Picture
this scene.
It could have been written by Rod Serling (The TWILIGHT ZONE™).
A man shows up at your door. He is wearing a mask - so you can't
tell who he is. He is representing a business - but he won't tell
you what the business is. He wants you to give him $150 to become
part of this business.
The masked man (no, not the Lone Ranger™) goes on to guarantee
that you can make $10,000 a month (after 12 months) with this
business - that is not yet in business, or you get your money
back. But, this anonymous stranger offers no contract. You ask
where you write in order to get your money back. He gives you
the address of a vacant lot. The mysterious stranger continues
by saying that you need to do nothing. He will build your business
for you. You ask, "how?" You are told that is on a need-to-know
basis only. And, you do not need to know.
Question. Do you give this man your $150?
So, why do people fall for this exact type of scene on the Net
every day?
You have probably received the spam. New company. It's in pre-launch.
He can't tell you the name of the company, but you will have heard
of it. Will be the hottest thing this year. Get in now. It's going
to explode.
Don't fall for the whistles and bells of bad marketing. Here are
some of the telltale signs to beware of.
1. Make Money In Your Underwear!!!
Just the other night, I saw a re-run of a commercial with Michael
Jordan pitching Hanes(tm). I've also seen the Victoria's Secret(tm)
models, both in magazines and on television (but not often enough).
These people make money in their underwear. They also work hard.
You and me, we would get committed. We would get committed to
a home for the insane.
Don't believe the hype. Yes, you could sit in front of your computer
and work at your home business wearing only your underwear. After
all, it is your home. But, the key is - IT'S A BUSINESS. And,
if you don't treat it as a business, the only person making money
will be the person who took your money. And, they wear more than
their underwear when they take your money to the bank.
The line, "Make money in your underwear" is about as old as the
Net itself, but it is still used. Don't be the fool who is parted
from his money. Real, legitimate business opportunities don't
bother with this kind of misleading hype.
2. Make Money While You Sleep! ! ! ! ! !
Re-read the previous section.
Yes, the Net IS available 24 hours a day. But, this is still misleading
hype used mostly by get-rich-quick schemes in an attempt to convince
you that the Net will make money for you.
Rule #1. The Net does not make money for you. It can provide a
new medium, and access to many more potential buyers than ever
before. But, you must make the effort. Those who make money from
the Net while they sleep, are those who work hard on the Net while
awake.
Like before, it's still a business, and to make money - you must
work for it.
3. The Number Of !!!!'s or $$$$$'s Has No Relationship To The
Number Of $$$$$ You Make.
I get messages like this in my mailbox every day. You probably
do, too. It never ceases to amaze me the way people write some
of the ads. I guess they use excessive punctuation to make up
for the lack of anything significant to say. Just because they
fell for this - don't you fall for it. $$$$$$$$$$$$10.00 is the
same as $10.00. If their "programs" were worth joining, the emphasis
would be on the product - not the punctuation.
4. The Dollar $ign I$ Not A Letter Of The Alphabet. Even In Bu$ine$$.
Again, an appeal to the "Greed Factor." Because they substitute
a dollar sign for the "S" everywhere in their sales letter, they
think you are stupid enough to think this means you will make
a ton of money. Why not? They were probably stupid enough to fall
for it. Once again, legitimate business opportunities don't pull
this sort of thing. Their products, and their endorsements allow
the program to stand on it's own merit.
5. ALL CAPITAL LETTERS DOES NOT MAKE IT MORE IMPORTANT.
In the old days, someone decided that on the Internet - all capitals
was the same thing as shouting. I've never really understood that
philosophy, but - being in all capitals does make it much more
difficult to read. Why would someone send an important email that
'shouts out', "I'm not a professional."
6. If It's Going To __E_X_P_L_O_D_E__, It's Probably A Bomb.
Enough said. If I had a dollar for every email I've been sent
about a program that was going to "explode," I would have a good
income. On the other hand, if I had a dollar for each of the programs
that are still in business, I might be able to send out for a
pizza.
7. They're Making So Much Money, But Their Email Address is: I'm_using_a_free_domain@hotmail.com.
I just hate it when an email comes telling me how much money they
have made in this program. And, the return address is a free email
account. Domains can be had for less than $35 per year, depending
on who you register with. When I get these emails, they aren't
even opened. The delete key is used.
8. Letters From Legitimate Businesses Don't Begin, "This Is Legal
Because..."
Do you really want to join some program where you have to quote
or misquote) postal regulations in an attempt to convince people
what you're doing is legal.
Have you ever seen Bill Gates hold a press conference to say,
"What we're doing is legal because..." OK. Bad example. But the
point is - if you have to defend your products legality, do you
really want it as a product?
9. Real Testimonials Have Names, Not Initials, and....
If a testimonial only has a person's initials, how do you know
the testimonial wasn't just written by the person trying to take
your money? You don't. Real testimonials have the person's name.
And, on the Internet, at least an email address. Real businesses
with real products or services that conduct business in an ethical
manner want you to contact the people who give testimonials. These
businesses have nothing to hide, and are proud of the way they
do business.
If you don't have a way to contact the person writing a testimonial
- it doesn't matter how good the testimonial sounds, the fact
is - it's worthless.
10. Real Businesses Have Contact Information.
Would you join a business where you have no real idea who is running
it? Lot's of people do. What if there's a problem? How do you
contact the company? Do you contact your sponsor? Do you even
know who your sponsor is? Don't send your money to "them," unless
you know who the "them" really is.
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