A Concern about WSO Offers/Purchases

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I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here, however I thought I'd start a discussion about the flurry of WSO offers and results of making a purchase.

I think selling WSOs is the new online gold rush. I even see the so called gurus selling them. I think because its getting harder to sell high priced Clickbank IM products which have experienced a high refund rate. One Guru says that he is buying and reviewing the WSOs and only promoting the best. He said most were rubbish with unfounded testimonials. In the last two weeks he stopped promoting WSOs regularly. Not sure why unless he could not keep up.

I have bought more than a few, so I am only posting from my experience.

1. They all seem to have escallating pricing to drive sales through a sense of urgency.

2. They all have amazing testimonials and many of the products do not deserve the "glowing reviews." A less experienced internet marketer will probably think most material is good because it is new - whether it's recycled or whether it works or not.

3. Once on the customer lists, I receive almost daily emails promoting the next WSO. It appears to be a race for sales.

4. I have not seen one email from them that ever offers any useful information above and beyond the next offer. One even refers to his list as a "family" and the only new information I can recall is his adding a product "opinion" and some personal human interest comments to help his sales process. Not one useful tip beyond that.

5. I have since unsubscribed from the majority of lists.

I always viewed the Warrior forum as a special place to help and be helped. It can appear that the membership is now viewed as a "cash cow" as we appear to be in a "feeding frenzy" expected to buy the next "shinny object." Most IMs do not implement the techniques as they are looking for the "easy button." That is their issue and it appears to being regularly capitalized on.

Some of the WSOs contain really good content. Others could have been nothing more than helpful posts. Helpful that is, but not worth paying for.

With the economy what it is, many Warriors are cash strapped and even a $7.00 purchase can be challenging on a regular basis. Hard times can really make people act implusively hoping that they can be successful. While that is their personal issue, I don't feel it should be capitalized on to the degree that it appears to be.

All I'm suggesting is that it would be a breath of fresh air to return to the original Warrior forum mission of helping first and extending that to your WSO customer list on an ongoing basis.

What do you think?

Thank you,
Vito
#concern #offers or purchases #wso
  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Originally Posted by hpgoodboy View Post

    reading your post...
    ..reply shortly
    My aunt once took a bad combination of prescription drugs that made her say literally every thought that came into her mind. For some reason I'm reminded of that incident.

    ETA: What the heck? Just felt a need to reserve the second post or what?
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    • Profile picture of the author Suellen Reitz
      I have to agree. I have bought a few WSO's... mostly good... and the price was low, or I would have had to think about it. But so many warriors give away great stuff for free... it makes you wonder why you should ever buy.
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  • Profile picture of the author imback
    I try my best to lead the new era. There needs to be changes in my opinion. Quality of Quantity.

    CHAD
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    The value of testimonials are only as good as the person giving it.

    If someone is notorious for giving glowing reviews to all products, then their testimonial is the equivalent of a pile of dung.

    If someone else is notorious for bringing integrity to all that they do, then their testimonial is gold.

    If you want to know the value of a product, look at the testimonials and the caliber of the people who offer them.
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    Bill Platt, Oklahoma USA, PlattPublishing.com
    Publish Coloring Books for Profit (WSOTD 7-30-2015)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
    I can't dictate what/how others run their businesses.

    I agree that there are some marketers that will promote offers they have not even seen - and do so based on the commission they might make.

    This was discussed last night actually, and it was revealed that there is a formula for one specific person.

    While I could play into that formula to get more exposure myself, I have not currently done so.

    In the end, the buyer has to take responsibility for their decisions. They are the ones dictating what they will spend money on and if they don't like the sellers product then they need to voice that. If everyone did their due diligence, the cream would rise much quicker.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by V Michael Santoro View Post

    All I'm suggesting is that it would be a breath of fresh air to return to the original Warrior forum mission of helping first and extending that to your WSO customer list on an ongoing basis.

    What do you think?
    The moving finger writes, and having writ,
    Moves on; not all thy courage nor thy wit,
    Shall lure it back to blot a single line
    Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

    The same man cannot stand in the same river twice, for it is no longer the same river, and he is no longer the same man.

    The old Warrior Forum is gone. It will never return. The forum evolves, as all communities do, as all communities must.

    And sometimes evolution sucks.

    Since I arrived here, I have watched a lot of changes happen. I've seen the thanks button appear, greeted at first by snickering ridicule, and now regarded as a useful measure of a member's contribution to the forum. I've watched banners appear on the top of the forum, images appear in signatures, and a brand new article directory founded. I've watched the War Room go from a place only the serious people went, to a place you had to join or you couldn't run a WSO.

    I've seen the cost of a WSO double. I've seen the value of bumping a WSO drop to near-zero. I've seen Mike Lantz change the face of the WSO forum with WSO Pro, then change the culture with his WSO of the day, then stir up a complete hornet's nest with the WSO Pro affiliate program.

    And I've got my opinions on all of this. Some of it I like. Some of it I don't. Some of it worries me. Some of it scares me.

    But do you know what hasn't changed?

    The people.

    The Warrior Forum is still a great place to find people that are helpful, well-informed, knowledgeable, experienced, and successful. And yes, the word has gotten out, and there's a much larger crowd of groupies.

    But the high quality is still here.

    If the WSO forum closed tomorrow, and we all lost our signatures, and the War Room was shut down, and all the thanks and post counts were wiped clean...

    I'd still be here. Because there would still be great people, and great conversation, and that's why I'm here.

    Not for WSOs.

    Not to buy them. Not to run them. Not to bitch about them.

    The Warrior Forum is, and always has been, about the people.
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    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Nate Simms
    Great post.

    ... hit the nail on the head with many of the same concerns/thoughts that I have.

    I've unsubscribed from most lists that I was put on by signing up for a WSO. People simply throw out affiliate links blind -- they do not even look at the offer they are promoting.

    It is unsettling, to say the least.
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  • Profile picture of the author V Michael Santoro
    Great replies... Thank you. Just sorry if the Warrior Forum is becoming the "Clickbank Dollar Store!"

    Makes me feel like I'd be foolish to post about a get new tip or free site that offers value instead of selling it as a WSO.

    Anyway, have a great holiday weekend to those in the States.

    Thanks,
    Vito
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    V. Michael Santoro
    http://NicheDominance.com/niche-gifts
    FREE REPORT: How Our Online Business Generated $500,000 in 3 years with a Model Based on Strategic Partnerships and Affiliate Marketing. This is our 30 page "no fluff" Blueprint.

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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by V Michael Santoro View Post

      Just sorry if the Warrior Forum is becoming the "Clickbank Dollar Store!"
      I suggest that anyone who thinks the forum is sliding inexorably down the slippery slope in this pretty little handbasket, before passing judgment...

      Wait till October.

      I am of the personal opinion that by the middle of October, the "disruptive" bits of our Warrior culture will have settled, and we'll be able to see more clearly what is really here to stay.
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      "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author Patricia Sphar
    I'm in complete agreement with CDarklock. It's all about the people and it's also about watching the evolution curve. I've had a gentleman's bet with a friend of mine for years; which evolves more rapidly: The human or the ameoba? Right now both us are betting on the ameoba... But there are still some amazing, wonderful people and they're absolutely worth my time and attention. So there ya go!
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    It doesn't matter what industry or what marketplace we are talking about - there are always going to be great vendors and poor vendors. What you described in your post is a great description of the typical vendor who lands on this forum with the sole objective of making a quick buck.

    You can tell these people from a mile away because they are the same people who are promoting several products to you every day of the week. If they really cared about seeing you succeed they would not be doing that.

    The best thing you can do is take advantage of refund policies if you feel the product was not worthy of your money AND unsubscribe from their lists. The more we do those things the faster these people will get the message. These sorts of sellers don't last long anyway so it's usually just a matter of time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kate C
    With WSOs, you really have to sift through them carefully and you will find some really good ones. Granted, some of them are not as good as they claim, but believe me, so is every other product out there, not just WSOs. Some of the products that are now sold for as little as $5 used to be "high end" products when demand for them was high but now internet marketers want more for less so you are still getting the same things.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin01736
    sometimes you can find a gem. Agree with a lot of what Vito says. But there are one or two WSOs that have given me pricelss information that I would never have found elsewhere except by chance.
    Best value for money for me on the Warror Forum was a War Room Membership.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
    Originally Posted by V Michael Santoro View Post


    1. They all seem to have escallating pricing to drive sales through a sense of urgency.
    There's two sides to the coin on this point since those hosting WSO's might argue that early tesimonials are key to kicking off sales and therefore they are priced to reflect this. As testimonials and reviews increase the product can then be sold for it's supposed worth with sales driven by social proof - the very purpose of review copies.

    Additionally if the host wants to avoid saturation to keep the product valuable, then we can assume the more value it holds as it becomes scarce. For those legit WSO's that are pulled after X compies are sold, you're essentially booking your place in a "program".

    It will always get some people backs up when they see the initial buyers got it for the third of the price, but the WSO host can just claim any of the above to justify ramp in price and, in my opinion, it would be a justified reason.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Originally Posted by V Michael Santoro View Post

    All I'm suggesting is that it would be a breath of fresh air to return to the original Warrior forum mission of helping first and extending that to your WSO customer list on an ongoing basis.

    What do you think?
    I think those are nice sentiments. There have been several threads started about cleaning up the WSO forum. Most of the stuff that has been suggested has already been tried and had little or no impact.

    People need to realize that a large percentage of those folks selling WSO's don't sell much, if anything, outside of the WSO forum. They are WSO specialists, and that isn't what I'd call a successful marketer.

    Still, all the crap offers would disappear if the buyers wised up. Perhaps making the BUYER pass a competency test before they are allowed to view the WSO section would clean it up. After all, if people aren't buying the garbage because they have been educated, the garbage would no longer be profitable and would disappear rather quickly.

    That would be an interesting experiment, don't you think?
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    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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