I am sick and tried of “Internet Marketing Gurus”…
If you have been selling your products or services online for any length of time you have no doubt run across many of the popular online marketing “gurus”.
(I personally hate the word “guru”. I prefer “expert” or “advisor”, but “guru” is used so frequently online I’ve decided to use it in this post”…)
Unfortunately many of the self-proclaimed “gurus” found online have never sold ANYTHING online other than their information products about how to make money online selling information products.
One of the main reasons that 95% of my business and websites target niches far removed from the “how to make money online” crowd is because, much of the marketing I see in the “Internet Marketing” niche is almost incestuous in nature.
You have internet marketers hyping products to internet marketers on how to hype products to other internet marketers. It would be almost laughable if good, hard working people were not being ripped off by many of these “snake oil” salesmen.
Over the past few years I’ve actually had so many of these guys approach me to write copy, help them split test or evaluate their websites, that I actually had to add the following disclaimer to my Website Evaluation service:
Because of my strong commitment to honest and ethical business practices, I do not accept projects from companies or individuals who practice unethical or deceptive tactics.
My reputation and personal integrity are too important to me, to allow them to be tarnished by association with companies not committed to upholding the highest ethical standards.
So… If you’re selling porn, snake oil, envelope stuffing, swamp land, psychic readings or any other product, service, scheme or scam that I feel doesn’t deliver real value to your customers or society, don’t even bother.
There’s not a snowballs chance in… well… where rip-off artists are probably going, I’ll waste my most advanced, highly guarded psychological persuasion tactics, helping you cheat hard working people out of their hard earned money! Don’t even ask…
(And guess what”… THEY STILL ASK! Grrrrr”…)
Now don’t get me wrong… There are many outstanding experts who sell great quality Internet Marketing products or services. Folks like Jim Edwards, Michel Fortin, Jimmy D. Brown, John Reese, Armand Morin and many others.
But…
For me, the true test of and expert (or “guru”) is found in observing how they view the people who buy from them.
Do they view them as just a customer? Or do they view them as clients?
There is a BIG difference between the two”…
A “Customer” is simply someone who buys from you.
A “Client” is a person who is under the PROTECTION of another.
(These aren’t my definitions, this is what the dictionary and “gurus” like Jay Abraham say”…)
If you are a “true guru”, you will see those who entrust you with their money as valued clients that you have a responsibility to protect. Not just as customers (or suckers or marks”…) for you to make some huge, one-time profit at the expense of.
The key to PROTECTING your clients is simple. You must always put your clients needs ahead of your own. Do this and you are almost guaranteed long-term success.
The ironic thing is”… If only the “snake oil” selling fake gurus truly understood this principle, they would make FAR more money in the long term. True wealth comes from repeat, lifetime sales to those clients you take under your wing and protect.
The long term profitability of doing business with honesty and integrity far outweighs the short term, quick buck, wham-bam thank you sucker, hype fests that go on everyday online.
So in the end these types of “gurus” are ripping themselves off as much as they are ripping off their unsuspecting customers.
If you view your clients as being under your protection, if you always put their needs ahead of your own, they will begin to view you as a trusted advisor and friend. Then and only then will you have attained true “guru” status.
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