UPDATE: This product is now outdated, and I do not recommend it any longer. I am leaving it here for informational purposes only. Additionally, I have removed the links from this article. Interestingly, a couple years after this launch, Kelly Felix (the guy behind Rich Jerk) came out publicly and admitted that he basically HAD been a rich jerk. He then launched a new site called Bring the Fresh, in which he takes a “real guy” approach to teaching SEO. To get the most up-to-date information and recommendations, please join my free newsletter.
Edition #117 – 3/18/2007
I’d say it’s about time that someone lifted the curtain on all this Rich Jerk X-ray Domination hoopla, and separated the facts from the hype.
The buzz surrounding this launch has steadily grown over the past couple weeks, and with less than 48 hours until launch time, I’m now receiving about a dozen emails per day about it. I can only imagine how many promotions we’ll be bombarded with on Tuesday.
There have also been several other factors and recent developments that have added some serious confusion to the issue. I’m going to address some of those things, and hopefully put things into the proper perspective for you.
Let’s start with the Rich Jerk himself. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the Rich Jerk is really more of a brand name than a person. I might add that it’s a brilliant concept, and has become a powerful brand in our industry.
As you may have heard from other marketers, the guy behind the Rich Jerk (we’ll just call him RJ) is actually a pretty normal guy– and yeah– he really is making millions of dollars online. I’ve met him twice; last year in Vegas, and last month in New York. In fact we shared a limo ride down to Manhattan.
While I do think he’s got a good marketing concept, I don’t like the rudeness of his emails, and I’ve said so in a past edition of Eric’s Tips. It’s one thing to be edgy and sarcastic, but quite another to use foul language, and demean women and others– even if it is just a marketing tactic.
Had I not met the real RJ, I would probably not even be wasting these words on him now, but like I said he at least seems like a decent guy in real life.
Next let’s talk about the pre-launch marketing strategy that most of us have now seen employed for this launch.
Maybe you’ve seen some emails that say stuff like “Someone’s gonna get fired over this–“
They’re using the “leak” strategy, which has really become cliched in our industry over the past year or so. They started by releasing a video purported to be one of RJ’s employees logging in and spying on RJ’s AdWords account without him knowing it.
The bottom line is, I know my readers are smart, which is why I didn’t participate in those shenanigans. Anyone with half a brain can figure out that it’s an orchestrated pre-launch tactic.
And while I wouldn’t try to pull the wool over your eyes, I don’t think they’re trying to be “deceptive”. I see it as just a fun way of releasing pre-launch info. My mastermind group (the Secret Six) did something similar when we launched Product Launches Exposed last year.
We didn’t do it because we thought people would be “stupid enough to believe it”–we did it because we thought it would be a fun way to get people involved.
Anyway, if you’ve watched the prelaunch videos, you’ve heard a guy who goes by the name of “Ryan from the Rich Jerk.com”. Coincidentally, I’ve met Ryan too. He even showed me some cool “sleight of hand” magic tricks with his business card. If you ever meet him you should ask to see it.
I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to defend the Rich Jerk or his actions, I’m just trying to shed more light on the entire situation.
The next thing that has left a lot of people confused is the fact that RJ launched his new Rich Jerk Evolution website in such close proximity to the X-ray Domination launch.
In fact, I saw at least a couple of marketers who got their promotions wrapped around the spokes, so to speak. They actually confused the two launches. They thought they were promoting X-ray Domination, but the link was for Rich Jerk Evolution (or vice versa), which is a totally different thing.
Rich Jerk Evolution (aka Rich Jerk 2.0) is basically the new evolution of the original Rich Jerk ebook, formatted as a membership site with various types of content. I did take some time to check out the site, and I would say it’s got some valuable info. He’s got some good tips in there, like how he puts his banner ad all over MySpace without having to pay per impression. Along with that tidbit, there were several things I actually LEARNED from the member area, which made it worth it for me.
I didn’t take the time to promote it to you last week though, because I didn’t feel it was essential. Besides that, there were about 5 major launches going on (all of which I was invited to promote), and I decided you probably had enough promotions flooding your inbox. I hope you don’t mind that I decided not to contribute to the noise.
I still wouldn’t be devoting this much space to Rich Jerk Evolution, EXCEPT I just learned that Rich Jerk Evolution members will get a chance to purchase X-ray Domination a full hour before everyone else. And since they’re supposedly limiting it to 500 licenses, it could be a factor. I have no idea how quickly it will sell out (I don’t even know the price yet), but I figured I’d at least let you know.
OK, so we’ve cleared that up, now let’s talk about the X-ray Domination product itself, which is launching on March 20th at Noon eastern.
The idea is this: it is a tool to use in conjunction with your PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns which allows you to track the results on a per-keyword basis, even when you’re using an affiliate link.
If you’re using PPC to drive traffic to your OWN website, it’s easy to track the results on a per-keyword basis, simply by putting a small snippet of code on your thank-you page. Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing, and most other PPC providers offer this ability.
But if you’re promoting products and services as an affiliate (such as ClickBank products, or Commission Junction), it is generally not possible to put YOUR tracking code on the thank-you page of the vendor’s site.
Fortunately, most affiliate program providers (such as Commission Junction), allow you to place a tracking variable in your affiliate link. ClickBank recently added that capability also. However, it is still a somewhat complex and rather tedious process to put all those moving pieces together into a system that will allow you to actually see which keywords are converting for you.
The X-ray Domination program gives you a tool that automates most of the process, and also includes extensive training materials that show you exactly how RJ uses this technique to make millions of dollars of affiliate commissions.
In case this all sounds familiar, maybe it’s because the concept is very similar to the Landing Page System, which I helped launch in January.
The X-Ray Domination system basically picks up where the Landing Page System left off. X-Ray Domination provides a smoother interface, much more training material, and the ability to import your stats directly from ClickBank, CJ, and LinkShare.
Just to let you in on a little secret, the X-Ray Domination program actually utilizes a technology that is not owned by RJ. The software itself was created by a programmer named Wes who has worked with me and Joel Comm before. In fact, I spoke with him on the phone this morning to make sure I had my facts straight for this newsletter.
The good news is that this programmer is top notch, and he and his team will be supporting the software.
The other good news is that I’ve been a beta tester for the program for the past several weeks, and I’m pleased to say that it lives up to its claims.
OK, so that’s what the product is all about– now let me clear up a couple more issues.
Today, a “clone” of the software was launched on a forum. I’m not going to mention it by name, because the owner of it was nice enough to give me a review copy. But I will say that the software itself is clearly inferior in my opinion, and the manner in which he launched it is really not ethical.
He is leeching off the X-ray Domination launch, by directly naming RJ’s product and saying that his does the “exact same thing”, when in fact it doesn’t. For one thing, the “clone” does not even have the ability to import your data from the affiliate program providers.
I don’t blame anyone for “leeching”, but he definitely crossed the line, and I know legal action is being taken against him (although I’d be doubtful it would have much impact due to the difficulty of prosecuting outside the US).
It’s interesting to see this happen though, as it’s similar to what we saw last month when Mike Filsaime’s VFG launch was sabotaged by other marketers. It used to be that the copycats would launch their products a week or two after the big launch. Now, they’ve gotten to the point where you can almost expect a copycat to be launched BEFORE the release of anything big from a guru.
It goes to prove a point. Whether you’re a guru or not, it’s probably best to keep your product a secret until the launch (especially if it’s something truly new).
Finally, let’s clear up one more potential misconception before we finish up.
You may have heard about another product launching this month called “HexaClick” (the product behind “The New PPC”).
I want to make it clear that HexaClick is NOT a clone of X-ray Domination. It serves a different purpose.
On a side note, HexaClick was originally slated to launch on March 15th, but has been delayed probably until late March or early April (I’ll let you know).
I met the developers of HexaClick, Amish and Larry, and they seemed to be nice guys. Perhaps the delay of their launch speaks of their ambition of perfection for their product. From a marketing standpoint, they definitely should have kept their original launch date which would have let them launch before X-ray Domination, and likely would have resulted in a larger market share of the PPC marketers in our industry.
Fortunately, their product is different enough that it shouldn’t hurt them too badly.
I’m ALSO a beta tester for HexaClick, and it’s an entirely different beast than X-ray Domination. I won’t get into all the details here (I’ll write a bit more about it when it launches), but I’ll give you the basics because it might help you decide whether X-ray Domination is the right tool for your business.
HexaClick is not designed to track affiliate links. It’s designed primarily to automate PPC marketing for campaigns in which you can directly track the results by placing the tracking code on your thank-you page.
But there’s a lot more to it than that. The server-based program actually interfaces directly with your PPC accounts (AdWords, Yahoo SM, etc).
More importantly, it can actually automate the bidding process. You simply tell the program what ROI you wish to achieve. It will then track the profitability of each keyword, and adjust the bids accordingly to match your ROI goal.
That’s huge, because it’s like having a virtual employee doing all the work to manage your PPC campaigns. There are actually a couple of programs that already offer this capability, but they are very expensive. I’ll talk more about it when I do my review of HexaClick.
So if you’re using PPC primarily for your OWN websites, HexaClick may be the best choice.
If you’re using PPC as an affiliate marketer, X-ray Domination is the best thing I’ve found so far.
Ultimately, someone WILL combine these two concepts and cater to people like me who use PPC for my own sites AND affiliate marketing.
But I’m not going to wait until that happens, because this is something that works NOW and there is money to be made TODAY.
I consider PPC marketing to be an integral part of my business. Last year I spent about $150,000 on clicks. I hope to increase that to $100,000 PER month by the end of this year.
You might be thinking, OK that’s easy for you to say Eric, but I don’t have $100,000 to spend on PPC.
When you understand how this business works you’ll understand why I have money to spend on clicks, and why you do too!
Let me put it this way– could you afford to put $1000 of clicks onto your credit card if you knew it would result in receiving $2000 of commission checks at the end of the month?
Could you afford to put $10,000 on your credit card if you knew it would result in $20,000 of commission?
Regardless of your credit situation, you would find a way to afford it. (Note: I’m NOT telling you to go out and run up a PPC tab on your credit card if you don’t know what you’re doing. You can also lose a lot of money in this game if you don’t do it right. So you should start small, and learn from experts.)
That’s how the game works. I’m going to keep playing the game, and if you want to join me, I recommend getting a tool such as X-ray Domination to help level the playing field.
As always, you are welcome to leave your comments here in the blog.
Have a great day!
Erick!
I would like to thank you for this blog about RJ, yea I been asking to myself who is this guy? and why he’s using some non commons expressions as the majority of the marketers?
Thanks for this unexpected information!
Alfonso Ruiz
http://www.successunica.com
http://alfojose.siscorber.com/ate_4.htm
Your whining about how the rich jerk chooses to word his e mail
campaigns are ridiculous because R.J. is making a lot of money
doing it and if it didn’t work I’m sure he would have put a stop to it
long ago. You’re teaching your subscribers to be “polly anna’s” with
no originality and stale at best. You see, that’s the problem with guys
like you who claim “guru” status or association with them.
You guys have no originality, no kahonies, and your marketing is
too transparent and stale that only appeals to the brown nosing
loser types (which are located on a lot of lists.)
Further more, you won’t ever share what really works and what really
gets results with your subscribers (or am I the only guy with these secrets?)
anyways, your poor subscribers will never know because you give them
the same regurgitated CRAP that all your marketing buddies promote
and never anything with any real meat and potatoes.
I bet you won’t even post this to your blog.
And… if you do, I bet you’ll edit most of it out.
Whatever. I feel sorry for your subscribers.
Anthony Tomei
Anthony- Whatever! But way to take the opportunity to self-promote your new “anti guru” image.
PPC works, and that’s why I’m promoting it. As I mentioned in the article, I spent $150k on PPC last year… do you think I’d be trying in increase my spending if it didn’t work?
By the way, I will prove that you are willing to say whatever it takes to make the impression you want to make in any situation, regardless of whether it’s true. Here is a previous testimonial from Anthony Tomei for my newsletter:
Just because you decided to change your marketing strategy, that doesn’t make it cool to post your anti-guru propaganda on my blog…
(Note: I didn’t edit a word of his post.)
The problem I have with this promotion is
that all of the marketers who have been down on the rich jerk are now falling all over
thenmselves to promote his product. He may be a nice guy in person but his technique of belittling people leaves a lot to
be desired in marketing. He may be making
millions online, which I am not yet doing, but I have to say he is probably leaving millions
on the table. He is using a variation of an
inhome sales close where the guy is insulted by the salesman who is rude and tells the
client that he can’t afford the product. The result is that the client whips out his money and buys to show the salesman that he can buy whatever he wants.
Yes sounds good but whats the price going to
be i don’t expect many newbies to be getting
this as going bye the emails I have received
about. It has been from all the usual Marketers
trying to make a killing from there lists.
Anthony needs to channel his anger somewhere else. It’s easy to let fly at someone when you aren’t face to face. Rich Jerk is just that…..a jerk who got rich insulting people. There are standup comedians who do this. I personally would never buy anything from someone so unprofessional. What concerns me most is that people think he’s funny or cool. I think that is sad testimony to the level that our society has sunk to but hey, Anthony, you have the right to speak your mind but you should be more careful where you do it. What happened, did the forums throw you out? Eric does not deserve to be trashed like this just because you are having a bad day. I’m a subscriber but I feel sorry for YOU.
“Rich Jerk” is just another PIP ster, who must have read Napolean Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” several times. All these hype Guru’s annoy me because of the avalanche of e-mails, but I sure wish I’d thought of the “Rich Jerk” angle first! I’ve noticed that his mentor, Stone Evans, makes outrageous statements to stir attention prior to launching a new program. It’s marketing and pretty succesful marketing!
I enjoy your blog!
I don’t like the rich jerk. His book may be okay, although I think there are better ones out there, and I dont begrudge anyone making money being successful, etc, etc. What I don’t like is when they take my money for some so-called mentoring program and don’t give me my monies’ worth.
As far as I’m concerned, he’s not a jerk when it comes to business sense, but he/they could certainly brush up on their customer service skills.
Rezbi
http://simplemoneymachines.magnifyincome.com
Hi Eric,
Loved the audio addition and the cojones to leave the post unedited. Seems I heard somewhere a long time ago most IM’s will set their grandmothers on fire if they think someone would pay to watch her burn. PT Barnum would be proud of the current crop. Step right up, this thing-a-jig will cure gout, raise the dead and cure bad breath. All for $997. Don’t be left out, only 127 copies left.
Where have all the straight shooters and honest ones gone? Yourself excepted.
BTW, RJ revealed his true colors in those several posts in that “other” forum. God bless RJ. There will always be plenty of folks willing to buy his stuff.
When I listened to that video all I could imagine was some 30 year old guy in the hollywood hills with his buds all around him that could barely keep from laughing as he recorded it. Anywhoos, more power to RJ and I wish him the best. He’s done a most commendable job of building the Rich Jerk brand.
Hmmm…..now where did all the straightshooters go???
L
Eric,
Thank you for sharing your perspectives with us. I have always read with interest your newsletters and always found great value in them.
I was disappointed though that you passed judgement on my software Xtreme Conversions without clarifying the issues with me before hand.
Though it may seem like a clone, and I won’t deny that I didn’t start developing it until Dec 2006 while RJ claims he’s been using his for a whole year, it is MY ORIGINAL IDEA. I have proof dating back to Dec 2006 when the first ‘secret’ release was given to one high level marketer to test it out.
It’s so original to the extent that I have a US PATENT on it. I wouldn’t go through all the trouble if I didn’t think it was original and certainly not if I had any clue that someone else had developed similar software in the US.
Can you kindly explain to me what is unethical about it?
Now as for my claim that it does the same thing as Xray, to the best of my knowledge, it DOES. I could be wrong. You just mentioned one feature that Xray has that I haven’t built into Xtreme Conversions yet, though it’s certainly planned. The main thing that Xray does is automate your tracking process, and so does Xtreme Conversions.
I am really sorry you felt that it was unethical, and rather disappointed you jumped the gun and assumed I was cloning Xray.
Best of luck,
amir
Eric,
2 things
1. I wouldn’t have dignified anything “whatever Tomei’ spat out with a reply.. in his somewhat desparate/transparent attempt to gain subscribers. yawn!! conversely, it is his style of aggressive marketing, that is all the rage, and is getting somewhat boring. One Halbert is enough to bear.
2. Have you seen a price attached to the Xray software.. if so, please share it with us.
Thanks for your review. I was just watching one of the videos by RJ this afternoon and was wondering about the real deal.
I appreciate your “polly anna” approach! :o) Trust me, there are plenty of us on this side of the tracks. The crude tactics might work but I’ll only promote those who are respectful and show integrity. I work with families and teens and could never send them to RJ’s sales pages.
Keep up the good reviews. Those who don’t appreciate your view can easily unsubscribe.
Linda
PS What do you recommend for someone who has tried PPC, lost a lot and is not eager to step out again unless they understand how to do it right?
Hi, Eric,
Thanks for your work in our behalf. I find your Tips helpful and worth reading.
This techy world is full of on/off buttons, as is the rest of the world. They work like magic. Push ON and you get whatever’s out there. Push OFF and it all goes away.
In my thirty years as a therapist, I’ve watched as people work themselves into a frenzy unnecessarily. All they have to do is push an off button. If Rich Jerk, or someone else, is offensive to you, don’t participate. Don’t open his e-mails, buy into his Whatevers, or spend your money on his products. Simple.
So many options. Choose those things that serve you best, that don’t trample on your ideals, or anyone else’s feelings. Consideration and kindness still get the best results the world over. Live cool.
Carole McMichaels
http://www.GetRidOfPublicSpeakingFears.com
Hi Eric, It seems to me that Anthony Tomei has been reading too much of the Rich Jerk’s disgusting material. He has certainly been easily influenced by the idea “it pays to be rude” it makes him stand out from the crowd. Either that or he’s having a bad time in life.
I don’t care if RJ makes millions a week I still would not lower myself to be associated with him. I may not make as much as he does but I wouldn’t reduce to a verbal dogpile just to earn my living. There are some decent marketers out there, yourself included, who can do a better job without the need to colour their words “blue”.
Eric, you make a decent living, don’t you? I read a lot of your material and you have never needed to use foul language to convey your message. Personally I don’t understand why you give the Rich Jerk any air-time at all. He should be ignored until he cleans up his act! Enough said.
The rich jerk makes me very, very……….sleepy.
Nice tips Eric… I got the book myself… his book is pretty alright for US$9.95 but further then that I dont think it really worth more then that…
I agree with Rezbi, he is seriously not a jerk but when it comes to business sense, he sure can create a huge buzz for people to be buy his products
Alvin Phang
http://www.GatherSuccess.com
Hi Eric,
If the Rich Jerk is such a nice guy, why does he keep his identity hidden? But, is he really a nice guy?
Let me ask you Eric, do you consider yourself to be a nice guy? (For the record I think you are an exceptionally nice guy.) Back to my question. As you ARE a nice guy, would you use the marketing tactics that RJ uses? Would you set out to demean people? Would you be insulting? obscene? blasphemous? All in the name of mamon! How many people reading this post consider themselves to be nice? Would you be prepared to sell your principles? Success comes at a price, but not at the price of selling your good character. Does everyone believe that the end justifies the means?And, this is why, in my opinion, the RJ hides behind his little wall of secrecy. He has been prepared to let himself down, but I think his conscience tweeks a little bit. I hope it does, simply because it jolly well should.
As for Anthony Tomei’s comments! Shame on you Anthony! I had come to expect better than that from you. Both you and the RJ should, as my grandmother used to say, go wash your mouths out with soapy water!
Veronica
Eric,
Ignore Anthony, he is a wannabe who would sell his grandma if he thought he could get a good price for her. Can anyone say ‘Ehtically Challenged’.
Good Post Eric about ‘RJ’.
John
I don’t understand about being unethical to launch the similar product. Will these gurus pay our bills?
I have to say you took Anthony to the woodshed on his anti-guru rant. Nice comeback. RJ is my sponsor on SFI and he doesn’t seem to care or share much with his downline. It’s easy to imagine he is caught up in making his millions from PPC. He doesn’t respond to emails either. I hardly expect him to any longer. I do respect him as an excellent marketer though. He or a few workers on his team really know how to promote. RJ is a PIPS member too (Stone Evan’s Great program) http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-13353 He promotes many of these programs with PPC so his x-ray program sounds like what the doctor needs to cure MS (Money Shortage).
Thanks,
sandwalker
Hi Eric !
First of all, don’t let anyone bring you down in this blog. You don’t need to take crap from anyone. From the short little while that I’ve discovered this blog I can CLEARLY see that you are one of the nicest Internet Marketer that I’ve come across. And you sure seem someone who cares about people and their success. Heck, I’d rather do business with you than those others that are *real* jerks (and I’m not talking about The Real Jerk here…because I’m sure, as you say, he’s a nice guy but using this marketing tactic.)
Eric, may I make a suggestion? If you haven’t heard of this book, you should buy it. It’s called “Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS” by Jeffrey Gitomer.
Now, secondly…discussing what RJ is promoting….
As I understand it he’s giving you the ability to tell which of your PPC keyword produces a sale. Correct? Well, am I wrong to think that you can do exactly what he’s promoting by simply attaching the “tid=” in the Clickbank affiliate url for each keyword? Why can’t you just do that and then check the analytics and see which corresponding code matches the keyword? This can EASILY be done with an Excel spreadsheet. I developed that spreadsheet that does that and much more. For example, if I want to earn $100 profit per PPC campaign, how much do I need to spend in PPC dollars per day taking into consideration the product return % ? Before anyone starts any PPC campaign you need to determine the answers to several key questions otherwise you’ll be dead in the water. I’m sure you must have mastered this by now, Eric since you’re spending a large amount of money. It would be interesting to go behind the scenes and really learn from you 😉
Anyway, take care and keep the positive messages flowing!
I agree with the earlier post about the salesman insulting the buyer by telling him he can’t afford the product. That technique is still shabbily used to sell new cars everyday. This is just a switch on that technique and yeah, P.T. Barnum would laughingly count his money all the way to the bank. If this “hot, new software” sells for $997, (or whatever the price is) I want to pay just 1%,($9.97), for just the usual “secret” that’s left out of all of these scams and prevents them from ever working for the average guy anyway. Where is the logic in using your credit card to pay $1000 and ‘maybe’ make $2000 back at the end of the month. You still have to pay $1000 again (which leaves you back to your original $1000 in the first place). I’d keep my $1000 (or $10,000) and pay $0.00. I would still have my $10,000. If you are REALLY making $150,000, step up and be the first straight marketer and give us %100, not %99, of the plan. Only the ripoff promoter and his leeching cohort promoters (you) are making money and the rest of us that fall prey to these scams, are suckers. People ARE getting wiser…and change is coming.
Hello Eric – As usual you say it like it is. and its refreshing to see that these days. By contrast I think that many even Newbie marketers who are in this field see past the crap ( at least most of the time) .
My question is regarding Not the “other copycat softwrare” but actually the Undercover Profits launch this week as well.
Originally when I saw this ( I think its a launch fom the Dallas outfit of Gibble LLC – The Keith Baxter – I think)
I was under the impression that the Undercover profits software did the same thing until a new page was released today to clarify that XRay Domination is actually a software or script that tracks keyword / profitability and the UnderCover Profits system is actually a software that basically spies and tracks if a keyword is actually profitable from the standpoint that if an ad has been running for a set period of time – say 30 days continuously the that product and keyword must be profitable.
Sound slike both pieces of software work at different ends –
Would be very interested in your opinion considerring that you are one of the original ” straight shooters” Eric.
Also considerring that you have contactsin the programming field – would be great if you can come up with something that incorporates both these strateges – that would be a killer product.
Look forward to your reply Eric.
Hamant
Ps . The Undercover Profits site is here
http://video.undercoverprofits.com/video1/
Eric, you have some serious sac to leave Tomei’s upchuck intact, dude!
Tomei- you are a PIMP and a BITCH, and I liked you much better before
you decided to go on this horses**t, phony “crusade” of your’s.
The only person who made the “Anti-Guru” thingy work was John Hostler,
and that’s because he walked the walk too.
You, my friend, are all TALK. Why don’t you go do a sleazy JV with the
“other” Jerk and leave Eric alone. He doesn’t need to waste his
valuable time responding to your crazed ramblings- he’s got information
of real value to impart to “losers” like me!
Putz.
Rock on, EH!
Gman
Further to my last comment, I wanted to just say that, as I understand it, RJ is selling ONE piece of the affiliate puzzle, and that is tracking which keywords convert. What about the other pieces, like knowing what to sell, how to promote it, how to write copy & ads, how much to bid, what keywords to select, what the competition is doing with that product, which PPC companies to use, PPC page relevancy, etc. etc.
Has any so-called “guru” written the ENTIRE picture of PPC marketing, from A to Z ? This includes the above as well as what tools they personally use and exactly what they do. Perhaps even going through a campaign they’ve done, and show that in detail.
Oh, did anyone notice that the cartoon the Rich Jerk is using looks a lot like the game “Leisure Suit Larry” from Sierra from the 1980’s ?
there are strong opinions on The Rich Jerk. When I first heard of him, I thought his hype was just a gag to grab attention and those on his list got to see the real deal. I subscribed and learned that the Jerk side seemed to be the real deal. I don’t like rudenedd and won’t reward it. I unsubscribed and will not even consider buying anything from The Rich Jerk no matter how good it is supposed to be. If it takes being a jerk to get rich, I’ll pass, thank you.
I work hard for the owner of a membership site that is ethical and as far from rude as you can get. It may be a slow road to making a good income but I’ll take that over the rudeness of The Rich Jerk any day. Had he not chosen to be rude, he very well might have had some profit from me.
Amir – I wouldn’t blame you for marketing your product in such a way as to compete with RJ… I have even mentioned before that I recommend that people ride the wake of big launches (I’ve done it)…. but I think you did it in a backhanded way…
What’s unethical? Your entire opening pitch is in direct reference to RJ’s product. Your headline is:
“One Warrior Stands Up To the Rich Jerk and Gives YOU The Upper Hand! How Would You Like To Get Your Hands On The Secret Software That RJ Has Been Secretly Using To Clean Up in The Tune of 100k+/Month…”
The first line of your sales letter is “I am sure you have heard of RJ’s newest product X-Ray and all the related videos coming out about it…”
The next paragraph says “I will let you steal my software Xtreme Conversions that does the exact same thing as x-ray…”
So you certainly can’t blame me for saying you’re marketing it as a “clone”.
I happen to know that Wes developed the program BEFORE December of 2006, but if you’ve got a US patent then that’s great. I’m sorry too if I misjudged, but I don’t know what else to say…
E
Jon- your math is off. If you pay off your credit card at the end of the month, you’d beleft with $1000 that you didn’t have before. And I didn’t say I made $150k, I said I spent that much. As some people maybe noticed, I no longer like to talk about how much money I make… but I can assure you I make more than I spend 😉 And I think various marketers including myself have tried to give 100% of the plan. We’ve given 100% of what works for us… I think the other 1% may be an extra bit of ambition, risk-taking ability (we’re not afraid to risk that first $1000), determination, creativity… maybe even talent. I’m still learning about why some people don’t succeed, and if I ever come up with a definitive answer maybe I’ll write an ebook for you called “the missing 1%”.
Eric,
Thank you for posting my first comment.
You are right, I can’t blame you for saying it’s a clone b/c of my own copy is culprit here. I also can see why you think it’s unethical in abstract. However, that copy was written in a context. You have to take into account the psyche of the forum that I was offering the product in. That sales letter isn’t going to go public. It’s for a very specific audience that has seen the videos. They understand Xray well, so instead of starting from scratch, I used what was already established in their minds, the concept of what Xray does, and built upon it. Now I can certainly argue that while missing the feature you mentioned (will be there in the next release), Xtreme Conversions has a big advantage over Xray and that’s the patented procedure that obviates the need for you to modify anything in your adwords campaign. Additionally, my software allows you to track conversions from the content network, something I believe Xray doesn’t do. So I do believe that I was very justified in saying what I said.
As for RJ’s legal action, he’s trying to throw his weight around, and that’s fine. Let him come to Jordan and take me to court. I’ll treat him to a nice leg of lamb. We’re very generous people 😉
Thanks for publishing my first comment.
Take care,
amir
Sam- you asked “Has any so-called “guru†written the ENTIRE picture of PPC marketing, from A to Z ?”
Yes I believe they have. Chris Carpenter’s latest edition of Google Cash really covers what he does from A to Z and includes the resources he uses. I personally learned PPC marketing from Google Cash, and I talked about it a bit in my review of Day Job Killer. In contrast, DJK is NOT a complete guide from A to Z, but does cover a couple of techniques not used by Chris Carpenter.
I did something similar with the Writing Cash program, which is beasically a free PPC tutorial for newbies that I created. But it is from over a year ago, and due to changes with Google there are a few things in it that are no longer valid.
If you’re looking for a good solid base education about PPC parketing I’d go with Google Cash.
mick- I don’t know what the price will be, but I’m guessing it will be $1000+ just based on what I know they’re including, and based on the small # of licenses they’re selling. So I’m recommending it based on the fact that I think it’s worthwhile at any price in that range, but of course it will be up to each person to evaluate it in light of their own business and make the best decision according to their business goals.
Sadie and others- thanks for the support!
Laurie and others- thanks for the support, I appreciate it 🙂
Linda- thanks for your support! And yeah, maybe Anthony is onto somethng there. The “Internet Marketing Pollyanna” kind of has a nice ring to it. Maybe I will change my title to it if it gets enough support 🙂
What I would recommend to someone who has lost a lot in PPC is this. First educate yourself (I realize you likely already have done so). If you haven’t, read Google Cash.
Next do your research, don’t promote something unless you think you found a winner. As you become more successful, you can take more risks and promote everything to find the winners.
Next, start small. Set a budget of $100 or whatever.
Don’t promote anything unless you can track it. If you’re tracking it, you’re guaranteed to not lose your shirt as long as you monitor it.
Finally, if something OTHER than PPC is successfully making money for you… don’t be afraid to put PPC on the backburner and focus on what is putting money in your pocket. PPC is putting money in my pocket so I’m focused on it, but you always need to go with what works best for you.
Veronica- thanks for speaking up, and I would have to say that the question you pose is certainly one that I’ve struggled with in this business. To answer your question, no I wouldn’t use RJ’s tactics because I value my reputation more than money. But I do use tactics I even market products that might not jive with my Christian beliefs. Hey just being real. I could actually get into a rather Biblical debate about why I’ve drawn my line where I have, and why I believe that certain marketing tactics are or aren’t ethical. But I think I’d have to start a new blog for that… or at least save it for another day 😉
John- thanks for the support!
Gundulp- I never said it is unethical to launch a similar product. I said the manner in which he launched it is unethical.
Interesting…I get the rants from both Anthony and RJ and a whole bunch more. If you really want to know what rubbish is being promoted you cannot do better than to get on as many “Guru” ezines as possible. It is amazing how many send almost the exact same email – how lazy is that?
Anthony is just trying to get a valuable backlink to his site from your blog.
Eric I have spent the $1,000 per month (and more) on PPC for NO result so I am on the side of those who think there is some other trick involved which isn’t being shared. I personally think that the real trick is that none of you really track your results properly and consequently don’t really know where your sales come from.
I would suggest that you get the bulk of your sales from your emails and your blog, not PPC. PPC may generate signups to the emails, and probably does, but I think if you stopped PPC you would be $150,000 better off at the end of the year.
If you are using PPC and affiliates to promote your own products you are possibly, inadvertantly, stealing from your affiliates by putting an email collection system on the sales page and/or an affiliate link on the bottom. Most do, you may not.
Good Luck to you, I hope you continue to maintain this excellent blog.
Regards
Brent
Alright listen up you gurus and wanna be Internet marketers who are just following the shadows and coat tails of all of your mentors who ever they may be. if you think RJ is rude and unethical you need to get out of this business now before you get your feelings hurt. I am proof that his ideas and language works tremedously well, just by implementing one paragraph of his ebook, I started seeing clicks on product that hardly ever got clicks, so if you can not handle it get while you still can! and leave the rest of the money for me.
We have just about had it with the big launches of should I say LUNCHES. You guys think you can eat the needy for breakfast lunch and dinner. And of course it will cost $1,000 after John Reese broke the price barrier, everybody and their mother thinks they can charge these prices of their mostly crap.
Personally, everybody is a “nice buy to you Eric” that is probably because deep down you are a “nice guy too” But when it all comes down to it. You are announcing the prelaucch to your list in a different way. I am tired of all the emails, sleazing into my email about all the great products & service.
My mom told me once that if a Doctor had a way to cure cancer… and he prescribed a cure that really worked, he would eventually run out of patients.
If a guru really had a way of making us “rich” … would there ever be a need for another Pre-Launch???? or another secret.. or another???…
Sandwalker- thanks for the comment!
Sam- to answer your question about using tracking ID’s along with an Excel spreadsheet…
Yes it can be done that way, and that it how many PPC marketers (including Chris Carpenter when he first started) start out. However, it can not be easily done. We’re talking about pulling data from several different places. For one small campaign it’s do-able. Even then it’s not worth your time if you can automate it, but when you get into multiple campaigns and hundreds or thousands of keywords, it could become so time consuming that it would be ridiculous.
And as far as learning from me… I really did learn most of what I know about PPC marketing from Google Cash. But perhaps I will offer coaching sometime. I have a big project on my plate right now (with Joel Comm, will be revealed probably on May 2nd)… but maybe after that’s over…
Hamant – thanks for the comment. Since I haven’t actually seen the Undercover Profits software, I can’t reallt speak intelligently about it. But if it does what you say, it seems that indeed it could be yet another tool in the arsenal. And don’t worry, I predict that within a year someone WILL combine all these technologies. If these strategies become popular enough, maybe Google will even adopt some similar tools into their ever improving analytics area.
Glenn- thanks for the support! Funny you mention Hostler… I’ve met him a couple times now and he’s a cool guy in real life too 🙂 I’m guessing Anthony’s a nice guy in real life too…maybe I’ll meet him at the next seminar and we’ll have a beer while I explain that there’s a wrong way to anti-market yourself.
Brent- that might be true for some gurus… but there is not a “secret” trick that is not being shared. I can tell you that that your assumption is not true for me. I was making money with PPC before I ever started building a list. Also, most of my PPC earnings is from stuff like mortgage leads, insurance, gifts, and other services that have nothing to do with internet marketing. So I know it’s not coming from my list.
If you’re spending $1000 on PPC with no results then you’re doing something wrong. If you don’t make a sale within the first 100 clicks of a campaign you should kill it. If you’re picking good products and tracking every keyword there’s no way you should be burning through $1k without making a sale. One variable x-factor that I haven’t mentioned yet in this particular edition is copywriting. I have no doubt that one factor that makes me a better-than-average PPC marketer is my ability to write good ads. But there are also ad writing formulas that can be followed by anyone. Chris covers a good one in Google Cash.
Anthony– umm, ok
Gina- Yes I’m participating in the prelaunch (although I avoided the weeks of hype that were recommended by the product launchers… ). I made no secret about recommending the product. And I recommend it because it works.
They HAVE found cures for cancer. The vaccine for cervical cancer (HPV) was just launched this year. And guess what? It’s all about the money. Merck has spent what I can only guess amounts to hundreds of millions (maybe billions) of dollars on this product launch. And yeah… they had a pre-launch too.. a big one! Their pre-launch consisted of pumping millions of dollars into organizations that would support their cause and help support legistlation that would make vaccinations manditory. Their pre-launch and launch also consists of millions of dollars of TV and other advertising, not to mention the untold amounts of money that is being funneled through various channels to medical professionals and politicians.
So the answer of why is there a Pre-launch for a legitimate money-making product? Because it’s a proven strategy to effectively launch the product.
Hi Eric,
it’s a good for me to know better who RJ really is.
I have been his email subscriber to gauge his knowledge in online business so far. But your jugdement here make it more stronger who RJ really is.
At the beginning when RJ name became popular, i don’t quite believe in him. I assumed all these were only hype. Kind of decent hype nowadays. I should think about it once again. Others internet marketer who known him should make reviews on him. Anyway, Xray domination more to his system to teach about affiliate marketing that he’s been doing so far.
Eric,
So does the XRAY Domination software do all that LANDING PAGE SYSTEM does and more?
“In case this all sounds familiar, maybe it’s because the concept is very similar to the Landing Page System, which I helped launch in January.”
Why don’t you improve the LANDING PAGE SYSTEM to become the best of the scripts?
” Ultimately, someone WILL combine these two concepts and cater to people like me who use PPC for my own sites AND affiliate marketing. ”
If we spent money for the LANDING PAGE SYSTEM in January and now new scripts in March are better, then how long do you think it will be before the next script will be available that performs better than XRAY Domination and/or Hexaclick?
Your promotion and sales of the LANDING PAGE SYSTEM did NOT offer a money back guarantee. Well, that investment had a short life?
WIll the same happen with XRAY DOMINATION? Does the XRAY DOMINATION product have a money back guarantee?
If they limit their sales to 500, then the price will likely be above $100. Why would the RJ sell a product with total sales of $50,000 (500x $100). So I suspect a subscription service of $100 per month! Did you install the product on your server or access their servers?
Any way you look at it, you have to spend money to make money!
We will see!
Brian- Actually X-ray domination doesn’t do everything that LPS does. X-ray Domination is a server based program, while LPS actually dynamically creates landing pages on your server with the keyword inserted into it (optional). So LPS still has some functionalities that I have not seen in any other program.
As far as tracking, Xray Domination does a LOT more than LPS.
LPS is not mine, it is Glenn’s… but yeah I suspect that he might decide to incorporate some of these features into it.
How long will it be until the next bigger and better script comes out… I don’t know. It could be months or years. MAYBE X-ray or Hexaclick will become an industry standard and they might continue to evolve their product. We just don’t know.
I mentioned above (but only in the comments so you probably missed it), that I’m guessing the price will be $1000+. But that includes much more than just the service. It essentially includes a full home study course and stuff (I can’t mention the details yet)…
And yeah… you have to spend money to make money. Actually it IS possible to make money without spending it (honest to goodness I have friends who have purchased many $0 down investment properties, etc), but leveraging my money to make more money is one of the primary ways I run my business.
One secret that you will hear from business guru’s is that you need to leverage other people’s time and other people’s money (OPT/OPM). So if you don’t have your own money, you have to start thinking outside the box…
For example, if you knew that this service would help your business, but couldn’t afford the $1000, how could you get someone else to pay for it? Off the top of my head here is one idea. You could go to some local businesses and show them a two page presentation about the power of PPC and how it will help their business. Explain that only the saavy internet marketers know how to do it, which is why they need your help. Let them know that for $1000, you will give them $5000 worth of consulting which includes getting their PPC campaign up and running and showing them how to manage it. All in all, it might take 3 hours of your time. OK so that’s not the *best* example because you’re still trading your time for dollars, but it’s a good start. A better example would be if you got an local college kid to intern for your business for free (OPT) and had HIM go do the above strategy (OPM).
As always Eric you give a good overview of products about to be launched, however depite what is said about the “Rich Jerks” campaigns I find his emails offensive and for this reason I removed myself from his email lists, and likewise anything that he is promoting via others emails I delete as well. He might appeal to “silly little boys” who get a kick out of his smut talk and offensive language, but I for one will listen to someone who is marketing without resorting to these tactics. He might be a nice guy in your book, but his marketing doesn’t reflect it. He’s rude, crude and demeans the internet marketing profession, and obvioulsly doesn’t have enough grey matter to think up something better to get people’s attention.
I think it’s about time marketers who targeted other marketers get the message that we aren’t all idiots and generic “promo emails” sent out to other marketers all saying the same thing just doesn’t cut it.
Time for marketers to cut the BS and come clean.
Hi Eric,
I always enjoy reading your comments because you always tell it like you see it and not whatever it takes to make a sale like so many other marketers. But as far as XRAY Domination is concerned I don’t see it worth a big price tag. From what I can see determining what keywords are bringing you the sale can be done with Landing Page System or can be done by hand with not much effort needed. I am certainly going to pass on this one!
Keep up the good reviewing!
Jonathan
Hi Eric
Say what you want about the rich jerk but he’s my kind of marketer, fearlous and innovative. Don’t get me wrong his methods are very much over the top and can rub people the wrong way but the bottom line is he gets results. His sales copy is read, his emails are opened to see what foul mouth message he brings this time. The first email I ever received from him, I felt insulted, offended and annoyed but when I had a chance to read his salesletter I purchased the product and was not disappointed. If you can get past his foul mouth arogance and read some of his stuff you’ll find that the man delivers and that’s all that matters.
I agree with Jonathan…
I will give it a try if it cost under $100.
$1000? No way! Now I know why so many people are trying to promote the product (big commission).
The software may be fantastic but it doesn’t guarantee your success. The ONLY way to guarantee your success is always back to the BASIC marketing…
You really need to be able to FIND and FEEL what people are hungry for… feed them what they WANT to eat… find a METHOD to put your OFFER in front of them.
That’s the SKILLS you can only learn by DOING.
If you don’t have it, a great e-book or a piece of software are not going to be very useful for you.
cheers,
leone.
I would lik to hear your comments on another product that is about to launch…”Undercover Profits”
I’m sure you are aware of this Adwords tool and would like to know if what you think of it.
Re: Anthony Tomei:
Eric, good for you, “outing” him as someone who says whatever he wants and however he wants, in a manner which is determined only by his own pathetic need for “recognition”.
This is nothing new for Mr. Tomei: as I have encountered him and his crude, ignorant insulting verbal spewage in the past several years.
However, there is one thing that IS consistent with his behaviour: I have NEVER seen him respond, in any way,shape or form, to anyone who has responded to his rants, and taken him to task for his illiterate and insulting posts.
He’s a “hit and run” con artist – he always has been and always will be.
I’ve dealt with him before, in my role as moderator on various forums, where he has chosen to spew his bile, often containing personal attacks against other members of the forum.
He’s pathetic, and EVERYONE should know him for what he truly is: a blatant embarassment to internet marketing, his own Italian heritage, and the human race itself. (I would have included that he’s an embarassment to HIMSELF, but he’s too clueless to understand the concept, unfortunately.)
(Try “Googling” his name and check out some of his shining examples of his educational prowess. My own all-time favorite is the letter he wrote to the FCC, His parents must be SO proud of him!)
As Laurie pointed out, the word is “cojones”, not “kahonies” – of which he has none. And, no, he wasn’t just providing a phonetic spelling of the word. He’s just to ignorant to look it up, and spell it correctly. True, it is a Spanish word, not an Italian word, but it’s a trivial matter to just look it up online.
Besides which, he’d be well advised to master the ENGLISH language first, before he ventures into any usage of words in another language.
Perhaps he is more fluent with the language of his heritage, Italian.
If that is the case, he should know that he is widely considered to be a “cafone” and a “faccia di stronzo”, who will always “fare una figura di merda”.
And should Mr. Tomei slink back here to read this, and be puzzled by the meaning of those words in Italian, he is welcome to look them up here: http://italian.about.com/library/slang/bladultslangindex.htm and refer to the “C” and “F” pages.
Pardon the rant, but everyone should know the REAL story about Anthony Tomei, and expose him for the charlatan he is!
BTW, Eric, I’m quite sure that, were you to meet Mr. Tomei in person, you wouldn’t find him to be a “nice guy”.