Ray’s Blog at RedHotClicks.com

As I browse the topics in various Internet Marketing Forums, or “surf” Traffic Exchanges to earn credits for my own sites, I invariably come across disccusions about, or sales pitches for, the most recent “products” offered by the so-called Internet Marketing Gurus.  These generally run the gamut from “secrets” they will offer you, mentoring programs, or some other such vehichle guaranteed to make you zillions of dollars.  Do I sound skeptical already?

Whenever I see one of these posts or ads, I am reminded of that great 1962 movie “The Music Man” starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones.  It’s really quite an excellent movie and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to just laugh for 90 minutes.

In the movie, Preston plays the role of Professor Harold Hill, a self-proclaimed music teacher of extrodinary ability.  Now Harold is, let’s be blunt, a con-man and something of a rogue.  He arrives in River City with the stated intention of forming a boys bad.  Nevermind that none of them can play an instrument of any sort.  Nevermind that he can’t either.  His true purpose is to collect funds from the parents, promising to buy them instruments for the band, and then disappear with the cash before any instruments are purchased.

When it is brought to his attention that none of the kids can actually play an instrument, he convinces the town folk that his “Think System” is all they need.  He tells the parents that with his system, all the boys need to do is “think” about playing the tunes, and they will do exactly that.  The town folk buy into his claims and give him their money.  Not unlike those who buy into the “secret” systems of the IM Gurus.  There are always those who will spend their money for ”the dream”, even when the details are a bit fuzzy.

Of course, this is a movie and therefore requires a happy ending.  So, while staying in the town as he collects money he winds up falling in love with the local librarian, played by Shirley Jones.  The strength of that love for the librarian, along with the remnants of a conscience, leads Harold Hill to renounce his con-man ways and actually purchase the instruments for the boys band.   And even though he knows his “Think System” is total nonsense, he makes an effort to teach the boys.

At the end of the movie, the band does indeed give a concert.  Nevermind that they sound like a train crash, the parents are happy.  They see their kids “playing” their instruments so they are happy, even while knowing they have been scammed of their money.  In their minds, they somehow believe they have been given value for their donations to Professor Hill.

Professor Hill is a rogue, but a lovable rogue.  In the end, love and a previously buried desire to do the right thing makes him at least make the attempt to deliver on what he has promised. 

It should come as no surprise that you are unlikely to find those traits in your typical self-proclaimed Internet Marketing Guru.  Nor should you be surprised when you discover that their particular variation of the “Think System” is nothing but smoke and mirrors, and that their “secrets” are simply regurgitated information available to anyone on the Internet who takes the time to look for it.  The “Think System” doesn’t work for playing an instrument, and it doesn’t work for establishing a successful business, no matter how flashy the packaging or how convincing the peddler.

-Ray
www.redhotclicks.com

“I made $10,000 in my first week with only 30 minutes of work!” 

“Give me just 10 minutes of your time and I will show you how to make a 6-figure income in your spare time from home!” 

“I’m going to let you in on my secret, never before seen, guaranteed method for a massive multi-stream incomel!” 

Uh-huh.

If you’re reading this post, I just know you have seen web sites shouting headlines such as these.  It’s virtually impossible not to encounter them at some point in a TE, mailing list, or other venue.  If it wasn’t for my spam filter, my inbox would be filled to the max with similar pronouncements or wealth and fame.  I’ve even seen some of this on late-night TV. 

Welcome to the sometimes goofy world of Internet Marketing (IM). Ah yes, the lure of untold riches.  The flashy and compelling web sites with screaming headlines and photos of Corvettes, yachts, huge mansions, sexy ladies, swimming pools, and crates full of cash.  Of course, one must suspend his or her disbelief and ignore the fact that 99% of the time, the Corvette, yachts, large house and so on don’t actually belong to the person who owns the site.  Those are most often stock photos.  But damn, they do draw people in don’t they? 

Before I continue, let me stipulate one thing very clearly.  Internet Marketing is a perfectly legitimate and potentially lucrative business.  There are numerous people in the IM field, some of whom I know, who operate with a high degree of integrity and honesty.  Their various programs offer people a realistic opportunity to make money.  These people are professional marketers who know how to do things the correct way.  They don’t make promises built on fog and illusion.  They will be the first to tell you it is extremely hard work.   

Unfortunately, there are all too many people who are willing to sell you snake oil in a can.  The schemes they offer run the gamut from questionable, to absurd, to outright illegal.  And that has nothing to do with the Internet.  The unscrupulous people who perpetrate these sorts of scams have been around long before the Internet.  Some of these schemes, pyramids, ponzi, and the like, have been around for centuries.  The Internet simply provides another convenient vehicle for their deception.  You can put lipstick on a pig, but ultimately, it’s still a pig. 

If your desire is to get into the Internet Marketing field, then by all means do so.  But do so cautiously and with your eyes open.  Don’t fall for the first flashy web page you see that offers staggering promises of income with a minimum of effort.  That is just not reality.  Use common sense.  If you run across a web page promising to tell you the “secret formula” for how to make $250,000 your first month, or some other such drivel, and you fall for it, well, let me offer something my dad taught me many years ago.  “Son”, my dad would say, “you can’t fix stupid”.

There is money to be made for sure.  The IM world is still in it’s infancy.  There are untapped marketing possibilities and many new and exciting products to exploit.  But you won’t do it with 30 minutes of work.  You won’t do it with questionable programs.  And you won’t do it just by becoming someone elses affiliate.  Affiliate programs are a good place to start, but they won’t put that Corvette in your driveway.  THAT is reality.

Internet Marketing is still a business.  Any successful business must be nurtured and cultivated.  Any successful business begins with a coherent business plan.  That bears repeating: ANY successful business begins with a coherent business plan.  As my favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra says: “You have to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you may not get there”.  Business, ANY business, is hard work.  Internet Marketing is no different than any other business.  There are NO secrets.  The minute you buy into someone’s “secret approach”, you have already failed. 

Secrets?  On the Internet???  Secrets to be shared with anyone who will plop down their $97??  Give me a break.  Coca Cola has a secret formula for their beverage.  Do you see them selling that all over the Web to anyone with $97?  Do you see the guy with a successful BBQ sauce selling that on eBay?  Real secrets are patented and copyrighted, not sold to the masses all over the Web.

-Ray
http://www.redhotclicks.com