The Internet Marketing Product BS Detector

Do you get hammered by emails from one "internet marketing expert" after another telling you about the latest great discovery that will enable your marketing efforts to "explode"?

Well, having been in marketing and direct sales for over 20 years I have been hammered with that stuff since long before the "net". It used to come by fax and US Mail. But it was the same stuff.

And sometimes there are a few products and courses that are worth the money and can actually be very beneficial. The trick is to figure out which ones.

It can be very difficult to find out because of affiliate programs and joint ventures. An affiliate program works by paying a referral fee for every sale. A joint venture is where one party agrees to personally recommend another parties product for a piece of the action.

This creates a situation where a "recommendation" can be tainted by economic reality. The reality that if you purchase the product - the recommending party gets paid a fat piece of the sales. Up to 50% is common.

Personally, I don't call that a recommendation at all. If a "paid recommendation" is mixed into editorial content it should be disclosed. Very few web writers do this.

I also do not consider a "testimonial" valid that was bought with an offer of a discount on a product for submitting the testimonial. I call that "bribery". Yes I have seen both of those tactics used, unfortunately.

So in the interest of all I will pass on to you what I call the "Internet Marketing Product BS Detector". It is a simple way to evaluate products and services that are recommended by "experts" and other folks.There are only 2 questions you need to ask to get to the truth. :-)

1:) Does the recommending party actually use the product or service they are recommending?

If they say "this will automate your email follow up ", for example, investigate whether their emails are originating from that recommended email program or the server where the recommended service is hosted.

If they say "this promotional technique works like magic" go investigate their site and see whether they actually use the technique they are recommending.

A perfect example is the ezine authors who will tell you that "using this particular site creation solution will skyrocket your sales". Then you notice that they don't use that product to create their own sites.

If that solution is as effective as they claim, you would certainly expect that they would do it themselves.

If you can't determine whether the recommender actually uses their recommended product or technique, email them and ask if they use it and how has it worked out for them.

If they don't use it, why in the heck should you take their recommendation seriously?

Same with books and courses. I regularly see recommendations in ezines for 300 - 400 page books and courses hours after they are released. The ezine owner will breathlessly describe how - "this book is going to be great" or "I just glanced through it" or "his/her other books are fantastic".

I think...why is this person recommending I buy a book they haven't even read yet?

That is not a recommendation - it is a race to see which ezine author can get their affiliate code in front of your face first and get that referral dollar.

Bottom line. If it isn't valuable enough for them to use or read themselves then they most likely are simply trying to make all of money off of you that they can. If they themselves don't use it or haven't read it - don't buy it.

2:) Does it come with an "unconditional" money back guarantee?

And by unconditional I mean it!

Not "show me that you have use my secret techniques and ad copy and I will refund...."

Wait a minute......

Why should I have to try your techniques if I can see from reading them that they won't work? You expect me to spend money on ads and precious time to prove it doesn't work?

Gimme a break.

As a matter of fact why should I even have to finish slogging through your book if your writing sucks? I have seen some big money products with horrible and incomprehensible copy.

Other wording to watch out for is "try my product for a full year..if you don't like it I'll refund....." some clowns will tell you the following when you ask for your money back. "Our guarantee clearly stated that you can only get it back after you have tried it for 365 days ("a full year").

So read the guarantee carefully. If you have any questions - write and ask before you buy.

I give a lot of credit to folks who offer a true guarantee. If you have confidence in your product you have nothing to fear by offering an "unconditional" guarantee.

If you don't offer me an "unconditional guarantee" what it tells me is that you don't trust me. And if you don't trust me there is no way I can trust you enough to give you my credit card.

Safest bet. If there is no unconditional guarantee, I'd think twice about purchasing.

Summary: Be skeptical. Look at the money motivation factor in any "recommendation". Look to folks who disclose their financial interest in their editorials for "real" recommendations.

If newspapers and magazines are responsible enough to disclose their financial interests, then so should web writers.

Nuff said.

Ed Osworth

Disclaimer: The above is the authors personal opinion only. The above is not meant in any way to criticize any particular person or company. It is simply a commentary on of the state of web marketing in general.