The Dark Side of “Personal Coaching” Part 2

Okay, here’s the flip-side of the personal coaching issue…

If you’re a customer who is expecting to get "coaching" with the purchase of a $30 product, then you are out of your mind. Period.

Chances are that product was sold via an affiliate and the vendor is probably offering 75% commissions (at least in the IM world) so that $30 product after fees and affiliate commissions probably made them about $7.

How much time is worth $7? For me, you’re looking at less than a minute. Now, I do understand they may have promised it to you but seriously, if someone is offering coaching for $7 then they are probably not worth listening to anyway.

Realistically, newbies need coaching. Even pros keep mentors, so how much more does someone who is just starting out need help?

A good coaching/mentor program is going to run you at least a hundred to a few thousand per month (or 5-6 figures if you are at that stage of the game). I highly recommend you find someone who you can mirror and get advice from. Preferably someone who has accomplished what you want to accomplish.

Some important criteria for a coaching program though…first off, never ever ever agree to the type of "high-pressure" coaching that is telemarketed to you unexpectedly. These are the guys that ask questions like, "how much available credit do you have?" This crew is just a bunch of aggressive retarded salesmen. They can’t help you and will be certain to extract maximum cash from you and you will see little return on that. There’s been a massive rise in this sort of thing lately in the IM arena and I think it’s shameful.

Secondly, always get involved in coaching that allows you to actually speak to your mentor directly- not assistants. if you have to deal with assistants as a "go-between" then I would say that should discount the price of the coaching considerably.

And finally, never sign up for coaching if you don’t plan on listening to your coach! Yes, they may not want to do things the way you’ve "heard about" and they may direct you to do completely different things than you may have planned, but if you are trying to mimic success then you owe it to yourself to follow their instruction.

Now, let’s say you’re a product vendor and you want to offer some sort of personalized help with your product. As covered already do NOT say "free coaching" unless you want to suffer.

I recommend something like the following:

"As a way of saying "thanks" for grabbing your copy of [product] i will personally answer any one question you have about [subject] via email at any time during the first 30 days after purchase. After purchase I will give you my personal e-mail address for just this thing so you can reach me directly"

Note that the above email address should be something just for said purpose "questions@domain.com" works well.

If you get a customer who simply keeps asking questions, I would respond as such, "Hi [customer], it appears that you may need more personalized attention than I can offer in one question. If you’d like to purchase one of my consulting packages please head over to [link] and I’d be happy to set something up for you." And that’s it.

Coaching is a double-edged sword, but used wisely it can increase sales and customer trust.

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The Dark Side of “Personal Coaching” Part 1

I’m seeing more and more "personal coaching" offers in the internet marketing arena and most of the deals I’m seeing are bad for both parties involved.

Most coaching offers I see are included with the purchase of some product where the seller is advertising coaching as a bonus with purchase of the main product. Sometimes this is in the outright form of "personal coaching". Other times there may be language such as, "I will be personally answer your questions about making money online."

Look, the "big guns" charge thousands of dollars per month. If I were to offer coaching I would do the same as well. Why? Simple math…my business generates hundreds of thousands of dollars so why should I take MY valuable time to coach YOU simply because you spent $30 with me?

It doesn’t make sense.

A lot of these sellers have good intentions, they really do. Some of them offer really effective support to their customers, but how long can it last? The problem is for $30 (or$50 or even $100) how financially feasible is it for you to offer coaching to potentially hundreds of customers?

Most likely what will happen is that at first you will very efficiently care for and coach your customers. Over time as more and more customers pile in you will hit a breaking point where there is simply not enough time in the day to run your business AND coach existing customers.

All businesses should be scalable, if selling 10 ebooks a day makes you $300 per day then you should want to sell 100 ebooks a day for $3,000 per day. But 100 ebooks per day means 36,500 customers that will want coaching.

If each customer asks one question that takes 20 minutes of the seller’s time…that’s a little over 12,000 hours of coaching time…or 507 days per year! (obviously a problem seeing as a year has 142 days LESS than that AND you need to like sleep and eat and stuff…at least those of us who are non-robots)

It’s pretty simple to see why offering coaching like this is a losing proposition. Pretty soon the "coaches" will be spending hours per day answering questions and will never be able to keep up. Their quality will suffer and customers will get angry. And really, they were promised coaching so it’s understandable. This is a recipe for disaster.

Tomorrow I will post why customers also lose with "personal coaching" and how you can boost sales by offering "coaching" without giving up all your free time and profits to do it.

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Wordpress 2.5 Released

Wordpress 2.5 has been released. It’s a fairly substantial upgrade to the blogging platform compared to the previous incremental releases. I’ve just updated this blog and am happy to report that nothing exploded in the process.

The admin management screen looks fairly different though and will take a bit of time to get used to.

If you run a blog of your own it would be a good time to grab it, but keep in mind some plugins may need to be updated to work with it.

Link: http://wordpress.org/download/

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Affiliate Marketing is a Business- If You Treat it Like One

There is a running dialogue on just about every marketing forum as to whether or not affiliate marketing is a "real" business.

The fact is this- anything can be a "real" business if you treat it like one, but 90% or more of affiliate marketers are not treating it like a business and in the future will be squeezed out of the market because of it.

Most affiliate marketers are nothing more than traffic brokers. They create a traffic source through PPC, SEO or through their own website and then funnel that traffic to affiliate offers ranging from Clickbank to CPA and more. This is not really a business. If you were to try and sell this business what could you offer…PPC keywords? Yes, perhaps an established website could be sold but the truth of the matter is- if you have no customers then you have no business.

Every lead you send off to an affiliate offer becomes their customer, not yours. Of course, that is part of the affiliate deal but that does not mean that you cannot capture these people as customers before funneling them off somewhere else. If you switch your effort from affiliate marketing to lead capture/relationship building you will not only increase your conversion rates when you DO offer affiliate products, but you now also have the ability to offer other products to your customers later on. These can be other affiliate offerings or your own products.

This is how real money is made.

I have multiple lists of a few thousand people that I can mail whenever I want with a new offer and it is not a one-time deal. They may earn me an income for years to come. Prior to this I was just a "traffic director" that funneled my valuable leads off to someone else’s sites.

If you are currently nothing more than a "traffic director" then you really don’t have a business. If your PPC campaign gets slapped by Google or your traffic source dries up then you are in bad shape. On the other hand, if you’ve built a real list of prospects then even if your original traffic source evaporates you are still in the game.

Something to think about for those affiliates out there that are wondering how to take things to the next level…be a businessperson and not just a traffic broker.

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I’m Huge!

I received an e-mail today that spurred this post.

"Dude, what is up with your RSS button? It’s HUGE!"

Well…since you ask: A large RSS button has actually been shown to increase RSS subscribers. As simple and humorous as that sounds- it’s true. I’ve not only been told this by other bloggers but have also experienced it for myself. Since adding the larger button on the side my subscriptions are up. I mean, how could you miss that thing- it’s HUGE!

Seriously, it’s an example of something that’s simplistic but it works. So if you’re looking for more subscribers one of the easiest things to do may be to simply increase the size of your subscription button. It works.

The link at the bottom of each post helps too. Remember, you have to constantly remind people of what you want them to do.

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Shoemoney Shows Stats

How’s that for a literate title?

Shoemoney once again shows why he continues to be one of the most successful bloggers in the "make money" niche. He has published all of his blog stats for the year 2007 as well as reporting his income. Pretty cool.

How much did he make in 2007 from the blog? Check it out.

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This Blog is Now “Dofollow”

I really believe that just blanketing sites with the "nofollow" tag is just pointless and really not the way the web should operate. Unfortunately, the Google gods really like nofollows everywhere and it can be used pretty easily to increase PR and otherwise alter (or hurt) rankings.

Well, if I mention you here or if you post comments here and it’s relevant enough to to stay posted then you should get some love- right?

So as of now all "nofollow" attributes are gone. Enjoy.

Note: you can do the same with the Dofollow plugin.

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Why Your Product Fails

 This is essentially a brief update to "Niche Marketing is Stupid".

I just wanted to reemphasize the fact that the NUMBER ONE problem I see with new "internet marketers" is not traffic, it’s not sales copy, it’s not design and it’s not pricing…it’s their poor niche/product selection. Hey, even the best of us have failures. I’ve created numerous sites and products that have by all means failed. But there’s a lot that can be done to help make sure your product is a success. 

Imagine for a moment you have just been informed that you’ve ingested a deadly poison. In just hours you’ll be dead. Now imagine that the cure for this poison was a common household item that most people had easy access to. Do you think this information would be valuable to you? Do you think you’d gladly pay for this information? Of course. Do you think it would matter if this information was written on a napkin in ketchup or whether it came in a shiny package? Would it matter if cost $50 or $100? Would you care if it came with bonuses or by itself? The answer to all of these of course is "no" for any sane person.

And so should it be with any product you create.

In the words of the brilliant late Gary Halbert you only need one thing to guarantee success…a starving crowd! So many people get an idea in their head that their product is going to be a winner and then when it fails they start analyzing their traffic or their copy…never examining the fact that perhaps there just might not be that many people who want what they’re selling or that their "angle" on the product is completely wrong. i.e. targeting a "How to Play Killer Heavy Metal Solos" ebook to senior citizens…

Here are some broad tips that will help put you on the right track:

1. Does your product address a pressing need that will either provide pleasure for your prospect or eliminate pain? (the faster the better)

2. Can the goal or purpose of your product be summed up simply in a sentence or two and is there something unique about it? If you can’t do this there is a good chance your product either lacks focus or is too complex for prospects to be convinced of its benefits.

3. Is there already money being spent in your niche? The more, the better. Competition will not be an issue with a fresh angle and hungry consumers.

There, if you can answer "yes" to those three questions then you’re off to a good start.

For example, let’s say I’m planning to sell a book on losing weight by exercising while watching TV. In response to the above:

1. Yes, the product moves the prospect towards the pleasure of a better physical appearance and in turn better overall health and greater self-esteem while helping them escape the pain of their obesity. The need is pressing as most people who are overweight are frustrated and want change. Most have attempted to lose weight at one point or another and harbor frustration and pain at failing. (something you should agitate in your copy)

2. Yes. The purpose of my product is to allow people to lose weight and feel better all while sitting in the comfort of their favorite chair watching TV. This is unique as this is a good angle and also appeals to people’s sense of comfort and admitted laziness. Remember, play to people’s emotions rather than their logic. That doesn’t mean be dishonest! Never forget that- you’re product actually has to work.

3. Yes, millions are spent in the "weight loss" niche and new customers enter it each day.

There ya go, the above is a brief run-through that will help you determine whether a product idea deserves more attention or should be scrapped. If you’re trying to sell a product on "how to paint gerbils" then you’re going to have a tough go of it…

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The $30,000 Failure

I was recently reading some comments on a blog where a guy posted that he had spent over $30,000 on training and IM products over 3 years with nothing to show for it.

Now perhaps some of this 30k was spent on a high-end "mentoring" course but still, that is a huge amount of money. I’ve purchased some training costing $2000 and up but over the last 10 years or so I’m not sure if even I have hit 30k spent on products and training…of course, I actually see a return on my investment so that money is well spent (most of the time).

Now I can almost guarantee that this guy really likes information but lacks implementation. In other words, he’s probably quick out of the gate to buy the latest and greatest then uses it or "trys" it for a few weeks and then is on to the next greatest thing. He never takes the time to really come up with unique ideas or leverage what he has but rather hopes that a "product" will make him rich. That’s not going to happen.

The strength in IM products is how they can enhance your business- and that means you need to get one going on your own. No one (unless they are a complete fool) is going to give you their niches and mailing lists and back-end sales and business structure. They CAN however teach you what they’ve learned so you can then apply it to your business and cut out the learning curve.

Now, here’s where it gets funny.

Mr. $30,000 then goes on to say that he’s challenged all the "gurus" to give him their products for free and he will split the profits with them. He then supposes that their reluctance to take him up on this offer shows their "true colors".

No sir.

First off, real business people don’t expect something for nothing. If I sold restaurant franchises for $50,000 do you think I should give you one for free just so you can prove to ME that it works? Nope. Especially not when I have people lining up to pay full price and get to work with it. Secondly, this shows your entitlement mindset Mr. 30k. You believe it’s the world’s job to "prove" its worth to you because you think just because you "tried" you are now owed something. Let me give you a wake up call…

"Trying" something does not equate to success. Furthermore just because you’ve dropped $30k and 3 years and have nothing to show for it does not mean you deserve success more than the next guy. In fact, I’ll go ahead and argue you deserve it LESS because after all that you are still looking to blame OTHERS for your failure. If you want guaranteed income for putting in time and effort I suggest you head to your local Walmart- I’m sure they’re hiring.

I’ve been in this business of online sales for nearly 10 years now. I made good money initially but when the dot com bust happened I suffered for a long while. Mainly because I was STUPID. I did not deserve any income then because I was not working smart- I was just absorbing information and making feeble attempts. I didn’t start making real cash again until I took responsibility for my own success or failure.

So in closing Mr. $30,000…I have empathy for you…but not sympathy. It’s apparent you are like a lamb to the slaughter that cannot keep his credit card inside his wallet even though you have failed to benefit from your previous purchases. Maybe they truly were trash, but if that were the case then why buy more? If they were not trash then you only have yourself to blame for not implementing what you’ve learned.

If you’re like Mr. 30k I suggest you reexamine your life. Quit ranting against the "gurus" even if they are pathetic. If you want to rant against real injustice I suggest you investigate your home legal system or poverty in Africa and I promise you your time will be better spent and your life will be more fulfilled trying to rectify those injustices. As for the crap in the IM field- just quit buying it if you’re not happy with it.

I think most of the crap a lot of the "gurus" are selling is pathetic too…but I won’t base my personal success or failure on someone else.

Don’t be like Mr. 30k. Failure sucks, but then you learn and then you win.

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Use Your Friggin’ Brain!

I don’t know what else to title this thread.

I’m so tired of people selling crap.

But what bothers me more is that people keep buying the crap!

Hey, let’s think for a second. Imagine you had a "system" that would make you $100,000 any time you used it. Now, would you use that system and make thousands upon thousands of dollars or would you sell it for $300?

I have no shame in saying that if it were me- I would make all the money I could and share it with no one. I’m not stupid.

99.9% of us would do the same. We are not charities nor are we stupid. We put our best interests first. Why then, do you expect ANYONE to share these types of secrets with you? Why then, are you disappointed when you purchase something that doesn’t make you six figures when you paid $200 for it? Why then, do you continue to follow "experts" that do nothing but sell to you while you have nothing to show for it?

Quit hating those who "fool" you and start using some common sense.

When you buy the latest "inverse cash-flow drivel system" for $3000 and the only way to make money with it is to sell it to other suckers- and you fail…shut up. Only you are to blame. If you have common sense you should be able to examine the facts at hand and realize that if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

If it’s too good to be true- it probably is!

Say it out loud and say it more than once.

I’m so sick of seeing the same crap promoted as "the answer" when it is nothing but the same old-same old. But it makes me even more sick when people fall for obvious "too good to be true" scenarios over and over again. Are you that naive? Are you that downtrodden? Are you that uneducated?

Would you buy a Ferrari from a flea market for $100? No? Why?

For the same reasons, do not cry when "systems" or "coaching programs" do not make you a millionaire.

Use some common sense and quit acting like a victim.

If someone comes for your wallet in a dark alley…you should be asking yourself, "am i going to let this person control me?" but more importantly you should examine why you are in a dark alley in the first place. Use your head folks!

The scum is popping up everywhere and I’m tired of seeing these people praised on popular forums and defended when they are selling broken promises- but that is the status of man through the ages. I’m more shocked that so many people fall for these things over and over again.

Have some self esteem!

What can I say? I’m feeling saucy today. I needed to vent.

P.S. The blog’s been redesigned. What do you think?

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