If you have checked your email anytime in the past 48 hours I’m sure you have heard about the new FTC rules about internet marketing.
Most people are running around like a headless chicken screaming that this is the end of affiliate marketing and how the sky is falling.
And for some it is.
People are comparing it the ice age or the black plague.
While I’m over here jumping for joy & I’m as excited as a kid on Christmas eve. This has to be the greatest opportunity ever.
Now before you think I’ve had one too many “Red Bulls” let me explain myself.
There are a lot of so called “Internet Marketers” out there who are only telling half truths or even just out right lying about how easy it is to make money.
Just last week I was on a call with somebody who wanted me to promote his product. After looking at the site I was super impressed because this was the best looking site I had ever seen.
EVER!
The graphics were so clean and the proof of income was just out of this world. The Clickbank and PayPal numbers were insane.
Just the testimonials alone would make you buy this thing.
It was that good.
A little further along in the phone call he tells me that he doesn’t have a list yet and would I be willing to promote it.
Now for me this is a HUGE red flag.
I asked him how can you have this kind of proof and testimonials yet not have a list?
It didn’t even phase him when he told me that they just made everything up and that I would make a boat load of money if I would mail for it.
Needless to say I’m never going to promote it or anything like that.
“My integrity is not for sale.”
But the sad truth is that there are a lot of sites out there that can’t provide any real value to you and are only designed to separate you from your hard earned money.
No big surprise.
That’s what the new FTC rulings are designed to protect you from.
Now these headless chickens are running around screaming about how bad this is going to be.
Yes it’s going to be bad for them, because the FTC wants to give them a few fines and an all expense paid vacation in a “Federal prison Hotel” with some lonely roommates.
How can you benefit from this?
Now is the perfect time to have your own product and it’s going to be a lot easier to make money online if you provide value to your customers and you have the right systems in place to make it work like a well oiled machine.
Let me know what you thought about this blog post and please click on the “twit this” badge below.
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I am happy to see that they plan to do something to crack down on the scams. I am a newbie and have come across so many scams. Most times I got my money back but wasted a lot of time on the scams so now am reluctant to try anything.
Thanks for passing on the word.
Hey There Charles!
Great post. I have been following the FTC news pretty close and know that I don’t have to worry about it. Mainly because I don’t ‘Hype’ up my sales pages. I provide services, tools and products that my clients need and use.
If they want to offer them for resale, they are more than welcome to use their affiliate links and my sales pages to make the sale and collect their commissions.
I also do not provide ‘canned’ emails for them to use because the belief I have is you make a sale through building a relationship with your customers. This cannot be done by spamming them with canned messages.
I usually get between 5 and 6 thousand emails a day and the first thing I do is filter them by subject line. When I see several with the exact same subject – they get trashed. That simply cuts my email list done by about 40%.
I think the new rulings will bring back a little respect for ‘Real’ marketers and clear the road for those of us who are real and in this for the long haul and not the quick buck.
Hi Charles, nice article. I have read the FTC’s new ruling and I also read that some marketers are becoming concerned.
You’ve got a good point. This would really benefit the best in the market and kill all those scams and false claims.
As a newbie like me, I am still optimistic that this would be a great time for affiliate marketing.
Mabuhay to you from the Philippines!
More power!
Hi Charles,
I liked your blog and your choice of words, straight from the heart I would say!
I have been reading about what the new FTC ruling and I have to say I did not find anything unreasonable about it.
I have a travel web site under construction and I will be working with affiliates whose books I like, ie an affiliate page and I will have a separate page for a recommendation list of who I do business with here in St. Martin (French Caribbean) that is purely recommendation, in other words I will not get paid for it, it is something I wish to do free for my friends here and for visitors to feel more secure during their vacation…I was actually pleased to know that I was on track. This way of doing resonated with me, if you know what I mean!
I enjoy your newsletters as well as the free downloads, it has helped me on my way very much, thanks to you!
best
vic
Amen, brother! I believed the hype for awhile, but now know how to discriminate. Hones people don’t have anything to worry about.
Hi Donna,
This should really clean things up. Its sad to hear that so many people have gotten scam and wasted time.
Time is the only thing we can not get back.
Good luck in the future.
Thanks
Charles
Hi Mark,
I’m with you 100% here. There is nothing worse then getting the same lame A$$ email from a dozen so called marketers all offering the same thing.
My thought is that if you were to lazy to write a simple email then how on earth could you have review a product that would take you hours to go through on a good day?
Thanks
Charles
Hi Mabuhay, Victoria and MJ.
I want to say thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog post. That really means a lot to me.
I think the new FTC rules will make the playing field even again just like it was 10 years ago.
The key is to be able to move fast and get in the game while
the market is open.
Charles
Hi Charles,
I have to say “Thank Heaven….. IT’S ABOUT TIME!!!” I can not see how some of these people sleep at night… I have been scammed so many times I lost count. It’s a down right shame
that you can’t trust people.
Thanks for the updates,
Dianne
Dianne,
You are so right about that.
There is now way I would ever want to take advantage of someone just for money.
Life is to short and Karma is a Bitc$ if you know what I mean.
Charles
I haven’t read the FTC rules yet, but I must say, as a retired
attorney, business owner and internet marketing “newbie”,
yes, there are a lot of scams and con artists out there, but
let’s be cautious regarding how much we put our trust in
the government! A benign-sounding rule or ordinance can, in the hands of the wrong bureaucrat, be just
as dangerous, abusive and harmful,or more so,
to the average person as any scam of any size. Bernie Madoff was a piker compared to the current crop of
people in D.C. Thanks for the opportunity to respond!
Bill
Hi Charles,
I agree with Diane. I do not see how people sleep at night sending out the garbage over the internet. I realize that, the economy is not great but don’t they have any decency at all! I suppose not! I, like all of you out there in internet land, see this garbage every day. It almost makes you ill. Sure, I have been burned more times than I would like to admit. It is time that the “scam artist” get their just rewards. —- Charles, thank you for your blogs, I always enjoy your contribution to this industry.
Fran Munroe
Вklikbank веднъж Платил съм за даден продукт от 5 долара имам нищо от продукт, получен само един билет и видях, че този изключително nekorekni хора, хора без чест, но с такива хора никога не правя бизнес, а те отговориха, че 5 $ да ги пуснат в християнин църквата, за да си мият съвест! Веселин на България!.
klikbank once I paid for a product from 5 dollars I got nothing from the product received only a ticket and saw that this exclusively nekorekni people, people without honor, but with such people never do business, and they replied that $ 5 they put them in a Christian church to wash their conscience! veselin of Bulgaria !
As alway Charles,
Thank you for keeping it real!
Robert
Hey Charles,
Great great article! Wow, some people just have a conscience or even a smidge of dignity! How could someone just blatantly lie about stuff like that? It’s insane, but I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying…”what goes around, comes around.” It’s too bad for people like that. I’m actually glad for the new ruling as well!
I’ve literally spent thousands of dollars…probably at least $10,000 within the last 2 years on courses, systems, etc and have learned a lot and waste some good money on crappy stuff as well. I believe that everyone should do as much research as possible before making a purchase, but also don’t get too caught up with finding everything that’s wrong with it because you may just end up losing out on that one thing that might launch you into huge internet profits!
Hi Bill
I agree with you 100%. But sometimes the bark is worse then the bite.
But everybody is wondering who the first person they are going to make an example out of is going to be?
Thanks
Charles
P.S. I’m glad you enjoy my blog.
We have to have a standard form of ethical measurement Charles, I agree especially since I’m one of your affiliates !!!
Freak OUt! Woooops!
God Bless,
John Allen Lewis ejohnllc
Hi Charles,
Great post! Might see a few less gurus endorsing releases, eh.
I wonder if the FTC will start pressuring politicians too. That’d be good for us all.
This is so true!
What do we do -not buy anything else?
We need an industry standard that that promotes honesty and truthfulness.
Hi Ketih
I think the key is to be very careful of who you spend your money with.
And the big key is that if it seems to good to be true it is.
Thanks
Charles
Hi John Allen Lewis
Thanks for being one of my affiliates. I think that as long people are looking how to get rich quick there will always be somebody trying to sell them junk.
The only way to make it in IM is hard work. That is something that people just don’t want to hear. It really takes a crap load of work and to keep it going it takes even more work.
Thanks
Charles
Love this article. I like your integrity level. I think that your statement “My integrity is not for sale” Should be a bumper sticker. Thank you for embracing the new FTC rules…Yay!
Thanks
Vickie
I agree with your statement about the FTC rulings; however, they are getting too intrusive with the Internet about wanting to declare it as a telecommunications network that would be regulated as the former telecommunications networks were under the 1934 FTC Law that was originally to govern ship to shore communications; that governed telecommunications companies. This is what Google and Yahoo are fighting so diligently to get FTC ruling, since IP providers like AT&T. Sprint, etc are providing Internet access. This would mean government control again over the telecommunications market that was the cause of the break-up of the Bell System in 1984, thanks to Judge Green. See what we fixed that wasn’t broken!!! As an earlier post too much government intervention may not always be a good thing.