FREE should mean FREE, right?
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in internet marketing lately that is going to make the already unlucky and hated email marketer even more hated! This new marketing method has made me angry over and over again every time I fell for it. The last one I will share with you, prepare to be blown away!
- The FREE product bait and switch: I recently found a video of a highly regarded internet marketer. It caught my eye and I watched it for 17 minutes (about 16 minutes longer than I normally watch in a video), and it got me interested in seeking more advice from him. This video had a link to a FREE PDF that promised to provide valuable marketing information and the ability to have a one-on-one phone conversation with him, which, after watching the video, made me very excited. I quickly signed up for this list of marketers and frantically read the PDF! What I read was horrible! This person did NOT offer any real value in the report and went on to talk about the amazing opportunity he would offer in the FREE phone consultation. As I read later, there were THREE conditions that had to be met before you could talk to him! Requirement 1) You ALREADY had to be earning $100,000 or MORE a year in internet marketing, Condition 2) You had to have your own product and Condition 3) You had to provide a $700 deposit for the FREE phone call…
This is the bait and switch part! This FREE phone call is reserved for people who A) DO NOT need your help, because they are already successful. (It’s hard to come across as a fraud if you only let successful people into your pool, right?) If you can figure out how to make $100k a year, you can raise it single-handedly. and B) That can afford to throw away $700 for a FREE phone call and then the best part is that their services cost 3860 per month, again, if you’re new, or still struggling not to be worthy!
This type of marketing makes me angry! I understand the concept of offering a valuable free product to build a list and then marketing that list. This is NOT what it is. This type of bait and switch marketing is becoming more and more common in the internet marketing world and is something that you as a new internet marketer need to be aware of.
If you are a new marketer just getting started with internet marketing, I want to discourage this type of marketing. Instead, focus on developing or finding really valuable products to offer your subscribers. Also be aware of people who won’t offer you any value until you pull out your credit card. I encourage you to learn, read and find out the game before putting your piece on the board. To quote a well-known vendor that I deeply respect. “Leaders are readers.”
Take care, and if you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends!