Pig Sty Internet Marketers – Four Warning Signs
If you hang out in a pig sty, you’re going to get some mud on you. When you’re doing business with Internet marketers, be very careful that you’re not getting into a sty that permanently tarnishes your professional or personal reputation.
Don’t accept unethical conduct by rationalizing that “everyone is doing it” or that it is the “key to becoming wealthy online.” Both are false. There are plenty of successful Internet entrepreneurs who run honorable businesses.
Here are 4 warning signs that an Internet marketer is a filthy pig that you should avoid.
1. The Internet marketer uses deceptive sales practices. Although intentional spamming is a great example, there’s a new one on the block. Some marketers are hiding their continuity programs in the fine print of their sales letters, and you’re suddenly getting billed monthly after making what you thought was a one-time purchase.
2. The Internet marketer treats his customers like dupes instead of people he wants to see succeed. Instead of trying to help, he’s trying to see how he can con his list yet another time.
3. The Internet marketer believes he is a celebrity. Although unknown outside of the info product arena, the Internet marketer gets an inflated ego after 1 or 2 product launches. Behavioral changes include wearing gaudy jewelry, leasing luxury sports cars he can’t afford, mistreating the “little people” (anyone he doesn’t know) because they don’t matter, and insisting on special perqs because of who he is (a legend in his own mind).
4. The Internet marketer abuses religion as a sales tool. Marketers who are ethical don’t make a big deal about their religion while speaking at events. They believe that actions speak louder than words. In contrast, pig sty marketers typically shroud themselves in religion, making repeated references to their church, mosque, or synagogue as a way to deceive you into thinking they will treat you right.
I’m sure there are more warning signs that you’re dealing with a pig sty marketer, but these are the ones that came to mind. If you can think of any, please add them as comments (don’t use the names or URLs of particular marketers in the comments).
About the Author
With an advanced international law degree from Georgetown University and more than 15 years of real world legal experience, Attorney Mike Young is President of the Internet Ethics Council and creator of Website Legal Forms Generator software. He helps entrepreneurs protect and grow their businesses online.
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Michel Fortin recently weighed in on continuity programs. The comments in response to his post are worth reading too.
As he points out, a few pig sty marketers can give subsequent legitimate continuity programs a bad reputation.
While I respect Fortin, in this instance he’s a bit too willing to overlook some of the recent shenanigans engaged in by certain Internet marketers by treating their actions as a mistake.
My view is that the only mistake by those who recently hid/disguised their continuity programs is that they assumed they could fool everyone. As it was, they took advantage of friendships to have marketers with large lists mail without any expectation of the uproar it would cause.
They got caught and expect an “oops, so sorry” to make it all go away.
My hunch is that, based on the comments to Fortin’s post and Internet marketing boards, the culprits are going to be on the receiving end of multiple complaints to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by those who were duped.
One has to wonder how many Internet marketers will have to be taken down by the government before marketing practices are cleaned up.
Mike,
Thank you for this post. I just found this blog today – fantastic information.
I can think of a few to add to the list:
1. The Internet Marketer has “weasel clauses” in their guarantees. They have an Astrix next to the guarantee, with a ton of small-print at the bottom of the page with a “gotcha” clause.
2. The Internet Marketer can’t be contacted via phone. Many Internet Marketers seem to shun direct phone conversations, and don’t publish any phone number where they can be reached if there is an issue.
Thoughts?
Josh,
Thanks for the additional suggestions. Agree with both of them. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is…always check for the “weasel clauses.”
As for the phone number, most reputable merchant account providers require a working phone number and other contact info. If it isn’t provided, time to start complaining until the marketer either loses his account or does the right thing by actually providing customer service.
Best wishes,
-Mike
“Quote: In contrast, pig sty marketers typically shroud themselves in religion, … as a way to deceive you into thinking they will treat you right.”
Isn’t this exactly how televangelists work? They are the biggest hypocrites imaginable and make internet marketers look squeaky clean in comparison.
Back to internet marketers, there are a few individuals I can think of who would qualify as pig sty marketers as they make a point of unashamedly flaunting their wealth to draw in the suckers.
What they don’t say is that their success at making money is more a result of selling useless money-making ’systems’ to people than using the ’system’ for themselves.
Terence,
Thanks for your comment. Agree re: televangelists. As for get-rich-quick systems, if they actually worked, the marketers selling them would be too busy making money with them instead of selling the systems to create competition.
Best wishes,
-Mike
Mr. Young, what about the masses of newbies that get sucked into these internet marketing training programs, who are not aware that they are breaking a law or acting unethically? For example, at a certain seminar, I and many others were told to set up our products based on a monthly subscription, so that we could get an autopilot income. The reasoning behind this was that most people don’t check their credit cards and by the time they do check it, they have already paid into the subscription for at least 2 to 4 months. In addition, they told us that if we just provide an email for customer support, and not a phone number, that we could let a few more weeks pass by before canceling the subscription for them.
I myself could never “get it together” enough to do such things and other “tactics” and “profit boosting methods”, but I know quite a few of my acquaintances from those programs have and are using those very same methods, probably unaware of the seriousness of what they are getting into. In addition, many of them have these very same gurus that are being exposed on their pages for testimonials.
What do you have to say to those individuals who may not be even aware that what they are doing is illegal or unethical?
You’ll need to add a mention of new age spirituality to #4 because there are quite a few using “law of attraction” the way televangelists used the bible, but other than that, you’ve got them nailed.
Burned,
That’s a good suggestion. It isn’t a law, it is a scam that promises an alternative reality of happiness based on wishful thinking. Wishing doesn’t make it so. Calculated action does.
For an amusing treatment of “The Secret,” check out this video.
Best wishes,
-Mike