Friday Night Smackdown – Where’s Your Guru Now? (Day 18 – 30 Day Video Challenge

oh I wish I had the guts to say half of this:) as it applies to all industries “gurus” not just IM …way to go!!!

My Good Lord – AMEN, Brother Jim! Not going to gripe – I’ve made my gripes known by shutting down any kind of purchases from the so-called gurus long ago.

Two days ago I made a very sincere, informative, perspective-rich post on a sales blog for a very well respected guru who is in launch mode for another rehash, snore product that obviously had nothing new to offer. There was GOLD in that thar post of mine for that dude, too – and some passionate appreciation for his past work/greatness(now, more than 2 1/2 yrs old for this guru). He DELETED in two hours. Couldn’t stand the heat, I guess but it was not mean-spirited in the least. It was a dialogue and lifting up to be better – what a good blog should do, after all.

Whatever.

Three years ago, I made a decision to follow the ‘teachings’ of two people based upon “GUT”. Two people who seemed to truly ‘get’ that running your own business is hard, hard work but offered a vision to be true to yourself and a whole bunch of innovative ideas on what to do work on that business.

Both were very different kind of businessmen but both have an uncanny knack to merge the left and right brain worlds of all the disciplines that running a internet-based business requires.

Who were those immense men of integrity and worth to their marketplace as a whole: Rich Schefren and Jim Edwards.

In 15 yrs of running my own thang, wrought with whole parade of good, bad and ugly decisions I’ve made, these guys have brought grounding discipline, pragmatic, cold realism and continual hope to push forward.

It was a golden time those years from 2002 to mid 2008 for so many gurus(it was in my niche, too!). But it’s DONE. Most of us all have had to innovate, change course, adjust priorities, lay off employees, downscale, reconfigure business plans. So freakin’ what? That is business. Most of these gurus(and they are DUDES, mainly – I’d love to see some amazing female gurus blossom in the coming years. I am betting on Lynn Terry, personally there.)

So they are hurting right now. Cry the tears. Start delivering something different, asswipes- at prices that the market is calling for, too. Innovate, push the market forward(and truly CARE about it, while yr at it) and develop some kick-butt front-end products already to lead your customers to the higher ones rather than tube-feeding everyone into product launch sequences for high-ticket pay offs.

This is not schadefreude, a reveling in their pain right now. Just a call to do exactly what Jim mentions here. CARE.

Here’s a *simple* gem for them and many business owners: Dig up your database purchases for all those folks who dropped “XX” thousands of dollars on that product that bought you that amazing car or house a few years ago and lazy lifestyle for a bit and…..call them, email them all and give them something amazing that they can use NOW to help them now and say “You know, I was kind of a di*k when I think of it back then – I took you for granted. I get it now and I am sorry but let me make it up to you and let’s go forward from here together”. And for the ones you talk to on the phone who are really, truly cool – offer some free consulting time. Watch the blogs and Warrior Forum LIGHT UP w/ that experience. (COST: pick 20 of them carefully, give them an hour, 20 hours – don’t whine, just do it!)

Try that on, all your Gurus-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Okay, I’m done.

There you go – you wanted a vent, Jim. You got it, but it’s not really a vent. It’s a call to all us to just BE BETTER, MORE CARING and MORE OBSESSED WITH CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOR THE LONG HAUL in ALL our businesses.

Jim,
I love watching your videos man, and this one was hilarious!! Oh man, so funny, Im still laughing.

“What time is it…?”

AMEN, Brother Jim!

And for more on this topic, see Ryan Healy’s great post “Internet Marketing on Life Support” where he boldly names names.

As of this morning, that post has attracted 213 comments and 93 tweets.

Don’t know if my comment went thru, so I’m going to repeat it. I received an offer earlier this month from a “guru” that I once considered fairly responsible and reputable. He was offering a “secret” insider technique to “only 500″ people at $97 each. I jumped on it and paid my $97, then discovered that he was also offering this product to affiliates!! My immediate question was “how the heck do you limit a product to 500 people AND offer it as an affiliate program?” Bottomline…I received no less than 12 more email offers for this same product from this same “guru” over the next two weeks…and…from at least five others!! Think he REALLY limited sales to 500?? Oh, and to make matters worse…he had the audacity to send an email to his buyers pointing out that there was a video on YouTube giving out almost the same information for FREE!! Needless to say, I demanded a refund…and will NEVER buy anything from him again.

I have been doing this marketing online thing for 10 years. I am on everybody’s list but there are only about 5 online marketing teachers I take seriously. I tell you this though, when one of those 5 top teachers emails me, that email gets opened promptly and it’s read conscientiously. Of course Jim is on that elite Top 5 list. No ridiculous email headlines necessary like “You’ve Just Made A Sale” to get me to open and read it. The online marketing teacher’s proven past quality teaching gets it opened and read. And,more often than not, acted upon.

Jim…. I’ve bought a bunch of your stuff… and frankly love it but have not been disciplined enough to use it. (mini-site creator) I had a portal site that brought great traffic to our city and had unique ideas (at least I thought so) to blend the info mkt world with real life scenarios but … have grown weary of trying to figure it all out.

So what’s my gripe:
1> Right now all the “gurus” are out there selling items for $10-$20-39.97…etc… but it’s worthless. You sign on to your member area only to find that everything requires a further membership of $297….$149…etc

I, like too many others, have recently spent probably $600… only to be so annoyed with the ‘easy’ part not being easy… that I have finally taken down my website and gave up on my ideas. After all, if WE were internet gurus, we wouldn’t be buying the programs.

2> I don’t know what took me so long to figure out that you sign on for these products then 2 things happen: first – there’s something else they want you to buy and, second – they have fellow gurus promoting a ton of stuff to my email.

All the time they’re telling us dumbies out there that they’ve simplified the process. Yeah, right…mainly – do what they say and become their affiliate. pffttt

I still love the internet for all it offers, but I no longer have any big dreams about using it.

I think there are lots of folks out there – just like me – who may have some amazing ideas for tying the info mkt concept into real world scenarios… but it’s tough to make connections unless you live, eat and breathe just the ‘net. This then means that you’re spending time in the wrong arena.

Oh well, I’m rambling with way to much drivel. But, AS ALWAYS, you say it like it is. I have always enjoyed your videos and information. Keep up the good work just being a good guy!

Warmly, Ellie

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to totally AGREE with you! For almost a year I”ve been wondering, where’s the information? All I EVER get in my email box nowadays is sales pitches. Then you buy their product and they all say “you need to keep the customer happy. – Always deliver good information in every newsletter you send out.”

Boy, I sure want to see them practice what they preach! I’m basically unsubscribing to every list I’m on where I get two sales letters in a row – and NO information. Then they’ll HAVE to give me something to get me back on their list!

Hi Jim, I love the way you tell it like it is. I’m too am
sick and tired of these guru’s pimping their new be all and
end all wealth creation masterpiece. I’m on one guru’s
email list and every time I hear from him he’s promoting
someone’s product that he will earn a commission from.
He’s just a product promotion pimp and he’s very well
known in the internet marketing community. He doesn’t give
anything back, he’s one of life’s takers! And you’re dead
right…all the guru’s want to know you when they’re
promoting the next big thing and they disappear the rest of
the year. Anyway, I like your style Jim, you’re one of the
good guys…thank god!

I couldn’t have put it better my self Jim only I might have
used far more and stronger expletives and taken the blood
pressure up a notch or two. It’s time for a mass kickback
by us all to stop buying into their cr*p

Way to go, Jim!

I loved this video. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve
responded like you reading all this stuff.

It seems the only one making lots of money in this economy
are the “gurus.” I’m tired of them trapping people into
their membership sites with ongoing recurring payments where
the investment puts you upside down with ROI.

LoL even IF there’s a real guarantee and you get your money
back?
Nobody gets their time invested back.
I like the umbrage Jim.
Keep it real.

I’ve unsubscribed from most gurus lists. They treated me
like a piece of chum in a shark tank. They all took turns
launching things and when they weren’t launching they were
affiliates of the one who was. I got tired of everybody
having a “good buddy” or “getting grilled” or have their
“arm twisted”. My intelligence was insulted with the
cutesie subject lines (they all taught each other) to get my
attention. Here’s a news flash. If you send me an email
with a subject line that says “don’t read this” I don’t.
I delete it right away because it insults my intelligence.
OMG prior to launch day I’m bombarded with emails every
hour it seems they all count down. Then on launch day there
is always a “server meltdown” . I’m thinking it’s a ploy
to extend the launch. Sometimes there is an apology that I
may have been denied my chance at the deal so it’s been
extended or reduced in price. That tells me there sales fell
short and they are trying again. I’m also tired of all the
free incentive gifts which are usually infomercials of
another product from another guru. So Jim is this enough
“smack” for you?

I thought these off the wall claims were being clamped down
upon by the new disclosure rules. Is anyone being fined?
If so, we need to hear about it.

Amen! Amen! I love you Jim Edwards! Keep being real. You
said it all.

I’m tired of it too. Also- I somehow cannot get these
folks deleted out of my in-box. I’m still deluged daily
with the crap and have to spend hours just “deleting
emails” and getting off of lists. How about the continual
phone calls??? I can’t seem to get off of those lists
either- no matter how many times I have said no and asked to
be removed from the list.

I’m even too embarrassed to say how much I have invested
over time- so I won’t go there.

I guess one benefit is that I have been “taught” every
unethical, shady, slimmy and down-right evil way to do
business. Didn’t realize that was what I was signing up
for. But at least now- I know what to look out for.

Anyway- I’m going back out into the “real world”. This
internet stuff has left a really bad taste in my mouth.

And I certainly don’t see any of those “internet/real
estate gurus/millionaires” at my door either offering to
help or bringing me something that would actually be worth
the investment instead of losing me hundreds of thousands.

I don’t want to rant anymore! I’m working on forgiving
myself for being an idiot! and forgiving all those people
for being——what- self-centered and greedy.

Peace- Brother! I love ya and hope maybe one day we’ll
meet personally.

God bless you and your family. I often think of your
son-in-law.

you got that right!~ how can we really grow this business of
online at home work when we have carpet baggers out there
taking and running leaving the rest of us in the dust

Ok..This month a “guru” whose name rhymes with “Lyin
Lice” sent out a “secret” insider technique that he
promised he was selling to only 500 people @ $97 a pop.
Biggest problem was he had a link at the bottom of his sales
page recruiting affiliates!! How you gonna limit sales to
500 AND make the deal sweet enough to appeal to an
affiliate?? You’re gonna oversell the hell outta the
product is what you’re gonna do!! Bottom line…I received
emails offering this “limited” offer from “Lyin” for
nearly two weeks and from at least five other JV partners
who also promised to limit sales to only 500!! I don’t care
how you try to explain it, a screwin’ is a
screwin’regardless of the economy.

You’re right, Jim. I have unsubscribed to many emails.
Other than the affiliates i have subscribed to, I now have
5-6 senders that I receive emails from. It’s amazing how
many of the major names with nothing of value to offer are
now peddling the crappy stuff.

Whoo hoo!! I’m so glad that someone has finally done this,
Way to go Jim. I got THE very same email you got. It pissed
me off too. I reported it as spam, but what your doing is
just what these so called gurus need. I hope this gets them
slithering back to the whole they slimed out of and
permanently fold up and get out of Dodge now. Where’s FTC
when you need them?

By the volume of what my inbox is spewing out is pure crap.

I guess these guru’s have no problems stealing peoples
money, pure out lying all to make a buck. They walk all over
the backs of others to get to the top.

Just recently I bought a product from someone I’ve done
business with before.
He actually had the audacity to file a complaint with a
video saying sorry folks if you don’t know the basics of
copy and paste that’s your bad luck, my product assumes
that you know how to do this on your own. There was not
anything saying we had to have this knowledge BEFORE we
bought the product. I was alerted about the post being
there, that was the first time it was ever mentioned.

I hope people come out and tell us their stories, maybe we
could flush the guru right out of them and send them
packing.
Way to go Jim
this is long overdue

Bioniclily

If a product is so great why does it take pages of verbage
to sell it? My theory is if it takes pages of hype it’s a
scam

Well Done Jim,

You are the real deal. I learnt how to build sites and
understand how they work, simply by buying your Mini Site
creator videos.

..ck Dreamweaver

I ignore most of the emails I get from the Gurus. But
whenever I get something from you, I open it straight away,
because you are an “in the trenches” guru

Keep it up Jim

Sean
Ps no questions, I’m fed up with the BULL

The guys that sell you “courses” that you pay THOUSANDS of
dollars to attend (not to mention the travel, hotel, food,
etc. expense just to get there). Then, they get you through
the door, and spend a large percentage of YOUR class time
trying to sell you MORE courses!

Pisses me off!

Aloha Jim! You’re the best! My gripe is I fell for the
“Make Money from Google” thing. Man! I was so stupid! I
managed to get out of it without any financial loss, but I
learned my lesson. I’m on the campain trail now! “Jim
Edwards for Guru”! Thanks for letting me rant!

Can you say Snake Oil?
What about the FTC rules from December 09?
I am an Internet Biz broker we’ve spoken a coupl of times
but I’ve been missing from the Y in Williamsburg for a
couple of months! But that’s another story.

There is so much guru garbage out there, glad to see you are
telling it like it is for your people.
Let me know if you ever want to do something with an expert
to talk with your folks about what they need to look for
when buying or selling a net biz.

all they want to do is sell me something

My computer time so far in 2010 has been chopping a LOT of my emails off at the ankles, literally!
I have to be honest and make an observation at the same time.
It’s like the lottery mentality, you just really feel that rush of hope when you get your emails everyday and discover someone trying to sell and tell you that “THIS PRODUCT IS THE ONE”.
The observation being that information gathering is good but don’t get carried away with it and focus entirely on that, like i have!
I have bought products over the years but from people i do trust, like your good self Jim. I have NEVER spent even hundreds of pounds on products but always wondered just how those membership sites worked. Are they more to do with just creating automatic monthly income for these guys?
I nearly signed upto something once but i was lucky enough to see the small print in the credit card processing page, that i was going to be billed every month and NOT just once like it appeared to read, which i found quite misleading.
Other issues are getting the same offer from several different people. Sometimes from people you don’t even subscribe too!
I have resisted such offers and temptations, however i feel sorry for the many people out there who have put thier faith in them and got conned.
2009 was a bad year but 2010 is the year for getting rid of the rubbish and getting focused on what we have to do as newbies to be successful.
So thanks Jim and good luck to everyone.
Steer clear of offers that are just too good to be true.

Thanks, Jim for telling it like it is. You are also proving that video is a GREAT way to communicate with your list. I’m learning a lot from this challenge.

One thing the gurus don’t seem to get: By coninuously selling each other’s packages rather than create new content, they are shrinking the number of true buyers in their lists.

I got an email today from a top IM guy asking me why I didn’t participate in another guy’s webinar. I HAD watched it. But not through top IM Guy’s links. I got the links from the original promoter. I’m on both of those lists. IM guy got my name from that original promoter.

But only one will get my participation at any one time. And the other organization sends me more free content, so I open those emails first. Oh, and by the way, this other organization is better at speaking to both men and women.

Some copywriters don’t get that for some products/services women have different motivations than men. Sounds like a no brainer but I get so many emails and direct mail that just don’t speak to me. ( Hey Duuude!)The moral of the story is get to know who is on your list and test different styles of copy.

YEAH, YOU SAID IT JIM AND A LOT OF US ARE IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT!
As i said, i get emails now from people i’ve never subscribed to so other people are certainly passing them around without permission.
That’s one of the things to look for, that YOU really are the one contacting and communicating with a particular person.
Also, there should be a link at the bottom of emails that you can simply click on to UNSUBSCRIBE. If you can’t, it’s NOT FOR REAL!

Ps; When are you getting the posse together to round these bad guys up? I’M IN!!!

I really appreciated your valuable training in the past. but this video series you do now are just boring and a waste of time….sorry to say that…hope you return to where you were!!!

In response to your “copyright problem” and the different motivations that women have to men etc…
You should check out copywritter Lorrie Morgan-ferrero and her “SheFactor” online system, which addresses just that issue.
She is the real deal and you will NOT be disappointed.
Glad to be of service.

Michael

Hallelujah, Praise the Lord and pass the barbecue sauce!!! FINALLY someone on the inside is as sick (or sicker) of it as we are! GO JIM!!!!!

Yes the $97 500 only copies that was promoted ad nauseum was the kicker for me. Either he didn’t sell any or he didn’t limit it to 500 either way he’s got zero integrity with me anymore.

And the endless “oops our server crashed so you can get in too”

Just how stupid do these guys think we are anyway?

I agree with everything you said and am glad you said it and invited us all to say it too. Maybe some of us who have actual products with actual information will stand a chance after we out these guys!!

Karen Frank

Great reading and thanks Jim for perpetuating this topic. There ARE good IM people out there and some give great value but the word “guru” has got to stop before any of the other crap will. “Guru” equates to “expert” in a person’s mind.

I once heard that in order to call yourself an “expert” you need to have been actively and successfully participating in that arena, job, business, etc., consistently for more than 7 years. Makes sense to me. I’ve been at this for two years and I know very little, compared to others.

We need to name names, get very real and honest with our findings and that will help the brand new person to the IM arena.

For ex: just this morning I received an email and a video from Famous Frank, whom I quite like and I do think he is an expert in what he does as he has been successfully doing it for more than 7 years (well, maybe not successfully the first few

His new video starts with a heart-felt statement that he had not been paying attention to his list so he sent out a survey to ask what it was that they wanted/needed from him. Their answer was: list-building techniques, beginner programs and “watch over the shoulder – how-to” videos.

Surprise !! He really did not know that! So, in order to meet their needs and desires he is going to give a “free, yes I said free” 3 week course to help them become successful online.

Can you just feel the tingling start? Where’s the catch you ask?

The catch (?) is that you only have to spend $297 US per month to join his continuity program that will teach you how the most successful businesses online make their money.

I already know how they make their money. They have LARGE advertising budgets to be able to hire “experts” just like him to do all their IM for them because they are brick and mortar businesses who want to expand their presence online.

My first thought was, “Hmm… did he miss the part where his survey showed that his list members needed and wanted affordable programs? My second thought was, “Now I’m feeling just downright abused. A carrot was dangled in front of us only to be taken away and placed somewhere else (I’m too polite to say where !”

The deep “hook” was where he said he will show you how he uses a list contact management system that allows you to stay totally away from autoresponders as he feels that autoresponders are not a good thing.
WHAT!!

It’s just like the CPA trend out there. You better have an advertising budget if you plan on making any money there, plus a list, plus a good web presence, plus, plus. Here’s the headline, “Make LOTS of money with no website needed”. Then, they show you screen shots of commissions received of thousands of dollars a day. If they are making that much money every day why on God’s green earth would they share that with anyone other than their closest “guru” friends?

Or, “Here, I’ll show you the exact campaign that I used last week to generate thousands of dollars in the past six months.” What they are not
telling us is that the campaign is starting to dry up for them and they are on to something bigger and better.

My rant. Thanks for the platform, Jim. Well done!! Oh, and as to the email about the many thousands of list nmaes. That went around the network marketing arena many years ago until the FTC stepped in.

Sam
p.s. I found a site that I’m not sure how great it is but I have now seen several patterns that I can identify there. It is: http://www.IMReportCard.com (Jim scores high there with an A

What I noticed there is a certain group of IM’ers that all mail each other’s lists with great sales copy and crappy, regurgitated products all scored a C or C-. So, I now go there before I buy anything to see what people have to say. Better than nothing, I think.

Ok Jim and everyone, so let’s look at it all. We all want help to make a living and it seems that all the ideas from these gurus start out as good and then they get over circulated until it doesn’t work anymore.

Looking at the otherside, we give lot’s of good free stuff and people love it and then when it’s time to buy very few buy. Why should they buy when they can get it for free because now the thing to do is give freebies? So I’d like to know where is the balance? What’s the solution?

I think part of the problem is that we are playing victims. We have to realize that we are creating our experience. We need to wise up to the outrageous claims that are made as sales tactics, that we need to be patient and learn step by step what we need to make our businesses successful or hire those who can, discover our unconscious belief systems that continually sabotage us, know that their is unlimited abundance and that if we open up to allowing solutions, we will receive them. Recognize that the world is changing. Instead of everyone out for himself, we are looking to joining together and helping one another in win/win consciousness and this will help everyone succeed. Remember “Pay it forward”. If we look to help someone truly succeed in a way that helps me succeed, what a blessed world we will enjoy living in.

Thanks Jim for all that you do.

Leah Levkowitz

Right on Jim!

Sound like you are declaring war on all the fake gurus out there!

Here is a horror story:

I realize the need for a guru to do an 80/20 analysis on the old mailing list every once in a while–( cut customers from the list who are not responding). .. But the real fake gurus will cut you from the list if you’re not BUYING within 3 or 4 emails. Thats one reason gurus disappear over time…they cut you from the list!

Now if the fake gurus do that to you, just know that he/she is probably not in it for the long term , and their products are probably crap. Keep preaching it Jim.;)

Here’s a tip, unsubscribe from these self annointed gurus’ emails and use that time taking real action on your business. The time you waste reading their emails and their ‘next big thing’ could better be used elsewhere, guaranteed!

Nowadays, everyone has the ‘secret’ to (pick your topic). Here’s the real secret: there isn’t one! Whenever I see that word I can’t leave the page quick enough. If they aren’t creative enough to stop using that cliche, how innovative can their product really be?

It’s simple to see the pretenders from the real deal like Jim. The pretenders simply promote themselves and every other product they’re affiliated with. The leaders give valuable information that you can apply without asking for a sale at every turn.

Jim, you’re my hero! I’ve been unsubscribing to list after list this week, tired of the escalating hype and the escalating price tags that go with it.

Don’t get me started on the gurus who are flat-out plagiarizing advice that others are sharing for free… and the gurus are charging money as if the copied info is some big secret breakthrough. Whether it’s $7 or $97 or more dollars, if it’s not original, useful information, it’s a sleazy business practice.

This video made me laugh, and you’re one of the few whose emails I’m still reading.

Jim, your video hit a nerve. I bought a program to increase conversions on my sites some time ago. I paid about $2100 for it. It advertised a tremendous amount of value for that money, which included personal coaching. Well, he delivered less than 1/2 of what he promised. I contacted him by email and phone for coaching and never got a reply.

The thing that really bothered me was he was recommended by several of the biggest most trusted names in the industry. I have tried contacting him several times since then and still no reply.

So I guess you live and learn. It was an expensive lesson to be sure.

Steve Bellisle

While I am relatively new to internet and affiliate marketing (brand new actually), I have spent my share of money on guru stuff. So far there are only a couple of reputable gurus that seem to genuinely want to help people. They are the ones that send out more valuable information than sales pitches.
Most of these guys are just trying to get you into their sales funnel where they can really get their hands in your wallet. I would appreciate a nice dinner and maybe a kiss before you rape me and steal my wallet.
Thanks for being one of the good guys Jim and calling the other guys out. I think it is time for a shake up.

Chris

wow i luv this. you are right those gurus out there suck me dry. enough is enough. i luv the video. thanks a lot…..

You have some great stuff and ideas. Thank you. Use of any profanity to try and make a point is a turn off to some people, including me. It looks like you’re a class act and a fun person, don’t mess up your reputation with a limited vocabularly choices – - raise the bar and go higher!

Wow, Jim, you hit the nail on the head.

I’m commenting here with reluctance because it brings up hurtfully unpleasant memories of my first 6 months of (trying to) marketing online when I wasted so much money on so-called money making programs and got suckered into even more OTOs, funded proposals, up-sells and down-sells.

Fortunately, I saw the light just before I was ready to throw the towel in and thank G, just before I succumbed to the temptation of modeling my own marketing strategies on the ways these gurus tried to “teach” me.

I am still subscribed to all these gurus’ email lists for one reason only: I’m collecting as much as possible explosive information on unethical business practices online for developing my own info products. How’s that for poetic justice?

I think Ed Lover is gonna send you a cease and desist letter for ripping off his “C’mon Son” bit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I51TDIq6DBw

C’mon Son!!

thanks for the link Sam

Glad to see Friday Night Smackdown is back! Truer words were never spoken and I agree with Ryan Healy that people should be named to protect the trusting.

Jim- Decided earlier in 2009 to “cut the crap” in my mailbox- I just couldn’t take it any more.

My delete button is my friend and I have never been so free- and the hole in my wallet has been sewn shut

I chose you as my teacher Not because of these type of video’s (although I LOVE them-so keep making them) but because after all was said and done, after all the money was wasted (I mean spent) when the rubber met the road, the only one left standing was you.

So, NOW, I’ll cut the crap and throw out the warm fuzzies and just give it to you straight

I have spent gazillions of dollars with every ass on the internet- If they spewed it, I bought it -and THE ONLY DAMNED PERSON WHO ACTUALLY TAUGHT ME ANYTHING USABLE WAS YOU-JIM EDWARDS!

So, you have my undying gratitude and…MUCH MUCH MORE!

Thanks for giving us what you do!
Kim

Jim,

Guess what – I got that same email this morning! When you read the headline, I was like, “Wow…that dude has got some serious balls sending out an email that GUARANTEES response!”

But not soon after that – I checked my email and there was the email! I was laughing like crazy!

But truthfully Jim – you have a huge point. I’ve seen several “gurus” forget all about where they’ve come from and focused on building more and more “coaching” programs where the majority of the clients come from other “coaching” members who can afford the fees! (go figure…)

I’ll say this – until I saw that headline, I really looked forward to get the emails from the “guru”. BUT – no one can make a guarantee like that. When you throw all the different variables that can go wrong in a marketing campaign in the mix, you can’t make a guarantee like that. I’m getting ready to roll out my first marketing campaign and even being a newbiw – I know better than that.

Jim, thanks for keeping it real like no other. I don’t think I’ve ever heard or seen you use profanity in any of your sales letters, but it shows you’re human and tired of the crap.

Hopefully I can garner enough success to make it to one of your “Jim Boat” cruises!

You ‘da man Jim!

Lee
Las Vegas, NV

P.S. – By the way…I loved the way you utilized the “Ed Lover” technique in your video. Great S & D!

Jim, Great Stuff as always. Good to see the smack down!

You’re ABSOLUTELY and POSITIVELY correct… (you’re one of the few that actually asks a little and gives a lot…)

My mailbox runneth over with plenty of free offers for free stuff (except they want money up front). I still haven’t figured that out. Why does free stuff cost money?? (and the stuff they dieliver doesn’t amount to a hill of beans until you spend the “big-bucks” with them and then it is only a trickle until you spend more.

Yeah, I’ve made a lot of mistakes trying to make a way on the WEB, (but listening to you and a few of your friends wasn’t one of them). One thing I think I’ve learned is when you’re desperate, you do stupid stuff; (I sure hope those lessons are learned.)

Admittedly, I’m a slow learner, haven’t made hardly a dime yet, but I know I am closer than ever to breaking through. I am looking forward to this year and your re-newed (and re-newing) excitement. I am glad to have your input helping me find a better way… Ain’t there yet, but I am gettin’ there. Thanx…

Some of these guys are such good copy writers that it can be easy to be caught just “one more time”. But after unsubscribing from all the fakes, I now have the perfect antidote for all the hype. Whenever somebody tries to sell me the latest and greatest Internet Marketing miracle toy to make me rich, I just remind myself, “If this thing is any good, Jim Edwards will be explaining it to me click by click in TNR. If Jim isn’t onto it, it’s not worth having.” Thanks for being a REAL guru, Jim!

Series! Series!

This was very refreshing, but I’ve heard so much hype over the last couple of years, I need to hear some more anti-hype. It’s therapeutic!

I used to be on everybody’s lists and it was scary to get so many emails, all from people who pretty much thought I was a mark.

Preach some more, Brother Jim!

The Smackdown Returns with a bang! Oh boy, I’d forgotten how much I missed it – Jim, you always were the only “guru” who layed it out like it was. More of this straight talk might make the world a little less cynical.

PS – When you coming back to the UK? (I know a good sound engineer if you need one, although he doesn’t need to do it as much nowadays thanks to some advice from smacker a few years back!)

Love this video Jim.
The enormous egos of most of the gurus absolutely drives me insane. If they really believe 1/10th of their hype then no doubt they are the most obnoxious jerks on the planet! Being cynical, I think many gurus have nothing but utter contempt for their customers. They might pretend to care in sales copy but it is not the least bit sincere. They are, literally, laughing all the way to the bank. They justify their sliminess by convincing themselves their own products are so brilliant that if anyone is not successful with it it is because they are stupid and lazy. Or, they figure they can produce crap and most people will not actually be educated enough to know how crappy it really is. I’d go so far as to say that some of them say to themselves that since most of their customers are dumbies, it is all ok because stupid, gullible people deserve to be taken advantage of and they, as innovative marketers, deserve to be rich because they are just so dang smart. I think these are the kind of people who would sell their own mother to the devil so what the hell do they care about someone they will never meet? Is my contempt shining thru? You know from my experience the WORST was J.H. who counted on my ignorance to clean me out for $12,500. This was a man I had met in person at his conference. He was going on and on about what an honest guy he was and how he’d rather help people than make lots of money. I LOOKED HIM STRAIGHT IN THE FACE IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CROWD AND MADE HIM VERIFY THAT. He did, unequivocally. Lying M.F. His company later did the WORLD’S WORST JOB when I outsourced traffic generation and social networking to them. They did nothing but lie and invent excuses. Made me puke, literally. When I finally realized they had not fulfilled virtually any of their promises, I spent about 15 minutes puking and sobbing. Then I took the dang dog for a walk and got really mad. Although in the short run their deceit nearly ruined me, in the long run it is a damned good thing. I needed to get a little mad.
You, on the other hand sir, have my total loyalty. I love you. You are one of the few honest ones out there. You are not perfect, and I could come up with negative things to say about you if I wanted because I do have astronomical standards, but I’ll tell you this, I trust you after doing business with you for years now and I know you put everything into all your products. It is just hard to teach long distance so sometimes I still don’t get it even if you are teaching your heart out.
I think that other guy deserves a huge fine and I deserve a refund. Either that or I’d like to stick a voodoo pin up his butt.
Thanks for allowing me to rant. and thanks for being such a good guy. Keep it up. Keep giving out good FREE content, even more than you used to. Times have changed.
LG

Have to disagree completely. Yr messing things up – trying something new, pushing it – it’s a great lesson for all. Some things work well, some fall flat, some are outright silly fun, some are deeply thought provoking.

Personally, Jim – I like the frequent messages from you a WHOLE LOT. Pondering what yr doing in this new year, I know it will lay a more fertile ground for not only solid sales, but it will yield a deeper connection to the folks who support what yr doing.

Blog Big, Baby!

Might not have been clear…I disagree w/ JEAN PAUL, not you Sir Jim! ;-P

One of my annoyances is getting emails saying … ‘go watch this video to find out EXACTLY how to ‘ I go to watch the video, and not only do I NOT find out exactly how to , but I am expected to sit through a video with no controls and no idea how long it lasts! Can you say annoying? Oh yeah, and in order to find out ‘exactly how to’ you have to buy the product. Now I have no trouble with buying a product with value, but don’t mislead me and tell me I’m going to find out in the video.

Awesome rant Jim!

Praise from the master, indeed.
I must be on the right track……

So if I understand this right:

“They want to keep you right where you are-scared, confused and dependent while they figure out how to bleed you dry for every single last dime you got”

I guess the gurus take a page directly from the Democrat’s playbook.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Hey Jim!
you remind me of my pentacostal preacher dad (except the cuss word or to)I love this rant and i agree with you. You are a no nonsense kind of guy and tell it like it is.
I like your style!
rebecca marina eft expert

well ain’t that just spooky?

‘course I’ll be up for it Jim. Lookin’ forward to catchin’ up

Out in Vegas with a Guru I can Trust!

Jim,

Best wishes in all you are doing to make this a better world in 2010.

Sincerely,

Jim

Jim,
Like others, I have spent $9,600. to learn internet marketing from a guru. At the end of 6 months…
I still did not have a website with a product for sale. “Ouch”
did I catch a lot of heat for that purchase. All I had was information…and I did not understand all the new jargon and terminology at the time. That was 5 years ago.

You got my attention when you told your testimony, about having faith to earn $30 a day, with your web site. That is the foundational “focus” for my group of friends, right now.

Most are no longer able to throw thousands or even $700 at a course that promises to walk you through the process, until you have a product online. This economy has spoiled all rationalizations, for yanking the cash out, of the Mom and Pop retail businesses everytime there is a new product launch.

My rant is that now…the latest “Sales Copy Rage”, is to limit the time to buy the course, ~OR~ it is “CLOSED!”, GONE FOREVER!, something you dreamed about purchasing… but will never get the chance, because your conscience knows, that money is for the mortgage.

We understand the urgency factor of a new product launch. However;I would like to see the guru’s come back and say “Hey…can you do $40-$70 per month for the next 6 to 12 months?”
“Let me ding your credit card on any date of the month that you choose?”

That would show that the mentor does really care. He would be getting his well deserved payment for all of his hard work and investment. And the little guys don’t have to get “worked up into a lather”, when they read that killer sales copy, only to feel inadequate and let down….when they see the price.

I think part of the reason people fail, is because they cannot afford to buy every “add on” that the guru offers. They buy one offer and then realize it was only part of the “magic formula” for success.

It would be more excellent if the guru sold the “total course” with nothing held back, and let the little guys pay monthly payments. Give them a back office members area where they can progress at their own speed. All of the training could be archived, for when they have a moment to login and learn some more.

Thanks for hearing me out, Jim. You are the best.

Mack

I would love to know who you think are the “Good Guys”. I’ve heard you mention a few over the years. Plus the guys on the cruises, people you’ve interviewed and sold products with or appeared at their seminars, bootcamps….what do they call them now….any way. Maybe the list of people “gurus” you don’t think are reputable would be more fun…..but they might come to your home and kidnap the dog and the duck and put and oil slick in your hot tub. I’m pretty sure I know who a few of them are; probably bought some thing from a couple. I unsubscribed from them a long time ago when you said to maybe pick two or three you trust and unsubscribe from the rest. I appreciate your honesty as always.

George

PS I finally have some nice finger nails. I kept ruining my manicure deleting all of those unwanted emails. OH I’m not supposed to say that cause I’m a guy…..never mind.

Jim, I love u dude! You are the real truth. I can really appreciate
your honesty about the whole “Internet Guru Crap!” Dude, they kill
me with some of the CRAP they try to pull. That shit is played! It’s time for them to get a real “GIG!” Anyway, a good friend name
Brad introduced me to you a while ago and I am blessed that he did.

Keep It Coming Jim!

U Da Bomb!

Hello Jim

Wow, what a great rant. and all true also. I think the gurus prey on
people who can,t get out of the habit of the next best thing. I have been there myself. Start something and before its half completed you are on to next project and still not making any money. It must be profitable though because it repeats it self over and over.

Thanks Byron

I signed up with AWAI. Figured copywriting would be an easy gig after 20 years as a top-ranked technical writer in a large corporation. Boy did I get a surprise. But I’m not disappointed at all.

I’ve been pleased with the quality of what AWAI produces. Beats the snot out of college tuition and fees (I spent a lot of years getting a physics degree and graduate studies in engineering). Then there’s Clayton Makepeace. I asked him one day on the phone what he thought of the gurus out there making their claims. He though they were OK, but a few weeks later, he went on a real rant on his site about the rip-off artists posing as gurus. (I love Ben Settle’s reference to these Neanderthals as “goo-roos”.)

Clayton has more stuff on his MakepeaceTotalPackage.com website for free than you can get from any goo-roo.

I’ve spent thousands on courses and packages, and don’t regret it. But I’ve been hit up by “coaches” with telephone callers signing up people for $5-25,000 “coaching” packages. I declined at the time because of finances, but now I’m not regretting it. I’ll take the Perry Marshall, Michael Stelzner, or the other great ones any day. You don’t get the high-pressure, high-level baloney from the real masters of the craft. They’re good enough that their stuff sells itself. And it’s usually a whole lot cheaper too.

I got suckered into a goo-roo’s “list-building” thing. It was list building for sure. I ended up on at least 6 of his mailing lists and was hammered with up to 10-12 emails per day. So much noise I couldn’t figure out what was hype and what was content. It came with a free 30-day membership in his list building club, but they hit my credit card before 30 days.

I asked for a refund of the whole thing. They credited my card with the 30-day monthly charge. It took another week to get the other $300 or so back. Then I had to go onto their system and unsubscribe myself from their mailing lists. What a crock.

I took the money and bought a course from Stelzner. And got loaded with GOOD STUFF. A whole lot of it. The good guys are really heavy on value — real value, not hyped exaggerations.

One of my peeves is the clown who’s touting $397 worth of stuff in the basic whatever, but there are $2230 worth of “bonuses” you get for free. It’s a pack of barnyard solid waste of the male bovine variety, if you get my drift. I prefer to avoid 4-letter language. Besides, it’s fun watching people try to figure out what you just said.

Cheers, and thanks for letting me spew a bit. I think the FTC’s doing us a favor by cracking down on these clowns. Come to think of it, didn’t you host a teleseminar with the FTC guy? Just checked. You did.

The tone was very professional. Very open. Highly useful and very interesting. Well worth the time to listen. Absolutely top drawer. You’re a credit to the profession.

Clarke

Sorry Jim but as I have said before I love the passion and the teaching but if you cannot communicate your message without the fowl language then I will have to say goodbye. You must realize that many are watching your vids with children within earshot and that just doesn’t cut it my friend so until you clean up your potty mouth I wish you the best but I am gone.

Hi Jim. Great video. I just checked my email account. 141 emails in the last 7 days. The Guru’s are sending 1 to 2 a day promising or intimating as much as $549784.82 on complete autopilot. What a load of rubbish. These emails are supposedly building a rapport, by repeating the same CRAP every day. IF I don’t take them up on their offer, it’s MY fault for not being successful because I didn’t take action. Do people really fall for this bullsh_t?
Most of these guru’s are hawking the same CRAP in different forms and aren’t offering a product of substance or value. It’s all about how they can use the same material in several media forms to take as much money from the consumer as possible. It’s no damn wonder Internet marketing gets such a bad name. It’s all the CRAP out there.

Best wishes and keep up the good work.

Oh baby! I love what you’ve done with the place.

Seriously, thank you so much for this. You and I have had many conversations about the sad state of our once treasured industry.

It’s time for us to take back the internet, Robin Hood style, and hand it over to the few, the proud, the ethical…those who genuinely care about their customers.

You are awesome, and you know Michel and I are in your corner!!

Can you create an internet product for newbies, that is pretty much automated…..with some choices……..And
it creates its own traffic on auto……with the ability to rinse and repeat? Of course newbies would need some
type of video and real support. Who ever creates a quality product like this first at a reasonable price……..
will have a huge following…..for the future auto projects.

Mack, I think you nailed it pretty well. The idea that you are buying a product or committing to a monthly service fee for access to more information or hosting or software or email automation etc…..from a person or company that has no phone listed, takes a giant leap of faith. If the opportunity is that great, then getting paid over time based on results would be more of a win-win.

I appreciate your perspective.

Fitz

Nice work Jim!!

No more hype, provide practical business strategies that have been proven to work and are achievable without needing to have years of technical experience to pull off. I have a background in the franchising industry and I can tell you that there is a great deal of regulation from the FTC. The reason why a franchisor has to jump through so many hoops, is to provide a comprehensive disclosure to protect prospective investors, who may taking the slick brochure at face value. The laws are getting stricter and stricter especially as it relates to making “earnings claims”. If any website, ads, sales presentations or napkin chats even mention future profitability…someone can end up in federal prison for fraud!! This is the case unless they are willing to put the actual earnings of existing company or franchised units in writing. I realize most IM opportunities are only a few hundred dollars and not thousands, but I am reinforcing your point, which is simply…..we should all demand accountability from our peers!! Stop poisoning the well!!

Thanks for providing great insights and education without the need to always sell!

Fitz

Hi Jim,

Thanks for one of those rare videos that come across like a whiff of fresh air.

There is an inherent contradiction in the situation you are talking about. Granted, the vast majority of “Gurus” are full of steamy, stinking B-L-S-I-, but would’nt you agree that some kind of mentoring, some kind of coaching – THE RIGHT KIND OF MENTORING AND COACHING, OF COURSE – is necessary for success? The catch then is find out just who is going to be best for you – to seperate the male cattle southends from the genuine articles. So, Jim, just how do I – and a few million other wannabe internet marketers – do this right?

Incidentally, Jim, “guru” is a Sanskrit word that means a lot more than just teacher – the definition includes mentor, guide, savior, advisor, father figure, protector: actually, I am not even able to do justice to the full meaning of “guru”. And guess what: as per ancient Indian traditions, the “guru” was paid by his “student” (for lack of a better word) according to what the student judged the “guru” was worth. The guru rarely made any demands himself – or (rarely) herself.

Well Jim, I would say your right on about what you said. I’ve spent thousands of dollars for every system I could find. The problem with buying all this stuff is most of it is junk. I’ve been trying to do affiliate marketing 2006 with little results to show. Once I quit listening to all the so called Gurus, unsubscribed to all the junk, begin to focus on one thing I started to get some place. Thanks for the great rant. Keep up the good work of informing people.

Just read your rant about J H. Boy I’d like to know who that creep was! Loved your intro video. Signed up for the video production course.
Been studying and learning a little for quite awhile now…and spent aplenty on those damn courses…I know how you feel and what you went through. Damn can I empathize.
Thanks.
Nile Vincent

“How about that coaching?”
I personally have not been fleeced (whew!) but I too am disgusted by all the madness in the inbox. The latest ‘craze’ seems to be gurus trying to get their customers set up as “coaches” or issuers of continuity/coaching sites. Outrageous claim you want? Try this one

“You can set up in 60 minues a 6 month coaching continuity biz and make lots of money! People need coaches for their life and you can be it, and they’ll pay all sorts of money. It’s so easy.”

Yeah, and where are the suckers er..I mean ‘customers’ who are going to get ‘coached’ for 6 months with something some LAMER set up in 60 minutes? They’re teaching fleecing here, it seems and it’s a real bandwagon item. The thing these pitches never ever mention are “Who are the fools that are supposed to buy the swill we tell you to turn out when you shell out for our expensive ____” I fail to see how a good coach can be trained to legitly help others in 60 minutes. Real coaches are valuble assets and it shouldn’t be made light of like this.

How does a guru keep people stuck?
I found this one out too.
1. By making terrible long audios and videos that last hours and selling such long disks or putting out “Case Studies” which take 1 hour to hear. No one has that kind of time. If they let it out in a book format, people could get the knowledge (if there IS ANY) and move on. This is not what they want. If you are fulltime, PLUS trying to succeede on the internet, you don’t have time for a 1 hr case study a 45 minute presentation, and to listen to 1 of the 17 CDs you bought in the mail and to do your own chores & set up your biz.

2. Everyone tries to get you onto everyone elses’ list, then you get 594305 emails every day and MUST read all of them with such compelling headlines. Today I got 6 mails all with different subj: lines in, but they ALL pitched me the same annoying item! When you are stuck in your inbox you’re not getting anything done. The inbox only serves to ‘infect’ you with more mail, further immobilizing.

I’m a physical item retailer (so different from most!) with a biz that’s doing ok. Shockingly, I didn’t even need to buy anything to get it where it is now, but a domain/hosting. It’s likely a rare case but I’m a graphic/web designer that also can do photography, limited video (er, hence the name) & cooking (my cook book is my give-away item–and unlike guru instructions they can all be followed in the kitchen to success)I’d love to take it to the next level and I know I can, but these days I refuse to spend on anything. This ‘magic bullets’ and ‘whitemoney systems’ and stuff like that it just seems so hype and that it wouldn’t apply to someone who was actually having a product-product, either physical or ebook style. The same with those “links & ads” rings where you earn credits.

I’m very glad you’re having a smackdown on this, really someone needs to call it out who has an authority to say something. (you are right if some normal person complains, they just say it is a lazy person) I do own your 7dayebook AND used it to good effect so I know it is the real deal, and that you didn’t make up some phony junk. I would encourage you to keep going because this is stuff people need to hear.

Jim, I still follow the same guys I did 10 years ago when I first bought a computer.

You, Paul Myers, Joiner, Danny Sullivan, Armand Morin, Fortin and Carleton. Forget the rest. Build your list, bring value to your followers lives and sell without selling. That is what you guys taught me my first few years and it is what I teach my subscribers to do now on Google’s social networking sites.

I hear from many people like you are talking about myself, chasing the rainbow, looking for the free lunch and the Google secret back door.

Well Google is rolling out it’s new algo now based on Caffeine. My sites all went up in rankings and the rainbow chasers and my competition all sank a page or two.

Pay attention to Jim here guys, the same that worked ten years ago still works now. It is called being a real person, not a marketer or a salesman.

Jim,

Wow, I admire your guts for reaming Clayton Makepeace like that. And I thank you. Not that I was actually going to get his $800+ product, but for slapping the naivety out of me. Maybe you know more about C.M. then I do because he had me hooked line and sinker. He does give out good content on a very regular basis — good stuff too — and maybe that lulled me into actually believing that someone could make 100,000 per month with a 10,000 name list. You’re right, it doesn’t make sense… I’m sure it has been done, and maybe even can be done, but now sure how probable that would be for the average person without a lot of resources. The “one-man-show” would certainly have a difficult time of it.

Hey, a quick heads up. I was going through my old emails and saw an email you had sent out at the end of 2008 about “Sell More with Stories: An interview with World-Renowned
Copywriter, Alan Forrest Smith”

I listened to it and took copious notes. HOWEVER, the link you had to buy Alan’s product is NOT working.

Thought you might want to know as you might be losing sales as a result.

Wish I would have known about your cruise, would have gone. How did it go?

Why doesn’t the FTC go after these gurus who are always taking money from people’s pockets???

Hey Bill you just gave me a good idea to usubscribe from the Guru’s list and focus!
That is a great idea.

Thanks I may do just that.

kind regards
Michael

The video is titled “Friday Night Smackdown”, and stated plainly below the video is an 18+ label. If you followed the link from Jim’s email, the email verbiage should have sent off a few warning signs too. This is the first Jim Edwards vid I’ve watched, but I think I’m hooked already. I like his style!

Great video Jim!!!

Peter

So true, Jim!

I think I’ve seen a shift recently, though. And that is that more marketers are realizing that they have to create value in the marketplace and that value must include authenticity to a much greater degree than before. The new breed of marketer proves him or herself through the quality of the relationship they establish with the customer. There will,unfortunately, continue to be carpet baggers and snake oil salesmen. So, I pledge to focus on what is right and what has integrity and trust that through my actions, others will be inspired.

Faux-Guru’s will always proliferate as long as the suckers they prey upon allow them to flourish without accountability.

The radio broadcasting industry that I market my services to is similar to the IM industry, in that it’s rife with charlatans and hucksters.

After 10 years of trying to separate myself from these clowns, yesterday I took a step that was unthinkable until recently, which was to join the BBB.

Even though we operate nationwide and Internationally, site visitors will be able to at least see that the ABSENCE of complaints against us all these years is indicative that we’re not a dishonest company.

Hopefully that will give us the opportunity to get them to take a closer look at us, so we can prove just how GOOD we are.

Until Guru’s are willing to be be publicly held accountable, there’s no reason for them to change and comply with ethical business practices.

Mine was $6500, same story, well known guru,
won’t name names.

New rant, free offers, just give me your name
and email address.

My name and address are of great value, not
worthless like the so called free offers say.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just
stop and think what free means. You give nothing
of value to get what I say is of extremely high
value, meaning you give me your name and email
address. nuff said

It’s funny. I actually started my blog BECAUSE of this exact topic – the gazillion and three self-proclaimed ‘Gurus’ out there and the suffocating amount of sales pitches my poor inbox is put through each and every day.

I came into the game fairly late. I was doing my own thing (gaming forums) and doing quiet well, then for some silly reason I decided to start looking at other ways to make more money. A year and a big later and what the hell happened to my savings account?

I’m especially fond (think of another f word to replace there) of a so called guru who took my $2,500 and promise of ‘one-on-one’ assistance getting me my millions. How much then bend over asking for your money, and how quickly they are gone once they get it. Much like a stripper… I’m pretty sure I put my money in the same area too…

What’s this I hear about Jim using ‘fowl’ language? Was he talking about chickens, or ducks or geese? Pls be more specific. Oh, you don’t happen to mean ‘FOUL’ language per chance? I think there could be quite a big difference between the two! lol

Hi Jim,
I agree with you. I haven’t spent money that some of the others have. When you get Social Security you don’t buy all of the 47,77,97,297,597 2000 courses. A lot of the time the money isn’t there to buy the 7.00 ebook. I get emails telling me they don’t understand why I haven’t bought this or that program. It is a steal at 297.00 bevause they spent 5000.00 or 10,000.00 to get every thing and set it up.

All I can say is try to pay their bills on what I get and what my wife makes each month then they will understand. Sure there are some things I would like to have got but as I have read before as this time. You buy something and all it tells you is you need to buy this or that and some other things to make it work.

This email swap deal they have come up with is a bunch of BS. I went ahead the orher day and sighedup to get something that a friend was giving because the person with the product said he could give it to me. Then I get emails thanking me for signingup ,who they are and they would be sending me lots of things. I had been getting emails from that person since July 10 2009 but because they have such a big list and it is not set up to kick out email addresses when you try to signup again. There are a few that will tell you that you have already signedup and confirmed. You don’t get what ever it was because a lot only go through the email swap and don’t send it to ther subscribers.

The money is in the list. With me on the same list two or three times won’t make them a dollar more.

I have just this month subscribed to your list. I am changind things up this year. I am unsubscribing to all of the ones that just send sell,sell,sell emails. The ones that send me emails about something their friend said they can give me and I already get mail from the friend will be deleted.

I hear a lot about you have to focus. That has been my biggest problem. No I haven’t started something and then something else.
If I skip a day checking emails it takes two days to catch up.

Thanks for the video. will be looking for your next mail.

James

Jim
Fantastic! I love it, but you neeed a watch as you don’t seem to know what time it is!
The main problem 4 me is to try and work out which guru to dump first!
Best wishes
Mike
Lichfield UK

“It?s a pack of barnyard solid waste of the male bovine variety, if you get my drift.” I am in love with this one.

Dear Jim,
You and Y.S. (not sure why we have to use initial letters) are the ones I believe, not with closed eyes, I have to add, and not for the same reasons.
Some weeks ago, I unsubscribe from most gurus’ letters and believe me, my business works better: I have saved hours that I can use to write articles, promote my products, etc. I may have missed some useful information, but I’m sure I avoid a good deal of misinformation as well.
In my opinion, the worst of all is M.F. Not even funny.

Hi Jim
Great Video!!!
I’ve just read all the comments and would just say this:-
I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve been scammed/ ripped off many times e.g. coaching (that never was! -with a website included) after a phone call that lasted nearly 2 hours (from the U.S.), this cost me $thousands.
I use to think that it was me – not being able to understand or able to make money from this ‘golden opportunity’.
Having been cleaned out on my credit cards – I decided to just ignore them and put up my first ever website which I had to do everything by myself.
I’ve learnt more from DOING than I have ever learnt from any %^$$^y so called guru!

I guess this is all part of the so called ‘learning curve’!
regards
Graham in UK

P.S. Don’t ask me how I was taken in by this follow up after buying ‘Mining For Gold’ – I still ask myself the same question!

Jim,

Great video! Made me smile.

It’s true I “named names,” but I specifically avoided attacking anybody as a person. The focus of my post was about the unethical behavior that had been publicly documented by multiple people online.

-Ryan M. Healy

I’m feel the need to jump in and defend Clayton. It’s dangerous to make comments about someone you don’t know. I’ve been watching and learning from Clayton for several years. He’s highly respected and incredibly competent. He’s respected by Bob Bly, Rich Schefren, the folks at Agora, and a host of others. Bob Bly ranks him among the top three copywriters on planet earth, if not #1 in terms of income. Clayton makes no idle claims that aren’t backed with fact.

If the email you got, Jim, had to do with the “Online Profit Multiplier”, I saw the presentation two days ago, and it is indeed as solid as the proverbial rock. It’s also worth viewing (a recording is online). HOWEVER, you have to realize what he’s doing.

He’s not talking about getting a bunch of stuff and getting rich off of the stuff by teaching others to get rich off of stuff.

Clayton cut his teeth and earned his chops in Direct Mail back in the 1970s. It’s only recently he’s become highly active in online copy and promotions.

He put Blanchard & Company on the map. He’s worked with Martin Weiss, who founded Weiss Research and produces Safe Money Report. His line of work has always been writing direct response promotions for investment newsletters and dietary supplements. He often refers to himself as a high-school drop-out (true — he left school to help earn a living for the family when abandoned by his father when he was 15). BUT he had read the World Book Encyclopedia, cover-to-cover three times by the time he was in eigth grade. The guys is no dummy. I have a degree in physics and did graduate studies in electrical engineering, and there are times when Clayton talks about leading edge physics stuff I’m not even up on — not because I’m a dunce, but because there are so many other things that I’ve been busy learning that interest me more.

His knowledge of economics and investment would make anyone I’ve heard of in Congress or the White House look like a moron (maybe they really are morons, given their handling of “the economy”).

Clayton’s Online Profit Multiplier presentation was to show the latest trends in the kind of marketing that works today and what’s changing and why. He went through exactly how they structure promotions and the results they got. It’s all solid, based on real campaigns, would easily pass FTC scrutiny, and is intended for people who have an advertising budget, a list, and are dead serious about delivering real value to willing buyers. It isn’t for the home-based mom-and-pop get rich on the Internet crowd.

One of Clayton’s hot buttons is the absolute necessity of being honest in your copy. Don’t make claims you can’t prove, and don’t lie to anybody. I’ve followed him for years. I was invited to write a series of articles that were published in early editions of NewsBlarg.com, a political blog/opinion/magazine publication he founded.

There are a lot of other goo-roos out there who deserve to be taken down. But I have no qualms about endorsing Clayton’s integrity or the value of his materials, if those materials meet your need and you act on them. He has trained and worked with a lot of well-known copywriters, including Carline Anglade-Cole, Alex Mendosian, Bob Bly, Daniel Levis, Michael Masterson, Rich Schefren and others at AWAI as well as many additional well-known names.

But he is a master at promotion and writing. And if you’re going to be a “sucker” who buys stuff thinking having it will make you rich, you’re in the wrong place looking for the wrong answer.

He doesn’t make his money by selling a gazillion samoleans worth of stuff in 3 days in a hyped-up promo. He builds relationships by overdelivering VALUE, as any good businessman must do in today’s economy and culture. I’ve never seen him offer anything that wasn’t worth the price and more if the product fits the needs of the customer and the customer actually uses it.

Most of the goo-roos that upset me in the past seem to be gone. Either scared off by the FTC rules change, or I unsubscribed from their lists — or maybe both.

I apologize if I’ve stepped on any toes, but I’m not a proponent of commenting about people I don’t know well enough to have a well-founded, solidly grounded opinion about. I also have the personality defect of being opinionated and outspoken. It comes from too many decades of encountering barnyard solid waste spewing from the mouths of over-educated fools with pompous degrees from pompous, elitist universities — who haven’t a lick of common sense, and even less personal integrity. And scoundrels who have no morals and no scruples — who see every person out there as someone to be exploited and lied to.

As for the latter, a large collection of DC politicians come to mind…

Now get out there and make something of yourselves. Just be careful who you listen to. Make sure they have a clean, long-term track record and a history of delivery real value.

Clarke

Hey Jim!

That was ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!

Thanks!

Hey Jim,

Sometime I’ll have to tell you about the woman who friended me on Facebook, then starting sending me emails about women web entrepreneurs and especially stay-at-home moms. Interesting, so I read. The catch was that her Mastermind group costs $100,000 a year. I had read one of her books, thought it said nothing, and wondered what in the world I’d get for $100,000 a year. Not to mention, if I could spend $100,000 a year on a coach, would I need one? I’ll also show you the book sometime so that you can see what not to write. As if you would!

I’ve told you that I chose you to be a mentor because of your integrity and obvious fluency in the language I don’t yet speak. I appreciate that you give things away. Asking us to spend money before we know what you’re about is scarey for most of us. Then I got to hear you on True Life Success Stories and I knew that you’re not just into making money. You’re also into giving back or paying it forward in my case, and that makes all the difference in the world to me.

And I am inclined to trust anyone who travels with his wife, Mom, Dad and Uncle Tommy, and let’s them hear his stories and claims. A litmus test for honesty!

Victoria

Hey Jim
This was one of the best and funniest videos, and the comments had me roaring with laughter, cause I too have been gullible and too trusting

I cut back on TV cause there were too many commericals.

So what do I do now? I sit in front of my computer reading endless commercials pitching get rich money making schemes. And spend a lot more time dealing with sales pitches in my email box than on TV…sigh..

Your video was a much needed reality check. “Wake up you silly dudette”, I said to myself: “and start trusting your own judgement”

Thanks so much Jim. You truly are one of a kind

Wow Lorraine… Didn’t realise it was that much!

Best to you as always,

George

Been looking forward to this for a while!
Somehow knew that it was coming…

Gonna watch it tomorrow,
What a treat!
I’ll be back…

Hello Jim,

Looks like You’ve just set off some alarms and emotions in people from the list of responses you’ve already received. And I do understand the comment of one gentleman about the Language. However, I’ve learned to put my headset on, so no matter what I am hearing, my children next to me are not.

I’ve been involved in so… many businesses, I could name them all but there’s not enough room in this email. However…

I now realize that part of the reason for the lack of success is not so much the businesses I’ve joined, as much as the lack of skills I possessed at the time. Although I do get the obvious so called guru “wanna be” emails, like the one you mentioned on the video, and I’ve learned to stay away from them,with all their empty promises.

I’m now having more success and getting more results than I have in all my years of MLM and other Internet businesses that I’ve done. Mainly I believe, because I just did not posses the proper skill set needed for the businesess.

Also… over the last few years, I’ve hooked up with some true mentors, like yourself, who are teaching me skills that are helping me tremendously–to focus my efforts and track my results. As well as a copywrting course I did previously from Michael Masterson and Bob Bly (Two Millionaires) who definately know what they are doing, which helped me with the copy side of things.

Anyway… now I’m able to give back to others and have set my website up as a “go to” place for other internet newbies, to get free and low cost marketing training, from reliable sources. Ones that won’t take people for a “money ride” and drop them off in the desert. Ones who truly want to help people–like yourself.

I’m also actually now applying the skills I’m learning, as previously I wasn’t and was thinking it was the businesses’ fault.

So, my new insight… “If I’m going to succeed It’s up to me.” Hope it helps someone.

To Your Life Success,

Ruby E. Garson
Copywriter/Consultant

P.S. Once I get my new business off the ground my new venture is to add self made video’s into my marketing efforts, which is why I enjoy learning from you so much.

Thanks again for all your guidance and sharing what you know. It is truly appreciated.

Hi Jim, I can relate to what Graham (UK) has said. I do everything myself now with websites. 15 hours a day focusing on how and what I want to achieve for myself. Yes I have spent the money on guru products but I have a good idea now what tools I need to protect my site and downloads. It’s all taking shape. Still away to go though! So many new toys to learn, and take from the bunch of emails what you think you need and throw out the rest. Focus is the key.

Hey Jim–Ok, I know this might sound “kiss-assy” to some…but I’ve actually grown to have such higher standards with the stuff I buy from you that now I’m spoiled with a lot of the other so-called “gurus.”

I’ve felt like the herald in the street claiming the “emperor has no clothes!” on several occasions as I wrote comments in blogs stating “my” truth about the quality of the product being touted, after I had bought it. I don’t think I made any friends from posting those comments (although they probably never got published. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out).

In one case, I demanded my money back for a crappy product from someone who claims to be one of the best of the best, the guru to the gurus, and I used your products (by name) as an example of the standards I expect. In that case, the guy had sold a “webinar” (hardly) where he basically read off a bunch of powerpoints comprised of text-only, and about two hundred words on each slide. It was supposed to be the history of advertising geniuses, and it was awful. This guy sells *very* high-priced products, and this happened to be a $47 lead generator…but it was crap. TOTAL crap! Based on my training from TNR and Webinar Secrets, I could have easily produced something a hundred times better (and maybe I should!). That insight was a great take-home from that experience.

Another so-called guru to the gurus makes pre-recorded teleseminars that condescend to the listener and are passed off as if they are live events. I hate to have become so cynical, but if that’s what the gurus are learning from their gurus, they can have it. I’ll take TNR any day.

I am grateful to have found the value that you provide, Jim…and I appreciate the smack-talk! It’s the side of you that cracks me up.
Kelly

I’m sick of $997 releases.

I’m sick of flogging with no REAL change from the first product.

I’m sick of something that really will help me, and at the end of the sales page, you’re trapped in the corner by having to join a monthly fee.

I’m sick of L-A-C-K of support: whenever I send an email to support, when they finanlly get back to me, they ask ME a question, or they just give me one sentence where I’m left to GUESS-TI-MATE the quandry that can’t be helped by any normal guy trying to LIVE!

I’m sick of…”I’m not going to charge you $997. I’m not even going to charge you $497. In fact, you can have this new, wiz-bang product for…………?????????

Just $197/month.

Or, I’m not even going to charge you $197…you can have this brand new life-sucker for……???

$47/month!

Oh great thanks. I’m struggling and dying over here to save money, now I gotta say goodbye to my snacks and whatever else is my passion is to drop $7 each and every month.

I’m sick of my web host (one of the best EVER!) not even knowing enough about the problem I’m having to help me.

Or, again, my support questions being dealt with by writing back ONE, MEASLEY SENTENCE for me to ponder at and try to guess what
the idea or thoughts are going through the support person’s mind.

I’m sick and tired of going this alone, where I have to figure out eveything on my own and quick before I drowned in poorness.

I’m sick of buying something only to be driven to the old “One time offer” page, that corners you into making a monthly payment, or find out that I have to shell out $77 more dollars in order for the product to really do what I thought would the first time.

Can’t think of any more, but it doesn’t mean I won’t tomorrow!

Now I ask…CAN I Get an AMEN PEOPLE???!!!

Now this is the Smackdown I remember. Smackdown is back and with a vengence. Seriously. Dude you know I’ve been egging you on to do these again and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. This video was awesome and so right on target.

Oh yeah, and for the few people who were offended or thought this was boring… WHAT WERE YOU WATCHING?

This was the best editorial video I’ve seen and I don’t think you’ll see another one as honest and on target as this one was.

Keep up the awesome videos and we’ll talk next week.

Great Video!!! Recently I attended an event where Frank Kearns was a speaker. Something he said struck a chord. He said that 70% of the of the online “business opportunity” market wanted to be entertained. I didn’t fully understand his comments until I ran into Maria Gudelis. She had a teleseminar series to teach “social media consulting”. It’s a solid concept, however, the delivery was “empty”. She spent her time “giving people what they wanted” rather than delivery any real solid content. Included in the teleseminar series was a “live event”. I went to Las Vegas hoping to fill in the blanks, but she spent so much time on tangents that by the end of the seminar more than 25% of the agenda had not been covered. Of course it was the 25% with the meat.

Having witnessed this process, I fully understand Frank’s comments. Gudelis has a groupie following because she entertains well under the guise of a “business opportunity”. It has become obvious that they survive because they have found a “herd” that likes the taste and smell of the crap.

For the 30% that want real business information, it is becoming more and more difficult to sort the good stuff from the

I have been doing a lot of my own research about the concept she was “teaching”, and it is truly a solid niche. But you need a lot more than an “empty suit” to present it with any creditability.

She recently held her own teleseminar about the FTC guidelines, while she was running a “testimonial” contest.

Here’s my own personal wake-up call when I’m tempted to purchase the latest money maker….

How come so many of these gurus are constantly telling us about their ‘teams’ of staff why would those staff members need the job if the guru’s system is so great?

i.e.What better way to study a gurus tactics than when you work for him? Become a millionaire and quit, right? Wrong!

SO, either they employ dimwits ( and I don’t want to do business with somebody whose support team are dimwits) OR they are full of crap and their money-making systems are too ( so I don’t want to do business with them full stop).

Double Smackdown!

Jim,

Your video’s an excellent example of a twist on a “most burning questions” mini-site. This one’s going in the notebook.

I just attended a presentation here in Denver – a local internet marketing group. THe presenter was billed as an ‘expert’ in social marketing. AFter sitting through 30 minutes of why he’s the expert, and why social media is important – he starts in on the ‘meat’ of his presentation – supposedly about how to manage all the social media stuff. It was nothing more than time management tips – have a schedule, spend no more than X minutes on this and that. I walked out. I could have been working on my TNR Platinum assignments instead! I was so frustrated.
And in my field (animal behavior) the crap is so deep it will take a machete to cut through it – both on line and off! When we were seeing individual clients we’d get calls from people who would say “I alreadys spent $1,000 on in-kennel training, private training, and it didn’t work, I don’t have any more $$ to pay you, can’t you just give me some ‘tips?”!!! That’s one reason why we decided to change our business model – I couldn’t take that day in and day out.
OK, I”m done with my rant too. One of my biggest take aways from you – love me hate me there’s no money in the middle. Good job.
Suzanne

Love the Smackdowns, Jim.

The truth is, I’m a generally agreeable sort, so when Guru Joe leads off with “Unsubscribe Now!”, I do…

Same with “Don’t read this email…” Okay, I won’t…

“Sorry about the bad link…” No sweat, everyone goofs once in a while, but if you can’t seem to grasp the concept of a link on a consistent basis, how am I supposed to believe you can produce a sophisticated piece of software?

Finally, I don’t like the phrase “the money is in the list”, which leads to “just blast this offer to your list”, etc. Guru Joe, I am not a list, I’m a human being reading your message one on one. I just posted on my blog about this…

The money is NOT in the list. It’s not even in the relationship the list owner has with the list. The real, ongoing money is in the relationship the list owner has with each individual on that list. Period, full stop, end of story…

I tell you what pisses me off Jim.

I, like a lot of people am on a lot of lists but recently have been unsubscribing……….But it’s this.

Whenever there is a launch every Guru and his dog are pitching the same product for there mates (nothing wrong in that) but what is annoying is that they more often than not use the exact same email copy they have been given from the Gurus affiliate toolbox.

So you end up getting the same bloody email a dozen times.

Do these guys really think that people don’t notice this.

I wish people would just “think outside the box” instead of copy…paste and hope to part people from their cash.

Makes me puke.

Richard

Observations from almost 50 year off-line Business consultant, recently moving Clients onto the Internet:

1. People on the internet, by and large, don’t want to hear about WHAT is really necessary to “make it WORK”
2. They are willing to shell out for ridiculous Claims.
3. Not willing to invest TIME and ENERGY (two most valuable assets)

I was pleased to have a client (internet) say this morning when I made my usual 2X monthly call to check up on their Progress..

“you always seem to get me back on track by being brutally honest about the Work Part of it all….”

I appreciate subscribing to your always helpful and very candid posts, Jim.

And share your thoughts with others.

PS and BTW

That affiliate, through whom I failed to receive my purchase has also been lucky.

Luckier than I!

So much so that he has failed to receive $1700 in affiliate commissions from the same organisation!!

How about that!

Testing Testing My long comment fails to load even when divided. I have tried submitting 6 times now??

I have to agree with Richard. It’s all the same junk and they cannot even be bothered to spin the junk before getting it out.

“The money is in the list” yells everyone, so the chums on the list gets that month’s spiel about the next ‘real deal’ regular as clockwork. “Go get it – I’ve used it and it has made me millions…” Ha Ha, aren’t we smart!

Some ‘guru’ even openly boast he can get a new set of golf clubs just by hitting the send button.

Guys, there is a delete button and it’s very easy to use. I use it ALL the time.

The whole point of all this is to make money on the internet. Fine, we are all in agreement and that’s why we are here. But have a little respect.

Oh yeah, and if you do not get to the point within 2 minutes of some video, especially when it is suppose to be about a topic – as in useful information. I press the off button.

I have gone past the looking ‘wind swept and interesting’ mode and want the real deal. The more you tell me it is work and learning and time and effort, the more I will listen because that’s what it is.

And yeah, are you still around???

Hello????

I only hear Jim and maybe two others out there…..

Jim,

I respect your integrity. I’ve had no experience with you that would lead me to conclude that you aren’t a person of high principles.

But a man of integrity will always make sure he’s armed with the facts before taking a strong position.

In this case, you’re taking a shot in the dark at a target you don’t know what is or where it is. I’ve seen Clayton’s OPM presentation, and as an internet marketer yourself, I suggest you take a look at the video first-hand. What you learn in an hour will likely give you some new insights into your own business and ways that you can possibly make it much more productive.

Clayton’s always very strong on delivering value with no Barnyard Solid waste, and the OPM video is no exception. He lays out the facts — straight and ugly. Why current internet marketing strategies are failing, and why newer strategies are proving to be more effective. It’s very solid stuff, coming from a veteran of decades in direct mail. It’s only recently he’s moved most of his work online.

Take a look at his background, bio and some testimonials from heavy hitters in the financial newsletter markets at [look it up on Google] . It’s short, entertaining, and not over-blown.

Then take an hour and watch the video at [look it up on Google] where you have to give a name and email address to access the replay. It goes down in 3 or 4 days,
so don’t wait.

Then take a look back through the archives at [look it up on Google] and read through some of the years of stellar wisdom spanning years that’s there for the
taking — no charge, no obligation at [look it up on Google]

Then come back and tell us the guy’s a phoney. But be warned. The archive is full of material from some of the most effective copy, web, and SEO talent in the business.

I think you’ll change your mind once you’ve seen it. You’ll also find a ton of useful stuff for your own business. I have a copy of his “Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach” — essentially a “brain dump” taken from Clayton and written by Tony Flores. It’s a treasure house full of good stuff and powerful value. Pure gold.

You might even decide to subscribe to his daily “Total Package” email newsletter with links to the blog. It’s one newsletter that always gets read when it shows up in my inbox — without fail. I wouldn’t be where I am without it.

Cheers,

Clarke

See below for my response since this is now 5 levels deep on the replies. – Jim

Your video would be much easier to swallow if it weren’t for one simple thing…

Many of these “Guru’s” you are lumping into one diatribe are the same ones that helped (and still help) you make money.

In my opinion, you are trying to come across as someone who’s on the side of the “little guy”, but in reality, you are merely playing on the “anti-guru” sentiment to ingratiate yourself with this crowd.

Why?

Because they have money to spend. And you want a bigger share.

Another funny thing is, you yourself have been considered a “Guru” for many years. I have followed you for the past 6 or 7, bought a few of your products (which were good).

But now, you’ve just become another “Guru Basher”, stirring up hatred for nothing more than self-serving reasons. Dollars.

Thanks anyway, Big Jim.

A Former Fan.

Why not just pop over to Clayton’s blog and challenge him directly on his headline? I’m sure he’ll be happy to respond to you.

You really should have paid Clayton the courtesy of watching the event that supported the headline.

I’ve always respected you Jim but unless you’re prepared to take the challenge to him directly you shouldn’t be making hay out of it.

Clayton has done more, for free, to teach the fine art of copywriting than just about anyone on the planet. Plus you can count on one hand the number of goo-roos whose online performance comes even close to Clayton.

If you’re so troubled by the headline, just tell him on his blog

Take your gripe directly to him, or drop it.