Redefining Scams And Learning From Them

I've been reading a lot of forum threads lately about "get rich quick" schemes and other scams that online money seekers fall prey to, so I thought I'd address my thoughts on the subject here.

The biggest problem is that these scams feed into the desperation and lack of knowledge that newbies have when starting out seeking their "fortune" online. The sheer amount of ways to earn money online is overwhelming to anyone just learning the ropes for the first time. Some are legit...most are not. Telling the difference takes knowledge and common sense that amounts to quite a steep learning curve.

It happens to almost everyone. These desperate economic times cause more and more people to search online for ways to earn extra cash, but the first thing they are exposed to is usually some mile long scammy program squeeze page that promises instant riches with headlines like "GUARANTEED INCOME", "RETIRE WITHIN A YEAR" or, my favorite, "TURN YOUR COMPUTER INTO A PERSONAL CASH POURING ATM OVERNIGHT!!".

It may seem ridiculous, but yet 1000's of reasonably sane people every day push all common sense aside and actually BELIEVE the hype and flashy sales pages full of sweet rides and fancy mansions. Smoke and mirrors is all it is. They con people out of their hard earned money by promising MORE in return. It's a bad combination of greed and desperate times.

However, I don't totally blame the scammers. I dislike them and I think they're sleazy, but like most things in life, the path you choose is YOURS to take, so it's ultimately up to you to decide what is right and wrong. Too many people refuse to accept personal responsibilty for their own failures and that needs to change before you have any hope in succeeding in life or online.

We learn from our mistakes, hopefully. Trial and error is how we know what works and what does not. Most of these "get rich" programs involve telling others about it so you get referrals and make money from them joining. That's marketing. The truth is that most people are REALLY BAD at marketing and that's the real problem.

We've all seen testimonials that say in very small print at the bottom: "Results Not Typical". That means most people do NOT acheive those results that the entire testimonial just bragged about and impressed you into believing. It's the same with online money making programs: MOST people will fail (some statistics say around 97% who try to earn online will fail within 4 months)...97%!!!!!!

Does that mean you should give up? No, it means you shouldn't try to climb a mountain using a strand of spaghetti. In other words, realize your strengths and weaknesses and either adapt or prepare to fail. That philosophy can be applied in all aspects of living, whether it be online or offline.

Are you a great marketer? Could you sell ice to an eskimo??? If so, then maybe you'll do well with a money program. Look at a super marketer like Stone Evans (Google him)...the guy is everywhere. He shows up in top lists all over the net for highest selling marketer...he's a marketing genius and there are few people like him out there. We've heard the names of those that are successful...Evans, Shoemoney, Chow, etc. They provide inspiration to others to show it CAN be done, but they are also among that 3% success rate. Are you? Do you have what it takes?

I titled this post "Redefining Scams And Learning From Them", not because I wanted to expose how bad scams are. That should be obvious...use your head!! What I wanted to do is change your way of looking at a scam. Don't look at a money program as a way to realistically make a million dollars overnight...instead, look at it as a learning opportunity. Could you sell that idea to someone else? Are your marketing skills strong enough to make it work for YOU, even if most other people would fail at it? If the answer is "YES!", then you might be able to make a living from online work as part of the successful 3%. Maybe not with a scam, but by using your great skills on a legit opportunity that others couldn't make work for them.

If, however, you expect to get rich by simply flogging a gateway page from a crappy program that 1000's of other people are also promoting by spamming forums, blogs and traffic exchanges, then be prepared to be gone in a few months as part of that other 97% group. CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK!!!

The reason I'm still earning a living online after several years is not because I'm some marketing genius (I'm not), but because I have the will to succeed and the stubborness to keep at it. Like I said before, it's trial and error when learning. If something doesn't work after a trial period, then I drop it, but when something DOES work then I fine tune it and continue to improve upon it until I am happy with the results.

Be prepared to either succeed or fail, but always be aware that the choice is yours. To your success!!!