So, I Got This Email…

34 | Posted In Life & Mindset by David

This email came from somebody who was evaluating my Blog Masters Club coaching program.

I thought I would use this email – and my response – as a blog post. Because the concerns he brings up are VERY common and I have a feeling a LOT of people think this way when looking at the various training programs in the internet marketing niche.

The Email I Got

And it is…

I took a look at your coaching offer. I have been burned several times online, so I approach this with that mindset. Your program isn’t cheap, but if the value is there, it could well be worth it.

Do you provide step by step instruction as well as advanced tactics? Everyone is marketing generalities that are really of no value at all. A definition or an example pales in comparison to a step by step instructional video of how YOU are actually implementing the generalities. Also, I know some of the link building techniques that other successful bloggers use involves substantial overhead. Software, monthly membership charges, etc. I also know that faking before making it is pretty much essential. It’s the chicken and the egg thing. What is the alternative? No matter what niche you go into, you cannot approach it as if you are a newbie. No one is going to buy anything from you in this case.  So I don’t know where you get, don’t fake it. I can almost guarantee there was a little bit of fake before you got established.

The concerns he raised are common, and ones I felt needed a larger response than I might usually send via an email.

My Response

And it was…

Hey there,

I understand your concern about my coaching program, seeing as you’ve been burned before. But, I’ll be completely up front with you…

Most of the time when I’ve heard that argument, it is because the person was looking for the course to do all the work for them. And, it just can’t work. No matter how much I pack into one of my courses (or anybody else does into their’s)… there will ALWAYS be gaps to fill with your own personal research. Any “Step-by-step” video will leave out something that somebody needs. So, I’ve designed Blog Masters to be as thorough as I can, hopefully without being too overwhelming. But, sure, there are things you will need to learn outside of my program, depending on your own personal goals. Because I can’t possibly cover it all.

As for additional costs – that might be the case. But, if you’re starting a real business, you often need to be willing to invest a little into getting it off the ground. Just like any other business. If you come into this with the mindset of expecting the course to remove the thinking for you, and with the idea that you should be able to do all the most ideal things without spending any money – that’s just not going to work. Most things I talk about have a free alternative, but I recommend certain things because they work. And this is business we’re talking about.

As for the chicken and the egg… it really depends on what you mean by “fake it till you make it”. I would never condone faking expertise you don’t have, and no, I never did that. I think this question would only come up if you have the assumption that you have to be a “guru” in your niche in order to make any money. That’s not the case. For example, you can engage in affiliate marketing in a niche by simply doing reviews and how-to. I don’t think you have to have people think you’re God’s gift to the niche. :-)

Just keeping it real, cuz that’s what I do. :-) Hope it helps.

My Final Thoughts

(I almost saw this image of Jerry Springer at the end of his show here. Must get that image out of my head. Now. ;) )

This is a simple matter of mindset.

We’re talking REAL business here, guys. And I’m not sure why people come into this blogging thing expecting things to be different.

I know a lot of marketers out there like to pitch their stuff as the magic bullet, or the “business in a box”. I understand why they do that, but I HATE it. I hate it because it fosters this mistaken attitude that the product is supposed to remove ALL the thinking, all the guesswork, and basically hand success to you on a silver platter. Connect the dots in some brainless fashion and out comes cash. Yeah, right.

When you evaluate any training program on offer by anybody, evaluate it on the basis of – “Will this product help me get further toward my goal?” It is up to you to bring the goal to the table (and the goal should ideally be more than just money). It is up to you to bring the willingness to work and to do what it takes to succeed. Yes, in some cases, you need to be willing to invest money into solutions to run your business with.

Every person out there who has a coaching program on offer…. they worked their asses off and they invested money into their business. Because of that fact, others are now in the position of considering BUYING from them. That’s how this works.

You’re not going to be the exception. :)

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  • http://www.socialtechzone.com/ Frank

    I’ve always been hesitant to take the leap of faith myself, but you are one of the few bloggers out there that I would trust.  There are a lot of internet marketers out there who claim they are in the know and have tactics to share, but never actually provide value whether it be free or paid.  You provide both and you are transparent as hell which is what I feel is key in any online business.  There’s one particular “well known” blogger online that I’ve paid some close attention to that simply talks about themselves rather than helps others.  It’s just my personal opinion, but I think when teaching internet marketing or blogging as a business, it’s a good idea to be ‘real’ like you are David rather than telling people, “I made 1,000 bucks last week and here’s how I did it.”  Funny thing is, the person who writes that post doesn’t explain how they did it.  YOU DO!  Plus since we’ve spoken in the past before, I know you’re true to your word.  The one person I’m very weary of I’ve talked with as well and I just question their tactics. 

  • http://salesmaximus.com/ Adarsh Thampy

    Great that you did not advice faking stuff. A lot of people to that so that people come to trust them. Sad but true

  • http://www.cruisinaltitude.com Kerwin – Cruisinaltitude.com

    Good post David,

    I can certainly understand their concern indeed.  But most good programs have at least a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can check it out.I’ve bought a bunch of crap myself, that sold a bill of goods and no true results, but for me that’s education and I move on, no regrets.
    You do see many guys who say they made a ton of money with their program, but they do fail to say they had a boat load of JV partners who mailed for them.  the new guy starting does not have that at their disposal, so their results are very different.  Thus people get disheartened.

    The key is to evaluate the programs, ask around, read the blogs, etc.  Like everything else do your diligence. You do have to follow the instructions though to get the most out of the programs.  Its information, its only as good as what you do with it.

    I’ve found a program I’m doing now and its worth its weight in gold as its teaching me exactly what I want to learn at this point in my success path.

    I’ve known David for well over a year now and he’s a genuine guy, if that’s worth anything.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Frank. I have no idea who that other person is, but good to know I’m smoking them. ;-)  

    j/k

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, dude.

    > “Its information, its only as good as what you do with it.”
    Yep.

  • http://www.socialtechzone.com/ Frank

    Haha!  Yes, you’re miles ahead of them.  I’m going to send you an email in regards to who the person I was referencing in my comment. 

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Yeah. The whole “guru” label doesn’t get proclaimed. It is assigned by the people you’re helping. In other words, you gotta earn it, not fake it.

  • Megan

    To the writer of the referenced email:   I have spent every free minute of the last two years or so, and I don’t want to think about how much money, to learn how to build a successful business online.

    And I only spent money after spending 18 months reading EVERYTHING I could find that seemed a plausible solution to my questions and signed up for and read over 100 mailing lists, unsubscribing to those that weren’t giving me what I needed. Doing that I narrowed the field and figured out who I trusted and whose values corresponded with mine. I’ve unsubscribed now to all but about 12 mailing lists – because I needed to stop reading and start implementing.

    For what it’s worth, David Risley is the real deal. He tells it straight and he tells you what he has learned through experience about how to be successful in business as well as in blogging. I have not personally invested in BlogMasters Club, but I am a charter member of his Inner Circle, and consider it a must-have resource in my journey to becoming a successful online entrepreneur.

  • http://website-in-a-weekend.net/ Dave Doolin

    Reviews and Howtos can go a long, long way towards both making affiliate money AND, as a side effect, building real expertise in a domain area. It’s not conceptually hard. 

    It is, however, a truckload of work, some of which can be really tedious (to me).

    I see the same sort of thing with complaining about book reviews. Someone spends $20 for 350 pages of dense technical literature published by Pragmatic Programmers or O’Reilly, then gets peeved over some minor issue.  It’s a rare technical book, of any length, which doesn’t have $20 worth of actionable material.

  • http://internetmoneymap.com Mark

    Hey David
    Spot on
    The hardest thing is picking 1 thing and finishing it and then practicing what you learn over and over until you get results. When I say “1 thing”, I mean a strategy (so a series of tactics toward a particular goal).  
    Things change so fast and new stuff comes flying by my window every day and my intellectual curiosity gets the better of me
    Also regarding “burned boy”, you can pretty much tell if someone is going to stroke you by reading their free stuff for a few weeks.  If they don’t give away good free stuff…well there’s your answer
    Thanks
    Mark

  • Ayana Posadas

    David,
    I’m not really into any online business just yet. I just signed up for your emails because I like the way you write. LOL….Anyways… this is my first time ever commenting, and I just had a general question, out of curiosity.When you share an email from a person, like you did today… do you let them know that you are going to be doing so? Do you ask for their thoughts or permission first? Or do you just write the post and then have them see it for themselves?I’ve always wondered about what the proper etiquette for that stuff was.Thanks so much!~ Ayana :)

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Megan.

    (psst…. the commission check is in the mail. ;-) ) j/k

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks for the first comment. :-)

    I don’t usually post anybody’s email, so its mostly a non-issue. In this case, I did so because I felt others could learn from it. I also clearly did not mention any names, and there is nothing in the email that even alluded to who it was. So, it could have been written by literally anybody.

    In my view, a good blogger will find motivation for posts from the real world. And that’s all I’m doing. Whether it comes in from Twitter, Facebook… or an email… sometimes it is fuel for a post idea. And, as long as it in no way harms anybody and there is no identification with it, I’ll go with it.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Yeah, you gotta give in order to get.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Good example. Yeah, often, the lesser the price tag, the more people will complain about the value from it. Generally, if people pay more for it, they’re more the type of person who will do something with it.

    If that book had costs $400, I bet it’d have less complaints. But, if course, there is a perceived value glass ceiling when it comes to books.

  • Lawrence Berezin

    David,

    Great post because it gives us an opportunity to read about the misconceptions many future Internet wizards harbor. And, a honest response from one of the real, down-to-earth, internet marketing experts.

    I am a charter member of your Blog Masters Club, and found it invaluable. It is one terrific piece of the learning puzzle, not the only piece. Quite frankly, the money back guarantee didn’t mean hoot to me because I spent a lot of  time on your blog, and downloaded and read much of  the free stuff you offered. I even guest posted a couple of times on your blog, after gaining the courage to submit my work.(A post about a rookie blogger, and are two blogs too many).

    I learned how engaged, and committed to you the readers of your blog are. It was a terrific experience.

    Homework first, and decision second.

  • Anonymous

    David, you are right on target with your response. I have learned that to succeed in business, especially online business, you have to be willing to take risks and spend some money on things that help get you there faster. If you spend all your time questioning people and taking the time and negative energy to write emails like this one, you probably need to re-establish your plan and know what outcomes you are looking for to begin with. David, you have a solid approach because you are honest with people from the beginning. I’ve being buying from you for a few years now because I see the value you bring through ideas and clarity which helps save a ton of time. I’ll end by saying that the most expensive things on the web are free. Time, unlike money, is something that we can never make back.

    Great post!

  • Anonymous

    “Faking it until you make it” in marketing is what a district attorney might call “fraud” but a desperate marketer might call, “the name of the game.” 
    Obviously it is quite common, especially in internet marketing.  Unfortunately, but true.  B.S.can sell and is often difficult for the average joe with limited foreknowledge of the truth to detect from the honest info.  
    When I was a completely newbie I was so overwhelmed just by trying to figure out who was credible and WHAT was credible.  I was probably more skeptical than  many and I still trusted a few I should not have.  Plus, even when some people are well meaning they might not be RIGHT.  All this stuff is evolving and who is really to say precisely what works best with google except the goo  masters themselves?  Both of these scenarios wastes the time of someone trying to figure out internet marketing.
    Truly objective and fact-based information is hard to find in today’s marketing-saturated media space.  Almost everything contains at least a tiny element of B.S.  I worked in the tv biz for 20 years so I saw tons of it all the time. 
    And of course I wiould not be here were it not for my respect for David’s work.  I have just barely dipped my toe into his Inner Circle, but have already gotten good things from it so feel quite confident it will be a productive membership experience if I take the time to explore it fully.  I read the free blog for a long time first. 

  • Ria Wallace

    @lorrainegrula I love your response!  David I love yours also. 

    I personally do not believe that “Fake until you make it” belongs in anything in life.  The key word is “Fake”.  Many innocent people are victims of that very mindset.  Integrity and character should always be the rule not the exception.

  • http://www.riascollectables.com Ria Wallace

    “Fake it until you make it”, has no room in anything we do in life.  The key word is “Fake” which is also equivalent to a lie.  Integrity and character should always be the rule, not the exception. We all should be the best we can be and put our best foot forward in all aspects of life. 
    I personally would not pay to close attention to the sender of the email.  We all know it takes a lot of hard work, grit, and willingness to constantly learn to be successful.  This only comes with time.  Over time, you learn who has integrity, honesty, and character.  You David, are one of them.  I knew that several years ago when I was first referred to you by Mike @mikeslife.  You shoot from the heart, why would anyone want that any different?

  • http://www.riascollectables.com Ria Wallace

    “Fake it until you make it”, has no room in anything we do in life.  The key word is “Fake” which is also equivalent to a lie.  Integrity and character should always be the rule, not the exception. We all should be the best we can be and put our best foot forward in all aspects of life. 
    I personally would not pay to close attention to the sender of the email.  We all know it takes a lot of hard work, grit, and willingness to constantly learn to be successful.  This only comes with time.  Over time, you learn who has integrity, honesty, and character.  You David, are one of them.  I knew that several years ago when I was first referred to you by Mike @mikeslife.  You shoot from the heart, why would anyone want that any different?

  • Sherryl

    I can say to that person who emailed you – I am a “graduate” of the Blogmasters Club and it was worth every cent. There is a ton of great information in there, via video and lots of talking :) – in fact it has taken me six months to do the whole 16 modules and I have two notebooks crammed with extra notes I’ve taken.
    The reason I signed up in the first place – because you (David) had a great approach. No BS, and none of that “You can make $10,000 in your first week” rubbish. I still have a lot of work to do, but I know now what I need to be doing and how, and I have great hopes for both of my blogs.
    Yes, it’s hard work, so I’m happy that the ones who want the magic tricks won’t bother (less competition!).

  • Johnmike Dobson

    As I get it, this person wants to sit back and watch the money roll in. Doesn’t want to do the homework or the investment.

  • Oscar

    A lot of marketers start “teaching” once they’ve achieved a certain level of success (and some even when they haven’t yet, as we know). What I’ve noticed is that few so calleld “gurus” –and boy do I hate the use of that term for marketers –actually know how to teach. There’s a huge difference between putting together a bunch of information and presenting it to someone, and actually teaching. Real teachers go to school to learn how to teach, not just how to do a show-and-tell presentation. There’s a technique to teaching and it’s rare to see a marketer who understands this distinction. 

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    You’re probably right, and there’s probably improvements I (and others) could make in the way we teach.

    That said, we’re in the position of teaching something like that because we know how to market, not because we went to school to learn to teach. :-)

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    I don’t know about that. Its possible, but I took it as he was just asking what a lot of people are thinking.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Sherryl.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Ria.

    > “We all know it takes a lot of hard work, grit, and willingness to constantly learn to be successful.”
    Not necessarily. Many times, even the people who say that keep finding themselves looking for the easy button.

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Jason.

    > “I’ll end by saying that the most expensive things on the web are free.”
    Love that quote. :-)

  • http://davidrisley.com David Risley

    Thanks, Lawrence.

    So many Blog Masters coming out of the woodwork here with testimonials. Gotta say, that’s awesome. :-)

  • http://mtinnercircle.com Kathy Nicholls

    I’m not surprised at this person’s response because there’s so much out there. However, I am one who took that leap of faith with your Blogmasters program and have never been sorry about that. I appreciate your no-nonsense, no BS, tell it like it is approach to things and I learned more than I could have ever imagined from that program. Before that I felt like I was floundering to try to figure it all out. Now I sure don’t know it all, but I am on the way to making a sustainable business with the things I’ve learned and that was indeed the goal. Thanks, David.

  • http://www.liangcha-herbaltea.com Ben Sanami (FB Liangcha)

    Dave has always been that true down to earth business man we all can trust. Too many people just talk about numbers but Dave acts and tells us what he’s doing…..

  • http://www.downthewriterspath.com Vikk Simmons

    This reminds me of people wanting to write a book who somehow mysteriously think that there isn’t any work to do, that there’s a magic bullet, and that the content should suddenly arrive in a fully publishable state without any editing and be thrown out to the world. For most, it doesn’t work that way. As I told a client not long ago, I wish I could do the work for her but it doesn’t work that way. I can help, cajole, suggest, explain, and even teach. What I can’t do is write what is in her head and somehow make it match her vision. She has to do that.

  • http://www.downthewriterspath.com Vikk Simmons

    I’d like to say I graduated but there’s so much information there to digest and implement that I’ll be busy for quite awhile. :) It is a huge help and a tremendous resource that I return to over and over again. David is one terrific model.