Be Wary of Make Money Online Products

Every single day thousands of people come online in droves in search for ways and means to make extra income. Many want to quit their day job and live the life of their dreams. As a result, the make money online niche is one of the hottest niches online, and has been for years. To meet this demand, make money online products hit the market daily.

The IM space is inundated with a plethora of “how to” products, software, and coaching programs that promise the world and feed into this dream of earning profits hand over fist while you kick back, recline in your seat by the beach, and sip mojitos without a care in the world.

 

 

Hard work, time, patience, and diligence are anathema to this dream. Marketers know this and the sales copy for the majority of products is written in a way that promises you the “laptop lifestyle” with minimal work.

Reality, however, is quite another story. Over 95% of the people who struggle to earn an income online fail miserably. They end up buying a ton of products and software that promise the world but deliver nothing.

Buying products becomes an addiction and before you know it, the credit cards are maxed out, your relationship with your spouse is strained, and you’re dejected and give up on your dream.

Now is the time to wake up and wise up.

This is where I’m supposed to tell you it’s not entirely your fault to make you feel better. But, I’m not. In fact, it is entirely your fault. You’re an adult with a functioning brain. So, think before you buy. Don’t get caught up in all the hype.

You’ll be presented with “blueprints” and “secrets” that will lead you to riches in 10 days. You’ll be presented with software or plugins that, when you click 1 button, millions of visitors will flood to your website or offer. Here’s a real example of a real email I received:

“Enter Your Keyword And Get Unlimited Traffic”

Really?

I won’t go into the details, but I will caution you about anything “set and forget” regarding social media traffic. Rules on social media sites change all the time, especially when customers complain about being spammed all day long. Software that works today could become useless tomorrow and you risk your account and your reputation.

The hard truth is the majority of products and software that pops up in this niche are untested theory, unreliable, and just don’t work. Many Internet marketers make money online by creating eBooks and eCourses teaching other people how to make money online.

And, of course, there are the plugins and other software that promise a traffic goldmine. When you find that marketing marvel, please let me know. What’s more important is whether or not you make any sales from all this traffic.

These product creators themselves are clueless and the only marketing they know is how to prey on those with big dreams and little to no experience. They promote the hype and fleece people who don’t know better.

You’re in business to grow and sustain your business. So are these marketers. Their number one priority is growing their business; they don’t much care about helping you grow yours.

Questions to Ask Before Buying Any Make Money Online Products

Being able to discern the difference between the good products that will help you from the hyped up rubbish that won’t is imperative to your success as an online marketer.

You absolutely must know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. This is one of the most important skills to master. If you don’t, you’ll easily be led by the nose from product to product. You’ll spend your hard earned money everywhere but will still end up spinning your wheels and getting nowhere.

Unfortunately, many learn this skill the hard way. In this article, you’ll learn the 7 questions to ask yourself before you buy any product online.

Let’s get started.

1. Is the Product Creator/Vendor Reputable?

This is the most important question you need to ask yourself. There are some marketers who are serial product creators. One minute they’re selling a guide on profiting with Facebook and the next minute they have a course on setting up an ecommerce store.

In reality, they probably haven’t even tried what they’re telling you to do. Many of these marketers hire ghostwriters to create a guide that looks and sounds good. Yet, when actually applied, most of these methods will not work in the real world. It’s all just untested theory. All foam and no beer.

One way to find out if the product creator is walking the talk is to do a Google search for his or her name and see just how many products they have out there. This should give you an idea of what they’re all about.

If they’re using a platform like Warrior Plus or JVZoo, sign up for a free account and do a search for all the products the seller has released. You’ll be shocked to see that many of the sellers do not even renew the domain for their older products.

This is a dead giveaway. They know their products are sub-standard and will lose momentum once the launch is over. Sales are made based on the hype generated by affiliates. You must understand how the system works for you to know what you’re dealing with.

Look for reputable vendors who are known to produce quality products. Generally speaking, they’ll just specialize in one niche and know it well. They’re not like the serial product creators who pretend to be masters at how to build an online business and make money online.

 

 

2. How Many People are Associated with the Product?

Often times there are products where you’ll see 3 to 4 faces on the sales page and they’ll be the product creators. If you’ve never heard of the marketers or you notice that several of them seem dodgy, avoid the product at all costs.

Without fail, people who buy these products end up on the email list of all the “partners” associated with the product. You’ll be on several different lists and get pitched over and over for other products. If you don’t want your email inbox inundated with unwanted promotions, give these products a pass.

Of course, you could make the purchase and unsubscribe from all the associated emails that come your way. Just know that when you’ve unsubscribed from one list, many marketers will put you on another. They don’t necessarily play by the rules and they don’t give up easily.

Really good products only have one or maybe two marketers associated with them. In some cases, there may be three. Over time you’ll come to know who the good guys are and who you should stay away from.

Rule of thumb: Pay attention to your instincts… they’re usually right.

3. How Deep Is the Sales Funnel?

It’s a relatively common practice nowadays for you to see another offer appear after you purchase the first one. This is known as an “upsell” and is similar to McDonald’s asking you, “Would you like fries with that?”

It helps marketers earn more and having 1 to 3 upsells is fine. In fact, it’s encouraged to maximize your earnings. However, some marketers take it too far and include 10 to 15 upsells.

Whenever a marketer has this many upsells, ask yourself who exactly is the funnel going to benefit the most. It can’t be you because no one on the planet needs all those additional offers and they all can’t be related to the original offer.

It can be annoying and even aggravating to keep closing windows over and over but still not reach the product download page. Do a Google search for “product name + JV page”; see if you can find the affiliate page. There you’ll discover the details of the sales funnel.

This will give you an idea of what to expect. If the funnel seems deeper than the rabbit hole Alice fell down, run in the opposite direction. Just close the page and delete the email.

4. Does It Violate the TOS?

It’s pretty common to see software, plugins, and secret blueprints come out to help you tap into some loophole in Amazon or YouTube or Google. There are products out there that will post to hundreds of Facebook groups automatically. There are Amazon-related plugins that will reproduce the features as stated on the Amazon product page. The plugin will then embed this information onto your website.

It all seems so convenient… but there is a price to pay if the software or practice is not allowed. For starters, Amazon does not allow its affiliates to copy their content. If you use a plugin that does that, you would probably get your affiliate account banned when the violation is discovered.

The same applies to Facebook. If your automated software is posting in a ton of groups, Facebook will flag your account for being spammy and you just might get shut down, too.

You must know and understand the terms of service for these sites. Exercise caution before you purchase any product that claims to give you an edge or make things easier for you.

Automation is fine for most tasks, but many of the major websites frown upon such software. They will not hesitate to shut down any account that violates their terms of service.

Exercise due diligence; do not blindly buy into the hype or you could lose your entire business overnight. It has happened to several Amazon associates who used the wrong plugins/software… and it could happen to you. Forewarned is forearmed.

5. Are the Testimonials Genuine?

Take most testimonials on a sales page with a grain of salt. There are marketers who purchase video testimonials on Fiverr just to have some testimonials. It doesn’t matter to them that the testimonials are fake.

Others have their buddies create videos for them. In many cases, the person offering the testimonial is also an affiliate for the product. Clearly they have a vested interest in making the product seem worthwhile.

Legitimate testimonials come from real customers.

6. Is it a Proven eCourse/Tool or a Loophole?

All successful online marketers follow proven business models. It could be ecommerce, product creation, affiliate marketing, or one of the many other business models. None of these are easy to learn and master. It will take time; but once you do, you will make good money. Your business is built on a strong foundation and you’ll be able to scale up.

Almost every day product creators claim to have discovered a secret YouTube or SEO loophole. They claim exploiting these loopholes will help you make quick money. By using their method or software, these products will give you an edge on the competition and allow you to make profits in a few minutes.

In almost all cases, these products are unadulterated garbage. Even if the loophole is genuine, it’s just a matter of time before YouTube or Google or the major social media networks catch on and close up the loophole.

Guess where you’ll be then? Yup… back to square one!

You only want to buy products that teach you a proven and sustainable method of making money. The same applies for software and plugins.

A course for selling on Amazon as an affiliate is a good example of a proven system. A guide on buying 5000 links on Fiverr to rank your blog post is not. Know the difference.

7. Do You Really Need It?

Last but not least, always ask yourself if you really need the product. As an online marketer, you already know there are some tools you must have in order to build your business.

 

 

You know you need a web hosting service for your website or blog; you need an auto responder service to build a list of subscribers then communicate with them. Beyond that, anything you purchase is just stuff to make your life easier. And that’s okay.

You want to automate as much as possible to leave you free to actually work on income-generating activities.

So I ask you… do you really need 8 keyword research tools? Do you really need 5 graphic software apps? Is that new WordPress plugin really necessary or are you just going to add it the 50+ others you already have and never used or ever will use?

The answer to these questions is a resounding NO!

Do you need to learn the ins and outs of online marketing? If you’re new to the business, then the answer is yes. In fact, finding a mentor to guide you through the learning process is a good way to go. But, do you need to purchase every eBook/eCourse on email marketing that comes down the pike? I assure you, the answer is no.

Keep your wallet in your pocket.

Beyond the basics, the only product you need is the one that will actually help you with what you are working on now. Everything else is a distraction. Focus on what is in front of you and pass on everything else.

Learning to ignore distractions is a discipline you need to master in order to move forward with your business without losing your shirt. How many times are you going to buy a product that promises to make you rich that never pans out?

If you’re trying to make money online, focus on one proven method and stick with it. You’ll either succeed with that method or you’ll discover it’s not for you and you need to adjust. But you have to work at it first before you can come to a conclusion.

Otherwise, stuff that will never work or you will never use is just a waste of time and money.

Conclusion

If you ask yourself these 7 questions you’ll avoid the pitfalls that thousands of marketers run into. You’ll be a better marketer and won’t blow a ton of money on worthless products.

You must be sharp and wary. Many newbies to the world of online marketing believe that most marketers are out to help them when in reality, the reverse is true. Far too many are out to separate you from your hard earned money.

This may seem harsh, but it’s true. Recognize and accept this reality or you’ll just end up blowing all your cash on products that will not help you at all.

You only make money when you sell, not when you buy. Keep this in mind when you come across the next “the only product you’ll ever need to succeed” sales letter.