How To Spot a B.S. Guru.

G'day Simon

Very interesting read. Do you agree with every one of those points made? What personal experience have you had to help explain how you feel about these?

Christopher Lau

> Hi,

> Here is The Real Estate B.S. Artist
> Detection Checklist (full text at the link
> below)
> With minor corrections this list applies to
> the marketing, business, advertising, PR
> etc. BS artists.

> I think that everyone should read this
> document and print it out.

> Simon

> Special thanks to Adam Katz for bringing my
> attention to the author - John Reed.

> ---------begin list-----------

> 1. Emphasis on luxurious lifestyle.

> 2. Subjective self description.

> 3. No pitfalls or corrections.

> 4. No bad news.

> 5. Universally-applicable techniques.

> 6. Emphasis on motivational material.

> 7. Claim to do lots of deals.

> 10. Emphasis on no-down, low-down
> techniques.

> 11. Blank paper and/or filler. B.S. artists’
> books contain much blank space resulting
> from double-spacing, huge margins,
> extraordinary numbers of blank pages, large
> type, and so forth.

> 12. Gorgeous packages.

> 13. No indexes.

> 14. No acknowledgments. Here is an item
> which is virtually effortless, but the B.S.
> artists still leave it out. It is
> traditional, gracious, and appropriate to
> thank the people who have contributed
> indirectly to your book in an acknowledgment
> section in the front.

> 15. No bibliography.

> 16. High prices.

> 17. Bundling a book with cassettes. Books
> are good. So are cassettes. ...But there is
> no legitimate reason to force people to buy
> both by only selling your product in
> book-and-cassette form.

> 18. Too-good-to-be-true testimonials.

> 20. Use of the following words.
> · perfect offer
> · confidential
> · sure-fire
> · removes doubts
> · secret (if it ever was a secret, it
> stopped being one when he sold the first
> copy)
> · cinch
> · always
> · lazy way
> · anyone can make a killing
> · removes risk
> · easy money
> · easily determine market value
> · air-tight
> · take the fear out
> · risk-free
> · judgment proof
> · insider
> · painless
> · fool-proof
> · safe
> · win/win
> · removes guesswork
> · easy
> · magic
> · bulletproof
> · gold mine
> · complete
> · This is not a get-rich-quick scheme
> · automatic

> 21. Testimonials with incomplete names.

> 22. Prohibition against recording at free
> seminars.

> 23. Repeated efforts to sell you more and
> more expensive products and services.

> 24. Focusing entirely on the acquisition
> phase

> 25. No profit formula.

> 27. Novel phraseology.

> 28. Talking like a politician.

> 29. Inaccurate book titles.

> 30. Focus on the beginner market.

> 31. Denounce those who disagree with them as
> “negative thinkers.”

> ---------------end list------------