puzzle and the picture on the box as well. There are other people's products out there that are just as good, as well as a lot of people buying them who think that the pieces will just come together on their own.

Do I respect the guru's? Not really. Nothing against 'the gurus' but I do respect people who start with nothing and spend months, putting sweat, blood and tears into their ideas making them work. People who go months without earning a dime but yet still have the drive to push on. Those are the guys who I admire and I get a nice warm feeling everytime I read a success story on here.

Are we all guru's, just that some of us don't know it yet?

It's funny how there's this strange class of people called "gurus"

What does it really take to be a guru? Is it depending on list size? Knowledge? Proven results or experience? What others say about you? Having a new or breakthrough strategy or product?

Really, a lot of the gurus are no better than your average person - they've just got huge lists and make a lot of dough.

However, just like your average person, amongst this select group you'll find some that stand out above the rest. I try to find those and follow them, and the rest of the "gurus" I just unsubscribe from. Sure, I've gotten value from lower end gurus, but that doesn't mean I have time to follow everyone.

Love/hate? No. Some I respect, and others I don't.

More options please.

How about these:

1. Have you gained any knowledge from a Guru?
2. Have you ever been treated fairly by a Guru?
3. Has a Guru ever played a role in your success?
4. Do you blame a Guru for your failure?
5. Do you have the wisdom to pay attention to a Guru?
6. Do you have the experience to even know who the Gurus are?
7. Do you wish a Guru knew you?
8. Do you wish you were a Guru?
9. Does your opinion of a Guru really make any difference?
10. How does one "HATE" someone they don't know?

Gene

I respect Ewan chia and Mike filsaime as I got a lot of knowledge about internet marketing from them.

Real gurus never refer to themselves as a "guru" - they don't need to.

I respect the gurus for the gurus have paid their dues and they were able to achieve a level of success Only few of us could even imagine. without them we would have no goal to aim. Without them we would have no role models to look up to. Those who do not respect them do not respect themselves.

This just my personal opinion on the subject
clint

Hey Desmond,

I've just spent the last 18 months conducting an investigation about the people who call themselves the 'gurus'. To be honest, with some of what I saw I was pretty shocked - people claiming to be able to help others succeed online, when all they were really doing was lining their own greedy little pockets then refusing to stand by their promises - its sad that there are people out there who behave like that - funnily enough, my resources were able to do alot of digging into their information (backgrounds/claims/ all sorts!) and alot of these people aren't doing as well as they claim...

On the other hand, I was lucky enough to stumble upon some true gems in the world of IM, and I truly do respect them. Their background stories checked out, their claims could be verified, and the systems that they use and promote really did work (I had a team of people - relative newbies - checking them out, and they were seeing positive results)

I have been lucky enough to interview these people about their success and how they help others, and have compiled a book which i will be releasing shortly. I think the thing about 'the gurus' is that you really have to find the ones who are gurus, not just the ones who are arrogant B#!!$hitters and wouldn't know the meaning of actually building a successful business online...

Neither, because I base it on the individual, not on a group that does NOT exist. Anyone who makes that kind of statement "I hate all gurus" or along those lines is just showing how ignorant they are.

You've got bad IMers and good ones and everything else inbetween. I personally have a distaste for some of them and there are even a few I consider my good friends.

And if you can get everyone to agree what an IM "guru" is, then you'll also be able to figure out the winning lotto numbers for this weekend.

Desmond,

Who exactly are the Internet Marketing Gurus? It's hard to give you an answer as to whether or not I respect them if I don't know who you are referring to.

I know many people who claim to be a guru, and many who other people put in that category, but I know of no IM gurus.

Now I've seen regular people turn into millionaires by working their tail off, networking with other hardworking marketers, and creating a great product or service, and yes, they may know more than the average, but that doesn't mean they are a guru.

There are buyers, sellers, and complainers - people who have the knowledge, connections, and will to turn a good profit, and those people who complain about these people because they usually don't have the character, knowledge or stamina to accomplish their goals! They'd rather spend precious time and energy trying to justify their own shortcomings by blaming someone else.

I know when I coach someone, and they bring that subject up, I end up cutting them loose because they don't have the right mindset to be successful. If the coached person wants to be successful, they have to be clear-headed enough to keep moving forward no matter what goes on around them.

Envy is a real killer in the marketing field if one doesn't use it to push them forward. It's a form of recentment, and there are healthy recentments and harmful recentments. For instance, the other day I was looking up my street and noticed my neighbor cut his grass, and did the trimming. The next thing I saw was that the other neighbors were mowing their grass making the entire block look great.

What I'm saying is these people were motivated and moving forward because they wanted to keep up with the Jones's.

And just because one of them decided to mow first and make their lawn look good, doesn't mean they are a guru lol.


Mary

The vast majority of so called "gurus" have made their money by calling themselves a "guru" and selling expensive products and strategies most of them have never used themselves.

Not just IM - in every niche people are making fortunes, not from the actual niche, but by representing themselves as a "guru" in that niche to sell "products".

Also consider this.

How many of you here doing "niche marketing" are genuine experts in the niche - i.e. based upon many years of experience?

If you are selling a niche product you must be representing yourself as a "guru" in that niche, otherwise no one would buy the product.

Are you really a guru in that niche, or did you get the product made on eLance?

I am not being judgemental here, but if you are going to hit out at so professed "gurus" in IM, then the same rules must apply to all niches.

The very best and most profitable niches are the ones in which you truly are an expert and one in which you are passionate, and can genuinely benefit other people in the niche.

Its amazing how the word guru is used!

guru or no guru we are all in this to create some success
and make some extra cash to better our lives.

personally i don't believe in some people being called "gurus"
but at the same time these people have some expertise in what
they do and i respect them for that not for them being gurus.

respect is not something that can be given just like that
just because someone is a guru, but we all need to respect
one another guru or no guru.

A lot of comments and I really do not want to go through them all so I'm going to respond direct:

Gurus: Most are egotistical liars. I despise them with a passion. Sign up for ANY self proclaimed gurus newsletters and you will soon be bombarded with daily emails using all sorts of social engineering techniques to persuade you to either buy their product or promoting affiliate links which will sell you rubbish. They are engineered towards the stupid and play on peoples desires to earn money. Nothing more than thieving and many times over are promoting MLM products which are designed to draw unwary people in with promises of riches.

That is my initial response to the word "guru"

My second is to ask whether you mean guru or expert? Now an expert I am happy with, they give good advice and rely on their good advice to sell their services. they are not pushy and do not promise the earth, instead they give you good rantional reasons and explanations on what is what and where and how.

A guru does not do this though. A guru says:

>>>>>>>>>If you used my NEW UNIQUE TECHNIQUE You WILL EARN £10,00000000 per month working for only 2 hours PER WEEK<<<<<<<<

Today this offer is open to only 99 people, oops, now 98, 97, get yours quick! Yesterday we offered this at £10,000, today only £20!!!!

If this sounds like a website you are promoting and you THINK you are a guru, think again, you are just a part of that section of the internet that rips people off.

Hope I did not upset anyone with that ;-)

OK. I'll reply to that tomorrow

Beer/Coat/Town

My experience of those that like to think of themselves as IM gurus over the years is that they will find a new strategy, thrash it to death to make as much as possible, and when it no longer works they package it up and sell it as a "product", aided and abetted by the "good 'ol boys" guru network.

The main reason the big names make so much is because between them they have hundreds of thousands of names on their lists, and they cross promote their products.

I am not saying that is a bad thing at all - it is good and effective IM - and good luck to them.

But at the same time:

Caveat emptor, quia ignorare non debuit quod jus alienum emit.

"Let a purchaser beware, for he ought not to be ignorant of the nature of the property which he is buying from another party."

The fact is, the onus and responsibility is always on the buyer, not the seller. If the gurus still find a huge market for their products, who can blame them for feeding that market?

I listen, I evaluate, I apply if the information got this far.

I don't respect gurus any more or less than I do my fellow human being. They are just the same as every one of us. Dudes who are trying to make their living. If they give you advice, evaluate if there's any sense in it and if there is, apply it to your business.

Allrighty, it is shore nuff time we be a puttin this here baby to bed! Jest to put a finish to this here discussion bout gurus, Imma gonna be a givin yew an opinion from a real live gooroo...ME! Yep, ole Thad is a bonefied, time honored gooroo. Whut makes me a gooroo yew be a askin? Jest this...

1. I be a makin over one hunnert dollar each and every month.

2. I dun made a record breakin twenty five dollar IN ONE DAY!

3. When folk like Mankini Riley, Ole Geyser Leatherman, Crazy Sue Ann, Nursey Kim Standerline, Drinkin Rod Cortez, Caveman Elmer Hurlstone, ex military man John Rogers, thut yung whipper snapper Jeremy Kelsall an his right handed man Don need advisin, jest who dew yew thank them folks be a callin? Yep, they dun be a callin ole Thad! I hast dun made them whut they are taday.. well, don't be a balmin ole Thad fer thut thar mankini thang, thut thar is jest cause ole Riley is pervecated!

AND lastest but not leastest, Paul Meyers jest plain likes ole Thad! Now iffin thut thar don't be a makin a folk a gooroo then Imma three legged, one horned horney toad whut don't be a havin enuf blood to even spit in a folks eyeball!

Nowthen, beens I dun stablished my kerdentials let me be a tellin yew thut a gooroo dun be a needin luv jest like all uther folks! It shore dew be a gittin lonesome at the top and us folk jest need a little bit a kindness. Dadgumit, it jest plane HURTS when yew folks starta talkin bout hows us gooroos is dishonest, greedy, selfish and jest rite down jackassy! IT HURTS I TELL YA!!!

I dun been hurt sew much I set down an dun writ a song bout it an Imma gonna share it wiff yew afore I be a recordin it...

The Hurtin' Gooroo
by Thaddaeus T. Hogg (the Hillbilly Marketeer)
(sung to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillys)

Now come an listen to my storie bout a feller named Thad
a poor ole gooroo who wus a treated awful bad
dun made a lot of money as an internet marketeer
but the warrior forum folks jested wanted to kick his rear

real bad like
they didn't like him
he was a gooroo

Now the furst thang yew knowed ole Thads a feelin bad
he tried to help the folks but they thought thut they'd been had
he said "Imma leavin here an I ain't a never comin back"
cause them folks in the warrior forum jest keep a talkin smack

bad mouthin
runnin us gooroos down
givin us low self esteem

Now it be time to say so long to Thad the friendly gooroo
he dun got tired of bein treated like a pile of doodoo
He's dun wore down and he's a feelin lmity tired
but iffin yew folk jest keep on complainin your a gonna get Paul Meyered!

He'll kick butt
bad dude
chews em up and spits em out

Onct my recordin hits the big time, I'll be a havin some autographin sessions but I ain't givin any of yew gooroo bashers my John Henry! Now thut dun be all I gots ta say cause I gotta gits out back an be a givin the hoggs a sloppin!

Ya'll come on back now yew here?

No one admits to being a guru anymore. What's funny, and maybe ironic, is that being "anti-guru" has become more than anything else a marketing strategy. I can't count how many sales pages I've read that start off with something like, "Are you tired of being lied to by the gurus?" The implication is that *this* marketer (the one writing the copy) is an average Joe, not an elitist guru, so we should listen to him. Many marketers have made a career with this anti-guru, outsider image. Of course it's all silly, who is and isn't a guru. Whether you're dealing with an IM superstar or someone releasing their first product, you have to carefully consider what is being offered and see past the hype.

It's hard to make all people to love you.
It's a normal life.

So just do what you think right.

Most of them no.

Am on many guru lists and it's just affiliate offer after affiliate offer. They have a huge list and a reputation but that's it. Makes me think of DJ's actually - in the UK the "best" DJs are very well known but all they do is play and endorse music created by other very talented artists and lap up all the credit. Sure, some of them may have been average musicians in the past, but all they can do now is play records.

Also subscribed to a paid course course created by an up and coming guru recently and, let's just say that the SEO Module was very similar to a lot of the content in last year's 30DC!

There are however some exceptions:

Paul Myers - pure genius.

Dan Raine - my personal favorite. Dedicated to (and spends a FORTUNE on) testing and establishing and sharing the up and coming techniques that work. EVERYBODY is about a year behind Dan Raine (apart from those that subscribe to the Immediate Edge...like me!). Now, Dan Raine's knowledge is expensive - $100 a month in fact which over time works out more expensive that Mass Control! However, invest $100 a month and get huge returns - pretty good deal for me!

And, to be fair, a few others.

So, to come to some kind of conclusion a lot of gurus are nothing more than celebrities - the DJs of the internet marketing world. However, there are a select few that are still Virtuoso musicians and these are certainly worth listening to.

Thanks,

Andy

Dadburnit, dew I havta be a sayin it again... I AM A DADBLAME GOOROO AN I'M DURN SHORE PROUD OF IT! IFFIN I HAFTA BE A PROVIN IT, I'LL BE A PUTTIN UP SOME SCREEN SHOTS. JEST BE A GIVEN ME A FEW MINUTES TO BE A DRAWIN THEM UP! How many dollars wud it be a takin me to prove Imma gooroo and I will be a makin... err, writin... sumpin up fer ya!

I try to learn something from everyone I meet, gurus or not. Some of my best ideas have come in the hallway while speaking to non-gurus at guru "SuperConferences".

The term "guru" as it relates to internet marketing is elusive. Just how do you become a guru?

I've thought about it and think it has parallels to televangelists. There are hundreds of thousands of pastors and priests in this country and yet only ten are a household name and are thus, "Televangelists".

But what do these people do that others don't?

They pimp each other.

Oral Roberts has Benny Hinn on his show and says that Benny is the next Oral Roberts. Benny Hinn has Paula White (she's hot!) on his show and says that she has a special anointing on her. Paula White has T.D. Jakes on her show and says that he is her father in the faith. T.D. Jakes tells his customers -- errr, congregation -- that he was born again after attending an Oral Roberts tent meeting.

It's a freaking Michael Campbell mininet!

Carl Galletti says that Michel Fortin is the best copywriter in the world. Michel says that Jim Edwards told him to start a blog. Jim says that Armand Morin told him to use Wordpress. Armand thanks Carl Galletti for giving him a stage to prothelitise to the people.

A guru is a guru because they (through their business partners) tell you they are gurus!

Suckers!

I agree the question is completely ridiculous.

However, people do ridiculous things in their life, and at times act very irrationally. Such general questions and claims about (undefined group of) "gurus" do appear everywhere. So even those who "hate" gurus must've searched for "gurus:, before they found them and got disappointed in them.

My point is, many people search for gurus. This is a guru business...

lol - the mental image of that is entertaining in a strange sort of way!

No, I don't hate them because even though I am in the starting level they give me knowledge on how to make money online. In that section is already a big help. So there is no reason the hate them!

Hey,

I don't think anyone has to hate the Gurus.
The gurus are just ordinary people like you and me
who have reached a massive success in their business.

however, just take a look at Frank Kern's last launch,
this guy is fooling around all day long. He is just a "dude"
and he doesn't hide it at all.

Gurus are just ordinary people, no need to hate them.

Igor

Frank Kern is really a model for what it is all about.

Beach front home in South CA - which he definitely earned - enjoys his surfing, and his family - to which he is dedicated - and to chilling out with other IM'ers while cooking up the next great product.

Many people do not know that Frank was virtually wiped out by the federal trade commission a few years ago - totally unjustly as well. Yet instead of licking his wounds, feeling sorry for himself and giving up, he just bounced back bigger and better than ever, having learned from the experience.

If there is one great attribute that everyone can learn from Frank, apart from brilliant IM, it is never to take life too seriously.

We are here on Earth for one reason - to have fun while we learn and enjoy life as a free human being. Frank definitely does all that.

Also, having fun and enjoying life is directly related to your ability to do it. The more fun and enjoyment you experience, the more you will experience.

You know - I really do respect people like Eben Pagan, John Reese, Mike Filsaime and a few others, but for me Frank Kern is the archetypal IM'er who most encapsulates what IM should be all about as well as life generally.

And again - anyone making eBooks in a particular niche is almost certainly presenting themselves as a "guru" in that niche.

Are you really?

Or have you simply identified a niche and had someone on eLance write a book about it?

As Martin indicated, people must get beyond the judgement and the labels and things you cannot change, learn to accept it as human nature, and focus on the positives, and the creation of your own IM business.

There is only a few so called Guru's out there that I can trust