Guru Scam Words!
I've been around this business long enough to see just about every scammer out there. I've noticed that all of the scammers use certain words: Here's my list:
1. SECRET (the gurus have a secret alright. The secret is that they don't have a secret, beyond the secret to fleecing newbies.)
2. SYSTEM (many of the gurus claim to have a "system" that will allow you to get rich without work)
3. AUTOPILOT (also meant to convey to newbies that money will just fall from the sky without effort. One internet marketing program claims that you will make money while you sleep. Just take a nap and you'll be rich I suppose.)
4. OUTRAGEOUS PROFITS - no business has outrageous profits. It always sounds easier than it is.
5. EXPLODE (your income, profits, wealth, etc) - in the real world you work hard for these things, they don't simply explode!
6. INNER CIRCLE (meant to convey that you will be best personal friends with the guru)
7. UNIVERSITY (meant to give legitimacy to the guru when they clearly aren't accredited as an institution of higher learning)\
Can you think of more words that the gurus use? Let's hear them!
Mike
The one that really sets me on edge is "my good friend"
Anytime I see someone talk about "my good friend John Doe" then I know John Doe is going to try to sell me something, and give a kickback to the guy who sent me the email.
Anyone notice that the bottom line after totaling up all the bonuses to $53,000 is always $997.
Whatever happened to $995 or $999?
At a resent PROA seminar a guru offered his course for $1997, then quickly knocked off $1000 as a favor to the organizers of the event.
Oh, and the new catch phrase is!
"I am not here to sell you books and cd's."
Ending a price in 7 converts better. Ending a price in 5 makes it look arbitrary. Once you hit a 0 at the end you've crossed a psychological barrier into a new price point and your sales will drop.
Numbers ending in 7 aren't easily divisible so marks (I mean customers) assume you carefully calculated your price versus your cost.
EDIT: Just realized this thread was a month old...
I just saw my favorite one, partly posted, "My good friend", or "my buddy" just let me in on some valuable info. that I wanted to SHARE with you.....Share for only $$$....
One of the best ones I heard at a Seminar was the Speaker, who did not have anyone going to the back table, & then, he said: "Anyone who wants this course for free...follow me to the back table within the next 10 seconds"....we followed him back there like hungry sheep.....then, he explained....."well, it costs me a lot of money to have these courses printed & the Cd's to be made-up...then, we had to send-out a lot of letters to get you here today....we had to rent this room....we have travel expenses, etc..." then he goes on to say: 'It costs me $1,297. per Course that I sell.....that is my net cost.....so, if you will just give me a DEPOSIT of $1,297. today, & when you do a deal, & send me the proof & do a testimonial....I will give you your DEPOSIT back, so, now you know how you can have this Course for free"! Bummer!
I should post a screen shot of my email inbox. Every day I get about 25 screaming subject lines. It's fun to flip through and see some of the outragous stuff people are selling.
BTW, my new favorite hype word is manifesto.
BTW, my new favorite hype word is manifesto.
Why Ed, doesn't EVERYONE have one of those? Why, I received no less than three in my inbox today :-)
Bill
Come on guys! If it's legal, it's simply Capitalism! Don't you love it? It all part of the wonderful game of Capitalism. I'll outsmart you and get your money out of your pocket or you will outsmart me and get mine. Whoever ends up with the most doe, wins!!!!
They will make u feel if you don't buy their products, you will never gonna be successful in the real world. In fact there are tons of people who dare to hit the streets, learn more than those who dare not hit the streets and continue going to these so call seminars that teaches you how to be rich. The fact is the guru becomes richer and you become poorer.
At the end of the day, the dare devil who hit the streets became more successful than those who continue going to seminar. No doubts being dare devil will give you war scars around your body but I believed those are the scars that make you stronger and the motivation to keep moving forward. The seminars goers will start wondering which guru seminar did that guy attend to thus became so successful. The fact is that the dare devil uses the money for real world investing instead of learning crapy theories from gurus that does not apply even 10% in the real world.
They will put you in a very emotional state, play videos of very touching sort which have absolutely nothing to do with what you signed up to learn. The point of doing that is to get you into the state. When you are in that state, the knife is sharpen and the killing begins.
I went for gurus seminars before and what I learnt from there is not the core stuff they're teaching but the way they sell. How to use power words, advertisment, putting people in fear and emotional state, etc.... They are pretty good salesman but the products they're selling probably have a succession rate of 0.00001% but they managed to sell it at such a high price. These are the sales techniques they ain't teaching you in the seminars. You just gotta listen and see on how they sell and advertise.
This link is a bit old, but still good ...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126339524173527817.html
Only the first ten callers will get...
Originally posted by brian adamson:
"Anyone can do it"
Next time you hear a guru say "Anybody can do it with none of their own money, none of their own credit, no education, no skills, no intelligence..." ask them, "Then why isn't everyone in the world a millionaire by now?"
I already know the answer: "They haven't taken my course yet!"
Here are some classics.
NO MONEY DOWN DEALS HAPPEN EVERY DAY AND WE CAN HELP(after u buy our course)
TAKE ACTION!
ITS A NO-BRAINER!
WHY NOT INVEST IN YOUR EDUCATION?
I WISH I HAD A MENTOR WHEN I STARTED, BTW PRICE IS 20K.
When a guru asks me to pay for anything, I say lets do a no money down deal or let's lease option for your training with a refundable deposit.
The only thing these "gurus" can claim guru-status to is: marketing.
Specially crafted, persuasive messaging takes skill. Every word is hand-picked, nothing left to chance. Triggers are embedded to manipulate our psychology. Some are rock stars of persuasion!
When you come across such marketing and feel your pulse racing and your hand reaching for credit card, immediate slap yourself in the face. Wake up! Honest marketing doesn't require manipulation. Remember, you are your message. If the message is gimmicky and too good to be true, typically, so is the "guru".
Become your own guru. Find a solid mentor to show you the ropes. Your mentor should be an active investor who sells more real estate than information products.
To our success!
my favorite is this phrase: IF you wanna make a bunch of money THEN this is the most important letter youll ever read.
talk about a catch all trap.
Can I join in the word game?
How about...
"push button profits"