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[*]Outdated information that does more harm than good if followed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