The Bad Ethics of One Time Offers in Internet Marketing

The more I explore the Traffic Exchange marketplace, the more convinced I am that there's potential for the social sector to tap into the traffic and financial resources there.

At the same time I am becoming more and more disgusted with some of the predatory tactics that I'm seeing some people employ. I recently came upon an interesting example.

Internet Marketing Success Formula is advertised as a free ebook. The ebook is indeed free, and not only explains but also illustrates the trickery in using One Time Offers to make money on the free sign up process.

The author, Soren Jordansen is the owner of a couple of successful membeship sites. He's a known name in the marketplace and obviously his tactics work. He's probably even a fun guy. Quite frankly, however, it frightens me in the current economy that people would choose to prey on each other like Mr. Jordansen himself does and proposes that others should too.

The one time offer at IM Success Formula came after I'd signed up but before I actually had access to the ebook. In the OTO I was told I could rebrand the book and get my very own cash cranking One Time Offer page, including a bonus package of more rebrandable, resellable ebooks than anyone can possibly read in a year. All this promise of knowledge and a commission only job selling affiliate signups to the mystery programs listed inside could be mine for just $127, unless I would order right now and get it half off. Sixy something bucks.

From free to $60+ seemed an extraordinary leap for me, and I really didn't want all those ebooks. So I passed on the OTO and..... got a second chance offer! Forget the gazillion ebooks and the One Time Offer page this time - now I would just get to be an affiliate and rebrand the book. All this could be mine now but but never again at the low low price of $37.

Of course, I still hadn't seen the book and had no idea what links are in the book that I would want to re-brand. I'm not interested in doing the work to market Mr. Jordansen's book with my links if it means signing up for 2 dozen new sites that are going to distract me from other things. I wanted to actually see the book before shelling out $37 in a commitment to selling this product.

So I left that page open and went to check my email. There was the link to log into the IMSF site. Wanting to keep that 2nd chance offer open just in case, I logged into the site in another browser to check on the inside price for rebranding the book.

Lo and behold, the price for members who did not take the One Time Offer of $60+ or the Second Chance Offer of $37 can be an affiliate and rebrand the ebook for only $27.

So the whole one time offer and second chance offer thing at IMSF is a LIE. The offer does not represent a discount at all, but a higher price than if you just sign up for free ebook and upgrade later. What's more, I have very little doubt that were I to remain on Mr. Jordansen's mailing list and read his messages, I would eventually receive a special offer to upgrade (today only!) for a price even lower than $27.

Not only is it terribly sad that Mr. Jordansen's book is teaching people to lie and prey on human fear to be successful online, but think about it - anyone who suggests you should make an uninformed and rash decision about investments in your business is absolutely NOT thinking about YOUR success.

Making uninformed and rash decisions based on fear is NOT the way to build a successful business - not in the online world and not in the offline world - ever. Anyone who suggests you should is not looking out for your best interest, but for their own.

If you're active in the Traffic Exchanges and you're reading this, please join me in fighting against this ugly practice.

Say no to One Time Offers at sign up.

You WILL receive more offers of discounts. There is no such thing as a one time offer, so decide right now that from today forward they will have no effect on you.

ALWAYS give yourself a chance to evaluate the free version of any product or service before you spend money upgrading. Once you're on the mailing list as a free member of any site, you will almost always continue to receive special offers to upgrade for a discounted price. If you decide to make an investment at that point, it will be based on a more informed and better thought-through decision about what you are actually paying for and why you want or need it.

If enough people stop responding to OTO's, then maybe they'll stop trashing up the Traffic Exchanges landscape so much. Sincerely speaking folks, there are ways to earn in the TE Marketplace that do not involve lying to your customers to get them to pay you more money. Money is too hard to come by these days for us to allow this kind of predatory tactic to be an acceptable norm. I know this model has been proven to work, but it simply can't be the only model that works... it's time for some kinder and gentler ways.

If you're at all active in the Traffic Exchanges, you should definitely read the Internet Marketing Success Formula. It's 41 pages and a real eye opener to the kinds of aggressive psycho-marketing techniques that I hate with a passion - and that you should learn about so that you can avoid falling prey to them.

It's certainly educational, and if you can possibly resist the One Time Offer(!) it's also FREE.

http://imsuccessformula.com/?rid=19621

I would LOVE to hear your views.