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Don't Believe the Hype!
Knowledge is power. This is the information age. Blah blah blah. We have been brainwashed into thinking that we can buy our way into riches. Well, nobody ever learned to ride a bike by reading an e-book! Of course, we are hungry for information and are willing to pay for someone else’s research. The problem with this is that we become information consumers, unwilling to get up from our digital couches in order to exercise our brains.
If you come across an ad selling a special report, e-book or course, READ it carefully!
Make a list of all of the key phrases mentioned in the ad copy. Be sure to read the testimonials, as there are key phrases in many of them. Identify the top three benefits being offered. Now you have everything you need to go out and get the information yourself!
Using Google as a starting point, search for the key phrases and the benefits. You must be able to weed out the irrelevant results - if you can’t, then you probably don’t need to be purchasing the information! The results can be classified into three broad categories: industry-specific, user-specific and vendor-specific. Tackle each category in that order.
Industry-Specific
Industry, in this context, simply means marketing segment. Some examples are Broadband, Web hosting, Auto-responders, Lead generators, Affiliate marketing, e-commerce, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Copywriting. Browse the sites, and learn the terms. Make sure that you are not reading information from a vendor, because their views are probably biased toward their own products and services. The more you understand about the particular industry, the better you’ll be at determining what’s truth and what’s hype.
User-Specific
Every product and service that has a base of dedicated users has at least one corresponding users’ group. Try to find one that is independent of the vendor’s website. Although a vendor’s website may have an excellent support forum, you can’t be certain that the vendor isn’t censoring the content. Lurk in the forums - if you can, some forums require that you register first - and focus on the NEGATIVE comments. If you can get a feel for whether the criticisms are valid, then you’ll have a better idea of the value of the product or service. Pay attention to the responses to the criticisms. There may be clues that signal that the product or service may be more beneficial to experienced users. Beware of reading too much into the negativity, however. Many times, people just don’t understand how to use something. Rather than ask for help, they prefer to disparage a product or service in a public forum.
Vendor-Specific
As you review the results, count how many times you see ad copy for essentially the same information. How much value can you attach to information if its benefits rely on the exclusivity of access? (Think about stock market tips versus insider-trading!)
Summary
The value of products and services is not being questioned here. The only question is whether you should pay for the information RELATED to their purported value.
Generally, purveyors of information derive the most value from that information - by selling it to others! Once you understand what is being offered, you can obtain this information free of charge. Simply ask any reputable vendor for it. If you’ve done your research, the vendor’s information should be sufficient for you to make an informed decision about their product or service.
Caveat
Here is paradox: what do you do when a vendor’s service is the sale of information (Lead generators, for example)? You have to step back and ask yourself, “Where does the vendor get this information?” If the information source is not readily accessible to you (for technological, legal or financial reasons), and you perceive the value of this information to be greater than its cost, then you should base your purchase on that perception. Otherwise, you may be better off “cutting out the middleman” and doing it yourself! That’s not always practical, but it’s an option only if you are informed.
Mitchell Allen is an advocate for cross-networking: synergistically linking multiple social networks in order to increase membership exposure.
He writes for fun and profit at WritingUp.com
He maintains The Vertical Blog Tunnel Network at the social network, Ryze.com.
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