Have you ever seen a sponsored post on Facebook for an online coach you’ve never heard of? Or maybe it was or an ad on the web for a program that just seemed too good to be true?
You know what I mean. The ads with a cool looking guy or gal telling you, “you can make millions just like me while sitting on the beach doing nothing!”
You’re not alone. These ads are everywhere and it’s sometimes very hard to figure out if an offer is legit or not. Every single day millions are scammed on the internet because they didn’t check to find out if the person behind the offer was credible. I don’t want that to happen to you.
What makes a person credible?
Who should you be looking out for? Is it the new business person who is lacking experience? Or is it the savvy business person who knows how to manipulate you out of your hard earned money?
The internet has opened up an entire new way of shopping and, no matter how you slice it and dice it, Internet Marketing has become a massive tidal wave of success for a number of businesses. And the masses (yup, you and I) are buying products and programs about our favorite topics like never before.
So how do you know when to trust someone and when to run?
I have bought a LOT of products online and before I bought my first $1,000 product, this is what I did.
- Research testimonials. You got it, Google the names of the people who are raving about the individual doing the selling and see if they really exist. Send them an email and ask them about their testimonial if you want a second shot of secure. And research more than just one.
- Search their name in Google and add the word scam or complaint. This will open up the other side – the anti-testimonial. Now if just one person is complaining about them, it’s not so bad. We all have detractors. But if there are pages and pages of people writing about how they got burned using this person’s product or service, you may want to reconsider.
- Look at the history surrounding this individual. The first person’s program I ever bought was Ali Brown. I spoke to someone I know about her program (they endorsed it), I read all kinds of information about her on line (she had been around a while) and I watched a bunch of her videos that really showed to me that there were LOTS of people buying her stuff who seemed happy. The history, all the pieces gave me the confidence to spend my money.
- Sign up for their newsletter and assess the content. Are they offering you any good advice or are they just selling, selling, selling all the time? Is the freebie they give away actual content you can use or just one big pitch? Register for 5 Ways to Make More Money Using Social Media for an example of a freebie with real, usable content as opposed to a sales pitch disguised as a freebie.
- Last but not least, look at their story. In some cases the story is so embellished you would think these guru’s were eating out of a dumpster before they became wildly successful. In other cases the story is less contrived, and more real.
Some simple research will help you find the right person to work with and these 5 steps will help. But, don’t forget to listen to your gut. Your intuition is a great tool and is often right. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is.
What steps do you take to check out the people you are hiring or buying from online? Have you ever been burned by a CONtrepreneur? Share your story and tips in the comments below!
