This is not what I said this week.  That is the sentiment of a respected online marketing publisher, Paul Myers, of  Talk Biz News (highly recommended).  But I will say that I have said this all along.

Here are a couple of key points he mentions in his recent newsletter:

“Do not believe anything you read in a testimonial unless you know the person giving it, or the person selling the product,  well enough that the testimonial doesn’t matter anyway.”

“When you see Joe, Bob and Jim promoting Jerry’s product one week, and then Jerry, Joe and Bob plugging Jim’s product the  next week… Well, there may be a little quid pro quo going on.”

“There’s a ton of promo trading going on that has nothing to do with product quality at all.”

“You might also be surprised to know how many of the  testimonials you see aren’t from paying customers at all. A lot of them are nice things people say about the product in return.”

“A whole other discussion is the question of proof of income.  Forget it. It means absolutely nothing. The screenshots you see  with Paypal and Clickbank sales numbers could be easily faked -  and many are  for getting a free copy.”

“Just choose your teachers wisely.  And, as I tell the guys when they come over to play cards, “Never bet what you can’t afford to lose.“”

Paul also states that most marketers are generally honest, but then caveats again and again to not believe most of what you hear and see.  Nobody can guarantee minimum – or God forbid – maximum results.  In other words, he’s conflicted due to long-standing relationships with many of these duplicitous gurus.

As I write this, I hear another mega-successful marketer saying in an audio that “I sometimes exchange promotions with other marketers.  If I promote it twice or if it has been stated I promote it to my inner circle members, get it without a blink.  Otherwise, be extremely careful about spending your money.”  Unfortunately, he doesn’t give this caveat to his casual subscribers.

Nobody wants to be negative or over-critical of marketers.  Marketing is an essential part of every business and an art.  Yet beware that most marketers try to get in your head, so they can get in your wallet.

That’s their job.  Yours is to buy with your intellect more than with your emotion.  The best way to do that is to know who you are and what you need to accomplish in your business and life.

Despite the subtle and blatant attempts by government and e-commerce giants such as Google to reign in the hype and false endorsements, the gurus and their gaggle continue to use dubious marketing messages to lure in the gullible.

Case in point:  M.F.’s crony sends an email with this header:  “[VIDEO] $78,239.83 A Month With No Google…‏”

Implying that YOU WILL -not can – do it too, if you buy Marketer X’s doodad.

Case in Point:  “Copy This $78K Insider Blueprint‏”

Implying that a $78K Cracker Jack Prize awaits You Inside the genie’s bottle.

Case in Point:   “Over the couple of years his blogs have generated a huge profit of $1, 107 ,693… And now he’s sharing his exact blueprint.”

Implying that his exact blueprint will put you in seven figures in no time, as well.

Find Your Perfect Business!

Maybe in Lalaland, with candy-cane houses and chocolate-covered nymphs, there is a one-size-fits-all money puzzle piece.   But on planet earth there is nothing but rainbow-chasing gimmicks designed to lure in losers with their skinny wallets and then spit them out like a chaw of tobacky.

Imagine former NBA star Michael Jordan as an Internet  marketer.  Using the headlines above for reference, maybe his advert would read:  “M.J. spills the beans…on his no-brain, slam-dunk method foro averaging 34 points per game in the Pros.”

Consider a NASA engineer as an online marketer:  “Rebel NASA rocket scientist shares secret, simple rocket-ship design that put his family on the moon in less than a season.”

These last two fictitious headlines are no less absurd and blatantly deceitful than the first two.  The trouble is that the first two draw unearned money to the  crafty marketers behind them by playing on  buyer’s greed and laziness.

They – the deceivers who make you take your eye off the ball with false implications — should be behind bars or at least sentenced to helping the poorest, rural villagers around the globe to set up non-profits using the conniving marketer’s knowledge and marketing savvy for the higher good.

We should stop buying shortcuts and quick-riches schemes and realize that each one of us has the God-given chance to excel without buying into someone else’s dreams and methodology.

You'll never attract anything worthwhile by being a shadow of yourself. Live life on purpose.

The Law of Attraction has gotten a lot of mileage from self-help gurus intent on telling common folks that they can’t ever understand its premise  without their worldly assistance.  Bah! Humbug!  Curse “The Secret” movie for passing on a ridiculous notion that thinking alone can bring a diamond ring or a Mazarati.

Truth be it that people who are doing splendidly may be total a-holes or they may be saints.  They may wake up ready to spit on the first human who crosses their path or they may be devoted to neverending service.

In most cases they haven’t the foggiest notion why they are on top of their game or why they have the inherant or acquired talents which have enabled them to execute masterfully.  But the guru gawkers and those who live their fantasies vicariously through others plead with the guru to impart magic words of wisdom or explain exactly how they have attracted big bucks and fame.

He/she does what the fans ask and consequently gets even richer and more removed from the struggling rabble.  The gawkers fall in love with rabble-rousing speeches, sophisticated how-to manuals, and nifty software applications which inevitably collect cyber dustballs on their harddrives.

While I do believe you can’t fly like an eagle by hanging around a flock of turkeys, I also believe we can’t be a carbon copy of an eagle just by wishful thinking, reading good books about successful eagles, or engaging in eagle-speak. 

That’s why the euphoria of a weekend seminar seldom transforms a turkey into an eagle.

No two people are alike in how to find happiness and success.  No two flowers grow identically, even though they may be in the same soil, same climate, and the same elements.  Our destiny is tied with detaching ourselves from the outcome and just following our true heart.

That destiny must never be tied to a dependance on others to give us our life path and energy to attain it.  You will attract what you really want and need in this life by being true to yourself.

Sometimes greatness burst onto the scene after years of living in the shadows.  Watch this…

Believe In Yourself – More amazing videos are a click away

Promoting another is really a matter of trust more than product.

Indian guru Sai Baba was quoted as saying, “The joy one gets while promoting another’s joy is incomparable.”  Undoubtedly, he was a man who could have been writing for the Internet Age of  affiliate programs, read email schemes and such.

There is a growing cluster of high-value entrepreneurs working online who value-add every day they live.  Their products are in demand and their character is anchored in integrity.  Who wouldn’t want to hang around with such divine people?

Yes, if we look into the checkered past of some of these esteemed individuals, we can find justification for hesitation in handing over greenbacks to them.  They charm, critics may say, because they relish lucrative and frequent paydays.

So when we get an affiliate link to some product that these people are flogging, we can trust that it is good, though we may not have the funds nor interest to first try it ourselves.

They – whoever they are –  always get rave attention and stellar results.  They have the Midas Touch, and we commoners can catch some loose change by promoting them.

Perry Marshall is a great example of  a stellar marketer with a down-to-earth attitude towards everyone he encounters.  His site content is rich in ideas on Adwords, Adsense and SEO-related materials.  His life philosophy is well-grounded.

Yet what sets him apart is that he really seems to care  about over-delivering to clients and prospects.  I have virtually no hesitation in promoting him as an affiliate.  He knows his stuff and his content stuff can make you a bundle of money, even if it bores you to death.

Perry just announced that he’s hosting a free teletraining on

- Bionic ad technique for breaking out of an ad writing rut that gets your ads to stand out from the crowd (and get higher click through rates)

- Facebook PPC bidding tactic from a mysterious Mr. R

- Shelley Ellis’ top tool for zeroing in on placements

What Perry’s going to share is a really powerful tactic that can be used right away. So I suspect the response to this is going to be very very positive.

If you are into those nerdy activities on PPC, Adwords, PPA, yada yada…then Perry is going to open up new vistas for your online business in this webinar…guaranteed!

Register to be there at http://tinyurl.com/ykpzmnc

But the big question is: Will it last or will something replace it?

No, nothing can replace visual. The impact has been proven again and again by psychologists studying the impact of TV and movies on our attitudes and behaviors.

There are some outstanding video gurus out there and most of them are giving away free information to help the rank beginner get started. Video is easy to get first-page ranking with in select niches where video competition is nil.

The people who I highly recommend for training and products with video include Mike Koehnigs (great presentation), Andy Jenkins (the mestro), and Gideon Shalwick.

Get started. It isn’t hard to get going, though there is a learning curve. But putting up video for your niche will bring you instant recognition. Don’t get it right, just get it going. Distinguish yourself.