Friday, [4:13] PM
Dear Friend,
I had a conversation with a really knowledgeable Internet Marketer today.
He was telling me about all the amazing advanced technology, programs and scripts he developed. I was completely fascinated… until he told me how he was using all this incredible technology to…
Deceive People and Scam Money Out Of Them!
I was completely amazed at his technical abilities and what he could do to extract money from his customers. (“Marks” would be a more appropriate word.) And completely shocked at his lack of ethics.
I felt like I needed to take a shower after the conversation.
And get this…
He wanted access to my subscriber list to promote one of his programs.
I couldn’t get off the phone fast enough with this guy.
Listen… regardless of how much I’m offered in affiliate commissions, I will NEVER knowingly expose you to anybody like that.
One of the things we talked about was CPA networks.
I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot about that. I’ve done some advertising on CPA networks and here’s my impression:
First of all, I don’t understand how they get their names and how they put their offers out… but it seems pretty “spammy” to me. The customers I got from CPA networks were really low quality.
Most of the time the advertisers on the CPA networks offer a free trial. Then the customer is on a forced continuity program.
A lot of them hide the fact (or make it very hard to find or understand) that the customer is going to be on a continuity program.
A majority of the customers are of such low quality (they’re functionally illiterate) that they really don’t understand they’re signing up for a continuity product. They just think they’re getting a free supplement, skin care cream, etc.
So the initial relationship with the customer begins with…
Deception!
Not a good way to start a relationship, wouldn’t you agree?
If your personal relationships started with deception, how long do you think they would last after the deception is exposed?
So it’s no wonder these customers are of such low quality.
First of all, the majority are “bottom feeders”… and the advertiser has to deceive them just to get a sale.
Geez!
Frickin scumbags!
What’s even worse is that these lying scumbags are the ones who then get into the “guru/good ole boy Internet Marketing club” and start promoting their “How to make a bazillion dollars a minute on the Internet” course to all the unsuspecting newbies.
They’ve never built a REAL business with REAL customers that stay for the long term. They’ve just made a lot of money on the short term by deceiving stupid people into opting into an auto-ship program with a free initial offer.
It’s pathetic.
And what’s even worse is that the poor unsuspecting newbies are learning “Internet Marketing” from these scum bags.
Yes, you can make a lot of money with unethical methods. But it’s simply a matter of time until your merchant account gets cut off or you get shut down by some Attorney General.
And NONE of these people have any idea what it takes to build a REAL business by treating customers well, offering a good product… and selling back end products to their customer list.
They couldn’t sell a back end product
to their list if their life depended on it!
They DECEIVED those people in the first place to get them as a customer. That person will NEVER do any further business with them.
So what do they do once their merchant account gets shut down… or an Attorney General or the FTC comes calling?
Well, you’d THINK they would wise up and start an honest ethical business where they don’t deceive people.
And build a business by treating customers well so they could continue the relationship for years… and sell lots of quality back end products.
Nope.
They find a front man to set up under whose reputation hasn’t been ruined…yet.
They promise the moon to this sucker, set up another merchant account using him as the front flunky, and go back to the CPA networks with the new guy’s untarnished reputation.
Then they start the whole process all over again.
These would be the sociopaths Ken McCarthy talks about in his excellent copywriting course.
They’re out there and they’re ALL OVER the Internet.
In person, they seem very nice and normal. They’re masters of persuasion and experts at getting people to like them and “bond” with them.
You might even know some of them.
You might even be on their eZine lists.
You may have even bought their products… ONCE!
I need to stop right now or I’ll get too wound up and I’ll start naming names.
OK… I’m done ranting.
That phone conversation struck a nerve and I really needed to “vent”.
Thanks for listening.
It’s Friday afternoon and I’m going to stop working and go get cozy with the Colombiana. I suggest you do the same with your “significant other”.
All the best,
