This post is going to be controversial and I am sure there will be a lot of marketers who are not going to be happy with what I have to say here… but I’m going to say it all the same because I think it is something you need to hear.
Aren’t you getting a little tired of all the hyped up launches that are popping up in your inbox every day? What really gets MY back up is when the product is no good at all and yet every man and his dog is trying to get you to buy it – just so that they can make a “quick buck” at your expense.
Today was possibly the final straw for me. I woke up to find my inbox literally bombarded with promotional emails for a particular product that promised a pushbutton solution to making a ton of money online.
SIDENOTE AND QUICK RANT: I’m not going to mention the product by name [EDIT: After several requests and further reflection, I see no problem in naming the product which is in fact CB Preditor as many of you already guessed] but I am sure if you are on a number of marketers’ lists you will have been inundated with promo emails trying to convince you to buy it. It IS however worth noting how many of these marketers have churned out “cookie cutter” emails directly from the “promo tools” without even testing the product for themselves – all in a bid to rake in a bit of extra cash from you and the rest of their list. RANT OVER 
On the surface, this product sounded good but I was VERY skeptical and certainly didn’t want to tell my subscribers about it without having tested it myself. At the same time, I didn’t want to let my subscribers down by NOT telling them about a product that could change their lives for the better if it did all that was promised. (It is worth noting I will NEVER promote something I have not tried first hand myself.)
So, I decided to go ahead and order it myself so that I could see what it was REALLY like. I paid full price – just like you would have to do if you wanted to get it.
To say I was shocked by what I saw, is a gross understatement.
Unfortunately, it would appear that my initial skepticism was very much founded.
The product was not much more than a “souped up” version of Fantastico – something that you can get with all good hosting accounts. I won’t go into specifics about this particular product because it is just one of many I have seen promoted recently by a raft of “me too marketers” that really doesn’t live up to its claims.
There is another big problem with this particular product though. Just 4 hours after the launch I received an update saying that they had already sold 1000 units! Instantly I could see that even if the system DID work as it was portrayed, there was NO WAY it would work effectively for 1000 members, let alone the many more that have clambered on board since that update.
I’ve tested this product and am fairly certain that it will be difficult to make any decent money from it – certainly nowhere near the claims of the creators. My advice to you as a loyal subscriber and reader of our blog is that you don’t need it. You can do almost exactly the same thing with tools you probably already have or could get hold of extremely inexpensively.
What I really wanted to get across was that my credibility is worth more to me than making a few bucks. I do nicely enough as it is without having to rip off my loyal subscribers by trying to sell them something they don’t need or that won’t benefit them. I will ALWAYS give you straight-up, honest advice and won’t try to sell you things you don’t need. Please remember that.
Why is everyone looking for some sort of “magic bullet” anyhow? Are they afraid of a bit of hard work? My philosophy is that you don’t get anywhere in life without putting in the “hard yards” (unless of course you win the lottery – lol). I know I’ve had to work hard for what I have achieved and you should expect no different. We all have to make sacrifices to get where we want to be in life.
So – if you’re ready to put in a bit of effort, I have something for you
If you want to build a solid business online, then all you need is a solid PLAN to follow. Nothing more. You need someone or SOMETHING that you can follow and see gradual but significant results. I have such a plan for you and it won’t cost you a cent. If you follow it, you’ll be starting to make money online in no time at all. That I CAN promise.
Access My “100 Bucks A Day Blueprint” Here
This won’t cost you anything so you’ve got nothing to lose.
Oh … and I’m keen to hear your comments on this post. Please DO add them below. And remember: I COULD HAVE EASILY promoted this particular product (and many others released recently) and made thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars from those promotions… but I didn’t. There’s a very valid reason for that.
Your friend in success,
Aaron
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Hey Aaron,
Thanks for that breath of fresh air! I’ve been getting pretty miffed by all the cookie cutter emails myself, but I must admit I’ve been wondering whether the product actually lived up to the hoo-ha being bandied about…
If you had endorsed it I would in all probability have bought it, having come to know your honesty and character over the past few years.
Your friend,
Phil
Dave, I really appreciate your sincere honesty on this particular subject. I feel just as you do that plenty of marketers just use the canned promos and flood the emails without any research or real use of these “products”. I just go down my inbox list and delete most without any hope of finding quality information from these people. Again, my appreciation.
Hi Dave and Aaron
You hit exactly the point, thanks a lot for the rant!
I think it is ok to try out products and also getting on several lists of online marketers, just to see what they have to offer. And I totally agree with you, there aren’t too many to trust and many product offers – with an over dimensioned bonus no one can ever use anyway – are just one day flies and not useful to the “normal” online people most of the time.
I radically skip these offers now and get off the list. This frees so much time for my own online tasks I want to follow. My advice is: see and learn but keep off the hype and go your way step by step, eventually use the knowledge of a serious coach and stuff like Aaron and Dave are offering. This helps best and is very effective.
Thanks a gain – Martin Bigler
You should mention the product. There’s no reason not to. It’s your honest review and you’re trying to help people.
Not mentioning it will unfortunately achieve the opposite of your intentions and leave people guessing and perhaps blindly purchasing the product.
Dave
Well, all I can say is good on you!! Finally!! Someone that tells it exactly like it is! I was getting ready to cancel my subscription, thinking you were like the rest of these people. But after reading this, well, I’m gonna stick around. Well done!
Hello Aaron – Its simply getting really ridiculous .
These shysters are killing the reputation of Internet Marketing by bringing out products that are basically rehashed peices of software that is available free anywhere.
The really surprising thing is that the sales pages make it so believebale as well.
Thanks Aaron for your honest opnion – It is much appreciated, although I never planned on buying it anyway, Been suckered in too many times.
Unfortunately there are millions of people enterring the IM world and they are sure to get sucked in with wild promises, and like you say it only needs a little thought, some elbow grease and some good old testing plus at attitude of not giving up.
Take care
Hamant
this may be controversail but a little honesty does not hurt in my opinion. At leasT you have integrity which is lacking both online and off line. In my opinion if you want to gain credability and keep customers you must give them something of value. They will then come back to you,. It does not matter wheter you are in I.M or selling vegeatables from a corner shop. Its all the same. Thanks for the post. It was refreshing to read.
Jo
Hi Aaron,
It sure is nice to know your your best interest is for your clients. I feel exactly the same, and if I can’t make a living in this manner the business must be wrong. I wouldn’t recommend something that I would not purchase myself.
That’s too bad for those marketers that will be upset when they read your comments. If they had your attitude I might be reading what they had to say as well.
Keep up the good work,
John
Thanks guys for the comments so far. I really appreciate the feedback. For those of you who hadn’t guessed by now, the product in this instance was CB Predators – HOWEVER it is not the only product recently that is overhyped and underdelivers – so it would be a little unfair to target that entirely. I guess yesterday was the final straw for me as I’ve sat quietly in the background recently while other marketers promoted launch after launch, banging out a new “cookie cutter” emails every day. It was time to tell it like it is.
Aaron
I believe most people are looking for a “magic bullet” because, to them, trying to figure out how to make money online *IS* hard work.
One problem is that they don’t know what people are talking about when giving them instructions or advice.
For example, you mentioned Fantastico…and how a current product is little more than Fantasico, which they probably already have. Well, how is your advice…even though it’s really good advice…going to help people when they don’t know what Fantastico is? And, if they don’t, how will they know what nameless product you’re recommending they don’t buy???
(FYI, Fantastico is a package of scripts for adding multiple features to your website, such as a blog, picture gallery, classified ads or shopping cart or creating content management websites using scripts like Mambo or Joomla. Most people won’t know half of what I just said, either
They also don’t know much, if anything, about their hosting Control Panel…or even, perhaps, where they’d find Fantastico in it, since it’s sometimes hidden under categories like “Scripts and Software”. After all, most people never do much of anything with their control panel. (Fortunately most hosting services will help people install those Fantastico scripts.)
I’m currently advising a guy who was hired as the fundraiser for a small, pretty new non-profit. He has lots of experience working for chief fundraisers. But he has no experience whatsoever at being the person who creates not just a fundraiser, but a fundraising program from scratch. When told what to do by a chief fundraiser, he does an excellent job. But now that *he* is the chief fundraiser, he’s totally lost. He’s drowning.
Just like so many people trying to make money online.
Lots of people have dreams of owning their own business…both bricks-and-mortar and online businesses.
The difference is that the people who want to own bricks-and-mortar nusinesses know what they want that business to be, even if they have no clue how to start or run a business. In other words, they want to “own an Italian restaurant”. Or “Open a beauty salon”.
But the people who want to make a living online…*that* is their business idea.
Not “I want to sell video games online”. Or “I want to sell online services to people selling their homes by owner” (That’s my business since 1996
Just “Make money online.”
That’s why they’re so susceptible to any Tom, Dick or Harriet selling a “Finally! *THIS* is what you need to make money online.” Because they don’t even know *what* to sell, much less how to sell it.
They don’t know how to make sound judgements. They don’t know who to trust (you and I both know there are “Internet gurus” out there who shouldn’t be trusted as far as we could throw them!) They don’t know where to start.
They’re like the guy I’m advising…they want someone to tell them what to do. From Step 1 on.
Not everyone is made to be a boss. Not everyone is made to be a businessman. And not everyone is made to make money online.
Thanks,
Kay
Hi Kay
Thanks for your comments. I will actually respond to a couple separately however in the comments just above yours I do in fact name the product
Aaron
Thanks Aaron,
Very well said and I really appreciate your honesty as it is sorely lacking in the IM World. I too was following all the hype for a long time ( to embarrassed to say how many years ) but finally about 3 months ago I started writing my own ebook and just finished it a couple of days ago and I’m starting to market it now.
I am still on a lot of lists and have learned to ignore the hype but still keep up to date on what’s going on.
There’s so much free info out there if you search for it you don’t have to spend a lot of money.
Ron
Kay… I agree with all your points wholeheartedly.
Thanks for taking the time to share them.
Re Fantastico – you are definitely right here. Many people probably have it already but just don’t know where to find it or how to use it. Once they know then they’d be away laughing. I think I will put together a video on that later today or tomorrow. Maybe I can help some of these people to have a bit better understanding of that. At least that is a START to getting them up and running.
But as you say – it’s important that they have a very CLEAR idea of what they want to achieve. Just to say “I want to make money online” is far too broad and I could list off probably 100 ways that that could be done.
Take care…. and thanks again for sharing.
Aaron
Hey guys and gals
I’ve been thinking further… give me a few days and I will put together a NO COST video tutorial on how you can do virtually the same thing as CB Predator with tools that you probably already have access to or can be obtained super cheap anyhow… all you’re really going to need is a good hosting account and a domain name
Let me know if you think this would be useful.. post your comments here.
Aaron
Aaron,
Putting together a video and /or pdf report detailing the steps for doing what CB Predator does is a GREAT idea. You could use it as a lead generator to build your list or sell it as a WSO.
One other comment about CBP. I was under no illusion that it was a “magic bullet”. BUT setting up a blog in Fantasico is just the first step. There is an opportunity to automate and simplify the other steps. A product that could easily set up blogs, complete with plugins and themes for affiliate reviews and landing pages, plus pull in keyword content on auto pilot would be GREAT to have. It sounds like CBP doesn’t succeed in this, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an opportunity for someone else to do it right. Maybe you? Would be a great backend sale for your free report:)
Best,
Gene
First off, Aaron, thanks for your honesty and integrity — two qualities seen all too rarely these days in the IM arena. And, most of all, kudos for having the cahonies to call a spade a spade.
But, as impressive as your blog rant was on its own merits, I think that the idea of taking it to the next level with a tutorial showing how to achieve much the same result with common tools is not just bold, but BRILLIANT!
Besides being useful, I think it could be a real eye-opener. If it can help even a handful to recognize how often they’re being sold a “marketing bill of goods” rather than a solid, worhtwhile product, you’ll have done the whole IM community a great service.
Who knows, maybe, little by little, thanks to the efforts of folks like you and Dave, IM can eventually mature into a stable and even respectable (gasp! did I just say that?) industry.
Thanks.
Jack
Hi Dave and Aaron ,
I lost count of the emails telling me I need to get this. I looked at the web site you might say verry quickly. That is the way I look at most.
Because of my finances I go to the bottom to see what it will cost and then look closer or click the red X.
Like you said there are a lot that are only interested in what they can make. I have received emails want to sell me products that I have downloaded for free. As some one said if you look there are a lot of stuff on the Internet that won’t cost anything.
Earlier today I read one of the few emails I open and he said he will only promote what he has bought and has used to see if it works. As you said that is not the way everyone does it.
I am beganing to beleve that a lot of affiliate marketers never buy the product they just promote. Someone just starting out would have to have a lot of money up frount to buy and try everything they promote.
I know I couldn’t and a lot of others are in the same shape. They are looking for something that will help them to pay the bills after they lost their Job. I get a lot telling me if I buy this or that I can quit my day job. HEHE. I haven’t had a day job since July 5 2001.
I wasn’t ready to quit but to drive a truck you have to have two good eyes. I don’t any more. I am blind in my right eye. The years and miles caught up with me. That is why I am on here. I haven’t got where I want to be but I am slowly working on it.
Thanks,
James
Glad to know I might have helped some folks.
May I make a suggestion however? (Gene actually approached it in his “Putting together a video and /or pdf report …” comment.)
Please don’t just create a “you’ve got to watch and pay attention” video.
That’s just not going to help a significant % of your readers. Those of us who have ADD. Those of us who are hearing-impaired. Those of us who simply don’t have the time to dedicate to watching…and listening to…an instructional video.
Lots of IMers still promote videos as value-added…the way that CDs and DVDs were once considered value-added.
They still think that a video-only sales pitch is the way to go. You know what I mean. The type of sales pitch where the only text is brief and basically lists the price, what a great deal the price is, and the ‘click to buy’ button…without a word about what the guy on the video was saying.
Unfortunately for them, most of those IMers don’t have a clue about how many of us simply click away when faced with that video-only option.
Ah! But if the IMer provides a text version of what the video is saying? Something that can be referred to without having to “rewind” the video? Without having to listen closely?
Wow!!!
THOSE are the types of videos that a ton of us will pay attention to. Because we don’t have to pay attention!!
We don’t have to suffer through the uhs and ums. We don’t have to stop what we’re doing and give our full attention to the video. We don’t have to rewind to figure out what the guy on the video was saying, Heck…we don’t even need a computer to learn whatever it is we’re supposed to learn. We can just print off the text and read it in bed
OK…so what if it’s an instructional video with the speaker showing us what s/he is doing?
That’s great they’re showing us.
But we *still* shouldn’t have to be *required* to listen to what the speaker is saying to learn about what s/he is doing. Not all of us learn the same way. And we shouldn’t expect to be taught only the ‘cheap” way.
The deal is, I think it’s an awesome idea…your tutorial. And it’s very generous of you to do it for free.
But I want to encourage you to think of the 20% of the population for whom video without text is, basically, useless.
Thanks!
Kay
Aaron,
Many thanks and congratulations for your honesty, a rare find in the IM World where the official motto seems to be “anything and everything for a quick buck”…
BTW I’m so fed up with these daily launches of the “latest”, “definitive” products that I have unsubscribed from most Internet marketers mailing lists.
Hey Aaron,
Great post! Can’t wait to see the next one about how most of the products carpetbaggers are selling these days are now heading into the stratosphere ($500 – $2000) range for pure CRAP! When will people wake up!
I posted a similar rant as yours in the Warrior Forum and was nearly booted off for negative thinking…lmao…what’s up with that? Used to be a great place but not anymore. Seems like only a frat party for a den of thieves mostly anymore. Anyway, I digress.
I am fed up with it too and glad you didn’t go down that cookie cutter path or you would have met up with my “Unsubscribe” button like most of the others are getting. I am unsubscribing EVERYONE that doesn’t produce something of quality in either thought or product that will enhance my online adventure. It’s not that hard. I only email my list subject matter that I believe will only HELP them….thanks again for the post.
Hi Dave and Aaron
I must say that it is refreshing to see Internet Marketers that actually give their truthful opinion, it is a rarity. I have been around Internet Marketing a long, long time since before Corey Rudl and I remember when Frank Kern had short hair.
I could probably only count on one hand the number of Marketers that have done what you have, it is kinda like breaking the unwritten code.
CONGRATULATIONS keep up the good work.
I am about done with the “experts” and “gurus” and the daily launches of crap that doesn’t work. Good for you on posting this. It’s nice to see someone sticking their neck out there!
As a side note, the offer to your vids reports a 404 error.
Randy
Hi Aaron,
I thank you for your honest review. I only don’t understand “cookie cutter” emails what is/are that? The product really looked good. Good that people can get a refund for that product.
Can’t wait for your alternative product
But there are worse things happening right now under your/our nose that are much more “dangerous” than you think and it WILL affect affiliate marketing for not US marketers.
You have my email if you want to know more.
Aaron, I agree completely. I’ve got to a point now that if I receive a ton of cookie cutter emails, I don’t buy the product. (And generally unsubscribe from those lists.)
If marketers send out pre-written emails, that tells me they’ve not reviewed the product.
I got caught with one of those over-hyped, over-priced, but useless products last year. It promised brand-new information about promoting CB. All it did was go over old and rehashed information.
In the end I asked for my money back. I’m now extremely wary about buying anything that is over-hyped.
I don’t mind paying for products that do what they say they do, but I’m not going to pay out my hard-earned cash for something that is a piece of rubbish.
I know that you guys review everything you promote and write your own sales copy, so I buy through you when something grabs my attention.
There are very few marketers who are doing that, but those who do get my loyalty.
Hey Randy
I sorted out the issue with the 100 Bucks A Day Blueprint error. I sent an apology update out today relating to that. Hope you got it.
Let me know if you didn’t.
Aaron
Hi Dave & Aaron,
I think you’ve hit the nail right on the head here!
The product being a waste of time and money is bad enough, but you definitely highlighted the product owners’ poor regard for their first instance purchasers.
And I have to say I have been bombarded by many big name marketers with the “Cookie Cutter” ad for this product (and several others in the past) so have to agree that they’re obviously just looking to make some quick sales from their loyal subscribers without even a thought of looking out for them as you guys do.
I thank you for your rant on this (and allowing me to do the same here) perhaps those marketers will get the message and maybe even get their own credit cards out to see if products are any good so they can actually stand by their recommendations in future.
Keep up the good work
David.
[...] You may also remember that I posted a post about CBPredator on my old blog a couple of months back. That too was NOT a glowing review. To see my thoughts on that one, you can click here. [...]
Didn’t get to see this post earlier. Just found this link at your post today.
I bought CB Predators. I am a newbie and wouldn’t have much reference to compare the product from. However, I have issues that I feel strongly about:
1. The hype was really effective including the B.S. I bought, right?
2. The Support sucks. They don’t have the proper facility to respond to support tickets. When it came to the point that the members were agitated and concerned, the members have no choice but to raise them on “comments” due to lack of other venues to seek help. So, Chris Fox shut down the “comments” feature before (as he said) “things get out of hand”.
3. He also said – “comments not related to the subject will not be answered”
4. During webinar trainings, many raised concern on his accent because its difficult enough to try to listen and absorb new jargon as a newbie. Instead of getting someone else to speak during audio trainings or someone else to pre-record it, he just said :
“To those who can not understand my accent, you’ll get used to it after some time”.
[...] been two months since I posted my review of CBPredators and I wanted to hear from those readers who purchased [...]