Many people are looking to the internet for ways to create income from home either via Affiliate Marketing or Network Marketing (a home based business). The last statistics I heard were approximately 55,000 per week.
With the economy as it is and so many out of work, many of those searching for ‘another way’, can easily find themselves caught up in the thousands upon thousands of scams that are popping up every day.
Since it’s thrown about a lot and used very loosely in many cases, especially on the internet, I looked up the definition of the word scam. The first search took me to ‘confidence trick’:
A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, hustle, scam, scheme, swindle or bamboozle) is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. The victim is known as the mark, the trickster is called a confidence man, con man, confidence trickster, or con artist, and any accomplices are known as shills. Confidence men or women exploit human characteristics such as greed and dishonesty, and have victimized individuals from all walks of life.
Redefining my search brought me to the word ’scam’:
scam (skm) Slang n. A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle.
Unless one knows how to tell the difference between a legitimate business model and a scam, very likely they will end up getting involved in a scam 9 times out of ten. I spent nearly three years in that category myself.
I’ve written multiple articles over time to cover some of the ‘easy to spot’ RED FLAGS, but some of these ‘deals’ are a bit trickier to root out than others because they are masked in ‘good causes’.
What’s a good cause?
That depends on YOU, your opinion of a good cause. But I’ll list a few I’ve seen over the last few months. Though they are good causes, they don’t justify having an MLM business plan built around them.
1. Missing children
2. Buying groceries
3. Preserving the Oceans
4. Feeding the starving
5. Benevolence
Network Marketing is a concept of providing products or services via word of mouth referring and recommending rather than the traditional method of BIG BUSINESS advertising and hiring a sales force. It is NOT something that you build around a good cause.
Yes, many good companies contribute to good causes, but again, a good cause does NOT constitute creation of an income earning opportunity, more a money scheme.
"GOOD CAUSE" based programs ARE the hardest to spot when it comes to scams on the internet because we get caught up in the emotion of the ’cause’. What they ARE designed to do is – SCAM
……exploit human characteristics such as greed and dishonesty, and victimize individuals from all walks of life.
~Jennifer Fisher
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Recently someone asked me how I market. My response back was, “That’s a pretty broad term”, which I think boggled his mind a bit. He listed all the methods he uses to advertise and in turn I listed the primary places someone could find me.
That’s when it hit me what the big difference was, why I thought his question was so broad and why he thought I …. well, I’m not sure what he thought. Point is – Our methods are totally opposite. You could say he’s a digital marketer and I’m a Direct Interaction person.
What do I mean?
From Seth Godin’s blog post “Fans, Participants and Specators” at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/
A good preacher ought to be able to get 70% of the people who showed up on Sunday to make a donation.
A teeny bop rock group might convert 20% of concert goers to buy a shirt or souvenir.
A great street magician can get 10% of the people who watch his show to throw a dollar in the hat.
Direct marketers used to shoot for 2% conversion from a good list, but now, that’s a long shot.
A blogger might convert 2% of readers to buy a book. (I’m aghast at this).
And a twitter user with a lot of fans will be lucky to get one out of a thousand to click a link and buy something. (.1%)
Likes, friendlies and hits are all fast-growing numbers that require little commitment. And commitment is the essence of conversion. The problem with commitment is that it’s frightening (for both sides). And so it’s easy to avoid. We just click and move on.
I think there’s a transparent wall, an ever bigger one, between digital spectators and direct interaction or transaction. The faster the train is moving, the harder it is to pay attention, open the window and do business. If all you’re doing is increasing the number of digital spectators to your work, you’re unlikely to earn the conversion you deserve.
“Thanks, http://www.xxxxxxxxxxpress.com/corporate Team direct with owner.“
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One of the biggest struggles in network marketing seems to revolve around that "Comfort Zone" thing. Thing is our ‘comfort zone’ is a trap we place ourselves in to avoid perceived fear, perceived pain, anticipated rejection and more.
FEAR – PAIN – REJECTION – those are the things that are going to keep us in the sheltered box we are in, but we’re never going to build a business from inside a box.
"Some say fear can rob you of success and many other life accomplishments. Is it really the fear that is the real culprit? Or, is the desire to stay in your "comfort zone" that’s been preventing you from reaching for the stars?" ~~~ Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D
So what are some of the common comfort zone excuses?
1. I do not like talking to people.
Frankly if this is an issue holding you back in your business, then Network Marketing is probably not a suitable profession. This is a people to people business.
But hold up – ask yourself WHY you don’t like talking to people… be honest. Talk to someone about it too… oh, wait – you don’t like talking to people – LOL – ok write it all down and send it to me in an email.
2. I don’t know what to say!
Most organizations have a script, so is it a matter of no one giving you that script? Ask for it. OR is it the script itself that’s stopping you? If it’s the ‘method’ that’s holding you back, then you may have to step outside your organization to learn another way to build your business.
I had to do that and I’m grateful that I took that step, otherwise I would have never ended up on the awesome journey I’m on.
3. I’m afraid of what people will say or think about me.
This is an interesting one.
If we are not 100% in our belief in what we are doing, then maybe we are afraid someone else is going to see the reality that we ourselves are trying to deny. And that’s going to put us in a really bad place because it can be hard to admit to ourselves that we made a mistake, much less have someone throwing it up in our face.
However, let’s presume that’s not the case.
If we are afraid of what other people will think of us, then we are NOT in control of our own lives. We are letting others’ decisions, judgments, opinions control what we do. GREAT ! When things don’t work out we can blame them !!! NOT !
Taking the wheel and being control of where WE want to go is a choice that also means accepting responsibility when we make a wrong turn. The more we accept the responsibility for what we chose to do, the more we are going to enjoy doing it.
So….. if you find yourself in any of the three situations above, here’s what I suggest.
#1 – Don’t like talking to people.
If you want to be in Network Marketing and be successful at it, it’s going to require interaction with other people. Get yourself a copy of Dale Carnegie’s "How to Win Friends & Influence People". You’ll find out it’s not really so much talking as listening that counts.
#2 – Don’t know what to say
If no one in your organization has told you, then ask. If it doesn’t fit, then search out other mentors to help you. I didn’t have much money to spend when I first stepped out to find the skills that fit me… and I found people to help me at no cost, so do not think you have to pay BIG BUCKS to learn skills.
Truth be known, there is not ONE skill out there that fits all.
#3 – Afraid of what others will think or say about you.
I’d be inclined to say "get over yourself", but I’m afraid you might not like that. What will you think of me? LOL LOL
Truly, it’s not what you think of me that counts – it’s what you think of YOU.
Self-development should probably be on the menu. Self-confidence, self-esteem. Become a better and stronger YOU. Take charge of YOU. You’ll stand taller, walk taller and talk taller…. and your business will grow faster in the long run.
You can stay in your comfortable box and be a passive watcher of life, or just go ahead and stick your hand out there. I think you will find that no one is out there ready to chop it off.
I’ve been in everyone of these places, so if you want to talk – let’s talk…. better yet, you talk, I’ll listen.
Wishing you the best of life and greatest success,
~Jennifer Fisher
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about different Network Marketing business’ presentations and things we say to people we want to introduce to the concept of leveraged income in a home based business through Network Marketing.
Why is it that we sometimes get caught up in saying things to people not even realizing they can’t even conceive where we are coming from. Little wonder some step back and say, "this has got to be a scam".
We toss around terms all the time that JOB oriented people would NEVER use and we never give it a thought.
Tom Big Al Schreiter is always saying:
Do you hear little Johnny at the playground saying something to Sally like this: "Hey Sally, my parents make a 6 figure income."
NO, they don’t say that!!! Most generally the people who use that term, 6 figure income, are network marketers already building a business from home.
Then we throw out terms like "residual income". We know what residual income means, but our prospect is thinking "residual? Yuk, isn’t that the stuff left over that nobody wants? What is appealing about that? Count me out!"
We talk about uplines, downlines, crosslines, autoship, binary, uni-level, matrix, straightline…bonus pools, leadership pools……
"Make $10k a month in your home business." My goodness, some people we talk to are happy to be making that in a year and we’ve just thrown something out that is so foreign to them… little wonder they start backing up while asking ‘is this one of those pyramid scheme things?’
We may have BIG goals, but there are others who would be just as happy with a few extra hundred dollars a month. That’s a big enough dream for them to start with, but nooooooo, we sometimes push our goals on them.
What happens when someone is pushing something on us that we can’t conceive as real? We back up… sometimes we RUN.
We use these ‘trade talk terms’ all the time.
Case in point, look at one of the terms I used at the the beginning – "leveraged income’.
Sorry, but before I got involved in Network Marketing, the word ‘leverage’ usually meant I was going to be doing something that involved a lever.
WHAT IF, just WHAT IF when we are talking to someone who’s never been involved in the ‘trade’, what if we used ‘layman’ terms, you think we might get a better response?
Besides most generally what they really want to know at first is:
Can I do this?
Can you help me?
Obviously we Network Marketers have our own language. I’d say, let’s leave the ‘trade talk’ for part of their training.
~Jennifer Fisher
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Whether we realize it or not, all of the decisions we make are emotion driven then backed by whatever logic (sometimes fuzzy logic and rational lies) we need to justify our decision. That is why "fear of loss" marketing techniques suck some of us into the scammi-est of scams when we are looking to create income from home from a home based business.
We see it all the time on websites, in those spam emails we get in our private email accounts, on social networking sites, in forums …… statements like:
Only 4 days left- JOIN TODAY!
Only 3 positions left
Don’t get left behind. ACT NOW!
You simply cannot afford to miss this….
Jennifer, Last Chance to Lock In …….
Sure legitimate companies run specials from time to time with emotional based marketing tactics, but I am talking about these scam programs that pop up every day or worse, the ones that have been around for a while but haven’t changed their ad copy.
I participated in a brief discussion on Facebook not long ago on this topic. One of the women gave a perfect example of how UN-Logical some of these statements are. She used a traditional business store as an example.
When have you ever gone into a new traditional business with the encouragement to "come in today and buy our wares because we are going to close the business and lock the doors forever after the next 4 customers".
Now let’s take this one step further. Let’s say you jump on this ‘business opportunity’ in the last 4 days taking one of the last 3 positions. You ACT NOW so that you are not left behind, because you simply do not want to miss this boat. Great! Hoorah! You made it just in the nick of time. You are LOCKED IN!
If ANY of those statements were based in TRUTH, and you slid in right under the wire, then shouldn’t it be true that the doors close to anyone else after the supposed time frame or number of positions are filled? You shouldn’t be able to offer the opportunity to anyone else.
Ah, but none of it is true. What legitimate business online or offline PLANS to only be open for a period of time and then they will be shutting down? It’s FEAR OF LOSS in action and it’s used all the time.
We’ve been programmed to react to fear of loss:
Special Sale – Only 4 days left-
Now Hiring – Only 3 positions left
Don’t get left behind. ACT NOW! – Sign up for this Class today!
You simply cannot afford to miss this…. Book, movie, sale……
Jennifer, Last Chance to Lock In ……. your vote
Some people get so wrapped up in the fear that they will lose out, they rationalize (rational-lies) some pretty fuzzy logic…. then what’s worse- they go on to perpetuate the same fear of loss to others.
Think about it before you jump out there to sign up for some income opportunity that’s running a timer or counter – there really is NO timer, no limitations on how many can join and the only plan to shut down is when the well runs dry or the law comes knocking.
~Jennifer Fisher
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Everyone knows that start-up traditional businesses have a high failure rate. The first 2-5 years are crucial, yet we don’t think about that when we join a Pre-Launch start-up Network Marketing business.
Timing (Pillar #2 in the 5 Pillars for Success) is key, but we get so wrapped up in the hype of ‘getting in on the ground floor’ we let common sense go right out the window. Instead of treating creating income from home as a serious business, many people treat it as casually as buying a lottery ticket. “Here’s my money… I hope I Get Rich”
I’ve seen some pretty insidious pre-launches lately. A couple of months ago I watched thousands upon thousands jump on the bandwagon of a Pre-launch company not knowing:
1. Who the Founders were
2. What the products/services were going to be
3. What the cost would be
4. What the compensation plan would be
5. What the company was going to expect of the members once (if) they rolled out.
I know, I know, I can hear it now.
“But Jennifer, it was free to join.”
Indeed, but common sense has to kick in at some point. Money doesn’t really grow on trees and unless the laws of economics have changed, money will have to be spent in order to be paid out. And more than likely that is going to include YOU.
“What’s the harm. I am in early and at the TOP and besides that, within hours after I signed up, I had thousands of people under me. “
So true, you did get in early, but there can only be ONE top of any business structure and it will ALWAYS be in place before you come along to sign up. Unless you are part of the organizing team, your are NOT at the top of anything besides the person(s) below you. Look below you at those thousands… they each think they are at the top too.
“I think you are just being a dream stealer or are just bashing this so I will join you in your deal.”
Quite the contrary. My dream is for everyone to succeed. It’s got nothing to do with my business.
I said similar things too when someone attempted to be the voice of reason. In this particular case, I have been there, done that MORE THAN ONCE, got caught up in the excitement of all the HYPE and never once applied any common sense or logical, critical thinking.
Yes, there are also Pre-launch addicts. Most pre-launch addicts are chasing an unrealistic dream shrouded in smoke and mirrors. When the smoke lifts, the mirror breaks and all that is left is reality, off they go to the next one.
Many Pre-launch addicts eventually quit and then proclaim that Network Marketing (MLM) doesn’t work when in truth, they never took the time to understand the industry.
Unfortunately some also overlooked a key word – Net”WORK” Marketing. It takes more than just signing up and then sitting there waiting for the brinks truck to roll up in front of the house, DESPITE all those HYPED up ads that indicate otherwise.
And here’s the thing, if you aren’t going to take the time to understand the Industry and be serious about building ONE business, then you are just as well off taking a buck a week and going down to the store to get that lottery ticket. Your chances are going to be just about the same.
If a new start-up, Pre-launch MLM is such a great opportunity, it’s likely it will be even greater in 2-3 years when all the start up bugs have been worked out, after they’ve settled on a comp plan, after they have re-written the Policies and Procedures a few times …. if it’s not already crashed and burned before then.
~Jennifer Fisher
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I take Network Marketing, the profession, the industry, the skills, the people I meet, those I work with and mentor….. all very passionately and seriously. And for those who just drop by, read a bit and then go their way, they never see the ‘lighter side of Jennifer’, the woman with the sometimes bizarre sense of humor….. so I’m going to show you a little of that side today……
It all started when I wrote an article on Facebook comparing the Network Marketing Hunter to the Network Marketing Farmer, which also happened to fall in about the time of my birthday. Then two things happened to birth this post.
1. Dean Cameron made a great comment comparing the Hunter vs Fisherman (a Jim Rohn concept)
2. I expected to get a book from my wish list for my birthday.
You know what they say about expecting and receiving, if you throw a bunch of things out there and don’t state clearly and specifically what you expect, you may not receive exactly what it is you were expecting.
I did indeed receive a book for my birthday. The title is "To Hell with Fishing" by H. T. Webster and Ed Zern. If you’ve never heard of either one of these gentlemen, do not feel bad. The book has a copyright dating back to 1945.
I received this little treasure from my mother who had come back into possession of it after my father passed away in 1997. Seems it was given to her father, he passed it to my dad and now I am the proud recipient. In the note she sent along with the book, she said "I meant to give this to you a couple of years ago, but it ended up buried in a box. It just bubbled back up, so I am sending it along now. ENJOY!"
Too coincidental for me: the Hunter vs Fisherman comment. getting a book about Fishermen… I figured there had to be a message in that book for me. So, the Sunday before my birthday, I sat down and started reading "To Hell with Fishing", which was really written for the non-fisherman, the one left at home, left on the shore, or drug along for the "fun" experience.
OK, let’s be done with the HOW I got here today and get to the point.
Frankly if we Network Marketers observed some of the things we have done from a non-network marketer’s perspective, we’d have to laugh. I am sure we can be very comical.
I’m going to share a few, what I thought were, humorous insights from my birthday book. It is your job, should you accept the mission, to think "Network Marketer" instead of "Fisherman".
Sooooooo – Lighten up, laugh a little and we’ll get back to being serious tomorrow.
Much to MY surprise… not all fisherman eat fish, so there is the dilemma of what to do with the ‘catch’…
"Some fisherman try to palm off their catch on kindhearted friends and neighbors …"
We Network Marketers also get pretty consumed in our passion to share our opportunity/products/services with the world….
" … .. This gives the Fisherman almost 12 hours a year to shake hands with his wife, introduce himself to any new members of his family who may have arrived in the meantime, drop by the office and check the mail, get caught up on a little sleep before it is time to start again …."
"On rare occasions the fisherman might almost pass for a normal member of the community…… His friends are encouraged when they hear him talk about something other than fish, fish, fish"
"When fishermen come home from a day’s fishing empty-creeled (I think that means empty-handed) and you say well, where are the fish, ha ha, they say look, bub, …. there is more to fishing than catching fish."
"The only difference between big-game fishing and collecting old millstones is that millstones aren’t slimy."
OUCH ! I probably could have gone without including that last one –
Oh, and if you are thinking I should stay in Network Marketing and forget a career as a comedian… not to worry – I am way ahead of you on that one.
~Jennifer Fisher
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If you don’t subscribe to the Napoleon Hill Foundation Thought for the Day, I highly recommend it. Just thought I would pass this one on from yesterday.
Thought for the Day
July 21, 2010
IT ISN’T DEFEAT, BUT RATHER YOUR MENTAL ATTITUDE TOWARD IT, THAT WHIPS YOU.
There are many things in life that you cannot control, but you can always control your attitude toward them. Defeat is never permanent unless you allow it to be so. When you have a positive attitude, you will recognize failure for the impostor that it is and realize that it is really a learning experience, a valuable lesson that will help you succeed with the next attempt. Ask yourself: What could I have done differently that would have altered the outcome? What can I do in the future to minimize problems and mistakes? What did I learn from this experience that I can put to good use next time? If you approach obstacles and setbacks with a positive attitude, you will be surprised how quickly you can turn defeat into victory.
This positive message is brought to you by the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Visit us at http://www.naphill.org. We encourage you to forward this to friends and family.
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This new MLM, MPBToday, is all over the internet, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Safelists, Swom, Peoplestring, YourNight, AdlandPro, Direct Matches, spam emails, you name it, everybody seems to be talking about it. Is it a SCAM?
Yes, there is an economic crunch going on and, yes, people are losing their jobs, homes, cars, and yes sometimes it’s even a choice between groceries or other needs. So while it’s a great concept and would definitely fill a need, there are some components of this program that seem to be missing…..
If you are a fan and subscribe to Rod Cook’s, MLMWatchdog.com newsletters, you are already aware that Rod has tagged this program in what I could call, a not so positive light with GOOD reason —- He knows what he’s talking about. In his article titled MPB Grocery Scam, Rod explains the 2×2 matrix….
I don’t do this normally since I am not a prospect for another business opportunity, but at a real good friend’s request, I listened to one of their recorded conference calls. By the way, I was pretty impressed with the fact that it was not one of those ‘blow your skirt up” HYPED out ‘hoorah’ presentations I’ve grown to hate, and I also liked the fact that the speaker said – this is a WORK program. You have to WORK and if anyone says you can do nothing and earn – RUN !
First – Here’s what I took away from the call.
1. You buy in for $210 – for that fee you get a $200 voucher from the company and $10 goes to paying for your website for a year. $10 a year for a replicated website – that’s certainly fair and reasonable unlike some companies who charge in excess of $20 a month for a replicated website.
Now you don’t cash in the voucher until you cycle unless you want to pay for shipping, so keep this in mind while we go through everything else because this is a pretty dumb reason not to convert your voucher after you join.
I do like that fact that she mentioned – to be legal you MUST have a product. (I’ll get back to that a bit later too)
The speaker went on to say something about by sharing the opportunity to get free groceries, you get a small referral fee. I don’t see that anywhere on the site… that is… in the manner she was implying.
2. You get 2, you’re qualified for commissions but you don’t get paid on them, in fact you don’t get paid until you fill 4 more positions. If I understand what she was saying on the call, at 6, you cycle. KACHING !
3. She made it quite clear that no matter what anyone was saying… neither MPB Groceries nor the ‘mother’ company Southeastern Delivery LLC., are in Partnership with Wal-Mart. Let me repeat this. They are NOT in partnership with Wal-mart.
4. The Company, either MPB or Southeastern, buys the Wal-mart cards and evidently they buy the groceries too if someone decides they want to order the groceries instead of just requesting a card for Wal-Mart. There’s no indication that they purchase these items at any different price than you or I would. At one point she said the groceries were the Wal-Mart brand but in another instance she said ‘name brand’ which is not the same, but that’s a pretty mute point.
Let’s cover the obvious MAJOR RED FLAGS………..
1. There is no written Comp plan
2. There are no Terms of Service
3. There are no Policies & Procedures
4. Unless there is a question about delivery, there is no phone number- have a question or problem? Email is the only option.
It’s hard to imagine that a seasoned Network Marketer with over 30 years experience in the field would be willing to stake her reputation on this by being the master distributor, especially when not all the T’s have been crossed and all the I’s have been dotted as in Terms of Service, written Comp Plan, Policies & Procedures. The Master Distributor may have a legal binding contract with the ‘mother’ company, but I’d find it totally unacceptable to launch without ensuring the distributors knew their rights, too.
Nothing in writing should be deal breakers right there if you have ANY experience in Network Marketing, or at least deal waiting until there are some legal written documents provided.
Of all the people who have spammed me with this deal on Facebook – NO ONE has told me anything different than this to the question of….
WHERE’s the commission money coming from, cause I sure don’t see it
Here is what I have been told and it seems to be the pat answer to the question….
On completion of Level 2, MPB collects $800
$200 covers cost of reentry in new matrix
$300 is paid in Alert Pay, Paypal, Check or Debit Card. (I didn’t hear anything about Debit card on the call. What I did hear was that they were looking into that option.)
$200 pays for the convertible voucher
$100 is retained by MPB Today for overhead and profit
So, let’s see…. there are a total of 6 people in the matrix – 2 I brought in and then 4 more on level 2, for a total of 6 + me. Now if I do my math correctly and everyone paid $200 (can’t count the $10 website fee), the company actually collected a total of $1400.00 – NOT $800. So, where did the additional $600 go that I paid and the first 2 I got in paid? Does that other $600 go directly into the pocket of the ‘mother’ company as profit they don’t want to mention?
Here’s the biggest problem. No matter how you dice or slice it, You are NOT being paid on the sale of groceries. You, my friend are NOT selling groceries, you are selling a business opportunity, an income earning opportunity. You are not being paid a percentage based on what the customer purchases. Commissions are strictly coming from that fee you paid to join.
About that voucher I told you to remember. You are encouraged to hold on to it until you cycle…. then cash it in for your Wal-Mart card or groceries you order from the company. Now this part does not make sense. Who in their right mind is going to have groceries SHIPPED to them when they could go down to Wal-Mart and buy ANYTHING they wanted with their card… so why are you encouraged to ‘not cash in the voucher’ until you cycle?
If you never cycle… that’s money in the company’s pocket….and an email sitting in your inbox that says you have a voucher. Print that email out and now you’ve got a piece of paper with ink on it.
Think about this – if you and those other 6 people joined and cashed in their voucher for their $200 Wal-Mart card – BEFORE they cycled… that pay-out distribution up above would already be spent… wouldn’t it? hmmmmm……Golly, I think the company would have paid out $1400 in Wal-Mart cards since there were actually 7 in the matrix. Where’s the $800 going to come from to pay out those commissions?
Would a logical, critical thinking person pay $200 to MPBToday for a Wal-mart card unless there was a business opportunity attached? – NO ! We’d all go to Wal-mart and get our own $200 card.
Unless MPBToday changes how and where they pay from, it’s not a matter of WILL this blow up, but more like WHEN. And it could change tomorrow since there’s nothing in writing of any real significance…… yet.
It took TVI (another voucher game) around 18 months to blow up and people are actually going to jail. If everyone who joined MPB Today cashed in their vouchers for their Wal-Mart cards after they received their voucher notification, this thing would fall pretty fast, but they are banking on our not being that smart. Bottom line, cash out for your card before you cycle – but then there will be no money to pay commissions.
~Jennifer Fisher
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When you figure there are at least 55,000k people per week searching out a way to create income online, there’s little wonder there’s also a scammer around every corner ready to "HYPE" you into believing that the internet is an INSTANT CASH machine, your PRIVATE ATM.
Take, for instance, segments of this ad copy a spammer sent me:
Pay-8-Forward
You can Turn as little as $8 into $32,000+ FAST!!
You can buy your Financial Freedom for $20
I will pay YOU to be RICH!
The KEY is Simple. Use the PIF – Pay It Forward plan to GIVE
it Away FREE to 4 People who are Excited to Make BIG $$$ MONEY $$$!!!
This sounds almost like the illegal Aussie 2 up I was in- I Give Away Money where I joined for free and then paid other people’s way into the program. It wasn’t too long after I joined, sucker paid two other people in, that the owner, Dave Gray, shut it down (it had hit the FTC radar). When it came back, it was OBA/ Online Business Alliance and a bit more on the legit side selling an ebook, digital products and ad space instead of just passing money around from member to member.
Back to Pay-8-Forward. So you pay your $8.00, which turns out to be $20 and think, ‘hey, if it’s a scam, I only lost $20.00". As with most of these type affiliate programs, there are usually more and more programs you’re encouraged to join to ‘increase your odds’ of becoming as RICH as you thought you would. It’s not exactly bait and switch, more ’suck you in and then keeping sucking for as much as you are willing to spend’.
As noted in the "Terms" (which hardly anyone reads anyway, besides the fact that it states there is a continued $8.00 monthly fee… )
18. Tax. You, the member, are responsible for any and all taxes payable in you resident domicile or jurisdiction, for any income you receive either from Pay8Forward.com or any program promoted via the Pay8Forward.com program.
Most people would read that and think it makes perfect sense, I am responsible for the taxes on earned income. WHAT people gloss over is the the part "any program promoted via the Pay8Forward.com program. " It’s obvious that a host of other affiliate program offerings are just ahead and more than likely they all funnel back to the owner since he is probably the one in control of the autoresponder emails from admin that are going to start pouring in after you sign up.
When you are looking at these type programs, look for a couple of things.
1. No Phone number? RUN
2. Can only pay through Alert Pay – RUN
3. All talk about what you will earn by bringing others in and little to no talk about any actual "Product" or how to sell that Product- RUN-RUN-RUN
4. The cheesier the sight (people flashing money, fancy cars, pictures of sexy people on a beach, etc.. the bigger the chance you’re headed down the wrong road.
5. The Internet is NOT some miracle place where things happen any differently than they would in the real world…. for instance – How many offline businesses PAY YOU to get RICH? NONE -
Most people do not realize you can’t make being paid on memberships the primary way to earn income in any income opportunity which is the primary ‘come on and try it’ focus on the pay8forward site. Yes, There are ‘products’, evidently they are digital which probably means you have re-sell rights; however think about this… you do not OWN those products and if the site goes belly up… there go your products too.
It appears that "Sherm Mason" is the creator of Pay8forward.com and that it was only created on April 25, 2010. Sherm is also the creator of 98kcashbailout.com, another pay-it-forward affiliate program, which he created February 2009, another site called blisshappenzzz.com back in 2006 which was updated August 2009….. and a host of other sites tha he either owns or has his fingers in….. like "the secret pays’, ‘cruise to cash’, many of which use the "Law of Attraction" as hype.
Yes, it does take money to make money in a business.
Yes, many people are without a job.
Yes, there are legitimate home based businesses.
I am not saying Pay8Forward is a scam. I am not saying Sherm Mason is a scammer either. He claims to have over 10 years of internet marketing experience and claims to have been at the top of many programs, illegal gifting programs, other Aussie up programs ….
But please do not think a simple $8 or $20 investment is going to make you RICH FAST ! Your chances of that are probably as great as buying the winning lottery ticket. In most cases of these online ‘get rich quick’ schemes, IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE – 99.9999999% of the time, it is. Is this one the .00000001% one that is the LUCKY ONE? I’m not seeing it that way. What I see is a remake of a remake of remake of a remake of a remake.
~Jennifer Fisher
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