If you’re thinking about getting into Internet marketing, one of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to hang on to your wallet. And I’m not trying to be funny. As you will quickly find out, there is no shortage of “systems” that people are willing to sell you.

These packages are usually sold as “quick” and “effortless” ways to start making thousands of dollars off the Internet. The sales pages are created to prey off the uninformed and “newbie” webmaster. People that are just getting into this field are very vulnerable to such sales pitches.

One thing I want to make clear is that these information packages are not outright scams. There is some great information in most of them, it’s just that many over exaggerate. They are taking the best possible set of circumstances and basing their “proof” on that. Every single one of these sales pages will have a disclaimer at the bottom indicating that the profit forecast in the sales letter is forward-looking and is not typical of the average income a new Internet marketer will make. Typically, this print is small and displayed in a lighter color (to make it less noticeable).

While I agree that every product sold online should have this type of disclaimer to protect the vendor from legal action, many so-called “gurus” can also use this to hide behind.

I can’t tell you how many packages and systems I’ve purchased online over the past three years. I was a sucker for a slick sales page and the promise of riches beyond my wildest dreams. Because I was desperate to find a way to make this work, I always bought into the hype and couldn’t punch my credit card number in fast enough. Every offer seemed to be “the one” that would finally provide the information I needed. Most often, the sales page would start with, “Are you sick of purchasing systems that just don’t work?” and then proceed to tell me why nothing has worked up until now and that this new system is the missing piece of the puzzle.

Keep in mind that much of this sales copy is written by professionals with years of experience and are hired by the vendor because of their ability to grab the reader and not let go. These pages are split tested and evaluated over many months before the product actually goes live. The copy that you are reading is the result of much trial and error. If you’ve ever been pumped up by a sales page, now you know why.

Okay – having said all that, there are some information packages out there that will truly fast-forward your education and start making you money quicker. I know this for a fact because I’ve purchased a few. I feel fortunate that I took a chance and purchased these systems because they’ve made me many thousands of dollars over the last year. They have undoubtedly made back all the money I wasted on the other crappy e-books, and more.

Were they absolutely necessary? Nope – I could have gained the same information by surfing all the webmaster forums – but that would have taken me months. I learned this information within days.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that you need to be very objective when it comes to people selling you things. If you do happen to buy something that’s isn’t what you expected, ask for a refund. It’s your money – you work hard for it – and you have every right to be completely satisfied. The good news is that any reputable product will have a no-hassle return policy.

One technique I use now is to type the name of the product I’m thinking of buying into the search box of some of the more popular webmaster forums. This is where you’re going to get real feedback. If the product is crappy, you’re going to find out very quickly. Never rely on anything other than a reputable forum site to get honest feedback. If you type the product’s name into a search engine, all you’re going to get back is affiliate sites that get a commission for selling the product. Of course their reviews are going to be stellar – go figure.

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Filed under: Internet Marketing

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