12/23/2010
This is a quick bonus lesson that I recorded a few days ago on the spur of the moment…
Main Points:
The reason they’re doing it is because it works.
It’s not wrong to imitate what works. However…
It is wrong to use dishonest and unethical marketing, and some me-too marketers are copying each other’s bad practices.
The style that works may vary depending on the niche.
The “IM” niche seems to be on the cutting edge of sales letter trends for info-products. Other niches often follow.
While copying a proven formula can be smart marketing, it’s even better to be a trend setter. By coming up with the NEXT thing, you’ll probably make more money than the me-too marketers.
A few things I did not mention in the video:
The law of diminishing returns applies here. If you want to be a me-too marketer, you need to copy and implement the winning formula immediately. As more copycats jump in, it will become less and less effective. And those who only catch the tail-end of the trend won’t reap its benefits.
This should go without saying, but it’s NOT OK to plagiarize text, rip off graphics, copy source code, or otherwise infringe upon someone else’s intellectual property. That’s not me-too marketing, that’s stealing.
While many (probably most) marketing teachers, agencies, and other so-called purveyors of good marketing practices absolutely shun me-too marketing, I DO consider it to be a legitimate strategy. But something else to keep in mind is that there’s a lot more to being a successful me-too marketer than imitating what you see on a sales page. For example, those me-too marketers in the top 10 on ClickBank are also copying each other’s traffic strategies, and getting hundreds of affiliates to drive traffic to their offers.
Although I’ve been one to capitalize on certain trends, I would not consider myself to be a me-too marketer. In fact, my methods have been consistently ripped off and copied by other marketers throughout my Internet marketing career 😉
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.
Have a great day!
Hi Eric,
Referring to the first part of your video – Yes, I’ve noticed those too…
HOWEVER
Auto Cash Funnel is not part of that crowed. I know Paul Teague personally and I know the product. Actually, this is a product that I think you would really like 🙂
I agree about the sales page (and so does Paul). The page was created for him by his mentor just because it’s selling.
Take a look at my review of the product.
Ely
Better by far to have your own products and identity – otherwise you are forever playing chase and catch up.
No way to build a lasting business.
Ryan
I can vouch for the Massive Passive Profits, it is a great training and a valuable plugin for WP by Bill McCrea. The others have all got me confused because I am not sure if the software is the same traffic generator or not. Looks like the Monopoly one is the same a Total Traffic Annihilation. Who knows?
Darnit! If you end up getting a few of these things it really starts to add up. The only bonus is that most of these are selling for less than $40 which is doable, but makes most seem like a no-brainer which makes it easier to pull out the wallet…
Please tell me what to do and do we need any of these programs or tools?
I’m sure if I go to my hard drive I would have these lessons and software a few times over, but it seems that tools and training changes over time and so you don’t want to miss something new.
Merry Christmas E!
I’m glad that someone else noticed this “fad” that internet marketers are into now. I’ve bought a few of these products myself and frankly, I don’t think they’re too great! The claims they make on the sales pages are overstated, and what annoys me most is that they never even allude to what the product is. I don’t care about screen shots, or testimonials for that matter. I want to know what it is that I’m going to be getting. Usually, once I get the product, then I see that it’s crap. And another thing, the $37-$47 price tags for these programs is just a way of getting you to open the door so they can hit you over the head with half a dozen upsells and downsells and oto’s, etc.Enough already!
All this leaves me with one question, if you’re into affiliate marketing of make money online products, what is there to sell? I don’t want to sell these “me too” products because I don’t see them as beneficial or even terribly honest. Maybe it’s time to find a new market/niche. Thanks for letting me vent! 🙂
Eric,
I appreciate your video and insight, thank you.
I find it interesting that you mentioned ethical marketing. John Thornhill, at his blog, just posted something to this effect wherein he states that in 2011, the ethical marketer will prosper. While this certainly remains to be seen, we can all hope for the best, right? After all, it is we (the IM community as a whole) who continue to buy the products that the unscrupulous marketers peddle. Just say NO to push-button riches. I know, it is easier said than done.
Until that happens though, study their methods, use them, adapt them – all the while making every effort to maintain OUR integrity.
Take care,
Fred S.
They are all liars. Full stop. There’s really no dancing around it. Just because “it works” doesn’t make it a good idea.
And I can tell you from personal experience that if you tell the truth, no one will buy. Poeple love to be lied to for the most part. I am sick of all of it.
I too am bummed by the number of copycatting jerks I see online. That formula with the big dollar claim in the headline, the video, the phony scarcity claim and buy now button has become a joke.
Moreover, most of these clowns will upsell like crazy. Is that okay? It works. Very few, if any, of these numskulls is going to tell the whole story for $37 or $47…of course few of them know the whole story to tell.
I’ve replied to a couple of the emailers who have sent me this garbage. Funny! They agree that there is too much of this stuff going on…but what they’re promoting just happens to be the ONE honest deal in the bunch. Yeah, right!
What I can say is that fortunately most of these “marketers” are one-hit wonders. They’ll launch there copycat schemes and once the schemes are over, we’ll never hear from them again.
Hi
The big part your leaving out are all this have
two more up sells and there no cheap. This is the part that makes me mad. I feel this bad business because you find out that just the $39.00 will not get the job done. I would think these products are getting alot of refund
requests. Thanks for the video.
Hi Eric,
First of all, let me say that you are someone I trust. Your tips are of great value.
The idea of everyone jumping on the $37.00 product is much more than just that. They are following the idea of telling what the product isn’t, as opposed to what it really is. Many times, the product will be close to what you could have gotten for free. Software that allows you mulitiple ways to post for instance. Yet if you read the sales copy, you would not have any idea that the product is a piece of software.
The other idea that seems to be in play, is to promote a product that in some cases, does not even work, knowing that they will upset a lot of people, but not enough to ask Clickbank for a refund. I cannot see any other reason why they are doing it. Get 10,000 sales at $37.00 and perhaps get 500 refunds issued, then they still come out ahead.
A prime example is Blogging to the Bank and their autoblog. Problem is when you buy the product, the contractor sends out an email stating that they cannot put up your blog because the software doesn’t work and they are waiting for the vendor to fix it. Well, I bought my domain name before I got that email and then I waited and waited, then I emailed the support desk which does not answer. So like some people I cancelled, then today I get another email from the guy who runs Blogging to the Bank, stating how well things are going and how he only has 31 Autoblogs left to sell.
I guess he doesn’t read IM report card or he would see how many people are upset with him and give him marks like D-
What is going to happen one day, is the government is going to step in and shut down the IM community and you will not be allowed to sell products or be an affiliate. It’s bound to happen because there are too many snake oil salesmen out there.
In the long run, this is going to hurt ebook marketing. I no longer buy anything that has an upsell – when the upsell is presented, I immediately ask Clickbank for a refund. I am tired of all the garbage for a small price, just to get you hooked so they can squeeze more out, when the original sales page made it appear that what was being sold for $37 or $?? was the end all be all. I call it FRAUD!! and there are a lot of attorneys general who would gladly prosecute some of these crooks. If you sell me a turkey dinner for $37, and then I have to pay separately for the turkey, the mashed potatoes, and the gravy, as well as an upsell to a seasoned turkey (because the one for $37 will taste like cardboard without the seasoning)- then every person who bites for the $37 item should immediately demand their money back. That is the best way to stop this seller abuse – stop letting them get away with FRAUD!
And that’s a problem for those of us on this side of the sales pitch yet still looking for good tools to use.
We see how they all look alike, following the same formats, and, because we know the techniques used on us, can’t really trust what we read.
I know I’ve become so distrustful that don’t even read long copy any more.
Sigh…
personally….oto..=cancel my order,….I am done with all oto’s…join me
Dear Eric,
I just bought abunch of software packages from you two from Click Bank and other two from my PayPal Account that has my savings account to both make and receive payments. Eric I know who Mark Joyner is and I bought a CD set from him before I declared Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and he wanted me to use my PayPal Account to make payments of $47.00 out of my Checking Account. Eric I don’t have DSL to run that type of service that he wants to make monthly payments at all. Eric this has to be some kind of scam isn’t it.
Take care Eric.
Sincerely, David A. Hedges. 12/23/10
Don’t trust the me too marketing, there are upsells and downsells.Totally agreed FRAUD! I tried once, the upsells or downsells are not ending! I have to stop and requested for refund immediately. PLease let others know; they just want to sell not providing solution to your problems!
I think that these products are HYPED UP and it has limited value for the newbie. Look the big boys are not going to reveal their traffic source it’s like handing over the map to a treasure cove. The CPA cash is in PPV mostly and as far as the SEO and adsense side you have to dig for the right keywords YOURSELF. No one is going to give it to you.
As far as ethics here is an insightful article your readers will appreciate. Merry Christmas everyone
http://homebasedbusinesses.biz/life-intelligence
Eric, here’s the real problem I see with these marketers, they prey on the newbies and people who are strugling with finances and looking for some help to try and make ends meet. I was taken by a scam when I first started online but learned quickly that there is a lot of work involved and a hey you do need some education, experience and tech knowledge.
They make me very angry and as an affiliate marketer it’s actually getting harder to find products that I feel good about promoting.
You know these products are getting a high gravity score because the BIG guys are promoting and helping each other no matter what the product is – they just don’t care – it’s a game for them.
You got me going here Eric.
So it’s buyer beware. I recentlty promoted John Thornhills Affiliate Promo Formula because I was able to see what the product was and believed in it. Shameless affiliate link: http://www.reachsuccessonline.com/x.php/11964
John is an ethical marketer and even though the sales page looks similar to the others he actually explains in detail what you’ll get and even tell you that there’s some work involve.
OTO’s are the other beef I have with some of these products. If they compliment the original offer that is fine but if it’s needed to make the first bit work then that’s just wrong. John explains in the first sentence of his OTO video that it’s not necessary to buy – the original product stands on it’s own.
Your product Push Button Marketer has a different take on a sales page – the video promises that one click and you can take the day off but it was done in good humor and as a result makes the visitor curious to read the rest of the page and you get a good feel for what it’s all about and what you can actually do with it. Yout OTO is also an add on not a need to get in order for the product to work.
Sorry for the rant. Let’s make 2011 the year of ethical marketing.
By the way when will you have a launch that we can promote. I’m getting a little better at it. I actually made the leads and sales leaderboard for John Thornhills launch.
Take care Eric, thanks for all you FREE training this year.
I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas
Hi Eric;
Thanks for the “bonus” lesson. It’s real world stuff. I’ve seen a lot of these “offers” in my emails. Thankfully, as tempting as some seem, I always harken back to one of your earliest lessons where you counsel “stop buying stuff”. That’s saved me a lot of money but it’a also helped me develop and maintain focus.
Now, if I buy something, it’s in line with my plan – – a plan which you helped me create. And also, if I buy something it’s from a marketer that I trust. That trust list is VERY short and you’re on top of it.
The other thing about your video is that it was facsinating to watch you fast forward through various sales letters and analize them. I loved how you zeroed in on sales page style for different niches.
Great stuff Eric, THANK YOU!
Gary
Hi! Eric good point here. Actually there are 3 things which I don’t like it
1) First is what you pointed out, the classical long sale page, full of hype which they copy from one to each other. I personally prefer the short amateurish sale letter… but you get less customers…
2) it is absolutely annoying that people use 5-7 back end sales… which live you the impression that you never get out of that except rebooting your PC. I agree with one max 2 OTOs but more then that it is an abuse.
3) There are 90% of emails in which people want to convince you to click but tell you absolutely nothing about their product, you must click to discover if they sale a PDF, or a software, or a service, I am not talking about details about the product but you have no idea what they are selling… Tellman is a champion on 3-4 word emails which tell nothing… at list he has a little humor…
I think all those tactics will sink this industry… it is worst by the day.
What you think?
Merry Christmas for you and your beautiful family.
The only reason crap products and the people who sell them are around doing so is because there are none or not enough people reporting them to the DAs in there state,or going to the FTC now.
If everyone would report these people,there would be very few of them left.
Everyone complains,everyone buys,but none report.
I have been on Erics list for a long time and believe in what he does and says.
I’m with you Eric. Why reinvent the wheel if it works already. But good grief how many bearded ladies do we need at the same side show?
Frank Kern started something about a year ago and probably made a million dollars off it. And for several months a lot of marketers were driving around in their cars on camera promoting their new product. Sort of monkey see monkey do marketing. Who are they trying to impress someone from New York city or someone in a third world country that doesn’t own a car anyway?
If you’re going to copy someone at least take it to a different niche.
And all the hyped up promises really don’t mean squat once you read the disclaimers anyway.
It’s no wonder people hate salesmen!
Thanks. Thats mindblowing.
Regards
Previous
Eric,
I hate the single page sites I want content. Have you tested websites in wordpress that have themed tabs? An example would be a stock trading program done in wordpress with multiple educational tabs. However each page would still have the same side bar optin allowing a prospect to get more free information.
Thanks
I appreciate the comment. This isn’t a review of any of their products, just observations about the sales pages.
Again I appreciate the comment. I’m not making judgements about any particular products in this lesson, just observations about the way they are being marketed.
I have to laugh at all of the asinine claims being made today. I think it only serves to cheapen the field and make it laughable.
I just saw one on how to earn something like $240,000 on ClickBank this week! LOL.. that takes nerves and a really big liar. This crap always goes into my spam folder and I will not take anything this person sends me as serious.
People who are willing to make these claims, complete with ridiculous “proof” are no better then the “letters from Kenya” which we all receive wanting to send us ’50 million American dollars’.
But the GOOD news is, if you are a professional with a real product you probably will .. eventually .. shine above the crooks.
“what annoys me most is that they never even allude to what the product is.”
Yes this is an edgy marketing tactic, that may be considered deceptive in some cases. On the one hand, using “mystery” is a classic sales tactic, and is not inherently unethical. But the way it’s being done in many cases could be considered unethical.
At the same time, the fault also lies with the buyer. If you buy something without knowing what it is, then you have to accept responsibility for taking that risk. I too have fallen prey to tantalizing sales copy with zero substance or hint of what the product is… only to feel ripped off afterward. So I can certainly relate. I’ve also been truly scammed out of large amounts of money, so I know how that feels too. And when you’ve been scammed, it’s easy to feel like every disappointing purchase is a scam, even if it wasn’t a scam.
Like you said, you want to know what you’re getting. There’s a simple solution for that. Don’t buy it unless you know what you’re getting 🙂
“study their methods, use them, adapt them – all the while making every effort to maintain OUR integrity.”
Well said, Fred. That’s really the primary motivation behind my video in the first place.
I hope John Thornhill is right, but my personal conviction is that unethical marketing will prosper until the end of the world. Always has, and always will.
At the same time, those unethical individuals will not necessarily prosper. Most of them will lose their riches, and none of them will be truly happy.
Again, all the more reason to live with integrity.
Some of them are one-hit wonders, but many of the ones you see in the top ranks of ClickBanks are actually serial one-hit wonders. What I mean is they are actually companies or individuals who simply keep releasing new stuff under different names. In fact, some of the top competing products on there are actually the same person.
IMO a normal info-product gets about 10% refunds if you’re marketing it agressively enough. And I think you’re right, I would guess most of the $37 copycat products are more like the 15-25% range for refunds.
I don’t think the government will shut down the IM community. But it is possible that the FTC could decide to target the deceptive practices within this niche more than they have in the past. Obviously “deceptive” practices are already against the rules, and they’ve taken down a number of internet marketers, but I would not be surprised to see it become more common, due to the sheer number of people that are getting burned by unscrupulous marketers.
Upsells do not equal fraud. If it’s a bait and switch, yeah that’s a fraudulous practice. But upselling done properly is just good marketing. If you (and everyone else complaining about upsells) are sick and tired of upsells, then that’s an indicator that you should probably stop buying these kind of products.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the average consumer in the average niche is not sick and tired of upsells, because they don’t see that many of them. The only people who are sick of upsells are people in the IM niche who keep buying stuff that they don’t need.
And if you buy something that you DO need, or that you CAN truly benefit from, then you won’t mind an upsell for something that can help you even more.
I don’t want it to sound like I’m blaming you, because I’m not. I just think your perspective is a bit off regarding what’s fraud.
See my above reply to Ern. OTO’s are not inherently unethical. If you’re sick and tired of them, then you probably should quit buying stuff that you don’t need.
Hi David, thanks for your business, I appreciate it.
Regarding Mark Joyner, no I don’t think he’s running a scam. If it is a recurring billing through Paypal, you can cancel the subscription from within your own Paypal account. Then it won’t charge your checking account anymore.
Thanks Luca, I think your comments are very fair. Just remember, not all products targeted for newbies are preying upon newbies. If the product truly helps them, then it may be worth investing in, even if they are hard-pressed for cash. I personally target newbies with some of my products, including this website. But you’re right, there are a lot of scams and unethical marketing tactics aimed at newbies’ naivity, desperation, and greed.
I think the tactics will come and go, but I do not think they will sink the industry. Every day there are new people flooding into the industry looking for ways to make money, and they haven’t seen the tactics yet. And then there are also ethical marketers who sell good products, and ethical people who buy them.
Thanks for the video, Eric. Your observations are dead-on in my view. These days in IM, when I see a product for $37, I almost know right away that if I want to get it, it is not going to cost me $37, but more like $300-$400 with all the upsells, because you get the bare minimum for $37. That gets you in the front door, another $77 gets you into the kitchen, $197 more gets you into the bedroom, and $37 per month and you get the use of the pool.
I am not totally against upsells, but they seem to have gotten out of control lately, and if a person is going to spend $400 or more on an ebook plus a monthly fee, that ebook had 1)better be gold and cutting edge, and 2)better have terrific customer service, which unfortunately, a lot of these wild sales page ebook guys woefully or conveniently underestimate, which leads to a lot of disenchanted people in IM, which really hurts everyone.
AS far as the 500 copies maximum being sold, and that is it; then you find out 3 days after launch they have sold 15,000 copies, to me, it does not bother me that much because I know it is all BS. I do think, however, it has totally lost its effectiveness as a marketing tool, because if somebody is going to spend $400 plus a monthly, that person is going to see right through any jive-turkey that the ebook seller is trying to fling his way.
Eric thanks for always bringing in honest and real solid content to your subscribers and customers. There are certain people that I think are worth copying or duplicating and you are one of those people. Your idea here of sharing awesome content to build better relationships with your target audiences is something I am focusing more on in 2011.
I agree you never want to flat out copy materials, but do model those that are successful. It used to irritate me to see people having success with these product launches, but at the end of the day I know that I am building a real business that is also making people real money, that also makes me a good, consistent living.
The exciting thing for me is the honest marketers will get noticed.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Hi Eric,
Yes the trend has reached huge proportions and really is humorous in a way as now they are putting down everyone else including the “Gurus” who are scamming and selling the “Dream” while claiming they are not .. then when you get to the sales part – they do the same thing themselves and bombard you with up sells and a continuity program. Let’s all blame Mike Filsaime ( his butterfly script takes it to the nth degree ). I remember he had one where he started the up sells and then Frank Kern came on and had some more for you!
The sad thing is they are all doing what Frank and then Mike were telling people to do 10 years ago or longer.
I guess P.T. Barnum was correct and there is a sucker born every minute ( probably faster now with high speed Internet ).
Here’s an idea for 2011 .. before you buy another “Next Best Thing – push button success” product….
Go put the last one you already bought or the one you bought before that into full implementation.
That way you might “make” some cash instead of spending more and wondering exactly what it was that you picked up last week and still have not done anything with !!!
BTW … this trend seems to be happening with the selling of WP Plugins !!!
Anyway, Eric, Merry Christmas and thanks again for your sanity amid all the NOISE !!
Best regards,
Harry Crowder
Hi Eric I think that you putting your opinion up about this will help a lot of people.It is a prime time of the year to make money these guys are using marketing trends to do just that. I have bought some of these product and have reviewed them. Some are decent and some are not so good. I have tried to get some questions answered at some of them and was not impressed with their support. Well I guess that’s why there is a 60 day guarantee Happy Holidays to all Will
Hi Eric, Thank you for revealing the tactics that these unethical marketers are using. I have been on your list now for about 3 years and while I haven’t been keeping up with your tips I have to amit that I do not trust people when they tell me that I can make “$340,078” in one week, or one month. At one point I actually gave up on my dream of becoming a successful marketer online. You see, I’m the kind of person that has had a lot of bad luck with traditional jobs. I have been in the hospitality field now(off and on) for 43 years. I have a considerable amount of experience as a server and bartender. Sometimes I think I can write a “how-to” book in these positions. My point, however, is that I am getting too old to continue in this field and online marketing is the only way I can finally be free to make the money I need to survive.
Since I am about to spend $37 for product called Internet Landlord I would really like to here from you on this product. The marketer uses a series of videos to explain all that is envolved in this system. According to the videos he explains everything a prospect will be doing and since it falls in the category you just spoke about now I’m a little skeptical to buy.
I’ve heard of this format before about 18 months ago: selling ad space to local business on a monthly basis to send them custtomers, but at that time the price was, in my opinion, too high and if I’m not mistaken it was a monthly or membership site.
Please tell me what you think about products like this and also why don’t marketers tell their prospective buyers that they need windows pro and office pro to deal with the unusual file extentions that come with their software and other products . My system (XP home editon) just looks back at me when I try to upload these systems LOL. If this last sentence makes me look like a real newbie then you’re looking at a newbie that has been at this for 6 years.
Signed
Robt.
Hi Eric,
As newbie I really appreciate your advice.
I actually bought one of the programs you mentioned, namely, Massive Passive Profits.
It seems an excellent product but I have been having a problem with their support. I have submitted numerous tickets to them since 11/12/10 without response.
I would appreciate your advice on the matter.
Thank you.
it´s a bit sad that there´re so many 37$products. All of them rely on the massive avalance of upsells that will hit you once you´ve entered their funnel. Don´t be a fool and believe the hype and scarcity. A little tip is to go and find the “affiliates page” below the sales page.There you can see what´s waiting for you:-)
-Stop buying- start using…
Thanks, everything is already said, Merry Christmas to everybody
Regards
Anders Jacobsson, Sweden
PS In Sweden it works better!
Eric,
Something that I have noticed to be too common in all of these products in the IM niche is that they try to pitch all these products as accidental discoveries, knowing that every one who is searching for a way to make money online, knows that there are some rules to it and that it is not easy. This pitch attracts these people (otherwise termed as newbies). Is this ethical? Can somebody make so much money accidentally? No they cannot.
Copycat marketing is not bad. But when what you are copying is an unethical method and something that makes claims that are not true, it is even worse. I have seen that at least the IM niche is full of such copycat marketers.
Hi Eric,
You are hitting the nail on the head- I have been suckered by some of the examples mentioned.
Another scam is sales letters telling you only 3 steps needed to start making money at $37 and once you have downloaded the product you discover you have just purchased that is useless without product b & c as well at substantially higher prices that is beyond reach of your budget.
This may be “clever” marketing tactics but makes me hopping mad and results in immediate requests for refund.
Thanks again, Eric:
This may be off topic but related. I had a blog on blogspot promoting affiliate link with a good IM company I really believe in and use but the landing page had these thousand dollar profit ads. Google shut my blog down. It was not a google slap but it was a google shove and a good lesson. Beware the landing page claiming quick riches.
Thanks for this great report on Clickbank, nice to know more on the marketing part of it.
Hey Eric,
Thanks for the video. I noticed the trend a while back and ignored them until a well known internet marketer sent me an email promoting one. That was a different tactic, using a “guru” I trusted up to that point, so I bought it. Guess what? I don’t trust them anymore after reviewing and using the product.
Brings a question to mind. Maybe it’s the guru to blame for promoting a product to their lists without personally testing it? No wonder these guys are making so much loot.
Thank you for pointing out the various marketing tactics going on, and how to(or not to) approach our own business from the get go!!…Look forward to the next lesson, and HAPPY HOLIDAY’S!!…Friends, Lloyd.
Hi Eric,
The upsells kill these offers, the $37 price tag is just a carrot, you will be hammered by multiple upsells, elements that the claim are crucial to your success. The refund rates must be through the roof
Roger