Alternate title 1: Marketing while still being able to look at yourself in the mirror…it’s not too late
Alternate title 2: Why the good guy are winning more often online
Mark my words –
I predict that the era of mega Internet Marketing Launches is coming to a close. They will eventually die an ugly and slow death because WE the consumers will demand it and literally FRY those who go against the wave of angry victims that nearly all big launches create.
What’s an IM Launch? If you don’t know what an IM Launch is I’ll sum it up for you. The same list of 15-20 “gurus” all cooperate to launch high price tag product after product to hopeful online entrepreneurs. The “gurus” take turns propping up each others big launches while giving away massive prizes to each other for the most affiliate sales. Endorsements flow like water from one “guru” to the next for each big launch without even so much as reading a summary of what the product contains. Email sales copy is “copy/pasted” and there’s a BUY NOW before it’s all over edge to each “launch”.
While there will always be suckers willing to pay $X,XXX for each sharply packaged digital course, here’s what’s going to change very soon:
The ever growing list of SMART CONSUMERS in the IM niche (I hope this includes you) are going to start using their ever increasing online influence to tell their ever growing loyal audiences to STAY AWAY from the shiny objects. And the growing trend is that consumers are NAMING NAMES and ending the careers of those deserving of termination.
I’ve developed some standards that I think we need for the entire industry as consumers and as creators of “online business growth” content:
1) If the training is digitally delivered, make it affordable. If it’s SOOO great, you’ll have plenty of people who want one-on-one coaching to grow the biz and that coaching (if it’s good) can be worth more money later to your top students. This is good marketing, good business, and starts things off on the right foot with nervous students.
2) No bright shiny objects allowed (cut the graphics crap, cut the false scarcity, the exotic backgrounds etc.) As buyers we don’t care – or at least we SHOULDN’T! If you DO actually buy into flashy presentation and care what car your “guru” drives shame on you. YOU are the sucker and you will soon be waving good-bye to what little cash you have left.
3) Start small, grow slow, & make sure it’s not going to be saturated before you start sharing it with us. In other words, no more big launches on unproven and unreliable concepts. PROVE it first by rolling it out to people who trust you…we’ll buy later once you have REAL testimonials from real people and can prove that you are onto something worthy of mass attention. I’m blessed that I’ve come up with THREE such concepts in my ten years of doing this business. I don’t trust ANYONE who comes up with a new concept every few months!
4) Recruit your early successful students to present their ideas to the rest of us as their businesses grow. Let the content GROW as new creative ideas and people come on board. Commit long term to things you believe in and produce results.
5) Hire successful students to monitor the MANDATORY INCLUDED discussion forums and let everyone hang out and learn there.
6) With rare exception, there should be no time limits on refunds for online courses. If the course is SOOO great it should still be working six months from now. We should still be seeing new success stories then as well and the content should still be getting updates for relevance.
7) End guru worship. Showing off the stuff you have does not impress the kind of customer that you’ll need if you want to build a real business.
8) Your “expert testimonials” are crap. Show us real people giving their FIRST EVER real testimonial. Those are the ones that matter.
Am I forgetting anything?
How can YOU help make this a reality? STOP BUYING STUFF THAT YOU KNOW IS GARBAGE.
Lesson for my “expert” colleagues: If you aim your marketing at idiots you’ll soon have an audience of the same.
I’d love to read your comments on this one! Use the comment button above and add your thoughts.
Another straight-to-the-gut post! As one who is sick of the big product launches, I appreciate this kind of info on your blog. Looking forward to launching…I mean sharing my own product soon, which will be super affordable and offer great content…followed by great content! The word launch is soon going to have the same feeling as SPAM. Anyone on the fence about following Jim, get off the fence and step into the presence of a great mentor.
I’d really like to believe you but I suspect that it is far from dead. I agree that the standard “Big Launch” as we know it today will change there will still be plenty of garbage out there. Unfortunately, internet or no internet “hype works” and “there is a sucker born every minute”.
While I agree with your bigger point, I think even the “suckers” are starting to do a bit of research before leaping. It’s getting harder and harder for the scammers to make a living. I know for a fact that the “big launches” are generating loads of complaints and forum chatter…and fewer sales than ever.
You are so so right. I sent an email to one and told him about his own game. I sent an email explaining that his technic for transferring files was not working anymore and of course I got a rude email in return. This finally set me off by telling him that it is noticeable when the well starts going dry for these guys, because they all start selling the same product stepping on each others feet for the same hight price and a tone of up sells. You can get the same email promo from ten gurus and they know each other. Yes it is human nature to forget what you bought a week ago when you become addicted to the fast money syndrome.
The fools day yes is just about finished. Example you buy a course for $10,000.+ and can’t even get a free website or hosting package out of it. It’s not just the everyday layman but this includes doctors also. You listen to a bunch of talk and left holding the bag by yourself. Yes people are starting to see just like the old days of MLM and Pyramid garbage.
it’s only a few weeks ago that I was swept into the waiting clutches of two guys selling the Amazon Dream for $3400.00. I finished up here instead. I agree. Steady as she goes, we are getting smarter… waking up to the genuine alternatives. Thank you.
Chris, Are you referring to the Amazing Selling Machine?
Yes, Bill. I found them to be completely incongruent from their first video. I do appreciate them opening the (my) door to Amazon business models and they may be brilliant, but when two guys keep saying they will only ever do one thing again (amazon FBA) whilst in the process of doing something completely different, (Amazon Selling Machine) it is reasonable to ask what is going on? Good luck to them. I’m glad we found Jim.
Hello
Jim,
The use of the phrase ‘Internet Marketing’ or ‘IM’ gives
legitimacy to a ‘money-go-round’ scheme where those involved pass
money to each other, while riding on a roll-over of opportunity
seekers. It would be better called ‘Internet Limited Marketing.’ Even
honest gurus get caught up in the idea that Internet Marketing and
Offline Marketing are opposed options. In truth, neither exists.
There is only Marketing. The broader the marketing mix you use, the
more your business prospers. The narrower your marketing mix the more
your business struggles. ‘The same list of 15-20 gurus co-operating
to milk hopeful online entrepreneurs’ is what Internet Only Marketing
is. It is the only way Internet Limited businesses can survive
without University-level specialisation & authority. The use of
the phrase ‘Internet guru’ gives legitimacy to Internet-only
Salespeople. A Salesperson who restricts their-self to a narrow
market has to have a grey/black aggression to survive.
I find it funny that 6 months later I come across this site and “machine” is again re-launching ASM for $3,400. Through another forum, it was found out that on their website was a pdf listing the things to do to to follow the video genesis launch. (great video, well written script). In the last year, I’ve had my eyes opened so much to the WSO/Big Launch crap that I see right through it. I have lost a lot of respect for some guys that I really respected after having them send out an email pitching what I know to be a totally outdated and useless product.
3 years late and big IM product launches still doing great.
your prediction hold no value.
Really? We were seeing numerous multi million dollar big launches and packed out conferences virtually weekly a few years ago. I’ve not seen any lately. Have you? Serious online entrepreneurs have grown skeptical and rightfully so. They’ve stopped buying the hype in droves. Maybe some newbie suckers still jump at shiny objects, but the market has changed forever. The evidence is everywhere. Hyping big biz op solutions to strangers is a dying or dead art that needed to die long before it did.