Back Asswards Your Value System Is
 

This is cyberspace. Big, isn't it?

And getting bigger by the second. An infinitely expanding and growing "thing" within a set and somewhat confined area/space (all the computers on the planet).

And within this Cyber Space we call The Internet (which, whether it means something or not, has the intials IT backwards) people sell and attempt to sell their products - hard products and electronic products.

Business is tough, they cry. Help me sell my Green and Blue Bippy Dibby, they beg. Review my site, they ask, while really just wanting traffic.

And through it all, WE, the consumers, the purchasers and potential purchasers, the buyers, the ever elusive customers, make our buying decisions. Weighing up Everything. Should we buy the eBook or the software. Maybe the local book store has that hard copy book I've been waiting for. What about the audio tape set. Those videos. All of that stuff containing the Information I want. Then compare it to... McDonald's, Pizza Hut, the latest Video/DVD release at Blockbuster.

And often the non-info catagory wins.

Twenty bucks dropped at Mikey D's is done without batting an eyelid. But to spend that same twenty bucks on an eBook. My Lord, everyone has to get involved. Ask the wife. Ask the husband. Ask Granny. Ask fifteen different discussion boards. Then, only buy IF there is a gazillion years quadruple your money back under threat of vaporisation 100% money back guarantee.

All that for $20 bucks. Seem ludicrous to read it, doesn't it?

But that is precisely HOW it appears to be.

What makes this even more strange is

Those same people thought nothing of spending a Minimum of three years to get a degree just so they could get a job.

HOW MUCH did it COST to get that degree?

At least three years of TIME. But what of the money?

How's that student loan looking now?

Hurts to look at it or think about it. But you have to.

Because double standards could be taking place in your life.

You think nothing of spending three years and $75,000 for what? So you have the CHANCE to MAYBE land a job.

Twenty bucks on an eBook which could contain information which would make you financially independent if acted upon and you balk. You um. You ah. You ask a million people for THEIR opinion - as if they magically know YOU and what YOU are capable of.

Thousands. Tens of thousands. That's what I have spent on information products over the years. Some I bought for myself. Others I bought and gave to friends and relatives as gifts. Never - not once ever - have I asked if a book was any good before buying it. Never - not once ever - have I asked for a refund because I have ALWAYS learned something new from every product. Learned something I didn't know before reading/watching listening. That something new makes my purchase worth whatever amount of money I spent to buy the product.

There's a story. Carnegie is involved I think. About a guy with a "get more done" system. When told "we need more Doing" the guy GAVE his system away with the proviso to "pay me what you think it is worth after you have implemented it." He received a check for $25,000 dollars!

The time management system was revealed fully in that $10 book I bought. It is revealed fully and freely in many places on the 'net. And yet, it is not appreciated for its Value.

One man though it was worth $25,000 in yesterday's money. Today, people get it for free and dismiss it, or agree with it and then move along.

Twenty bucks or so dropped on a book to get you out of debt FASTER - without filing for bankruptcy, loan consolidation, or anything illegal. The knowledge could literally SAVE $100,000 paid in interest on your home loan. And that's just one loan. Other loan savings can only be guessed at.

How many people will spend that $20 or so?

Hardly any.

But spend that $20 or so at Blockbuster on movies, popcorn, chocolate and soda, and no thought required.

Information can save your life, make you money, improve your relationships, save you from blowing money, improve your skills and so on.

But sometimes, selling information of any kind can be like trying to get blood from a stone - no matter how well defined and targetted your market is.

TIMING plays a part. A big part. But also the value system of those within the market.

Do they go buy a Big Mac each for the whole family or your eBook?

One satisfies for an hour. The other could save the entire family from bankruptcy.

A lot of the time, the Big Mac wins out. And after three years and $75,000 spent to get an "education" so they could maybe get a job.

Do you bet on the horses? the guy asked me.

No.

Do you play the slots?

No. I work too hard for my money (mentally and physically) to leave its fate up to the roll of a dice.

Obviously we had nothing in common. Conversation ends.

Drop outs R Us. Me and a few of my uni friends. Looked down upon by those "friends" of ours who stayed on.

Years later and those who stayed have a job.

Those who left have their own business. Life is good.

Even at uni I couldn't comprehend the time/money spent just for a job...

Three year Bachelor of Science degree just to be a park Ranger? Give me break.

Three years of Uni to be a pilot?

How does that make me a better pilot?

The silence is deafening.

The choices were simple...

1. Stay for three more years (I was doing a four year course) and maybe get a job at the end of it.

2. Leave. Start my own business.

By the time I would leave uni with a degree I would have had three years worth of money under my belt. Say $75,000 earned.

If I kept earning $25k a year and IF the degree got me a $30k a year job, it would take me FIFTEEN YEARS of working that job to catch up on the $75k I missed earning while I was "studying."

And this doesn't take into account all the money I would have had to SPEND to get the degree - university fees, etc. (Taking that money into account might reveal I would never catch up!!!)

Made more sense to save three years of time and who knows how much money and defer my uni. I just did not see the VALUE in uni. MORE VALUE was to be had elsewhere Outside of Academia Land.

That was MY take on it. You may disagree. And that is quite all right. And you may point out exceptions. And that is fine too. To each their own.

But for the most part... the jobs which supposedly require pieces of paper, can be easily done by someone without that precious piece of paper. And often done to a better standard too because the paper-less person is more of a self-starter (whatever that means) than the paper-carrier.

Sure, certain pieces of paper are needed when hiring. Such as a chef or mechanic. To know they have actually got the skills. But most other "jobs" can be done by paper-less people.

Look at yourself. What can you do better than a qualified person? I bet there are lots of things you can do. Cook? Paint? Fix stuff? Build stuff? Draw?

It's a well known fact that many uni students are smarter than their supervising lecturers. And especially when Ph.D.s are being sought. After all, being granted a Ph.D. is because you have contributed NEW KNOWLEDGE... previously unknown information. So there is no way your supervising lecturer could know more than you about that subject. But doesn't that make it strange then. For a less knowledgable person being the judge on whether or not you "graduate"?

You wouldn't have anyone but an A Grade mechanic giving a pass or fail to a learning mechanic. Yet, in university, this seems to be the case and is accepted.

How's your boss? Bit of a doofus? Manager the same?

Makes sense. Why promote the skilled and knowledgable person from their position to a position where those skills will not be used. Better to promote a dumkopf instead. Otherwise productivity might go down.

Best person to do the job is how it should be.

Alas. It is not like that. Mostly.

The Value system is Back Asswards.

How is YOUR value system?

Do you hesitate to spend a few bucks on an information product, but think nothing of blowing the money on DVD rental?

Do you buy all the brands because "what would your friends think" while living a life of quiet desperation.

Do you um and ah about buying information... or subscribing to information... while making sure to "be seen" at the coffee shop?

Do you want business to be instantaneous and without cost, while willingly spending big and taking years to get a degree so you can maybe get a job?

Do you want everything for free online while expecting other people to pay for your stuff?

How many times have you seen people asking for Free hosting, web-building, templates, autoresponders and merchant accounts so they can sell their "How To Make More Money Than Bill Gates By Using The Internet" ebook?

Or they spend 12 hours a day for three days going over every domain registration service around to save $2. They SPEND 36 hours to SAVE $2. That means they value their time at 5¢ an hour.

Do you make a dozen phone calls, leaving messages, being there to receive quotes, only to save a few bucks? How much time are you spending on phone calls and talking to tradesman, as well as phone charges, just to save a few bucks? And how much does that work out to be on an hourly rate? Because THAT is what you are valuing your time at.

Do you willingly waste other people's time and money just to satisfy a mere curiosity (Just wondering how much to... When do I want it done? Oh I haven't decided, I am just getting prices), yet hate it when someone does that to you?

Nothing wrong saving money where you can. But don't spend a lot (of time or money) to save a few bucks. It's Back Asswards.

This post isn't to make you mad. Or to start a disagreement of Jobs vs Business (Rick Smith and Gordon Alexander already covered the Job v Business thing in their audio tape). This post is to make you THINK. So you can consciously see what you may be doing subconsciously without thinking. To reveal the possible disparity of your actions. And to get you to see, that while spending a few bucks on an information product might not satisfy the desired need immediately (because you first have to read/watch/listen) the long-term benefits are FAR MORE VALUABLE than the money you invest -and INVESTING it is... investing in yourself.

Thank YOU for YOUR TIME.

Michael Ross

Num, num... food for thought. Hurrah to the doubters...
 

Hey Michael;

Very interesting post...

> Twenty bucks dropped at Mikey D's is done
> without batting an eyelid. But to spend that
> same twenty bucks on an eBook. My Lord,
> everyone has to get involved. Ask the wife.
> Ask the husband. Ask Granny. Ask fifteen
> different discussion boards. Then, only buy
> IF there is a gazillion years quadruple your
> money back under threat of vaporisation 100%
> money back guarantee.

> All that for $20 bucks. Seem ludicrous to
> read it, doesn't it? But that is precisely HOW it appears to be.

It's not ludicrous, really, when you think about it.

It's about credibility.

In the offline world, the consumer knows they are getting something "tangible" (read; real) for their 20 bucks - even if it's just to fill their belly for a few hours.

On the internet, that's not the case. On the internet, anyone can set up shop. Heck, there is even a hosting company that offers free hosting with NO popups if you register your domain name with them. For a whole $20, anyone can be in business selling their "how to" book.

Like you, I've spent a lot of time and money educating myself over the years. I've read a fair number of ebooks, along with my prized collection of "real" books.

Sadly, there are entirely too many "ebooks" that are;
[*]Someone's opinion, with no fact to back it up.
[*]Outdated information that does more harm than good if followed
[*]Copy-cat books, in which the dollar-eyed info-preneur read something that sounded good, and created "their" version of the same thing.
[*]Vague, pie-in-the-sky materials that pump up the reader, but offer no real help to someone seeking legitimate help.
[*]People trying to make money on the internet telling "the secrets" of how to make money on the internet, when they have not yet learned how to do that themselves and are hoping to WITH their book.

You see, in the "offline" world, a writer has to pass the scrutiny of the publishing company in order to get their words printed. Not so online. The ease of "ebook publishing" creates doubt in the mind of the consumer.

The day that the consumer trusts everything they read because they saw it on the Internet will be a sad day, indeed, don't you think? Hurrah to the doubters.

> Twenty bucks on an eBook which could contain
> information which would make you financially
> independent if acted upon and you balk. You
> um. You ah. You ask a million people for
> THEIR opinion - as if they magically know
> YOU and what YOU are capable of.

That may be valid if it was relevant. I don't think it is. Twenty bucks for a book if it can make you financially independant would be a miracle indeed - if the book could do that.

But what if the book is old information? Or not accurate? It has little to do with what *I* or anyone else is capable of. It has everything to do with whether or not the consumer feels the book and author are credible. Is that the consumer's problem to solve? Or the author's?

Ever noticed that people don't post to forums asking if they should buy a book at Amazon? That's rare indeed. No... it's ebooks and other assorted "downloadables" that they ask about.

..... and now, it gets really interesting...

> Look at yourself. What can you do better
> than a qualified person? I bet there are
> lots of things you can do. Cook? Paint? Fix
> stuff? Build stuff? Draw?

> How many times have you seen people asking
> for Free hosting, web-building, templates,
> autoresponders and merchant accounts so they
> can sell their "How To Make More Money
> Than Bill Gates By Using The Internet"
> ebook?

I snipped out a WHOLE lot of paragraphs between the two above. You see, THOSE two paragraphs belong together. They are the root of what is "wrong" on the Internet today.

Every day, I get at least one email from another person with dreams of building wealth on the Internet. They always want to sell "how to make money online" programs. "How to succeed" programs. Why? Because they see the "gurus" selling that and raking in the dough.

After all, if all these whiz-kids are making millions, surely they can afford to make just enought to afford that baby that's on the way... or help tuck a few dollars away for a vacation... or tide them over through their divorce.

It makes me ill. Why? Because they know NOTHING about marketing. And, their competition WILL BE people that have been IN marketing for 10-20 years.

One guy in particular that I recall. His wife was pregnant and he didn't make enough for them to live without her paycheck, but she had not been at the job long enough to get paid maternity leave. He didn't know diddly about marketing, yet somehow thought that was his road to financial relief.

I told him I wouldn't take his money to build a "professional" site unless he wanted a site based on something he actually KNEW something about.

Why aren't these people putting up websites and creating ebooks about cooking or painting or fixing stuff? Something they actually KNOW anything about? Because the "gurus" tell them "it's a no brainer. sell my stuff and make 'x' dollars per sale" - and they believe it.

They think selling 'how to make money' materials are the road to riches, when they don't know a thing about how to make money online.

So, with their sadly poor financial state, they need free hosting and free templates and free autoresponders in order to start building that dream.

Dreams die hard, though, and soon the reality creeps in. The reality is that there is two ways to make money....

a) Learn how to run an online business ... or
b) Get a job

So, they want to learn. But... slightly jaded now, they want to be sure of what they buy. They want assurance that the advice they are paying for is credible.

How very sad that the person SELLING the book didn't know how to offer that credibility and assurance. So - ever hopeful - the consumer asks around.

And... THAT is why they... Ask the wife.
Ask the husband. Ask Granny. Ask fifteen
different discussion boards. Then, only buy
IF there is a gazillion years quadruple your
money back under threat of vaporisation 100%
money back guarantee.

We all are human.
We all want to be respected.

We all want to know that we got something of value for our hard earned money, whether it's twenty dollars or twenty thousand dollars... even if it's just a twenty dollar meal at Micky D's.

We don't want to be ripped off or led down the garden path. We don't want to buy opinions and dreams. We already have those.

We want to do business with credible people and get product value equal to the the money traded.

"Buyer beware" is not a new thought. It is particularly relevant on the Internet. It is up to the seller to establish credibility and remove doubt. It is not up to the consumer to "remove" doubt because "it's only twenty bucks."

It all boils down to understanding people.
That's what I've been doing for a living for over two decades.

Thank YOU for listening, too.

: )
Linda




http://www.lindacaroll.com

I'm not bad...I'm just drawn that way.
 

Because every man and his dog who knew nothing about making money anywhere, especially online, decided to put up a site to sell their ebook on success, making money blah, blah, blah really have only themselves to blame.

If the medium used to reach people is abused by the ignorant and untalented, then it gives the whole medium a bad name......guilt by association.

There are some very good ebooks out there, but the majority (and not just on the topic of Internet marketing/making money) are absolute garbage.

If you had information to sell, would you throw it into an ebook or place it in a password protected directory and make it members only? Ebook publishers usually look for the quick buck, the ‘buy my ebook or download my file and move along please’

If you want a business out here, you’d be better off building a better relationship with your customer....after all isn’t that the whole point?

To get the same customer to come back again and again, they now know you and trust you and may tell others.

The link below is for a site that reportedly signs 8,000 new members a month, I wonder how successful they would have been if they’d been selling an ebook or downloadable file.

Just my opinion.

MW

Re: I'm not bad...I'm just drawn that way.
 

There wasn't a link at the bottom of your post.

> Because every man and his dog who knew
> nothing about making money anywhere,
> especially online, decided to put up a site
> to sell their ebook on success, making money
> blah, blah, blah really have only themselves
> to blame.

> If the medium used to reach people is abused
> by the ignorant and untalented, then it
> gives the whole medium a bad name......guilt
> by association.

> There are some very good ebooks out there,
> but the majority (and not just on the topic
> of Internet marketing/making money) are
> absolute garbage.

> If you had information to sell, would you
> throw it into an ebook or place it in a
> password protected directory and make it
> members only? Ebook publishers usually look
> for the quick buck, the ‘buy my ebook or
> download my file and move along please’

> If you want a business out here, you’d be
> better off building a better relationship
> with your customer....after all isn’t that
> the whole point?

> To get the same customer to come back again
> and again, they now know you and trust you
> and may tell others.

> The link below is for a site that reportedly
> signs 8,000 new members a month, I wonder
> how successful they would have been if
> they’d been selling an ebook or downloadable
> file.

> Just my opinion.

> MW

Finding the "diamonds" of information among the "coal"....
 

Hi Linda,

> The day that the consumer trusts everything
> they read because they saw it on the
> Internet will be a sad day, indeed, don't
> you think? Hurrah to the doubters.

I don't think Michael said you should "trust everything you read". That would go against everything he's generally written.

However, in my experience, you often have to wade through a lot of "useless" information to get the "gems" of information that you need....

Information that is "useless" to others doesn't mean that it will be "useless" to me. It might be "useless" to others because they already know it, or they don't have the skills to use it. However, my circumstances may be different - and it could be that one vital piece of information I need to make a business project work.

Because everyone's needs are different, it's a fact of life that you have to go through at least some "useless" information to get the vital gems. That's because what is "useless" to other people, may be "useful" to you.

The only way to find out for sure if something is "useful" for you is to buy the book and read it.

> That may be valid if it was relevant. I
> don't think it is. Twenty bucks for a book
> if it can make you financially independant
> would be a miracle indeed - if the book
> could do that.

A book certainly could do that in some cases. A person could be on the verge of financial independence, needing just *one* more thing for everything to fall into place (because he or she already has everything else that he or she needs). That one piece of information could be contained in just one book - or even on one page.

> Every day, I get at least one email from
> another person with dreams of building
> wealth on the Internet. They always want to
> sell "how to make money online"
> programs. "How to succeed"
> programs. Why? Because they see the
> "gurus" selling that and raking in
> the dough.

I agree that many people go for this - they think it's the way to make money. That's why I personally haven't written any such reports - and instead sell ebooks of others who have more experience than I do.

(There are marketing-related ebooks I could now write, because I do know about and have had success in those areas - but that's a post for another time.)

In reality, I think there are much better opportunities in targeting "non-marketing" target markets. The "marketing" crowd has to be one of the toughest markets around, because the competition can be overwhelming. As you point out, many of them are very experienced too.

On the other hand, if you go outside of the "marketing" target market - it's surprising how many people don't even know basic marketing techniques! The competition is much less - if you know marketing techniques, then you have a competitive advantage.

> So, they want to learn. But... slightly
> jaded now, they want to be sure of what they
> buy. They want assurance that the advice
> they are paying for is credible.

> How very sad that the person SELLING the
> book didn't know how to offer that
> credibility and assurance. So - ever hopeful
> - the consumer asks around.

I think it's natural for most people to ask around, partly because many people like to "follow the crowd". Most people don't like to be too different from everyone else - it's human nature. This is also what Robert Cialdini writes about when he talks about "social proof" (in his must-read book "Influence"). Asking around is a "short cut" to making a decision (which can sometimes be a flawed short-cut).

What Michael was pointing out (I think) was in part how this can be a flawed method of decision-making. Just because the crowd does one thing - does that mean that it's also the best thing for YOU to do?

Of course not!

I've never been a crowd follower. I've always "stuck out like a sore thumb" to some degree. I've always prided myself on making my own mind up, even if it goes against the "crowd". (And I've noticed, this trait seems VERY common among successful entrepreneurs....)

I agree that it's not always the wisest course to blindly follow the crowd. The "crowd" can be wrong. Stock market bubbles are one example of this - where the "majority" can be wrong!

Anyhow, to summarize, I don't think Michael was necessarily disagreeing with what you're saying, but he was simply pointing out how it's not always in your best interests to "follow the crowd".

If you want to break away from the crowd and do BETTER than them, it makes sense that you have to do something DIFFERENT from what they do - doesn't it?

People may ask their grandmother, their next-door-neighbor, their old friend from high school - but unless these people are entrepreneurs, their opinions on entrepreneurial issues are probably more based on fear of the unknown than on any real knowledge.

Of course, do your due diligence and check things out - that's what I do. But follow the crowd? I don't recommend that.... It's always better to think for yourself!

- Dien Rice

The Link is available...........
 

.......in my latest ebook about making money from links and ebooks......I'll soon be releasing an ebook about success online.

8^}

MW


One Million Dollar Ebook Giveaway

Some more clarity...
 

Linda:

I am NOT talking about scams, copy-cat products, guru-clones or any of the online "marketing" scene specifically.

I AM talking about the VALUE SYSTEM people use when making buying decisions. And it does NOT relate to online only.

ANY information product - online, offline in a book store, etc.

People will put off buying an info book from a bookstore - even after its being there means it has been pre-approved by the publishers, etc. - and spend that money on something else - like DVD rental, lotto tickets, pizza, and so on.

They will ask opinions of info products from people who don't know - husband, wife, granny, etc. People who have not used the product.

They will willingly spend many thousands of dollars and years in getting a government education, but want INSTANT results from an info product.

Some people really have to think twice before buying info. That's the reality of their financial state.

Others, though, are not in such a dire position and still have the same trouble buying information.

Fiction books (King, Andrews, Koontz, etc.) are bought without a second thought. Books on investing, for instance, are considered in depth. Should they? shouldn't they?

Buying a DVD movie is a no-thought-required process. Buying an info DVD is a major drama. Same product type (DVD), same cost ($30). But a completely different "attitude" towards the purchase - even from a credible store/seller.

This has nothing to do with being "burned" before. (People continue to buy fiction books and see cinema movies after bad previous purchases.)

It has everything to do with people's willingness to spend money on certain things (non info related) and getting little value from them... and finding it hard to buy items with tremendous value (info).

Michael Ross

It's sorta the same off-line...
 

I find the off-line business world to be caught up in the same sort of thing with regards to marketing as ya'll have stated.

Case in point.

I was asked about 3 weeks ago to meet with a local company to create a marketing plan for a solar product that they have produced. After 2 fairly in-depth meetings, I presented a proposal. I told them where the problems were, and that I would be willing to do the job for a percentage of each sell, but if I couldn't produce the sales, they didn't owe me a thing.

I would work to set up a network of distributors around the country (construction folks, home remodelers, etc.), and re-create the ads that they presently have in Mother Earth and a few other publications.

I also said that after 6 months I would have in place the folks they needed to continue the program, and I would back out, and stay on retainer to make sure the program continued if they wanted. Or, they could take the whole thing and run with it and I would ride off into the sunset.

Now the funny thing is that the folks with the product have been trying to sell the products around the country for 8 months.

They gave me over a thousand leads that has come in since they started, but had never sold 1 solar system.

After evaluation, I saw the problems with their lack of conversions, developed a solution, and didn't want anything for the service unless I produced results...but they balked.

The problem??? My price. They said I was asking for too much of the pie. The system sells for $1,300 to $1,800 dollars. Their total cost is $384.00. I asked for $100.00 for each sale. They only wanted to pay $25.00.

I was shocked. Here they are with NO sales, a good product, someone who would do the job for nothing unless results were produced, and would walk away after 6 months and they would have the whole marketing campaign in place...and they balked.

They are good old boy's that came up with a solar solution for a problem, but are "clueless" as to marketing.

Meeting with business owners and corporate management is always an adventure.


Practical Business Applications From Las Vegas...Delivered Monthly

Michael, are you trying to make me drop out of school?
 

C'mon, here, every time you mentioned uni in your post, it stung a little.

Right now, I'm packing up my things. My clothes, my books, my hulking (non flatscreen) computer, my dartboard. Yes, even my faithful George Foreman grill (which is a lot harder to clean than they would have you believe).

I've decided to leave.

I'll be taking a bath in all the money I'm saving when I get home. Then using it to buy as many information products as I can. $20 really is a drop in the bucket. Which is precisely why I have to laugh when I hem and haw like you mentioned, while at the same time racking up $20 in overdue video fines at Hollywood Video.

Ok, I'm just packing up a few things for a weekend trip back home.

BUT, you did painfully point out the benefit of really investing $40,000/$75,000 in yourself, in your abilites, in your own business, in testing things, in doing things vs. a few years at a university.

PAINFULLY. Although it's a recurring thought so I expect it to come and go.

But what about my quality control job with Colgate?

How will I ever get that coveted position without gruelingly boring internships and hours of managerial accounting?

A guaranteed job?

No.

Well, maybe for a whippersnapper like me, even in a Bush economy. But working quality control for Colgate?

Sounds like my worst nightmare. The antithesis of everything I want.

Like I would have sacrificed everything for nothing.

And paid $40,000 to do it.

I'm glad that's not what I'm looking for from time at a university. Unfortunately, everyone around me is... it's a sad state of affairs to even observe.

Bad economy and more people in college = maybe no job after that $40,000 spent on 4 years of academia. Definitely not that out of reach quality control manager job at Colgate. Maybe an entry level position. "You could be manager with 10 years, son!" "Hot dang, 10 years, really?"

Is that really the only road?

Why am I here? I have enough initiative (I like to think) to learn on my own.

I, um, can, you know, communicate relatively well (I'm in a business communications class learning grammar and how to write memos and work with teams this semester, how painful is that?).

I know that there are other paths. In fact, I seem to have some sort of obsession with the work of American and Australian marketers and entrepreneurs. I just bought something I've been meaning to for a while. Both as a thank you for a great post and because I'm sure it's well worth it.

A few dollars well spent, I'm sure. Now, off to my studies...

Peter Sun and Dan Kennedy. Not x201, k201, x204, or any of that funny stuff.

Success,

Erik Lukas

P.S. I really apologize if there's anyone here who's affiliated with Colgate and genuinely enjoys working for them.

Michael...that post was absolute BS!
 

It was that good it was like Brain Sex to me!

The whole thread and the quality of responses is the best I have read in ages.

But are our value systems being affected by the cesspit (in sales terms) the Internet has become?

There is a backlash to the bombardment of sales pitches we all receive in the Information Age .

Sellers with the 'herd mentality' respond with hype, manipulation and BS (in the true sense of the term this time :o)

Because times are tough yaknow...so send out more hype etc. Absolute nonsense.

I call this the 'Old Reality' of selling

So things go round in circles. Yes people have their value systems bass ackward...but facing the almost impossibile task of finding quality, trusted information FORCES them into repeat behaviour. So we all go round...prospective buyers and sellers...in a self defeating spiral of ineffectiveness.

But the New reality of selling means creating trust upfront and AUTOMATICALLY...because times have changed too much and so fast to do things any other way.

Old reality selling is based on old rules. Which USED to mean a good sales person could outhink and manipulate prospective buyers.

But now thanks to the speed of the Information Age the buyers have seen it all and are switching off in DROVES! Avoid, avoid, avoid.

There are new rules in a new age...there has to be.

Great brain sex ;o)


What on Earth am I on about?