First off, to the authors: really nice blog, I’m glad to see that IM is finally becoming blogable and I might revive my own to have some fun with you guys

Also, very nice review, fair and balanced and actually informative, great job.

Lastly, this is for Alex:

We don’t provide offline contact info. My business address is at the bottom of each email I send to subscribers and buyers.

You have to understand that providing a phone number is not realistic for us at this time simply because of logistics. I may try it on a later product, but there are connundrums like having people show up at your house half drunk and getting all sorts of calls 24/7. Which, oh yes, it only the tip of the iceberg.

As for hype, it’s a necessary evil. Without hype, people will leave aside the best product in the world and go buy the worst scammiest thing possible because it is presented better (and often that involves $$$ and screenshots)

But as someone mentioned, it’s only hype if it’s not true, and this is 100% true. I make far too much money and have invested far too much in my businesses over the years to go down in flames over false claims.

I can understand your skepticism, it’s healthy. But there are a lot of people making 6 figures A MONTH online. I know many of them personally. Many are in their mid 20s. It’s hapening right now…

A lot. Believe it, it’s true, and it will serve you better than to think it’s not true. The money is there for the taking. Believe in it, believe in yourself and go get it.

Alex

And whilst not being upfront about contact details is indeed a poor show, their faiilure to respond to a request for them is, in my view, unacceptable.

So I’m not going to be an early adopter in this case, but will be quite happy to take my chances on top of the bell curve if you write a glowing report of your experiences with the program!

Cheers!

Alex

This is a Clickbank product which has a mandatory 60-day guarantee on everything. In fact, if you claim a refund, you can’t even do it from the owner, you HAVE to go through Clickbank who, as far as I’m aware, offer no problems in providing refunds.

See http://www.clickbank.com/refund_policy_faq.html

I have not received a reply to my email to 4TAM of Sunday last requesting on-(ever so poitely) their off-line contact details.

That immediately sets my alarm bells ringing.

I agree with all that you say abnout this offer David, but if I can’t get a ‘real ‘world’ address for anyone I’m considering doing business with on-line then my consideration comes to an abrupt halt.

Peraonally I would not trust 4TAM’s proffered money back guarantee if they can’t stand up and be counted before they get my money.

Cheers

Alex

Thanks for an insightful, thorough and helpful review – we need more of this and less of the hyped-up bs sales letters. I would like to see even a general sense of the types of methods that are taught in FTAM.

I can also relate to the many posts that were made about the quantity of junk and overstated promises that pervade the IM scene. I have been fortunate to purchase several good products that serve to at least provide a newbie like me with the tools and education needed as a prerequisite for success, as Phil said so well. I have also had good expereice with requesting and receiving refunds (perhaps I’ve been lucky), but what’s frustrating is that refunds would be unnecessary if most of these sales letters delivered on even half of what they promise.

I actually believe you.

And, because of this I will keep going.

Every time I see claims of $1,000 a week I automatically dismiss them as hype. {a nice way of saying ‘lies’}.

Having never made more than $100 in any month in sales over the last four years, I find it hard to believe claims of caviar and yachts.

Adsense income for 2007 = $1.09

Affiliate income (5 sales in 4 years) about $25 a YEAR.

I still won’t give up – I still spend about $100 a week on “guaranteed income items”.

I also occasionally buy a big ticket item. (I must admit I trashed ButterFly Marketing as a pile of worthless junk).

One day, I hope, ONE of these will make just ONE single sale.

I would never advise anyone to give up but I would say that luck plays a major part in online success.

I’ll keep trying and David, in many years time, I may get $300 a month in affiliate sales.

hahahahahahaha

1) David always writes insightful reviews. You’ll have to get used to it. He’s a helpful bloke (you can pay me later, David).

2) There’s a fine line between emotional involvement and hype on a sales page. As a copywriter, I know it’s a thin line to walk. As readers, keep one thing in mind: It’s only hype if it isn’t true. Of course, there’s no absolute way for a reader to know if something’s true, so it’s caveat emptor at all times.

3) Regarding Clive’s refund comments, if somebody ever doesn’t give you a refund you legitimately request, NEVER buy from that merchant again. Period. That’s crummy business and that marketer has just destroyed all possibility of you ever trusting him. Burn me once, shame on you; burn me twice, shame on me.

A personal story related to refunds…

When we launched Lucid SEO, there were–gasp–some people who wanted their money back.

Now, we on the Lucid team have been around the block, and we knew some people were simply “tire kickers” who wanted to steal stuff. Happens all the time. But we also made a binding money-back guarantee, so we had to live up to it (well, it’s more accurate to say we chose to live up to it). So we adopted a simple strategy.

First, we gave people options to stay. We said we’d like to earn another chance to satisfy them. Some folks took us up on the offer, and most are still with us.

Second, if they still wanted a refund, we cracked open the account and issued it in full.

Any marketer who has to depend on swiping money from people to be successful is not a human being you want to be involved with in any capacity. When we launched Lucid, we agreed that we wanted to overwhelm people with value and earn their payments. I think I can safely speak for David and say that’s the only way we’ll ever behave.

Firstly, a great review David.

Secondly, I’ve been “online” for some 8 months now and have spent thousands and I mean thousands of pounds on software, applications, business tools, so called “user manuals”, the latest and best offer (usually re-packaged garbage) and worthless ebooks.
Am I bitter? Well actually no. I believe that we have to all go through a learning curve and also invest in our future so i have written off this money as simply that; online education.

Saying that, I have become extremely wary of things I read online and even laugh at some of the sales letters and offers being promoted. I have even placed some of the best know so called “guru” on my spam list as I’m sick of their so called “this is the one” offers.

Last weekend I spent several hours clearing out my laptop and pc of the garbage I had collected. It felt great I can tell you.

As I work away from home through the week, i have been reviewing my stance and future in online marketing so i can produce a strategy for my future success.

Will I sign up for more of this dross in the future? Possibly, but it wont be an impulse purchase thats for sure.

Heres to everyones success

Phil

Well, since you asked Clive…

A few years ago, I spent about $2k on an intensive marketing course. By applying what I learnt, over the next 3-4 months I made an extra $10k+

I joined Stompernet a few years back and by applying what I’d learnt my traffic has more than doubled (as has my Adsense income), and it gave me the confidence to launch Lucid SEO which has made over $40k+ in sales so far.

One of the Stompernet seminars also taught me a technique that I’ve tried out a couple of times and, on each occasion, has brought in over $2k in exchange for one day’s work.

Um, what else…?

One of Gary Ambrose’s seminar DVDs, helped me increase my affiliate income by, on average, something like $300-400 dollars per month during the last two years.

I rarely share my earning information – mainly because I’m a Brit. But I can’t let someone say that IM training is fruitless without challenging it.