Why blowing up your customers may not be the best idea…

Amen!

The language people use reveals their attitudes.

We’ve had a problem with slick operators” in the Internet marketing space for a long time. Direct mail was and is no different, but what made things particularly bad in the Internet space is that many of the slick operators became “educators” – and I put that word in quotes for a reason.

Direct mail had people like giants like John Caples, David Ogilvy, Max Sackheim, Victor Schwab, Dick Benson, Gene Schwartz and Claude Hopkins to set the stage. I’d include Marty, Brian and the Boardroom team in this category.

“Gentlemen (and ladies) with brains” was the way Ogilvy described it. People who were razor sharp and intensely ambitious, but who were also always looking for the high road and believed in the long game. ‘

Direct mail also had strong industry-wide ethical standards. There certainly were people who violated them, but they were treated like pariahs, not industry heroes.

Unfortunately, this not the case in Internet marketing and I say this as someone who has been involved in the field since before Day One. There are certainly a lot of great players, but we also have more than our share of not-so-great ones.

If you’re new to Internet marketing (or even if you’ve been around awhile) pay close attention to what Brian is saying here.

The slick operators who are “geniuses” at extracting money from prospects, but don’t give a damn about them are not the models to follow.

There’s really no meaningful gray area here. You’re either value oriented or you’re scam oriented. Aggressive marketing is fine – as long as you deliver on your promises and then some.

If you want a purely mercenary way to look at this, just follow the long arc of the careers – and lives – of people who make their money with trickery. At some point, a huge percentage of them hit their own internal “trip wire” and blow themselves up. (Watch the movie “The Grifters” to see this process dramatized.)

In contrast, entrepreneurs who focus on creating real value build strong foundations for themselves that just get deeper and broader and stronger as the years go on.

Playing it straight, caring about your customers outcomes, and delivering massive value for the dollar improves your odds of success exponentially. It also puts you in a community of high quality colleagues and potential partners, which is a tremendous value all by itself.

Hi, Brian!

Great thinking (as usual). I never did like the term “trip wire”… so I refused to use the term in my publishing company.

We came-up with an alternative term that I love a lot — instead of “trip wire”… I choose to call it:

“A Lifeline”

So the thinking goes from a negative connotation immediately to a POSITIVE expectation… “Let’s throw the prospect a LIFELINE and assist them, help them, and bless their lives with it!”

You like? Feel free to “steal” it from me! lol

With Much Love and Gratitude,
Brian Keith Voiles

THANK you, Brian! I have ALWAYS thought “ninja” was such a stupid term to use in marketing. I hadn’t previously given “tripwire” much thought when I used it … but I definitely prefer a “Welcome mat”. Gonna start using that one immediately. 🙂

All the best to you, Brian!

Brian…always appreciate your wise thoughts and POV. It starts my week out on the right foot. Off the the DMA today…it won’t be the same without you! Enjoy AWAI!