My concern this evening is about a growing trend online - and I'm wondering "just because you CAN, should you?" This week has seen the launch of several major marketing programs by major players. These guys (and gals) have magic fairy dust surrounding them, literally everything they touch - and throw out there - turns to gold... for them. Now that in itself is not a bad thing. I'm all for free enterprise :) The problems I'm wrestling with tonight are small potatoes I'm sure to the guy pulling in literally millions. The thing is... I get phone calls ALL the time from people who've tried this and that on the net. People of limited means - financially - yet those same people still strive to discover something that will truly work for them. Help them make their mark on the internet. Enter the newest "launched" products. Some are extremely useful, heck maybe all of them are, and for the most part many are affordably within the means of the average marketer. My dilemma harkens back once again to the phone calls I receive. I've literally heard from hundreds of people who have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars scarfing up this program and that program. With still nothing to show. Let's face it... if you know how to write good sales copy, and you team up with the right individuals, the skys the limit on what you can get people to buy... and spend. Even if YOU SHOULDN'T! I'm just praying to the force this evening that every would-be marketer who jumped on the various bandwagons today was given the time to speak one on one with the other guys on the other end. The guys raking in the BIG bucks. Did they take the time to PREQUALIFY their buyers? I doubt it. Should they, when you're selling pie in the sky, anyone can do this, types of programs? YES! I'm not badmouthing what's out there. I'm sure the time and effort to develop the product, hype the media, and get the crowds coming compensates for most costs. The thing is though... while the THING itself may be better than sliced bread any day, after one spends the HUGE bucks to get it is the buyer aware that 10 to 1 he or she (the buyer) does NOT have the list the big guy(s) have... it's the LIST that pulled the sales. It doesn't matter what you just bought, if you have no list you will have to spend more money to see if you can recover your costs. So many who truly should not have bought will have to incur even greater debt trying to justify what they just did... A truly vicious and unnecessary cycle if responsibility is shouldered by all. FACT: Once hundreds or thousands of dollars are shelled out, without the benefits of these hugely responsive lists, more often than not the buyer is left holding basically a big expensive bag of nothing. It's going to cost even MORE money to advertise (since he or she doesn't have the same high pulling lists). Were these buyers qualified, financially, to purchase? God I hope so... Watching people spend money when they are hanging on by a thread at home with kids to raise and food and shelter to cover... and still being bamboozled to add even MORE debit to their credit cards on a HOPE... it just wrings my heart. I truly hope that if you DO make the financial commitment online that the ones behind each and every program will continue to BE THERE for you. I hope they make a true commitment to make sure all these "money back guarantees" never have to happen. I'd love to see hundreds of thousands of "NOBODIES" make it big online. I'm also just afraid that it very rarely happens :( I DO hope I'm WRONG! Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved ==================================== ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more! |
