Smart Internet Marketing at Guruphobia

Be Your Own Smart Internet Marketing Guru

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When Internet Marketing Spin Fails the Reality Test

September 12th, 2009 · Gurus Behaving Badly

The other day I got a pitch for a get-rich quick product from an Internet Marketing Guru wannabe.

He promised to stuff my wallet with a 10-figure income monthly.

His profile mentions that he is currently a Waiter at a restaurant.

Now I have nothing against Waiters and Waitresses…………my wife waited tables for years while she put herself through school, and it is hard, honest work.

But for God’s sake man…….do you see the disconnect here? Isn’t it obvious?

If you’re selling the secret to a 5-figure income monthly, what the hell are you doing waiting tables?

I am constantly amazed that the utter idiocy of some of these people.

Mr. P

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The Young Millionaires

September 3rd, 2009 · Gurus Behaving Badly

It happens in nearly every industry, but I tend to see it a lot in Internet Marketing and Affiliate Marketing.

The young hotshots who’ve struck gold with their Affiliate Marketing, CPA Marketing, blackhat techniques, and on and on and on…………who’ve made their first million, and subsequently think they’ve become invincible.

Odds are, in a year or two, many of them will be broke, destitute, back at their hourly wage jobs, and bitter………….and some will even be in jail.

Its because they think the money train will last forever. Which leads to sloppiness. Which leads to poor financial planning for the future. Which leads to bitterness. In some cases it leads these people to take shortcuts, break the law, and all sorts of gory, unethical practices.

The smart ones perservere.

They sock money away into all means of conventional investments, whether it be retirement vehicles, real estate, or other securities (yes, stocks, bonds and more).

They hire competent CPAs and Tax Attorneys to advise them accordingly.

They enjoy a quality lifestyle, but avoid wretched excess (while the reckless simply indulge in the closest form of bling to cross their path).

They understand that their revenue streams WILL NOT LAST FOREVER, and so they DIVERSIFY their business.

They donate some of their wealth, not because its a good PR move or a smart tax move…….but because its the right thing to do, and it keeps their ethical lives balanced.

So, young Entrepreneur……..while “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” may have gotten you the short term monetary success you’ve craved, perhaps it is “The Millionaire Next Door” that will get you increased longevity.

Mr. P

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Joining an Internet Marketing Membership Site

August 25th, 2009 · Membership Sites

Internet Marketing Membership sites seem to be the rage these days, offering lessons on Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Marketing, Mailing List Marketing, and numerous other topics.

I’ve been a member of numerous sites over the years, ranging from small $10 a month sites, to sites charging in excess of $250 per month (you don’t want to know how high I’ve gone).

Here are some things I look for to assess the value of a membership site:

- Many sites have integrated blogs that give members news, commentary, or other information. See how recent the latest blog post is – it shows the owner’s level of engagement with their customers. I joined a membership site today and saw that the last blog post was nearly a YEAR OLD. FAIL. I won’t be a member anymore.

- Lots of these new sites like to stuff their sites with boatloads of training videos. That’s ok, depending on the kind of training the membership site provides. If the information is evergreen and long-lasting, no problem. However, if the information is very time-sensitive, these videos will have a very short useful life. If you see a set of videos that seem to be growing moss in a corner of a membership site that has rapidly changing information, then its time to move on.

- Some membership sites have member discussion forums. Make sure the forum is on-target, well-moderated (trolls and spamsters are neutered), and most importantly – that the owners are frequently VISIBLE and INTERACTING with the members. In many cases the owners/founders talk a good story, then effectively disappear from the site.

- Most important – is the information useful, actionable, timely, and understandable to you?

Lastly, don’t make the mistake of hanging on too long. If the site is not meeting your expectations for whatever reason, CUT THE CORD and leave………you don’t want it becoming a major drag on your time and money.

Mr. P

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Get A Thousand Twitter Followers

August 23rd, 2009 · Gurus Behaving Badly

Twitter seems the latest magnet for neophyte Internet Marketing Gurus and Guru-wannabes to pitch their wares.

Just the other day, one of these pseudo-gurus followed me on Twitter………occasionally I take a closer look at who is following me. This particular individual was promoting his software that promised to get you 10 THOUSAND Twitter followers in just 14 days!!!!!!

So I did the obvious thing (maybe not so obvious to the dewy-eyed newbie) and checked to see how many followers he had. He had started twittering about 3 weeks ago, and had a grand total of……………400 followers.

My friend, the chasm from 400 to 10,000 runs VERY deep.

I was struck by the sheer idiocy of this individual………..shilling his wares with numerical proof of his own failure staring everyone in the face.

Good lord………..are the gurus and guru-wannabes that cynical, or that desperate…………that they’d run such an moronically transparent ruse?

Apparently so.

I know you aren’t that stupid.

Right?

Mr. P

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Keep a Simple Promise, Part II

March 15th, 2009 · Gurus Behaving Badly

The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.

I’ve simply been busy, laying in wait, biding my time.

There seem to have been a spate of guru promises lately – fancy, outright self-important declarations, actually. About many things – promising a minimum income level, promising to never take commissions on products they recommend, promising to launch projects on xyz date, promising to hold personal one-on-one consulting calls. Different gurus, different promises.

Many of these promises simply not kept.

Promises broken.

Why?

“Because my guru friends told me I was crazy to make this promise.” – So you succumbed to peer pressure even though you screamed a promise to your customers or your mailing list from the rooftops? How pathetic.

“That wasn’t the exact promise I made.” – Oh yes it was. Interesting that you made this promise in your artfully crafted sales letter, but when you took $xxxx of fees from me, that sales letter simply disappeared from public view right after the “limited sales period” ended. Some kind of scarcity tactic, eh?

“That Guruphobia guy is just a crybaby.” – Oh really? Because I keep my promises to my clients, and because I’m calling you other gurus on promises you break? Or is it because I haven’t rubbed shoulders with you at Internet Marketing Conferences? Or maybe I have……studied you up close………but you simply haven’t realized it.

Reputation is vitally important – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Keep your reputation radar up and focused before you drop serious coin on any product.

If you’re spending a lot of money on a course, a seminar, or consulting, then you should simply demand a certain standard of excellence from your seller.

Will there be times that you are sorely disappointed in a product or service that you purchase? Of course. But if you are, be sure you learn your lesson. If you go back for a SECOND round of guru purchase disappointment, then its nobody’s fault but YOURS.

Mr. P

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