| A Cautionary Tale for the Internet Marketing | | | | Way in the beginning when I was still trying |
| NewbieIn an attempt to set up our Internet | | | | to sell junk on my cookie cutter web site, a |
| marketing web sites, we've probably all done | | | | very savvy salesman sold me on a program that |
| some brainless things. Well, I've done all of | | | | for $6,000+ would make me an expert in |
| them. I've been so incredibly gullible, my | | | | everything. They had people who, over the |
| pocketbook is empty and I'm sure I've | | | | telephone, would show me how to build a web |
| contributed many a laugh to the Internet | | | | site, people who would show me how to get |
| "experts." Since I've done just about | | | | myself on a search engine, people who would |
| everything wrong, I want to share my story | | | | help me write copy, people who would help me |
| with other newbies who are looking for a fast | | | | get RICH!!! Believe it or not, I took money |
| way to get RICH with a web site.Rich. Ha! | | | | out of my IRA to buy this program.It started |
| What a wonderful illusion of our dream house | | | | well. My tutor called at the very time we |
| on the lake, a BMW, Lexus and maybe a Model T | | | | had set the appointment. I thought that was a |
| in a six-car garage, month-long vacations in | | | | good sign. No one had told me, though, that |
| far-off lands where you can be served cold, | | | | I needed to do homework before the call. In |
| salty drinks with a little umbrella and spend | | | | half an hour, I was supposed to tell her what |
| only 20 minutes of work every week - and all | | | | products I wanted to sell, what I wanted to |
| of this comes with the fulfillment of our | | | | say about them, how I was going to price |
| greatest fantasy: telling our corporate boss | | | | them, how many pages I wanted on the site, |
| to "shove it."It didn't take me long to | | | | etc. Since I only got six calls with my |
| realize that life can be a stinker. I really | | | | tutor at half an hour each, 1/5 of the time |
| didn't have dreams of getting rich as my | | | | was already wasted. However, I thought, okay, |
| long-time ambition was only to work from | | | | I should have been ready. If I want to sell |
| home. Since I'm in my 60's, hey, I deserve to | | | | something, I should know what the heck I want |
| take it easy after so many years of the | | | | to sell!By the second call, I had everything |
| Fortune 500 dog-eat-dog world, right? So I | | | | in place. Here are the products; here are |
| said to myself, "Ann O, , what are you going | | | | the prices. Then more questions arose: Where |
| to do?"Every Get RICH Deal in the BookIn the | | | | are you going to get them? How are you going |
| beginning, I looked into several "get RICH" | | | | to ship them? Do you want a shopping basket? |
| ventures. I was just looking for a system to | | | | A merchant account? For $6,000, I thought |
| get some dandy money in a very short time. I | | | | THEY might supply me with some of these |
| subscribed to every free or cheap newsletter | | | | answers, but I had to figure out the whole |
| I heard about. Most of them have enticing ads | | | | plan.I needed a drop shipper. Where do I |
| for new business possibilities. When you get | | | | find those? "Look on the Internet," she |
| your name on the Internet "work at home" | | | | said. Okay, I looked on the Internet and |
| lists, you also get deluged with snail mail | | | | found some middlemen who would sell me |
| ventures too and some of them are so absurd | | | | products on a drop ship basis, but I would |
| even I didn't fall for them! Are they still | | | | only make about 5 to 10% profit on the |
| trying to get people to stuff envelopes?An | | | | purchases, which isn't going to get me RICH. |
| early opportunity that came along was selling | | | | Adding in the costs of doing business, |
| web sites, but what did I know about web | | | | breakage, exceptional customer service, etc., |
| sites? I only knew that you clicked on some | | | | would leave me owing myself money.The rest of |
| buttons and information appeared. So that | | | | the phone sessions were cast of the same mold |
| wasn't a good idea. Another prospect was | | | | as the first couple of calls. I learned very |
| buying real estate without any money. Wow. | | | | little other than that the people at this |
| How do you do that? I read all of that | | | | company were curt, rude, and obviously not |
| stuff, but not being a rocket scientist, I | | | | interested in my little business-to-be. The |
| couldn't understand it. Okay, I'm not doing | | | | other sessions I managed to get through |
| this right. Let's try something else.There | | | | weren't productive, as you had to start with |
| are many testimonials from Internet marketers | | | | a viable web site (which never did get built) |
| who are becoming RICH! They have all the | | | | before you could design anything else and I |
| money they want, so why are they hawking | | | | wasn't able to manage that. About $5,000 of |
| information? So my goal became to search out | | | | that $6,000 went down the drain.Eventually I |
| the kind of opportunity that would lead to my | | | | did find a company (Drop Ship Source |
| own enviable testimonial success story - and | | | | Directory) with a list of real |
| the search was on.The Clicks and Clacks of | | | | honest-to-goodness drop shippers. They are |
| the All-Inclusive Web SiteLo and behold, THE | | | | absolutely superior, a delight to work with, |
| big one came along - a complete cookie cutter | | | | and extremely reasonable in price. And the |
| web site with products and a shopping cart | | | | manufacturers are first class too, offering |
| and a very simple way to change the web site | | | | great profits, flexibility, and support.The |
| as I saw fit. So I anted up many dollars and | | | | Ups and Downlines of Multi-Level MarketingI |
| voila! I had my own web site and products and | | | | still wasn't done with my goofball attempts |
| everything else I needed to get RICH. Pretty | | | | at getting RICH!!! Okay, let's look into |
| soon all of my friends and family knew about | | | | multi-level marketing (MLM); that seems to be |
| it and were anxious to help me out by buying | | | | the way to go. I overlooked the little |
| something.Unfortunately, almost all of them | | | | detail that this was kind of like a pyramid |
| apologized, and said they just couldn't | | | | scheme. If a real company with a name, |
| justify buying anything. because the products | | | | address and phone number is doing it, though, |
| were so cheesy. One friend did opt to buy | | | | it must be okay. However, I still had that |
| two items, but as soon as his name, address, | | | | nagging feeling I was getting into something |
| credit card number, etc. were submitted, up | | | | a little shady.The industry sold a service |
| popped that awful message, "Sorry, this item | | | | that would be of tremendous value to many |
| is backordered; you will receive it soon."I | | | | Americans, and I was anxious to get the word |
| hit the first big concrete wall when it | | | | out to those who needed it. This company, |
| occurred to me that I'd best go find some | | | | however, was far more interested in luring |
| other customers. I had no idea how to do | | | | other recruiters into the business than |
| that. I barely knew what a search engine was | | | | selling their product. As a result, I |
| and didn't know how to get onto one. I knew | | | | learned virtually nothing about the product |
| I could always send to an email list. Of | | | | and far too much about growing my downline.We |
| course, by this time I had heard all about | | | | did have telephone coaching seminars and |
| spam and decided I didn't want to be thrown | | | | could ask questions of our "mentors" anytime |
| in jail, so that plan didn't even warm | | | | we wanted - but not about the product. Just |
| up.Okay, I would buy some lists. Many web | | | | the downline. I never was able to get any |
| sites out there offer opt-in email lists that | | | | answers orally or in writing, and the few |
| are so refined that they give you people who | | | | times I did try to cold call a prospect, I |
| are interested in white lilacs grown in | | | | broke out in a sweat. That little |
| Nebraska in the winter on a window sill! | | | | undertaking cost me a couple of hundred |
| Wow! Of course, the cost of these lists | | | | dollars.Where There's Will, There's Pay!After |
| isThat brainchild didn't last long. I ended | | | | all the dumb things I did, I finally wised |
| up buying just 5,000 plain Jane addresses for | | | | up, did the right kind of research and found |
| way too much money, authored what I thought | | | | there are several exceptionally good people |
| was a great sales letter, and sent the | | | | who are willing to be teachers for those who |
| e-mails out. I got a purchase from two | | | | are trying to succeed. For me, finding them |
| people for a total of $37.All of the | | | | was a trial and error experience, but several |
| "experts" recommend sending the same email | | | | names surfaced: Shawn Casey, Dan Kennedy, |
| three or four times because the first and | | | | Cory Rudl, Yanik Silver, John Reese and Tom |
| second time, no one pays attention. So I did | | | | Hua, and my apologies for not remembering the |
| that and got so many unsubscribe orders that | | | | rest. Doing it the RIGHT way though is NOT |
| it took me the better part of two days to | | | | easy, and you won't get rich quick. You're |
| erase them from my list. Talk about | | | | NOT going to sell stuff in he first ten |
| spam!Don't Judge an e-Book Deal by Its CoverI | | | | minutes. If you don't feel like waiting, |
| jumped right into another one. I was going to | | | | though, there are pre-built sites that offer |
| sell an e-book. It didn't cost me anything | | | | products or e-books.There are many steps you |
| but the rights to resell it, and I got the | | | | have to take, and these experienced internet |
| book and a one-page web site that was very | | | | marketers can guide you. You have to build a |
| nicely done. From there on, it would be pure | | | | good reputation, you have to KEEP the good |
| profit!Then again, I forgot that I had to get | | | | reputation, you have to build a solid |
| people to visit the site and I still didn't | | | | customer base, and you have to KEEP the |
| know how to do that - or couldn't afford to | | | | customer base. You do this by constantly |
| get the lists. So there my web site sat. And | | | | testing the market, providing exceptional |
| sat. And still sits.Another Work at Home | | | | customer service and being willing to spend |
| SchemeAnother opportunity looked particularly | | | | (and lose) a little money. By working with |
| rewarding. All you had to do was contact | | | | them, you'll be doing it right. Bear in mind |
| businesses to see if they had any unwanted | | | | that 95% of Internet businesses fail. |
| product they were looking to get rid of. | | | | Remember the dot com debacle of the |
| Maybe they were going belly up; maybe they | | | | 90's?After all these failures, and after |
| manufactured too many widgets and couldn't | | | | doing the research I should have done in the |
| sell them all.So all I had to do was find | | | | first place, I found a company, Global |
| these guys with the extra product and offer | | | | eBusiness Technologies (GET), that is willing |
| them a price for their merchandise. If they | | | | to build my web site, provide the necessary |
| agreed, the liquidation company would find a | | | | marketing, critique the products I want to |
| seller and take the product off their hands. | | | | offer, suggest revisions in the prices I want |
| The company (for a hefty price) provides you | | | | to charge, get me on the search engines in a |
| with a directory of businesses in all 52 | | | | very good position, and generally help me |
| states. So what more did I need? Easy huh? | | | | succeed. These services are not inexpensive |
| And I could get RICH!!!After making countless | | | | but they're worth the time, money and |
| phone calls and mailing 2,500 tantalizing | | | | involvement.My site should be up soon, and |
| postcards to these businesses, I managed to | | | | I'm looking forward to getting RICH!!! No, I |
| put together one deal for a popular product. | | | | won't get rich, but at least I'll have some |
| This deal should have netted me about | | | | income besides my Social Security, and I'll |
| $20,000. All bases were covered, the price | | | | certainly make more money than an 8 to 5 job. |
| was right, etc., etc. Well, don't you know | | | | GET's services are not cheap, but I don't |
| the liquidation company said they couldn't | | | | want to forget that extremely important fact |
| find a buyer? Uh huh.So I figured I spent | | | | of life: there are no free lunches. There are |
| almost $500 buying this directory, several | | | | no get RICH quick deals either.My success |
| hundred dollars in printing supplies for the | | | | will enhance GET's reputation, and I can't |
| postcards, $600 in stamps, untold hours in | | | | wait to write my testimonial. And when you |
| designing the postcards and printing, hand | | | | see me, you'll know I'm for real.by Ann O. |
| stamping, and mailing out the cards. There | | | | NimusJuliana Johnson and Ann O. Nimus are |
| were a number of other problems with this | | | | newbies to internet marketing but are trying |
| company, but that's enough about them. So. | | | | their darndest to be superstars. |
| I'm still not getting rich.The Ins and Outs | | | | |
| of Internet MarketingWhat else did I do | | | | exquisite gifts at unbeatable prices. |
| wrong? Oh, yes. The most expensive one. | | | | |