How I earned $15,000 in the last 24 hours.
November 30, 2007
There are a lot of big name marketers pushing Alok Jain's latest product, Project Quick Cash. In fact, he has dozens of Joint Venture partners, many with email lists that dwarf mine in size.
And yet, at the end of 24 hours, I had out-sold them all and earned more than $15,000 in net profits. In fact, my conversion rate was 16%. I earned, on average, $6.30 for every single click-through I got to the Project Quick Cash site.
What made the difference? What was it that I did that they didn't do? How can you repeat my success?
It was easy: I stated the facts.
I took the time to do a case study, test the results myself before I promoted the product. Only after I knew the method worked and could present the proof of its success to others did I put together a promotional campaign. I'd like to think that I have a good track-record in this regard as well.
Meanwhile, I heard through the grapevine that other much bigger players in the world of Internet Marketing also promoted the product. One huge name in particular stood out to me. Do you know what his conversion rate was?
He converted one in sixty click-throughs. That's about a 1.7% conversion rate. He was a few slots below me on the sales leaderboard despite the monster size of his email list.
Where did he go wrong? I happen to know, because I'm on this marketer's list myself.
This marketer made two mistakes.
- He didn't provide one single shred of evidence that what he was saying about the product was true. Maybe every word he spoke was 100% golden truth, but I the reader (and potential customer) had no way to verify that fact.
- All I ever get from this guy is promotional emails. He hasn't sent anything of instructional value in months. Now why would I trust somebody like that? What has he done for me, the potential customer, to prove to me that he has my best interests (and not just his wallet) in mind?
There is a serious lesson in this: yes, it's true, the money is in the list — but only if you treat your list well. Provide them regular instructional information. Give them facts and stats and proof to show them that what you are saying is verifiable, not just more smoke and mirrors. I think we all know that there's enough of that in the world of Internet Marketing to last for years to come. No need for us to add to it!
Set yourself apart by (*gasp*, dare I say it?) being honest with people. Don't try to sell your list on products you've never used, or never used with good success! Your recommendation is only as good as your track record.
With that in mind, I've decided to launch a new Internet Marketing product review blog. I will only be posting reviews of products that I have done case studies on, and can show verifiable proof of having real value.
I'm tired of the baloney. I'm tired of the smoke and mirrors. The past 24 hours has shown me that you are, too. If you haven't already, check out my first review there. Post your thoughts and comments. Let me know what you think.
Also, if you are the owner of a product that you really believe will genuinely help Internet Marketers, submit it for a review.
Let's demand some honesty from marketers for a change. Some proof and evidence. We may not be able to clean up the world of IM altogether, but we can create our own little spotless corner where baloney is not allowed.
Please post your thoughts and comments below.
Comments
103 Responses to “How I earned $15,000 in the last 24 hours.”
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Jonathan Leger has been earning his living online full-time since the fall of 2004. He regularly posts advice about search engine optimization (his current passion), AdSense and Internet Marketing. 
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You're growing on me….
Dhira:
That's what I like to hear.
Thanks Jonathan for the down to earth advice.
I started promoting products from affiliates ONLY if I own them or have reviewed it myself.
I do my review as a "post" and then I post a "page" for their ad. (I like your idea of a separate web site/blog for this)
I'm in the health/sports/fitness industry, and tired of the baloney too!
Congrats on that commission check! I wish I had your focus!
AMEN BROTHER! I think I know which big-time marketer you are talking about. There are only a few lists I haven't unsubscribed to. His is one, and yours is the other. The quality of the emails I get from the other marketer has declined recently. On the other hand, yours has gotten better! I look forward to all your case studies, even if I don't give your ideas a try, it is still nice to see REAL results, and not hear say BS. Keep up the great work!
Jon,
So I was going through your email about PQC and your case study results and noticed that you didn't really rank as high as you claimed to have for the key words you mentioned. This could be due to a multitude of reasons (differences between DC's in Google as an example) however your stats from extremetracker were very low compared to what you were claiming, and most of the recent traffic to your test blog was from email referrals (which shows me a ball park figure of how big your email list truly is).
I don't doubt that PQC works, but I have a feeling your results were slightly embellished to make the sale.
Now don't get me wrong. I do like the fact that you do case studies and don't just shoot off some hyperbole regarding the latest and greatest IM product (which typically most have become useless ideas and theories that someone has already milked and are now in their waning moments before any of the SE's catch on). But in this case, I was slightly disappointed.
Jonathan, you're one of the "cream of the crop" internet marketers that I want to model for my own marketing efforts. You continually provide value and really solid information. My favorite part, just as Jimson mentioned… "No Baloney"!
Thanks for your refreshingly honest approach to what can be a very confusing industry.
perhaps you are the real rockstar …
I'm glad you made this post because I actually want to question your results. While I don't dispute your screenshots.. How come you no longer rank in google for any of the terms you posted?
I can't find your site anywhere …
I can always count on getting the truth from you, Jonathan, and I can't tell you how important that is to me. You're one of maybe 2-3 Internet Marketers whose lists I'm on who actually take the time to offer useful information! Not to mention you have some truly fabulous products - 3 Way Links is awesome!! I can't thank you enough for what they've done for my business.
Richard:
Not at all. No embellishment. The rankings held for 3-5 days before the duplicate content filters hit. You see, since it was just a case study I didn't take the time to make sure my posts were 100% unique. Since it takes Google's duplicate content filters 3-5 days to catch up with its web spider, the rankings held for 3-5 days before dropping down. Had I taken the time to write out my own unique content instead of quoting article excerpts, etc., no doubt the rankings would still be there. But this was just a case study.
If you look at the weeks 45-47 in the tracker, they are exactly what I claimed: 2,000 or so uniques from site referrers and search engines (mostly Google). What you're seeing NOW is mostly from email referrers because of the mailer I sent out to my list. That was not the case for the days prior.
Jon
Hi Jonathan,
… great post. I can do nothing more than agree on the fact about certain list owners. I personally have signed of a ton of lits since all those promotional email do not have a lot of value and really did get on my nervs.
I did not unsubscribe from your list, because you are giving useful information that are interesting very often. All other list owners out there … do it like jonathan is doing it!
Jonathan for treating your list the way you do … you deserve the 15000!
Cheers
tony
Hi Jonathan,
Right on brother and you make an excellent point. I'm going to be honest with you here too. I'm on like every guru list out there and do receive the offers that they cross promote amongst themselves. Pretty handy having a boat load of big time marketers with huge lists which lines each others pockets everytime a new product is released, a lot of times at the cost of the poor (and I mean poor in more ways than one) unsuspecting customers. Just one time I would love to see one of these quote quote millionaires or big figure earners say "take this product and put it to the test, once you earn your fortune like I tell you it will, then pay me". I'm sure they don't because they know most people won't make enough from the product to even get their money back if anything at all. I may not make much money online but, I refuse to keep making the big boys richer so I don't even buy anything anymore. My loss maybe, but it's certainly not their gain. I will keep a close watch on your reviews and see what you come up with. Have a great day.
Paul
Dude:
I'm not sure this honesty thing can actually work. Do you expect all of us IM guys to actually try all the stuff we market? That is just crazy talk!
Seriously, I purchased the e-book via your link and your Tips really helped me to see how great the first technique really is. Additionally, after doing a quick read of the book, I saw just how valuable your "tools" will be as well. So I also purchased a subscription.
I am setting aside the entire weekend to explore the various techniques. They all look great, but I'm a little concerned about #3. I understood that people really frowned on putting this stuff in your sig.
Regardless, that still leaves at least 4 excellent ways to make some QUICK money.
Thanks for your input…it looks like it will be very valuable. BTW, it may be great to get you and Alok to do a webinar for the tools members at some point.
Anyway, thanks again, I love all of your products, there the best. No one provides a better value for the dollar
Regards,
Mike
Shaun:
See my response to Richard above.
I did something similar to what you did. Similar to a product review. I stated the facts, and even offered a bonus guide showing extra ways to use the tactics to make money online…QUICKER.
I have a small list, but it still equated to $300 in sales in 24 hours lol.
Keep up the good work, Jon!
This post exemplifies what Rich Schefren is encouraging marketers to strive for in his recent document Attention Age Doctrine Part 2.
I'm on so many lists that after a few months I often forget what originally motivated me to subscribe, so when I get a bunch of emails pushing the latest product launch, I often end up unsubscribing from all of the lists that don't take the time to really explain why they think I should buy a certain product. You just stood out from the crowd in my mind. Well done!
Jon,
Telling like it is will never get you in trouble in this business - just a bigger and more loyal following! Congrats on the commission check.
Brad
Ironically Alok says to use the same articles and avoids talk of duplicate content..
That aside as a JV Partner I agree with Jons assessment.. Alok has some unique elements in there, including one thing I've never heard of.
Mike: the signature approach is nothing new, and frankly I thought this was pretty week on Alok's part as this was for sure not a new strategy. But I think it's frowned upon more in the IM world then in niche's outside the IM genre.
I think the best strategy is #1 part a and b .. but you'll have to wait until 98% of the people who bought the ebook to give up..
"Let's demand some honesty from marketers for a change. Some proof and evidence. We may not be able to clean up the world of IM altogether, but we can create our own little spotless corner where baloney is not allowed."
Greetings Jon,
As I read your post my mind was shouting — "YES!" Keep up the good work.
Jon,
Very happy to hear you're doing so well. Alok has a very good product, although because I already knew of and use three of the techniques, I may return it.
But please note on your case study of Alok's Project Quick Cash, I didn't find a mention of your making a net profit from the study, just traffic. If you'd mentioned actual profits, as Alok does, you might have converted even higher. You did make a profit, right?
Sincerely wishing you all the very best,
lens00
lens00:
Absolutely I did. My average daily AdSense alone from the blog was $3-$5, which some days as high as $7 — after just 20 days. I can only imagine what it would be like for someone who keeps at it and ends up with hundreds of unique pages indexed in Google.
That would be a great idea but to follow, but to do that we would all need to be able to get our pre-release, reduced, or free versions of these products before launch so we could try out the systems in time for launch.
Love most of your ideas Jonathan and I own a number of your software selections, but this one won't do many of us any good because we can't get at them until "after" they launch. By then we're left with the meager left overs that haven't been sold to by one of the many lists most of us are on by the ones that made $15,000 in one day (smiles).
To make good use of this tip, we need to get in on the ground floor weeks ahead of time as you did as an affiliate of the big launches. How about some tips on how to do that? That would be much more useful to many of us that are not at yet at the level you are and working on the "inside" with these guys. Just a thought…
Great idea, signed up for your blog and the I.M.Product Review. If I may be so bold as to suggest some "Product Reviews" some are old commonly used, some are "new".
1.Peel away ads. Considering using that on my new site, nearly ready for launch (above)to start an e-mail list with a SEO giveaway. Has response to it been good or is it considered too gimmicky?
2. Keyword tools: Keyword Discovery, Keyword Elite, Wordtracker, SEObooks free one. How about a comparison of each as to accuracy? etc.
3. Some softwares relating to "best" Adwords & Adsense (other than Googles own)
4. Blog softwares to use, again comparisons?
Thanks in advance, look forward to reading it.
Denny
Todd:
I understand why you might think that, but remember: the guru with a huge list converted less than 2 out of 100 people on his list. What does that mean? 98 people didn't buy! That's what it means.
Most of those 98 people who were not convinced are still out there right now, waiting to see the evidence. Even if you purchased your copy today, did a two week review and then published the evidence, far more than half of the people who saw the sales page are still potential customers who need the convincing evidence you can provide.
Hmm - I think I'm on that guru's list you mentioned Jon! I have to grin because I often wonder if anyone on his list thinks the same about the offers coming through. In fact I'm on many lists and it's interesting to read mostly the same stuff in their promotion emails on product launches.
Enjoyed this blog entry and the technical information you continue to provide. Thumbs up!
Hello Jon,
Yes you are very right…. the reason why you got such a nice sale for this
product was the proof that you shown by experimenting the product and telling
the truth rather than selling an untested product.
Hope great success for jonsays.com
Thanx
Jonathan, you are right!
The reason I purchased the Project Quick Cash eBook was that I read about your test. Now, when I have been through the eBook twice I now that these 5 quick cash methods are great and I will stay up all night to implement one of them. My results will be posted to my blog in the coming weeks. The projects in this eBook can be hard to implement without your Tools Membership Site. After using it for a while I can’t imagine how I could do without it. It’s good for what ever you are doing in Web Marketing and if you continue to ad more tools of the same quality as was promised, it will be a smash hit.
Thanks’
Jonathan
Hi Jon, The reasons you gave in your blog about why you sold so many Project Quick Cash ebooks must be right, I'm sure, but they had nothing to do with why I bought from you instead of from several others. The reasons I bought from you were because I'd bought other products from you that I was happy with –especially Instant Article Wizard– & so you'd gained my trust on earlier products.
Best wishes,
Wayne A.
I too have stopped purchasing stuff these days…..
Got a big hole in the pocket by purchasing product with same rehashed stuff….
Now i download them for free from forums… hahahaha
SS
wayne:
Thanks, I really appreciate that!
SS:
While I understand your frustration and angst, becoming a thief makes you no better than the people you are stealing from.
Jonathan,
That is the reason that I keep your emails. You do set yourself apart from the rest. You are right, everytime I hear from MOST of these guru's is when they want my wallet again. Not you, you do give good information and you do provide proof that something works. They are all in bed together trying to take us little people for a ride. Take our money and run, you are different. keep it up.
Steve
Hi Jon,
Please use another perspective with the guru with a "huge list".
Let's think he has 150,000 names (I have no idea but let's take this number just for the exemple) 2% means he made 3,000 sales which (at $30) make $90,000.
If he has 500,000 names (I don't know) he just made $300,000.
Your $15,000 is for about 500 sales.
You worked a lot for your money, the big guru worked in the past and don't bother any more, yet he would have made 20 times (for 500,000 names) what you made.
These are two different perspectives, and when you get that kind of money just by hitting the "send" key, maybe you become like him
I wish you to be able to do it in a near future.
Gerard:
Um no, he didn't. I out sold him. So even with his huge list he made a lot less than I did. That's my point.
Indeed when you show proof and actually take the time the results will be alot better and you will eventually gain the trust from your list…Your word will indeed be gold.
James Dean
Jonathan:
Yes we all know that "honestly is the best policy" That's why internet marketers need to prove that they are giving honest reviews. Otherwise who would waste their money. I have always been interested in your way of doing business. Keep up the good work!
This post caught my attention and I'm not remotely interested in how you made the money but I did peruse your site and saw your music site. I read that you use fl studio to produce your work. I started using that back in 2000 but not to make techno music. It's good to see other web guys into making music. Your photo on that site also looks like the real you instead of the stuffy photo you have up here. My opinion of course. Anyway good luck with your music.
Peace
I agree about the "stuffy" photo, but my wife said the one on the music site looks like a mug shot!
I need to take a new one and put it here, too.
Music? I thought you were a writer!
You wrote a mystery novel for your wife as an anniversary gift?
Jimson:
Yes, and I also have a music site. =)
Once again leading from the front Jon.I have searched high and low for a chance to push Alok's product but alas have missed the boat.
I am visiting your review blog now.
Cheers mate
Craig
Hi Jon,
I could probably name the marketer to whom you refer - all promotion and not information - and if I can't name him, then there must be at least two of them!!
Anyway, I agree and I've even made the mistake of bragging about a product too early and now I have to go back and retract what I said because it didn't do what it said it would do on the packet. I burnt my fingers hard there and I for one never promote products I've never used.
Trish Jones
Thanks for the reply, Jonathan. I appreciate it.
Were you using RSStoBlog to create your blog posts?
I've liked much of Alok's previous work, but honestly I would have passed on this if I hadn't seen you recommending it.
One thing I've done in the past is buy subscribers products to have THEM test them out and I've found sometimes getting a fresh pair of eyes on something can uncover amazing things I hadn't considered.
Hi Jonathan,
Can you tell me if the techniques are NEW or just repackaged? I've been a full-time internet marketer for over 4 years now and I make an above average living. I belong to several forums, some private, so I'm familiar with a lot of techniques. Would this be geared towards someone like me? I know it has a money back guarantee, but I don't want to read through something if its just a rehash or repacked list of techniques discussed elsewhere. Thanks.
David
I have to admit I have a growing curiosity about PQC. I'm seriously considering purchasing it. I've grown to be more selective about the products I purchase. The more I read about PQC, the more it looks like a real winner. I'm also interested in your product review blog. You're one of the rare marketers who provides evidence to support what you are recommending. Believe me, you're not the only one tired of the baloney.
Bravo, Jon!
The time of the "White Hats" is gradually gaining momentum and you've been one of the most prominent in leading that charge, while making it possible for thousands of others to do the same.
Good to see.
John
Jonathan,
I have my own fitness niche site and I contantly learn free valuable information from you. I am sorry it took me this long to make a positive comment. I am a big fan of how you treat your readers and customers. I consider you a role model…and yes, I purchased PQC through your link (those Blogger tips you gave as a bonus were just as impressive as the e-book).
Thanks for all of the case studies you give on a regular basis, by the way!
You got it absolutely right, I love your style, Jon! And that's exactly WHY I am on YOUR list (and lesser and lesser on the ones of so-called "G****". After a while you just can't take the crap anymore.
Actually, there seems to be a negative correlation in this where it is probably more beneficient to go for the marketers that promote the least, that is especially valid for the IM scene.
Marketers who don't know how to substantiate their marketing will face consequences. People are fooled way too much with fluff from big names who just don't care. Once their lists reach critical mass, even a bad conversion rate will give them enough total profits - without the "bassle" of being a real marketer.
I have started to quit marketing collegues who promote crappola more than twice - basta!
Gurus RIP, marketing with substance is what we need!
Jon,
The thing I like most about reading your posts and studies is that you actually take time to do a thorough review. You don't just plug products for cash. You stand out in that respect.
Rhonda
Hi Jon,
I'll try both automation tools and ebook. If not as good as it is, I will ask for refund (not from you of course
). But honestly, I never saw your promoting other people's product so hard like what you did to this PQC.
I love the idea Jon.
I'll be doing case studies when I start my new blog as well.
You're a wonderful role model to follow.
Thanks!
Jonathan,
It is always a pleasure to read your posts. Being an honest and helpful marketer, you have built a reputation for yourself that certainly will always boost your sales. It is because you do so much more than just sell to your list that I (and others) remain on your list. The products that I have bought from you are all good quality and when you speak, I listen, because I want to learn as much as possible from you.
Unfortunately, I am not as creative and imaginitive as you are, and it takes me a lot longer to come up with a lot of the ideas and things that you seem to do with so much ease. This doesn't stop me from following your progress, and I have learned much from you. Thank you so much for sharing yourself with your followers.
Barry
Jonathon
Any news on the bonus from your link for PQC.
I pinged your esupport couple times. One for 8 tip bonus and once to get some discusion around your forum tool.
Specifically - more discussion on page rank, Alexa and links in. I did a search for my topic and it was the reverse of what you suggested we look for. if Page rank was high, alexa and links in were low. Could not find hig across the board of about 20 forums it found.
Hi Jon,
I always like the way you back up your claims with facts and statistics, and you only recommend products that you have used it with positive results.
Keep up your good work and looking forward to your product review blog.
Cheers,
Keith.
Hey folks,
1) I bought PQC yesterday and read most of it, and also Jon's Free Bonus that totally compounded the quality of PQC…
2) Today for giggles I checked out Technique #1 using Google's "Hot" tool…
3) To my amazement, the search term "zen enlightenment" peaked at about noon, I couldn't believe it, and there were NO Adwords in the Search Results for the term…
4) In just 10 minutes I set up a new Adwords campaign and BAM! I had dozens of new visitors to my site in just under 6 hours for pennies…
5) At about 4:00 pm I'm thinking to myself that there needs to be more accountability in Internet Marketing for the mere fact that if we don't police ourselves, the Federal Trade Commission will gladly step in and ruin it for all of us (Actually all it will take is a few bad apples)…
6) At 9:00 pm Jon sends me this blog post and talks about IM accountability…
Folks the law of attraction is at work and we're all part of a grand design!
PQC rocks, Jon rocks, and I'm happy to know all of you.
To your success,
Lewi
Jon,
I agree that honesty is the best policy, and have said so for years, even when I worked for a major British credit car company (but, as the Bible says, some fell on stony ground).
I wasn't going to purchase Alok's product, mainly because I'm so busy on other projects, but you've now convinced me to get it after all.
See … I told you honesty was the best policy!
I agree with one of the posts above—getting your product to review early makes all the difference in the world! There are some great tips that Alok brings out in project #5 that actually coincide with an ebook I'm working on, but from my limited experience as a super affiliate wannabe (lol), the quicker you get the cookies out there, the better your chance of making a higher conversion. Sometimes this allows you to snatch-up members of the guru's list before the guru gets to them! Jonathan… as the coolest guy on the planet… maybe you can part with a small, little, tiny tip that helped you get your foot in the door, before you reached your current status. I realize that you don't consider yourself one of the top guys in IM, but from what I've seen… you are certainly well on your way and I think your opinion would matter to all who follow you (myself included!) Any insight to getting products early to review?
I would also like to say that you are one of the only guys out there that I know of who actually allows his list to beta-test your latest projects. I've been a part of 2, and this is a great way for us to honestly review affiliate products (before they launch) while you are in the testing stage! Thank you for being that guy!
Hey Jonathan
Congrats!
YOu're definitely right about trust and loyalty in the business. I just got online again several months ago after about three without regular computer access (no I wasn't in jail ;=)) Since I've been back at it I've seen so much garbage and hype I'm sickened. Even some of the "Gurus" who used to send out quality content and THEN try so sell me something now just send one or more emails a day pushing something that's "Fantastic, Wonderful, Amazing" or something. Even with a staff I don't see how they can review and test one to two products a day. I've unsubscribed from not one, but several of the "Guru's" lists.
Trish says above if she doesn't know who you mean there must be two. Trust me Trish there are more than two.
Anyway, thanks for good, reliable information and reasonable prices ($7)!
Rich Scheferen agrees wholeheartedly with you. If you haven't read "Attention Age Doctrine Part 2" yet get it. It's free.
Thanks again for being you
Duane
Jonathon, keep up the great work. You're one of the few straight shooters online. You're probably the only 'guru' I would believe at his word. I have probably bought almost every product you have and they have all been worth the money.
I like your style - you're one of the few guys online who consistently tests things and gives ongoing reports on the results. This is great stuff - good luck with your sales. I'll be buying as well in a day or two!
Jon I have admired you for your principle of not endorsing just any product in the net.I tend to ignore most products from well known gurus because of the hype.
All just parrot each other with their long sales letters and we have no way of knowing what works . What we see are gurus out to make their clickbank accounts fatter at our expense.
We are behind you to clean up the net and definitely that spotless corner will be where most people will end up.
Thank you Jonathan for making a newsletter actually worth reading. I have actually recommended your newsletter to people because of the tips you share and I believe you are honest with what you send out.
Hi Jon,
I was probably amongst the first to get in the moment the doors opened. I must agree with Wayne Archer why we buy from your link. You have already overdelivered long long ago with all your products and IAW2.0 is one of my alltime favorites too. Similarly, when you recommended HyperVREGold, I got it through your link too. And you took 1 minute to respond to my support ticket requesting for my PQC bonus. Thanks Jon and keep up the good works.
Greg
Hi,
Nice one. I like your way of presenting the facts and figurs. Nice to know that you only recommend products that you have used it with positive results.
Keep up your good work and am looking forward to your product review blog.
With Regards,
Bendz
Hi all i have spent lots of money and many hours trying out the bull xxxx out there,and have got nowhere because the product or information was rubbish.I am not willing to spend any more money untill i find an honest person to listen to and invest my hard earned cash with.So jon i will be monitoring you and if you are honest i will invest with your products in the future.For all use minows i hope you are.
Yes Jonathan - honesty breeds trust and makes a huge difference, as you have proved. I bought PQC via your link because of your knowledge of the product. Thanks.
David
Thanks Jonathan, I agree with your idea, reseach, testing, trust ia a keyword for internet marketer.
Oh… Thank you.
Hi John,
It is very true. Honesty and integrity and above all giving are the ways to make money.
Am still considering checking out this product.
Thanks,
D
I totally agree with what you've said. I've bought products off you in the past and never once did I consider sending them back because they always did what you said they would. Your new idea for reviewing products sounds like a great idea that will cut through all the crap that gets sent in my inbox every day.
Keep up the great work!
Jonathon,
I am a fan. I use 3 way links and it bumped up my PR on my sites as promised.I like the aticle wizard,too. Great stuff.
Your point about making sells even if it is well after the launch is valid. I considered buying Keyword Elite forever and even though all sources said it was the real deal, I hesitated. Months later, one marketer sent a report of exact facts and figures and results they achieved from the product and BAM! I bought it.
As for the duplicated GURU blather in my inbox, I received one yesterday where he had the stones to describe the results that "Jonathon" was getting. He didn't use your last name. Too funny.
So at least one fat cat is listening to you.He's just too {*ahem*} lazy to do the work himself. That probably explains why he pimps so many PLR ebooks.
Keep it up,my friend. You have the recipe for reader loyalty!
David
Jon you are one of the few marketers whose list I am on that I will always take the time to listen to your advice. Honesty, Integrity and Straight Talk is how I live my life and do business, those are a few reasons why I an grateful to be on your list and a user of your products.
Mike LaVallee
Your info is the best.
G'day Jon,
Couldn't agree with you more. I refuse to promote anything I haven't thoroughly reviewed. There are plenty of products out there, but you only have one name and once it's tarnished, it's a long hard road back to regaining trust.
Perhaps some of your visitors might also be interested in posting their thoughts on IM at the Ethical Marketers Forum, (www.ethicalmarketers.org), a non profit, non sales site purely for discussion on ethics in marketing and raising the standards.
Cheers,
Ric
Great email marketing is about:
1. Providing value to your list.
2. Observing and influencing the behavior of your subscribers.
One of the simplest ways to do that is to follow a sequence with your emails.
eg. Send 2 emails of high quality content.
Then in your third email use the same style as the first 2 emails but have high quality content that leads to a product.
Great post Jonathon.
Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
Jon,
It is unbelievable you would have to remind marketers they need to be honest. And even more amazing that this is a revelation?
Well done on your affiliate promotion. Nice guys always win.
Regards
James
Nice post Jon.
No wonder I (almost) always open your emails
All the best
Dena
Jon,
I have no problem with upsells, but when I buy a product largely on your recommendation I am disappointed to see your products on the OTO page.
alex
Alex:
Why is that? I'm very interested to know. I created a set of tools that I used to automate the process, and then told Alok (a friend of mine) about the tools, and he thought it would make a great OTO. I happen to agree. It makes a great product fantastic.
So what in particular is the issue? I'm listening…
Like most folk here, I like your methods and approach, Jonathan.
But… I bought PQC on Thursday and have been trying the second method since then (hot trends, blog, digg). How much have I made? Not a single cent.
Jon, I never buy on launch because I like to see what happens and I don't buy the hype of "the price is going up very soon" because it rarely does! What I did notice is I subscribed to Alok Jain's list and I get an upsell email from him stating "2000 people bought my product and are happy very happy with it". He probably did sell 2000 copies of his e-book. But telling me that 2000 people are happy with it when they have only been using it for a few days is nothing BUT HYPE. I have now unsubscribed to his list! I unsubscribed for another reason. If I would have bought the HYPE I would have bought it thru YOU. Now in the upsell email he sent me He gave me 2 of his products with master resell rights absolutely FREE and the email seemingly CUT you out of the affiliate commission. So why is this friend of yours cutting you out of the commissions by sending me the upsell email? Since we are talking honestly here tell me how you honestly feel about his upsell email to me.
Dave:
Really? Have you been getting any traffic? How are you monetizing your blog?
Dale:
I can understand why you weren't happy with the '2,000 happy customers' statement, but just to rest your worries: he wasn't cutting me out of the sale. The cookie is still on your machine and would have gone to my affiliate account. Besides, since I won one of his contests, my link was in that email.
Thanks for your loyalty though!
Jon
Jon,
All of the above comments notwithstanding, I am grateful for your case studies as they provide a second point of reference for the product which helps me to judge the claims made by the product seller on his sales page - Thanks!
Robert
Jon,
I'm using adsense, as suggested by Alok. I'm using a new blogger blog. Essentially I'm following the procedures exactly as specified by Alok (none of the extras mentioned in your bonus; I'll look into that once I've proved the theory).
How do you check traffic to a blogger blog? After a lot of hard work I managed to include an adsense channel in the adsense code on the blog so that will give me some stats but not sure how you get your comprehensive information. Advice on that would be much appreciated - although I think it will show little or no traffic.
Dave:
You can use Google Analytics, or a free tracking script (the one I used for the case study was extremetracking.com). That should tell you where your visitors are coming from.
Also, make sure that you're writing your snippet that's going to the social bookmarking sites in a way that they will get people's attention. See my section on social bookmarking tips in the tip sheet bonus.
The issue is trust. If I know you will benefit from a product I will interpret your recommendations accordingly. It is not an issue of quality or adding to an offer.
Nowhere did I see information that you were partnering in the product. This does not detract from your study. You are very open with your data but once you play the openness game a lack of openness looks suspicious
I dare say that if you had stated that you were so impressed with Alok's methods that you were working on software…you would probably have sold even more!
Alex
Alex:
That's an excellent point, and something I will certainly keep in mind for next time. Thanks for taking the time to respond with more information Alex.
Jonathon, thanks for the case study emails, they are definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the pitch fest most of us get when any IM product of substance is released.
I was thinking about it the other day…..there are only a few IM "gurus" emails that I like to receive: yours, Frank Kern's, David Vallieries, and Perry Marshall's.
The commoon thread? They all deliver some value. Its pretty simple and goes back to the age old law of reciprocity: when you give value out it always comes back to you 10 fold. I have done that kind of thing with my main list over the last few years and its amazing how loyal subscribers will be for you when you sell them something.
We will all look forward to new case studies. thanks again,
Jim
Hi Jonatha:
I wish every IM Guru follows your lead. The transparency and honesty is so evident and it makes me so happy that you made a great income out of your JV. You earned i by making time to test report and developed additional valuable tips. I was delighted to buy through your link, rather than directly from Alok. Frankly, I am not sure I would have bought it. Nothing, against Alok. He has done a great job but I did not know him or his work. Your association and testing and reporting clinched it for me. In short Jonathan you made the profits the old fashioned way-You earned it (as The Famous Smith Barney Ad would say. Thank you for your great work.
Virender
Hi Jon,
This is a big deal, for you and Alok, so I hope you'll listen.
Alok launched his "Silent Salesman" site earlier this year and you played a big part in that. You developed the backend of it if I remember correctly.
Now Alok has launched his new product and today you're saying that you've got access to his 60,000 list, but isn't that the same list he built using Silent Sales Machine, where the people who referred subscribers to him would earn any Clickbank commissions?
He's selling his quick cash book through Clickbank, but if I'm not mistaken he sold to the list first without going through the referral system you and he created.
That means, the original idea, which he used to build a list of tens of thousands on the promise of residual income for referrers, hasn't been adhered to.
Are you aware of this?
~ Paul
Alex,
Thanks for bringing up the issue of full disclosure.
Jon,
I was a bit disappointed that I found out that the main reason for you to push this product was that your product(s) or services were part of the backend.
If you follow that link, you'll see that there are others disappointed by your actions.
As Alex said above, when it comes to openness, it has to ALWAYS be COMPLETE openness.
It's fine that you did the case study, that you added the incentive of your "tips sheet" for anyone that buys through your link, but not letting people know that you're actually partnering on the product can appear a bit suspicious and dishonest.
Jon, I'll still read your blog, but this turn of events was a bit disappointing. I hope that you practice FULL DISCLOSURE in the future.
Chris Hunter
Chris:
His system works. I created the tools BECAUSE his system works. It matters not one iota that the back-end was created by me. I provided proof from a neutral third-party that it works. If you expect more than that from anyone I'm afraid you're in for a lot of disappointment.
Paul:
The list you're speaking of is his SilentProfitMachine.com list. Alok has since created many projects and has many lists.
And no, the 60,000 list was not all from me (I WISH I currently had the ability to refer that many signups to somebody). I believe if I remember correctly that he got around 2,000 from me. Big difference.
Jon,
Not to be argumentative or disrespectful, but…
You get word of a new marketing product.
You get a free review copy of the product from the onwer, who you've worked with before, from the sound of things.
You test the information.
You create tools to help you test the information.
You like your test results.
You like your test results and decide to promote the product to your various lists, showing your case study and offering an incentive to buy through your link.
People buy the product and then see an upsell to your tools that you created after buying the product?
It doesn't appear as innocent as you want it to seem.
But I digress.
In the future, could you let us know when you're promoting a product or service that you're a partner on? Thanks!
Jon,
I am with you 100% about honesty. But you know what, the tables are turning - IMs better get their act together, because people are begining to tune out.
And you know what, I want to help people tune out from hucksters, and downright scam artists.
I am not a whiner, but the scam artists have to know that the rules are going to change. At least for those who really want them to.
I got an e-mail from a big name marketer promoting Alok's product. I will never buy from this guy. All he does is push products. He doesn't have a clue what would be good for me in my online business, yet I must buy 20 products from him. To do what?
This guy works with another big name marketer who has this infomercial on TV just misleading people.
These people will never get my money no matter how good the product is. That is my commitment to myself and the cause of honesty.
People deserve better than what is going on in the IM world right now.
Sure Chris, I can do that. I honestly had no idea that anybody would have a problem with that, especially since I gave neutral third-party proof that it works.
I purchased your download on the now follow links. You can add this add on from fire fox and it will highlight the no follow links automatically.. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/321
Jonathan,
I've gotten valuable info from you, even though I've never bought anything from you. You, Joel Comm and Travis Sago are the only gurus I'll even pay any attention to. You've all provided some substance in your mailings, rather than just sales pitches.
I sincerely hope that marketers are moving away from the luridly colored sales letters sprinkled with "this blows my mind" and "this blows the doors off any other system" and the hype and pressure to buy before the ebooks are all gone. (I love that one.)
I'd like to see a lot more Pink Hat Marketing. As far as I'm concerned, anything else is Old Hat.
Shine On,
Lill
Truth to be old I am getting so many emails about this project I am sick and tiered of hearing about it. Still, something grabbed me and I read your blog. Thanks for taking the effort. There is so much junk out there, we don't know whom to believe anymore. But a guy who takes the time and effort to actually test the stuff they promote, that's rare. I will keep an eye out for your other emails. I am about to unsubscribe to a whole bunch but not yours. Thanks for the work!
Yes, I love your approach, that´s why I regularly read your blog and purchase your products. You got those sales from selling PQC. How about letting us know how effective those tactics he promises are. If a newby is ready to spend his last 77$,with the hope of making extra through the PQC, will he/she succeed?
O. Kenny Adeleke
Jordan,
You send out to many marketing emails. Once a week would be fine.
Hi Jon, does Alok's Silent Profit Machine really works?
Hi,
That's a great tip.