Do You Believe In Magic?

37 Responses to “Do You Believe In Magic?”

1. Sandy on February 8th, 2008 6:14 am

   Wow.. you noticed Derek - lol

   Actually I am really frustrated with the wild names they are throwing at us, all promising something I can’t really comprehend.

   The gurus have lost touch with the audience.

   Keep up the great work for us please

2. Irene on February 8th, 2008 10:26 am

   Derek, not sure how to answer whether the products are fulfilling to our needs without trying them all.

   All I can say is that I am “turned off” trying most because I find the sales pitches manipulative. Especially now that I see the long sales letter “formula” in each one and how they are - as you say - screaming out louder and LOUDER to get noticed.

   Is this the only direction Internet Marketing can take? It’s reminding me of circus freak show barkers. And it all is coming across as shady to me.

   Tell me there’s a way we can market without this used-car salesman approach - and without the manipulation, hyperbole, and self-agrandising …er…halftruths.

3. xu zhenyao on February 11th, 2008 5:24 am

   the point is.. there’ so much information on the web that everytime we touch this, we get sucked into the next…. its pretty much very difficult for us to learn in this way.. dont u think so derek?

4. Hock Siew, Ong on February 11th, 2008 5:39 am

   Dear Derek,

   I attended your 2 day program in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia and I subsequently signed up for the Mentorship program. What you said there was great and my mentor, Paul Bax is doing a wonderful job. I am learning much and I think the money paid is value for money.

   The interesting thing in my view is that most of those who attended you seminar in Malaysia will really fall flat on their faces if they tried moving into the business on their own. At this starting stage, I can see that without clear guidance, many will end up by the way-side with broken dreams.

   The other thing is that although you work in your pyjamas, you will probably have to wear the pyjamas for a long time. It is actually quite as easy as it is projected to be by many of the other so-called IM Gurus who tell you they have the secret to the maze.

   In going through the process (and it is only the beginning), I think the approach is still somewhat confusing. What we really need is someone who will flow through the whole process of the business with us. How this can be done is that the notes given should be a step by step instruction of the process with sample results thrown in.

   This will make the life of the Mentors easier and the mind of the student less cluttered. I know this might be just wishful thinking as I realise you have your business considerations too. Still it is a wish….

   Thanks. Ong HS

5. Michael Kocis on February 11th, 2008 5:41 am

   Well put Derek, You forgot something though, anyone notice how most of these “gurus” are ALL in each others affiliate programs? You might get an e-mail from “Joe” selling you his deal but then you get an offer from “Fred” offering “Joe’s” deal only with some add-on. And back & forth it goes.

   I’ve only found two ( yours included) that offered, “Hey, for a few bucks, you come in look around for a month then decide if it works” Wonderful idea.

   Another virtual “slap in the face” is when, not only their pitch seem slightly fague and extremely complicated, but the video, or worse, telecall starts with 15-20 minutes of self praise.

   Take three sentences to introduce yourself then get to it. We’ll decide if we like YOU only if IT works.

   Thanks
   Michael Kocis
   www.wildwoodcarvings.com

6. Paul on February 11th, 2008 5:45 am

   Most of these products are selling things that can be found with a little online searching and a reasonable dose of common sense. It also seems many of these schemes do nothing more than try to set you up on a website trying to get other people to also sell these schemes. No real products ever change hands.

7. Jonathan on February 11th, 2008 5:48 am

   I find that most websites try and get your money before you even have a chance to understand their product. And most sell you on a chance to earn incredible amounts of money the first year of trying their product and act as though theirs only a select group of people that can actually participate in the programs they offer.

8. John Kumpunen on February 11th, 2008 5:59 am

   Derek, thanks for pointing out the truth (in your email). There is no magic wand. It is simply a 5000-year old process of convincing people you have a solution to their problem. Here’s the problem: Any affluent consumer society has an obscene excess of products competing for consumer attention — a huge waste of resources. Do we really need 437 mp3 players? Does Steve need to introduce a new iPod every 6 months? Calculated obsolescence? Do we really need 20,000 brands of beer? Same with internet marketing. It’s now a cacophony of secrets, killer copy, this and that. Huge waste of intellectual resources. We’re actually going back to the way we marketed 20 years ago. BW printed newsletter with links to web site movies, PDFs, and other resources. What will be the backlash of this cacophony? Your thoughts?

9. Mildred Blanchard on February 11th, 2008 6:06 am

   Hi Derek. You are “right on the money” with your comments. I have been researching for a couple of years and all of the ” Lazy man’s way to make riches”‘ stuff, leaves me cold. I do not make emotional decisions and I get the feeling that the promoters of those programs must think that ALL internet business researchers are “really stupid” or “emotional nuts” . I want something that gives me hard facts,, I really do not care what others are supposed to have done.. or the money they are supposed to have made.. I want a system that is easy to follow and that will actually assist me in making an income.

   Sure there are people on the internet who make a lot of money but they are few and far between. The goal is to make a decent income and have the freedom to live a good live as well..

   Now, if somebody could come up with a way to help chose a business and make it run and make money, something that actually helps a newbie to get up and running. THAT would be marvellous.

   keep up the good work, I really enjoy your newsletters.

10. cressida on February 11th, 2008 6:29 am

    HI Derek - please explain the laser target advertising - if i was selling say a health product where do I start? I don’t know what you mean by driving traffic to your site with the net’s search engines….can you be more specific please?
    Thanks

11. frank burns on February 11th, 2008 6:40 am

    Hello Derek, I’m a Newbie and not very proud of it? I started buying a whole archive of materials during 2006 till now in the hope that I could find some way to market those articles & products online, donating 85% of all sales towards helping farming communities & charitable organizations. By November 2007 I personally felt that I had been misled with a number of hot items that were being sold to me and in conclusion, I realized that setting my goals online had cost me a sum which I would have otherwise freely given off line. I still cannot find a reason why I should promote any of the products I have purchased to date. I do not have faith in many of the products, I see a new trend emerging where spy ware is actually being embedded into the framework of the products and automatic reporting is happening without the user’s knowledge.

    To me, that is deceptive marketing. I also feel there should be a restriction placed as to how many articles can be resold online in combined packages. Some of your readers above have made the point that you can buy these products separately and then, all of a sudden there’s mass control spreading like wildfire but some of these high products could also have been bought as a single item elsewhere. Most of the sales pitches are geared up to sell to us the concepts of “How to make money on line” and yet, the articles do not represent value for money spent as most of their leads take you to another linked site where you have to buy this & more and until eventually your wallet is so paper thin it leaves a sickening feeling that something is wrong with marketing practices. For myself, I learned that there is knowledge to be gained and there are some intelligent and respected mentors on line who are sharing the wealth of their knowledge to help others excel. If the Internet spectrum was to change and marketers actually sold a product of benefit which increased and helped the on line community in some way then perhaps we could return to some of the good values within us and expect a higher volume of sales.

    Thank You Derek.

12. fredrick on February 11th, 2008 6:56 am

    hi derek to me is confusing.i know an average man who approach the internet came purposely to find a way of making money through a guided or step by step guide but the reverse is the case,all i can say now to you sir is please lead us ,show us the step by step process and help us to start making legitimate income,personaly i beleive in knowledge.

13. Vivien Allen on February 11th, 2008 6:59 am

    Hi Derek

    When my website was up and running in January 08, it has no alexa ranking. I have submitted my website to search engines, post up ads and banners in other high traffic websites and directories. Now the alexa ranking for my website is 12,62643,315
    I have lots of traffic but cannot convert it to a sale, any suggestions.

    I have purchased The “Insider Secrets” To Marketing Your Business On The Internet recommended by VoipStarter

    I have finished reading Step 1 to Step 5, any suggestion or tips for me to convert these traffic into sales. Hope to hear from you.

    Thanks
    Vivien

14. Colleen on February 11th, 2008 7:02 am

    I agree wit h the fellow who pointed out that all these “GURUS” are on each others email lists, and must be selling to each other because they all take turns selling the same products, I have been recieving and watching their messages for years now, and deleting most of them, as their have way too many secrets, and are always open to just the few who buy in first. What a crock, if they were really offering something of value you would think they would offer their great product to every one. I actually tried 2 of these great guru affiliate products where you don’t even need a website , it’s so easy to use and set up. Guess what, after buying the product, I find that you can do it withoiout a website , never expained how, and then they say if you really want to do the thing you oordered you really do need a website as it works best with a website, but some how miraculously you could do it without one !!!! Daaa, whatever.
    It’s time for the lies to stop, If I sent you their names could you tell me anything about these dudes and if they are actually for a little bit real.

15. Rebecca on February 11th, 2008 7:13 am

    Hi Derek

    Not sure if when you said ‘no names’ that you meant not to name the product, so I won’t just to be on the safe side But it was a traffic product. Anyway, I find it very solid, though I just took the free version. But then, I’m not a newbie, have had some success online, and my own products, and just looking at tweaking things to get the maximum I can out of them. I’m always learning

    But I have to say, I’ve been suckered by stuff before, and certainly spent money on things I didn’t really need at the moment. I really take the time to check whether it fits my need. And I’ll add another thing to your list - do you have the time to even implement anything new that you might learn from these products, even if they can be useful to where you are at this point. That’s a big one for me, as I have so much to do now anyway.

    You know how it is - when you find something that is working, keep doing it until you can afford to outsource what you need to do for maintenance Then you’ll have more time to look at adding another arrow to the bow (that was a bit of a note to self I think!)

    Thanks!

16. Mike Pickett on February 11th, 2008 8:10 am

    Hi Derek,
    I truly enjoy your articles and thank you for sharing your knowledge, and great marketing advice. The online world is full of so many phonies proclaiming to know how to make millions, it’s sad to see so many good people who want to be successful and run an online home based business are taken for a ride. Derek thanks for your honesty, integrity and constant guidance in helping new as well as seasoned players to remember the fundamentals and avoid the pitfalls.
    Shame on companies promoting systems full of hype which do nothing more than continue to give the great Industry of Network Marketing a black eye. I encourage everyone to do their due dilligence, invest your time before you invest your money. Seek and you shall find, a wise man said it this way, ” when the student is ready the teacher will appear.”

    We hear this all the time when we, “help others we help ourselves.” The problem is too many people look for the instant gratification. We live in a society where people are constantly on the go, Fast food, ATM’s for cash, cell phones, laptops on vacation, we want and expect feed back immediately. Pay attention, this is very important ,when you give of your self, your knowledge, your time, and really care for the person who is in need it will come back to you!. It may not be today, it may not be at all from the person you helped but you will be blessed many times over, please allow me to expalin.
    When you help someone without looking for any self gain, first you are immediately compensated. Not monitarily, your compensated with something more valuable, As the recipient thanks you from the bottom of their heart for your time spent helping, teaching, guiding or directing them you are compensated with the sinsere feeling of joy. It is priceless. We are on this planet to help one another, however we look for pay back. As I stated it comes first the joy then the ripple effect of your actions. What is is the ripple effect, as this individual moves forward in life making better choices or decissions credit is always given to those who helped make the changes possible. Their are no mystries in life, all of the secrets will unfold for you to find the answers, make the right choices,and take charge of your life. Live it and enjoy it don’t let others have all the fun, decide what you want and go for it. Allow me to unvail this mystry of success. Success comes from simple actions done consistantly! While you are doing them it is boring, it may appear no progress is being made. Whether you are attempting to loose weight, improve fianances, improve relationships while you are going thru the process it may not seem like progress is being made, but sticking to the fundamentals applying consistancy to your actions you will wake up one day being talked about as an instant success story. Nothing happens instantly. The media distorts the work that went on behind the scene, every success story every accomplishment worth speaking of was the result of sacrifice, struggle determination and consistancy of action, focsing on what you want not listenting to those who say you can’t, rather proving to yourself you can and will. Quick examples, the seedling that grows into a beautiful oak tree has weathered many storms and droughts, the olympian has drilled and practiced for years before he attains any glory. Life is a journey we continue to learn and grow and help those who are trying to better themselves. Some people look at education and say I’m done with that I finished High School or I’m done with College, they choose to read no more, learn no more. I refer to them as the walking dead. Many become whiners, complaign, blame others for their lack of money or expect government to pay for everything etc…Then there are others who continue to learn, meet challenges head on. Some of these people may not have went to College or even graduated High School. However, they have a desire, they want more out of life. They seek out and surround themselves with motivated and successful people. They become sponges learning everything they can making themselves more valuable and soon they are part of the elite. It is so refreshing when we find someone like Derek, who is willing to give of himself. Thank you so much keep up the great job my friend, as we continue on this journey of helping each other become the best we can be.

17. Dave on February 11th, 2008 8:29 am

    Hello,

    I shy from anyone who uses pushy language to sell me anything. Let your product speak for itself. I have been burned too many times. It makes it hard for me to make a decision to buy something from a legitimate company.

    I signed up for your free newsletter about six months ago and I’ve learned more from it than many of the so called experts out there promising many things and have been unable to deliver.

    I’ve been considering your course from marketingtips.com and frankly am still nervous to shell out the money due to past experiences from others. I must say from reading your newsletter over the past several months, you are very consistent in what you say and promote which is encouraging to me as a buyer and future online businessman.

    I read some information on Web 2.0 a few weeks ago and received some high pressure information concerning social networking. It seemed like a big hoax to me and felt I was being manipulated and avoided any further contact with the social networking marketer.

    I believe things don’t change that fast and there is time to evaluate what you are doing.

18. Coral Calcium on February 11th, 2008 10:21 am

    Hi Derek, yes you are right! There are many products and ideas which promise the world but supply next to nothing. I watch and see many but know that the same standard methods which are taught by the IMC continue to work, week after week after week.

    Thanks for all you and your team do.

19. Carmelo Humphrey on February 11th, 2008 10:28 am

    Hi Derek,
    Carmelo here, Derek you have opened a can of warms….to say the least….I received hundreds of emails every day….promising the next best thing that I need to have success as an IM…Even the guys that tell me to stay focused shell me with new products that are not complementary..even worse, sometimes other´s affiliates products and each one with multiple OTO´s….Some of the great gurus have come to the batting plate and mentioned in several documents that all that has to change if we want to have a future as Internet marketers, but even those messages are being manipulated as many marketers are using Cindarella disguises….and in their sales letter they bad mouth all those guys who clean our wallets and worse than that makes us to give up as we see no results…
    Derek I think that you can contribute a lot if you teach us how to promote the right type of product that fill a real need and not a ficticious one created by the sales letter….because I think that the competition battle make us forget basic principles of how to serve your clients/customers in your list.
    Derek I have one of your products, several of Mike Filsame, John Reese, Ewen Chia, Chris (Day Job Killer)…you name it….a lot of money in my hard disk accumulating digital dust…..I recognize it is not their fault because the material is
    of high value but there is an order for everything….and traying to disqualify your competitors, like a lot of marketers try to make us belief in their sales letter is going to explode in the face of the ones that are using those marketing strategies….
    Sorry for this long wining..but you gave me the opportunity to talk.

20. George Glasgow on February 11th, 2008 10:33 am

    In the beginning of my search (surf) I found your message to be interesting, persuasive, and indeed aggresive. As your “automated” follow-up became frequent and gradually leaning to the old fashioned “used car sales” format, I had to lose interst. Touting a product is a good thing, but when you bring out the banners and the balloons, it is time for me to go.

    Best of luck in your endeavors.

21. Benedicta on February 11th, 2008 11:31 am

    Hi Derek,
    I have no web site and problem being that I have a service to render like a manual healer. Can I sell on the internet?

22. Ricardo on February 11th, 2008 1:51 pm

    I don’t know anything about the traffic channels of the ‘Net’s top search engines, it would be nice to have more information on this subject i your newsletter. The step below is from The IMC Insider newsletter form 02/11/08.

    “Step #6: Advertise your business to the people who are MOST LIKELY TO BUY

    The beauty of the Internet is that you can laser-target your advertising so you only present your message to the people who are most interested in buying your product. And traffic channels like the ‘Net’s top search engines can help you drive thousands of qualified leads to your site — for little or no money!”

23. rafiq dossa on February 11th, 2008 2:27 pm

    Hi Derek,

    99% of the folks above have said the same thing, they have been taken for a ride by the so called gurus, who promise you so much, but when it comes to making money, the end result is zero.
    I have spent a lot of money, trying to make a few hundred dollars a month as a second source of income, but till now I have not made a single penny.
    I am still a novice and dont even have a website, but I am trying to learn the business.Unfortunately, now I refrain from getting into anything because I feel that they are out to get you. They are a bunch of sharks, saying the same thing, they are all connected to one another, making false promises.
    These guys will not stop at anything, they want more and more, after you signup and pay the initial amount, you immediately start getting messages, promising you someting more, provided you make additional contributions.I dont trust them anymore.
    I have been geting very interesting and informative newsletters from Derek, I have started building up my cofidence in him and am positive that this is one person who can sincerely help out guys like us, who are suffering at the hands of these blood suckers.
    This is not a testimonial for Derek, this is the real truth, I have written what I feel.
    I wish I could take full advantage from Derek’s sincerety, but am unable to do so due to financial restrictions.

24. Annabel on February 11th, 2008 7:07 pm

    Most of it looks to me like get-rich-quick hype. I want something that will lay down the fundamentals, and, most importantly, not leave out any details.
    Your own Internet Marketing Secrets course, while worth buying for the overview it gives, lacks what I feel are very important details.
    For example, you give a very general introduction to keyword research in your Wordtracker tutorial, but don’t explain anything about clustering, or exactly how much research has to be done (you merely say you have to do “a lot more,”), or exactly how to determine what results constitute a truly viable niche market.
    Another example: you mention the various business models, but you don’t explain how to set up a membership site or how set up a forum or how to sell advertising space on your site.

25. mahmud on February 11th, 2008 10:39 pm

    Derek, sir, I would like to promote a readymade website on “virtual property”. But there isnt much help over there for me, so could u kindly elaborate how do I get to the spot where “there are buyers” of the product.that I would be promoting .
    Secondly, how could I choose a specific area “market”? Thanks.

26. SIKELELA on February 12th, 2008 12:15 am

    Hi Derek,
    I have joined almost 100 companies as an affiliate now how do i design a website that will fiture them all plus i have other “how to products ” that i want to sell online . I have asked someone to design a website for me but he says i must research look at other websites of people in similar trade affiliate marketing and come up with an idea he can use to built my website.
    now also he says my website must have a theme. I am new in this business I don’t have anything to brag about as a theme like any millions i have made online , can you offer advise?

27. Andrea on February 12th, 2008 3:55 am

    I have several things to market but I have no idea how to get started and how to get customer lists going….can someone please advise?

28. Nancy Willis on February 12th, 2008 8:41 am

    Derek, maybe I’m dense, but how do you know what your niche is? I have a website but I’ve only had 3 sales in over a year! I’ve put so much money in it that I can’t afford to put more.

29. lefteris on February 12th, 2008 5:54 pm

    Hi Derek and the rest of the team
    im trully greatfull for all the info that i get from you . i can t wait untill the feb 19 . Im still reading your e book its great ,when i finish i ll let you know about my guestions.

30. Irene on February 12th, 2008 7:58 pm

    From your last newsletter:

    Step #6: Advertise your business to the people who are MOST LIKELY TO BUY

    This one. Can you explain it in more detail please? Will these people please stand up!

    Thanks.

31. Linda on February 13th, 2008 12:04 pm

    Thanks Derek.
    Many sites that you pay about $10 promising to make money thru click amazon. They don’t tell you that you can’t edit or access html. Basically, you’re selling blindly. Can’t really optimize it.

32. Syahmi on February 13th, 2008 4:35 pm

    U said about a niche market, right but how we get our niche market?

33. Laura on February 16th, 2008 10:52 am

    This may be off-topic for this particular discussion, but … How does one price products? Specifically, I have a craft how-to book. Hard-copy is 38 pages, with photos. The e-book is still in process but 6 chapters (36 of the original 38 pages being used). Then I’ll finish the website for these. But what kind of pricing do I set? I had thought $35 for the hard-copy, printed black-on-white and set into a 3-ring binder, including shipping (not much profit, but affordable); $20 for the e-book, because I don’t have to do anything once my site is live. I want to be fair to everyone else who is offering an e-book, and don’t even know where to find information. Can you discuss this? Thanks.

34. RoseP on February 18th, 2008 8:38 pm

    Has anyone ever stopped to think how these Gurus make all their thousands and millions of dollars that they claim to make? They obviously make most of their money by selling products to us succers who are trying to get an online business started. They all promise to have what we need. Some of them actually have some good information in them (but quite often over our heads as we do not understand their terms yet, but would be good after we have learnt the basics) but there are others that don’t actually tell you anything anyway. As has been stated previously they are all obviously on each others mailing lists, because even though they all state that your particulars will not be passed on to anyone else all of a sudden there are all these emails appearing in your inbox. It gets to the stage where theres no way of ever getting through them all (hundreds as soon as the computer is turned on) and possibly stopping the ones you are expecting. But I suppose while we are all reading these emails and often useless eBooks we are leaving the way clear for them to continue making their “Millions” on the internet. Don’t get me wrong their are some genuinely helpful people out there but its a case of being able to tell who they are before you part with your money. Mostly I’ve found that the ones that are really trying to help you either have free newsletters or are not charging large amounts for their products. Even though I’m not a quitter I have been seriously considering giving up on the internet, because instead of making extra money I now find myself worse off with a maxed out credit card. I previously worked full time but had to leave work because of health reasons. I had hoped to be able to make some income from the internet but so far its been all outgoing. Thank you Derek and all the other people who have posted their comments I find I’m not the only one to have been caught in this trap. Surely I will be able to crack the code and turn the tide soon and start the money coming in. Thanks again Derek I will be looking forward to your email tomorrow.

35. Harjit on February 26th, 2008 3:24 pm

    Hi Derek
    What are the best options to advertise your site for more visitors?

36. Bryan on March 6th, 2008 9:12 pm

    You guys are the only ones that I have leaned toward for substance based methods and services, Thanks for such HEART & PASSION!
    http://www.betterpaths.com/index.html

37. George Feelgood on March 14th, 2008 2:51 pm

    Derek.

    I must confess, I purchased your IMC course, all 10 lbs of it, sometime back in ‘07 and sat on the material.
    I fell for the hype of web 2.0 gurus and this got me nowhere.
    So I blocked some time out, bunked work and college and really immersed myself in the videos, cds and the material.

    Long story short, I am more the wiser and am never fazed when hype goes live online, only to fall belly flop like the rest of them.

    You and the late Corey Rudl have been an inspiration to me long before I even emigrated from my hometown, Cape Town South Africa.

    Now I’m well on the way to experiencing the American dream, and it is as real as there are peaches in the State of Georgia.

    Keep watching this space…I am here to really live…
    Once you’ve tasted poverty, the dynamics change, and I really have matured with your courses and know how to milk the cash cow that is niche marketing.

    Good on you mate.

    George Feelgood
    www.absolute-seduction-tips.com

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