Stay Away From These Products…

by Jason Fladlien
http://48hourreport.com/myblog/stayawa/

I bet you got burned. It’s partially your fault, too.

There is a disturbing trend going on right now, especially with ClickBank launches. The main model is this:

Traffic Loophole Hook -> Blind offer for $77 -> 3-7 upsells -> Atrocious customer product and customer support.

I have seen a lot of people in the Warrior Forum review thread complaining because they got burned… I don’t want you to get burned.

So let me give you some good rules of thumb for investing in your business with Internet marketing products.

Rule #1 – If it’s blind, don’t buy it

A copywriting technique that’s incredibly effective is what’s called a “blind offer”. A blind offer is this – you don’t know exactly what you get until after you purchase.

If the sales letter spends more time telling you what it’s NOT than what it is… it’s a blind offer.

If the sales letter explains you’ll exploit a loophole… but doesn’t give you the slightest hint of what that loophole is… It’s a blind offer.

If you have no idea exactly what you’re getting, in terms of the training content… It’s a blind offer.

Compare that to my copy – I meticulously break down the major sections of my training. If it’s a way to get traffic through Facebook, I TELL you that. Be careful of copy like this:”It has nothing to do with Google, Yahoo, Pay Per Click, Ezine Articles, YouTube, etc.”.

Blind copy on a $37 or $77 price point will sell the living daylights out of your product. It will also bastardize your customer list you just built, send refunds through the roof and create support nightmares.

I never teach this tactic to my copywriting students, I never personally use it, and I NEVER… NEVER buy from it. Blind copy sucks!

Rule #2 – If it promises a “loophole” or “automation” be very careful.

The ClickBank trend right now is “traffic loophole”. I have seen 4 launches in the last two months that have put that exact phrase in the headline.

Product #1 - the “traffic loophole” that was teased was actually not a loophole – but an illegal violation of terms of service from Facebook. The copy for this product was “blind”. Hmmm!? Wonder why they didn’t tell you that you’d be doing something illegal in the sales letter? … :)

Product #2 - the “traffic loophole” was an obscure pay per view advertising network that is actually a nice place to get traffic really cheap and make some decent money with it. Problem – you have to put a $1,000 deposit down to get accepted into that network. The copy didn’t mention that little fact. Hmmm!? Wonder why they didn’t… :)

Product #3 - the “traffic loophole” WASN’T a loophole at all. It was forum marketing, Ezine article marketing and a few social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. See why the copy had to be blind? If they told you that these were the “secret traffic sources”, you would’ve realized there was no loophole. Dare I say it was a lie!? Gasp! Who would’ve thought? :)

Product #4 – the “traffic loophole” was a genuine loophole. Problem – right before he launched it, that secret traffic source was purchased and acquired by Google – who quickly fixed the loophole. Well, gee – can’t call off the launch when you got all the JV partners and everything in place, right? So just launch it even though the loophole doesn’t exist anymore. That’s a great idea, isn’t? That’s what they DID!

The TRUTH about traffic loopholes – if I find a genuine, powerful traffic loophole (and I do every so often) I do NOT sell it in a $77 product. I mean I’m a nice guy, but that would be a really dumb business move. It’s usually $297 or $497.

What about automation?

Don’t believe them… UNLESS they show you a demonstration. Automation is a power word that can absolutely get you to want to buy! That’s why you have seen a lot of these ClickBank launches USE that word in the headline.

The problem – nothing is automated! So don’t believe that something is automated JUST because the headline says it is. ONLY believe it MAY be automated if they show a demonstration of the automation on the sales page.

But you really can’t do that with blind copy can you?

Rule #3 – The Upsell Tidal Wave

A very profitable strategy for these launches is to promise you the whole world (and more!) for $37 or $77 – and after you purchase – take you to an upsell that says “well, if you really want to do it right, then you need to buy…”.

Oops! Instant disconnect. Doesn’t that piss you off? Let me school you two ways.

First, if you do upsells (and you absolutely should!), don’t do them like these ClickBank guys are doing them.

An upsell should be one of the following…

1. COMPLEMENTARY to the original product without invalidating the promises of the original product. (Example – if we teach a traffic program, we might upsell “mind state stuff” to help them more effectively implement it… Or if we sell product creation… We upsell copywriting – because you need to write the sales letter for the product, right?)

2. A Higher LEVEL version that doesn’t invalidate the promises on the original product. (Example – your front end shows a “down and dirty” way to do something… It’s good enough and made for people on a budget… But you extend the more thorough, more in depth version on the upsell for the people who want it… But you never claim on the sales letter for the front end product that it’s the end all, be all!)

3. A really damn good deal rewarding the customer for making the first purchase with you. (Example – we do the buy 1 for 50% off, get 3 more free offer which is a TRUE special offer only on the upsell and can’t be gotten anywhere else.)

4. A more in depth modality. (I can offer a product writing copy on the front end, upsell a 30 minute sales critique for those who want one on one in addition to standalone…)

Now let me school you the second way – EXPECT the upsell on a $37 or $77 product. These guys don’t DO giant launches unless big bucks are involved… And you can’t get big bucks on a $37 product without a stack of upsells, downsells and continuity thrown in somewhere.

So when considering purchasing the front end, ask yourself – “what kind of upsell should I be expecting to get? Will it be a bait and switch? Will it be something intentionally left out of the front end?”

After asking that question, THEN decide if you’re comfortable purchasing something on the front end that you think is either incomplete, or just “part of the puzzle” even though it’s presented as the whole puzzle.

Final word on upsells – I’m a HUGE believer in them… When done right, they are win-win. But from a consumer point of view, anticipate them and calculate them into your purchasing decision.

And you should use them in your business as well. Just use them the RIGHT way as I’ve outlined above.

Rule #4 – Support! (Or Lack Thereof!)

Here’s something fun to do during a product launch. Put in a simple support ticket before you purchase. See how long it takes to get a response.

Be prepared to be shocked! :)

I have no idea how this happens, but it happens more often than not. People buy product – don’t get download. 4 days or longer go by and they still don’t even get their product.

Okay, I’m not perfect. I run a small operation with just myself and my wonderful assistant Mary Jo. Yet we are on pace to do about a million dollars in gross this year. And we take support seriously. It’s very rare that something slips through the cracks. It happens, but not a whole lot. And when it does, it gets fixed.

Now I admit, I’m not the quickest to respond to personal requests that Mary Jo forwards me – but SHE usually responds and tells them she’s forwarded it to me.

And if it’s a simple download request, she handles that almost always within 24 hours or less.

The TRUTH about Internet marketing – there is no front end money in customer support. So when doing a launch, you don’t really need it to do big numbers. More important is the sales copy, the launch process, managing the affiliates and joint venture partners, email copy and so forth.

Customer support is not very profitable, so it’s not likely to get much attention or focus during the launch.

The only people who do customer support well, do it simply because they know it’s the right thing to do. Not because it’s very profitable. Those people have integrity.

But how much integrity do you think these launch guys with blind copy, false “loopholes” and bait and switch upsells have..?

So do you expect great customer service or support? Hmmm!?

Let’s bring this home..

What I have just done is probably pissed off a lot of my so-called peers. Lost a lot of potential joint venture partners. Alienated alliances that could bring me in big bucks.

Yeah, so be it. These ClickBank style launches are built around affiliates and joint venture partners – NOT around the customer. I build my business the other way – I attract great customers who eventually become long term affiliates and joint venture partners for me.

So if I have to be the only one with enough guts to stick my head out there and let you know the real deal with these things… While everyone who is in the “know” remains tight lipped about it… So be it.

But I wanted to give you some clarity on this so you don’t make a really dumb purchase in the future that you immediately regret. And when you save that money on dumb purchases remember me. Then come over and invest that in some of my stuff instead

Meet An Honest Marketer:
Click Here To Watch It Now.