Article by Charlie Wright
Saw that Dragon’s Den “Where are they now” the other day.
It follows the stories of some of various candidates who tried (and mainly failed) to get investment on the show.
I spotted a bloke I used to know in the programme. He was just a little blond kid when I left school. But I remember him because he had an older brother a year or two below me.
Anyway, there he was, all grown up. Trying to flog some naff surfing wear after The Dragons rejected him.
(No, I’m not jealous. I’m quite happy here in the smog, with my internet shenanigans, talking to myself all day.)
Mind you, right now, HE’S probably talking to someone else, saying:
“Hey, I read this email the other day from an older boy I used to know at school….the old git… Writes about business opportunities all the time. Not that I’m jealous, I’m quite happy here, sitting by the beach in my rubbish t-shirt.”
So it goes.
Talking of internet marketing, here’s my take on a couple of opps you might have seen recently…
Instant Income Streams
Instant Income Streams is published by NiScape Limited. The front man is a guy called Patrick Anderson who claims he made millions by marketing products for other businesses.
Seen the 15 page sales promotion?
Well, to cut a very ling and BORING copywriting story short…
“SNIP”
The gist of it is this: you become an affiliate.
Surprise surprise. Knock me down with a feather, cor blimey guvna. I could never have guessed.
You know about affiliate businesses, right?
It’s actually pretty simple, and effective. By directing people to a series of websites selling various information products, you can earn yourself a commission, so they say. No face-to-face selling, no customers to deal with, no products to create and no stock.
Patrick says he will share his secrets of becoming a ‘super affiliate’.
Now I don’t know what ‘super affiliate’ means here. You get a leotard, red pants and a blue cape?
You get to fly around distributing ‘how to’ manuals to the poor?
Anyway, he shows you what products to select and how to market them. All for £71.95.
There’s nothing wrong with all this, of course.
It’s a basic strategy of internet marketing that works.
People make a lot of money this way.
Like Andrew Reynolds, who is probably one of the most famous of the current marketing affiliate behemoths.
Also Nick James of Power-Tech Associates Ltd. He basically takes other people’s products, sells them online.
He also shows you how to do it in a series of DVDs. If you go ahead buy it, it’s very informative and nicely package and presented.
(Mind you, it SHOULD be, as this is exactly the kind of product an affiliate will be selling!)
However, be prepared for a lot of padding. Lots of chat, motivation, re-selling of the benefits. Lots of talking, repeating, hammering points home.
Oh, and lots of stuff about clickbank, which may or may not be new to you.
And LOTS of clips of his £5000 seminar.
Why? Because the DVDs cost £67-£100 and all the REALLY powerful stuff is in the expensive seminars.
Yes, I DO hear your groan…
But I’m afraid this is the way with information marketing.
Then more valuable the info is, the more expensive it gets.
It’s nothing to do with the amount of effort that went into it, the length of the manual, or the special effects at the seminar…
Cost is based on usefulness.
For example, if I offered you the winner of the next Grand National, written on an old bus ticket in biro, you’d happily give me a grand for it.
And I would ask for TEN grand.
You’d then punch me in the face, steal the bus ticket, and run down the street cackling like a lunatic.
The fact is, people just don’t give away all their life- changing, money-making secrets for £67.
I wish they did. But they don’t.
That said, I personally haven’t been to the £5,000 seminar, so I’ll take advice on whether that’s any cop from my loyal army on the ground.
Er, that’s YOU, bucko!
My view on these affiliate DVDs and courses is that they’re great if you’re keen to get started in internet marketing as a biz opp. Lots of info for the newbie, no doubt about that.
For the more experienced of you, it depends on what stage you’re at, and whether you like this grand, American-style approach.
Some of you may be thinking “HAT” and “OLD”… and not necessarily in that order.
In summary then, I do like affiliate businesses, and they do work. If you want to find out what makes them tick, get stuck in.
Just make sure you hold off on the expensive stuff until you test out the cheaper DVD products first.
And if you’ve been around the block a bit, watch them IMMEDIATELY, the send them back in the refund period if you don’t think it’s new enough for you.
In summary then. Great joy!