GuruScam Forum

[profitclinic]

NOTICE: This post is copyright © to John Counsel and The Profit Clinic and may not be reproduced in part or in whole without prior written consent of the copyright holders. It is reproduced here with permission.

While there's no single, definitive test that will unmask ALL scams, the following quick tests are pretty reliable -- especially when taken together.


TEST #1: EMOTIONAL APPEAL

If the real pitch is to your emotions, especially...

fear of loss
greed
laziness
ignorance
gullibility
selfishness

then the seller is targeting BUYERS, not other SELLERS.

If you're involved in Internet marketing, and you want to know how to SELL more, more often, to more people, for more profit, then you need to understand this critically-important truth:

You cannot succeed as a MARKETER by thinking and acting like a BUYER when it comes to making your own BUSINESS decisions.

The REAL challenge is overcoming your own lifelong conditioning: if you grew up conditioned to be these three things, then you have some very serious obstacles to overcome:

1. An EMPLOYEE -- you know how to work hard, exchange time for money, look busy, focus on activity rather than results. Obsessed with security, or at least the illusion of security. (That's all there ever is in employment.)

(The real rewards are for activity, not results, in most forms of employment. You get paid for the hours you work, not the results you produce. In fact, your results can be a threat to people further up the tree than you. They'll promptly bury you in pointless activity and red tape to minimize your results and protect their positions.)

2. A CONSUMER -- you know how to buy, spot bargains, share news of good deals with other consumers. You focus on price above all else.

3. An IMITATOR -- you believe that there's safety in numbers, so you do what everyone else does and play safe.

To be successful in business -- including online business, where the emotions are so volatile because of the absence of other reliable indicators, such as body language and other perceptual cues -- you have to be three very different things:

1. An ENTREPRENEUR -- you're a go-between, a taker of calculated, minimized risks. You solve people's problems.

2. A MARKETER -- you identify needs and provide products or services to satisfy those needs. Then you persuade people to WANT what they need, using the three selling methods (advertising, visual merchandising and personal selling skills) because you understand that, no matter how much buyers NEED what you're offering, until they WANT it, they won't BUY it.

3. An INNOVATOR -- you know how to outwit and outperform your competition. You think laterally, outside the circle or square. Especially when it comes to marketing].

If you can overcome your conditioning and think and act like an ENTREPRENEUR, MARKETER and INNOVATOR when it comes to make business BUYING decisions, you'll see past the emotional appeals of most sellers and look to the MARKETING that lies behind it.

If you find yourself continually BUYING stuff, instead of SELLING, then it's a reliable indicator of your true position:

You're thinking and acting like the EMPLOYEE, CONSUMER and IMITATOR you've been conditioned to be!

You're responsing to powerful emotional appeals to your fear of loss, greed, laziness, ignorance, gullibility or selfishness (or all of them!).

This should tell you TWO very important things:

1. It tells you about the motives and methods of the SELLER.

2. It tells you about the conditioning and lack of business acumen of the BUYER... YOU!

You need to think seriously about your own future as a would-be business entrepreneur and Internet marketer.

TEST #2: THE FOUR CORNERSTONES OF SUCCESS

There are four cornerstones of success that are indispensible -- if any of the four is missing, you CANNOT succeed.

1. VISION -- the clear and compelling image of a future reality that motivates you to strive for its realization.

2. EFFORT -- every vision takes a fixed investment of effort to bring it to
reality. The amount of effort required can be reduced by leveraging the efforts of others, or through technology. But it can never be eliminated.

3. TIME -- every vision takes a fixed investment of time to bring it to reality. The length of time required can be shortened by leveraging the time of others, or through technology. But it can never be eliminated.

(Note: In physics, work is defined as effort over distance. In business, the distance is replaced by the fourth dimension: time. So work is defined as effort over time in order to be successful.)

4. DISCIPLINE -- without self-discipline, we're unlikely to invest the required effort and time to bring our vision to reality. Where does the discipline come from? It comes from the big picture, the higher perspective... our clear and compelling vision.

Every scam can be identified clearly by these four hallmarks:

A FALSE vision that requires NO effort, NO time and NO discipline.

If that's the basis of the sales pitch, you need to walk away before your lifelong conditioning overrides your rational, objective, BUSINESS decision-making ability.


TEST #3: THE THREE CRITERIA OF FULFILMENT

Every product or service (and every business and seller) should meet the Three Criteria of Fulfilment. If they don't, they'll come back to haunt you. Count on it.

1. SAFETY -- there's little or no risk involved. You won't lose your money, your status, your possessions, your health, your job, your family or friends, etc. In fact, there's more risk to the buyer in NOT buying!

2. EFFICACY -- it does what it says it will do: it keeps its promises. It works.

3. VALUE -- the benefits far outweight ALL of the conditions that have to be met to obtain them, including the first condition: the price.

You have to give or get 3 out of 3, every time. Two of three isn't good enough. One out of three is totally unacceptable. Yet most online buyers find that 1 or 2 out of three is about as good as they can expect -- especially when it comes to IM ebooks, etc.

There are other tests, of course, but if you apply these three before making any BUYING decision for your BUSINESS, your chances of being scammed and ripped off will be close to zero.

Remember... the BIG risk to you is your conditioning and your tendency to respond to emotional appeals rather than objective REASON.

Hope this helps!

John
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[Tony - guruscam man]

I'm making this a sticky because it's a great post, and a great way for new members to start.

Thanks John


Tony
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http://www.tony-shepherd.com

a blog.......

[turtle]

I hate rules as much as the next guy, but this should be required reading
Absolutely outstanding. Concise and right on the mark.

[docjakson]

Thanks for the early Christmas present John...more valuable than any present I've received so far..

all the best,
Doc

[wantitman]

*
I find it odd that there are not many replies to this
as it is outstanding advice and, it shows ME that *I*
have a long way to go (as a bginner) but, so be it.

THANKS John and, I would love to be able to use this
but, I won't cuz of your copyright.

Best Regards, David
*

Edited by Admin - poor visually sighted persons cannot read boldened dark red text!
And I'm having trouble with it too
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[toomuchcoffee]

Wow ! THANK YOU Mr C. and Tony for posting this. I'm new to this game and of course I was considering buying yet another ebook on "moneymaking". It's crystal clear now, that the only one doing any "moneymaking" will be the seller of the ebook ! Glad I found this forum
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hope for the best and plan for the worst

[swtp43]

I wish I had read this when I first registered at this forum. Instead I went off doing exactly what you describe. It could have saved me a ton of TIME, money and frustration. Thank you whoever you are. (Mr. 'C') This has been like a kick on the side of the head: Rude, but most awakening and after the shock, refreshing. At last I understand and no longer have to beat myself up. I know now what to focus on and hopefully how not to fall prey to good copy. Thank you, Alex (swtp43)