UPDATE: This review is now outdated, and I do not make any current claims regarding this product. To get the most up-to-date information and recommendations please join my free newsletter.
6/2/2010
I’ll be writing a followup to my previous blog post very soon (I’m still gathering evidence, working on a solution, etc.).
In the mean time, I want to give you a quick review of a product I just bought.
Today I saw an ad for a product called Confidential Conversions, which was just launched in the past couple days.
The sales letter features a young marketer named Philip Mansour, who reports that he is making $173,165 per month by buying “hidden wholesale traffic for pennies on the dollar.”
The sales letter goes on to explain that he is using little-known PPC networks that contain “almost untapped pools of hyper-responsive traffic”.
As a marketer who has been successfully using PPC advertising since 2004, I was keenly interested in what these untapped sources might be.
So I went ahead and bought the product. Here’s what I found…
I’ll start with the bad news…
There are no “untapped”, “hidden”, or “underground” traffic sources revealed in this product.
Instead, what I found was a course teaching about some PPC networks that marketers have long considered to be “2nd tier” PPC networks. (Note: 2nd tier does not mean 2nd rate. It just means they are smaller than the big search engines)
These PPC networks are not hidden. In fact they’ve been around for years, and if you’ve studied much about PPC marketing, you’ve probably heard of them.
The good news is…
The course itself is pretty good.
The videos are nicely organized into step-by-step modules, and Philip gives a very good demonstration of setting up a campaign on each of the PPC networks.
And while the PPC networks aren’t really “untapped”, they DO have less competition than the top tier search engines. Again, you may have heard of these networks, but you’re probably not using them. In other words, they may indeed be untapped for YOUR business.
There are also modules covering mobile marketing, and CPV marketing. He covers the basics, and then gets into some real-life examples and practical methods of applying those techniques. It’s not a “masters” course, but definitely provides a potentially profitable education for those unfamiliar with mobile marketing or CPV.
The only other negative thing that I will mention is Philip’s voice. My wife was in my office for part of the time I was watching the videos, and she agreed that he sounded like a teenager.
Obviously that doesn’t affect the content, but I know it may be a hangup for some people.
Conclusion:
I think the sales letter may paint a misleading picture of something truly new or “underground”. But for those willing to overlook the hype, the product itself is pretty good.
If you’re not doing any PPC outside of Google/Yahoo/Bing, but want to, this course can help you tap into some good traffic sources. Although I’ve been familiar with these 2nd tier networks for years, I’ve never exploited them the way that Philip is doing. Gaining insight into those methods was well worth the cost for me.
If you’re already successfully utilizing the 2nd tier PPC networks in your marketing efforts, or if you have no desire to do so, then you can skip this product.
Click here to go to Confidential Conversions (My affiliate link)
As always, you are welcome to leave your comments below.
Have a great day!
I will look in to this Philip Mansour’s products that you e-mailed me about last night.Thanks for the information,and also thanks for the lessons you have,and most of all,your honesty.That is one thing good to have,when you are an internet marketer.Looking forward to your next lesson.Thanks Eric….Respectfully,Fred
Do you guys really into this stuff?
Yes its a trick…He claims to be making over 150k/month…and you might be thinking…I could at least make 10k/month if not 150k….
Grow up people..seriously..be more practical…
U might be shouting at me but you will realize soon….
p.s. I have been with internet since 1993…
LOL, I’m not even going to bother…
I signed up to one of his year long courses and he doesn’t seem to pay too much attention to it after awhile. Seems like he’s too busy seeking new adventures and money.
LOL: At least you bothered to respond…:)
Hi Eric
It’s always interesting to read the comments and your replies – another good honest review which is much appreciated.
I’m not interested in PPC at the moment,I am still trying to get established with SEO but it seems to be harder than I thought.
Your reply to NIS…Now that is funny, I don’t care who ya are (said like Larry the Cable Guy). Eric it is so very nice to find honest people in this business you’re in…kind of like that old adage about needles in haystacks. I am a newbie at this and so it is very important to me that my first step is the right step. I do have some funds to play with so based on what you and others have said here, this product is probably worth the money especially since it carries a satisfaction guarantee. Thank you for your obvious, honest information.
Hey Eric, I too appreciate your real and honest reviews but I’ve got to tell you I’m get really annoyed at sales letters that claim to be what they are not. You’re experienced in PPC bu most buying are not and fall for the hype. This hits close to home because the first product I ever bough was a ‘scam” in my oppinion and it haevily used PPC. I knew nothing about PPC and lost money. I’m still a little gun shy about PPC.
It’s unfortunate that in our business sales letter have to so so full of hype and claims of making 1,000’s pe month – in this case $173,165 per month by buying. Come on really? I can make that too if I buy this program. How much money do you need to have in PPC campaigns to make that much. I wish there would be more honest and less hype in sales letters. But then again the formula must work – so buyer beware.
Sorry for the rant Eric. It just reminded me of a bad experience
I appreciate the rant, and I’ve become more sensitive to it too. In fact, being a copywriter myself, I have to be careful about how much hype I inject into my marketing. I’ll admit I’ve written some pretty hypey stuff from time to time, and my own convictions have told me to cut back on it. So if your convictions tell you not to buy a product from a sales letter that either pushes the envelope too far, or outright misrepresents the product, I can certainly respect that.
As an interesting side note, I’ve found that video sales letters have allowed me to sell more effectively with less hype. The hypey copy with “triggers” throughout works well in a long-copy sales letter. But if you come across as sincere, a few compelling words spoken in a video can have an equally if not more powerful effect.
Hi there,
You are trying to run before you can walk.
I suggest you go through the lessons provided by Eric, starting at lesson 1.
Best,
David
Thanks Eric, it is a fine line isn’t it. There are good products out there that follow the same hype type sales letter but after being in the business for awhile I can make better decisions, it’s the newbies that get taken advantage of.
I have to say that your sales letters are much better than most. Yes there is some hype but it’s done in a more “honest” way. One in particular is the Macro Marketer sales letter. The video is showing how it will solve all your problems with one click but it’s done with humour and most people will understand that in order to get the one click solution there will be some work involved. I bought it mainly because I knew it was from you as you promote good products.
I have yet to use it to it’s full potential – thanks again
Hi Eric
I cannot express how pleased I am to have found your site. I really detest hyped up sales letters with extravagantly big numbers of dollars supposedly earned and the cliched overuse of words like “secret” and “underground”.
It’s so refreshing to see an honest, down-to-earth perspective on making money online. It really is. Thank you.
Jay
Hi Eric
I am so glad I came across your site.
Lots of good, good info here !
Thank you for this !
Doug
I think Eric said it – Phil is swamped. I purchased his product and one upsell. When I first logged in one of the products didn’t show up in the download area. I sent in a support request and had an answer and the problem fixed in about 3 hours – a pretty good response.
Hey Eric,
i have exactly the same problem as in some of the first comments: Have got no username and password at all! Didn’t get an answer from Phil yet… But that sucks, thought I could start right away…
Moritz
Thanks Eric for the review. Its funny because I have a short list of products & tools to acquire for my internet marketing efforts, and it just so happens that “Confidential Conversions” was one of them. I may pass on it for now, give Philip some time to work out his support issues, and swing for your List Builder package,(I’m new to your site this would of been way up on my list as well).
I know the value will be a LOT more beneficial as a whole for my business. Keep Rocking Eric, and enjoy your success my friend.
Mick
Hi Eric,
Left a comment a while back about SCGmine. I’m still waiting……They haven’t done anything but have the nerve to charge monthly hosting.
I’ve been having trouble with Jeremy’s email and helpdesk too. It is very uncharacteristic of him, so I think he must be having some issues. I’m confident he’ll take care of it (assuming he’s alive and OK). Have you tried calling his support phone #?
the 800# doesn’t work outside the USA…
Maybe you could try leaving a comment on his latest blog post, aptly titled “Customer Service Matters”… http://jeremyburns.com/blog/internet-marketing/customer-service-matters.html
Or drop him a tweet: http://twitter.com/JeremyBurns It looks like he pays attention to @ replies
I still think something is amiss, because he normally provides good customer service.
Greetings – I received the “Supplement to Lesson #39” but I did not receive Lesson #39.
The lessons are very interesting.
JtB
thanks for the review.Its well explained and looks honest.I was thinking about buying the product.
Here:
Still early to Use PPC,for a beginner blogger
Eric
You were not, I repeat not being judgmental. You served up an honest personal critique and presented it for what is was worth. That’s my take.
Willard
Thanks for the review!
GUYS IM READING ALL YR COMMENTS ABOUT HOW PHIL MAKING 170,000 MONTH.HEY WE ALL HAVE TO START SOME WHERE JUST THINK HOW BIG THIS BUSNESS IS///THEIR R GUYS OUT THERE LIKE PHIL MAKING THIS TYPE OF MONEY HEY IF YR MAKING 100 MONTH WHY NOT BUILD IT UP TO 1000.IF U THINK THAT U CANNT DO IT WELL YOULL ONLY MAKE AS MUCH AS U WANT.ONE MORE THINK IF ONE OF YR ADS MAKE U 100 A MONTH WHY NOT PUT 100 MORE ADS UP THAT MAKE U 100///NOW YR LOOKING AT 10000 MONTH.REMEMBER THE SKY IS LIMIT AND ITS UP TO U WHAT U WANT TO MAKE…THANKS
Complete newbie just now finding out about this product. Wondering if its still a good purchase considering the time of launch and possible market changes? Please advise.
Thanks!
Hello Walt,
This review is now outdated, so Eric can’t make any current statement about the product.
i ordered the confidential conversions through your link , after i clicked the complete purchase
on clickbank order form i was taken to a page that read fatal error, have not received anything
by email other than a clickbank receipt, contacted clickbank waiting for reply, what do you think, read in some other posts that others were having the same problem, i thought since those posts were a couple of years old that the issues would have been resolved by now.
thanks in advance
I really don’t know, but your purchase is guaranteed. My best guess is that they will take care of it and get you the product. I would be sure to also try to contact Philip directly, and give it a few days due to it being the holidays. You have up to 60 days to get a refund.
Hi,
Is it mobile traffic? Do i have to buy all upsells to join the best ppc networks ?
Hello Ali,
This review is now outdated, so Eric can’t make any current statement about the product.