My Love Hate Relationship With Shiny Objects

If you’ve followed me for a while you probably notice I don’t send out a lot of hype filled “you got to buy this or your head will explode” emails.  Generally I try and provide you value, training and some real usable content. One thing I’ve always stayed away from was sending you off to the land of shiny objects (and some not so shiny).

Chances are you know exactly what I’m talking about.

My Confession

Well, I’m here to confess that I do my fair share of digging and time wasting. I feed the system. I don’t think I’ve ever asked for a refund. In fact, I’m guilty of buying the same thing more than once because I forget I already bought it.

And I still don’t ask for a refund! That’s kinda nuts. Don’t you think?

But I do find some incredible tools and training (I’ve even found my own stuff more than a few times as well).

Bottom line is, I get “shiny-itis” as much as anyone else. I’ve just learned to manage and control it.  I allow myself to indulge, I just put parameters around it.

One thing I haven’t done is share with you some of the incredible finds I come across.

You may ask “why not Jack? You could get affiliate commissions. You’re an Internet Marketer, right?”

That’s true, but my biggest concern is sending folks off to be distracted and wasting valuable time, when they could be building their business or spending time with their family.

But, I also want to let you know what I buy and find to be a true value. So that’s what I’ve decided to to.

I will not be recommending anything that I haven’t personally gone through and feel would be of tremendous value.  I will let you know what I see in the form of upsells and one time offers.

IMPORTANT! READ THIS

Even if I recommend something, it doesn’t mean you will be making a mistake if you don’t buy it. There are very few, if any GAME CHANGER products out there.

If you want the truth…

The only real GAME CHANGER is YOU!

So here is what I follow for myself and I’m sharing with you as only a suggestion.

If it looks like it might apply to my business I take a peek.

If it looks really good, I remind myself, it’s meant to. It’s being sold by a marketer.

I don’t buy “black box” products. Meaning there is no description of the product or tool, only that it will make me a lot of money. I close it immediately.

I don’t buy products based on income claims. Knowing what others made is nice to know, but it has no relationship to what I can make (I might want to make more).

I buy products because it has a component that I can apply to what I’m doing “RIGHT NOW”.  Not what I might want to do later. That’s a sure recipe for filling up my hard drive with stuff I’ll never look at again.

When I buy it. I look at it immediately or I  schedule an appointment with myself to go over the training within two days.  I decide what pieces to implement and I implement them.

This is the way I’ve had the most success in applying knowledge and products I’ve purchased.

Let me know how you deal with “Shiny-itis” in the comments. Would love to hear from you.

33 Replies to “My Love Hate Relationship With Shiny Objects”

  1. Darn you, Jack!  Ok….so from your link….I bought it.  Thanks for everything, sir.  

  2. I see these WSO offers from various people almost daily. But you give us so much valuable info for free, I’m buying through your link now.
     
    Thanks for everything do you for us Jack.  You’re golden.

  3. Vincent. I appreciate that trust. You can expect to continue to getting value here to be sure.

  4. Jack, I just bought a WSO last week called “Buy This WSO or Your Head Will Explode Ultimate Craze Rocket Gold Infiltration Magic Sniper Formula “. It was only $27 dollars on a dime sale and after reading the copy for 7 seconds I still couldn’t figure out what it was but I had to buy it cause in 23 hours the price would be up to $27.47 and that’s a price increase I just couldn’t afford! As far as I can tell, the WSO is something about corn dogs and dressing up in a banana costume and giving out fortune cookies with my picture on them at local churches. The profit potential is huge! Gonna try it next week.
     
    Thanks for your post here – very good strategy and one that I’ll start immediately. After tomorrow. Cause there’s this big launch tomorrow..and I don’t want to miss it…you know…dimesale and all..
     
    Aaron
     

    1.  @AaronKrall Ha, that’s great and probably a very familiar feeling for a lot of folks. 

    2. @AaronKrall
      That was awsome… I got that same WSO…still trying to figure out if your picture goes on the front or the back… Lol

  5. Hi Jack, Sorry, I didn’t buy this one because I am not doing Facebook.  My biggest rule for buying anything is that I have to see an immediate need for it.  Or, it has to be interesting and under $10.  I always give special consideration to your recommendations, but this one is just not for me. The best way I can keep from buying things is to just keep busy and stay far away from the Warrior Forum.

    1. @virginiad
      Virgina. Extremely sound advice. Keep doing what makes you successful. “immediate need for it” should be at the top of the list for everyone.
      Thanks for the feedback.

  6. Jack I had to laugh when you said you buy more than one copy of the same WSO sometimes as I’ve done the same. This rings so true thanks for the insight 🙂

  7. Thanks Jack, 
    You and Ben must have been in my head.  Was looking to bone up on Facebook.
    Thanks again…
     
    John

  8. I’ve avoided the black hole aka as the warrior forum for a whie now. I only visit when it comes from a very reliable source that i know has reviewed it and recommended it. Of course, Jack, you are one of those reliable sources whom I value. Thanks Jack!

    1.  @StevenRobello Steven, I’ve struggled the last couple of years about whether to share my nice finds. Certainly don’t want to send folks down rabbit holes, but also want to let you know when I hit a winner.  Thanks for the feedback.

  9. Jack – Thank you, thank you, thank you for NOT being like all the other IM’ers that continually blast me daily with new WSOs that are launching. I have recently been going through and “unsubscribing” to many of them who have no consideration for the folks on their list other than to squeeze more affiliate commissions out of them.
     
    So thank you again for your consideration and for sharing judiciously. Now I’ll go take a peek!

    1.  @Marcas Thanks for the feedback. There are two distinct groups of IM folks, in my opinion.  Those that build a relationship with their lists and provide value and those that hammer their lists with a buy something or get of my list attitude. 
       
      I have folks that I’ve followed for years and have absolutely no problem with them introducing me to a product or service that is congruent with the reason I’m following them.  If It interests me, I’ll buy it, if not I’ll skip it. I know and we should all understand part of the reason they continue to provide me with good information is they get a financial benefit from people that do buy their recommendations.
       
      That’s what internet marketing is. It’s what a lot of us want to achieve in some way.
       
      On the other hand when I find myself on a list of someone who is pounding me with buy or die emails daily and providing absolutely no value whatsoever, I have a real problem with that. So should everyone else in my opinion.
       
      Your email and attention are valuable. They should be treated with respect. If there is no benefit to you or the value that you receive from the sender doesn’t exceed the value of your time and attention. Unsubscribe at once.
       
      Just my thoughts.  Love the conversation.

  10. I never buy WSO offers on principle and never will. I think the whole concept of charging one group of people one price and then increasing the price a couple of minutes/hours/days later, demonstrates a certain type of customer service that should be avoided like the plague. I was going to buy this too till I saw the very tacky way they decided to sell it. Very unprofessional in my opinion.
     
    As for new and shiny in general, I think we have to separate need from want. You might want this new gizmo, but do you really need it? If not, don’t buy it, simple as that. 

    1.  @PaulCosmic Paul I’m not a big fan of that either. But it’s a marketing practice you see in the real world all the time.  We just don’t recognize it as so obvious.  When furniture store has a big “whatever” sale and charge different prices for one day. When a restaurant charges you one price for a meal before 4pm and $3 more after 4pm. 
       
      When you buy an Iphone for $200 and the next week it’s free because a new model came out.
       
      I guess it depends on how you look at it. Are you being rewarded for buying early or penalized for buying late?
       
      Either way. I certainly understand your point and don’t disagree.   Want vs need. I think that’s where the line is blurred and we often times justify a want as a need. At least I do on occasion.  
       
      Thanks for the feedback Paul. Much appreciated.

      1.  @Jack Mize But that’s not what a WSO does Jack. The price only goes up.
         
        If I go to a store to buy an item that I purchased the day before, lets say an iPhone, then yes there may be offers on that might make it cheaper, but there will never be offers on that make it more expensive. And If I’d bought one in a sale and the next day they were advertised at full price, I can either choose to buy at the full price on the basis that it was my fault for not buying two, or I can wait until there is another sale. There will be another sale sooner or later.
         
        The price may fluctuate, but it will fluctuate up and down. If you see it cheaper the next day its a tough break but that is life and the chance you take. In normal business the early adopter pays a higher price to get exclusivity, as with the iPhone 5 right now, if you can get one. In 3 years time when the iPhone 7 is the latest thing, the iPhone 5 will be next to worthless.
         
        The whole “buy it now before the price goes up” is used a lot in IM and is used in the wrong way most of the time. People try to use scarcity to sell a digital item where there is no scarcity and buyers know there is no scarcity. “I can’t keep the price this low for long” Why the hell not? 
         
        Nobody believes the “usually 297 but in this one time only offer its 67” and in fact there are laws against such offers in the UK, because the price really is 67, but people want to make it look more valuable by saying its usually 297. I’ve received the same one time offer by one of the people who’s list I’m on at least 10 times and every time its the same price. So why am I still on their list? Free stuff, simple as that, but I’ll never buy anything from them because they clearly have no faith in their own products.
         
        In my opinion the IM niche has totally lost the plot. It’s all about the marketing, not the product they want to sell. Make a good product at a fair price and get it in front of your target market and you’ll make money. There is no need of one time offers and WSO. Many people look up to Frank Kern, and call him a leader in our industry. When have you ever seen him do a WSO where you throw in the kitchen sink for 7 bucks and watch the price rise, or a one time offer where if you don’t buy it now at 17 bucks you’ll have to pay 97. Nobody ever pays 97!
         
        Rant over
         
        I really like the stuff you do and have purchased an affiliate you promoted about a year ago, so keep up the good work. 

  11. I only buy WSOs that have the word ‘ninja’ in them, because let’s face it ninjas are awesome. 

    1.  @recruiterdarren That’s funny. But gotta tell you. Your are missing out on some pretty fine, sniper, assassin and crusher products as well.

  12. Has anyone actually purchased the product and activated it yet? @recruiterdarren  Your comment made my am laugh.  @CarlosRosario  what about you? @Jack Mize  and of all people you, Mr Jack Sparrow … 🙂

  13. @Jack Mize  Loved your webinar while back called  ‘I hate selling” I believe that was the name of it! … learned allot without the Razzle Dazzle Tickle Me Elmo … Special Effects, Thanks

  14. @Jack Mize  Ok Ok … I purchased the wso and the first oto  🙂  … wondering about the membership!!  ….  Can anyone let the others know how they are doing with this as they get going? I will do the same  … Thanks

    1. @JasonStovall  @Jack Mize Jason, I bought it, consumed everything and the only thing that I think is unclear (besides what one responder posted above) is whether or not when setting up a prospects facebook page, are you setting that up as a local page or as a brane, also?  Anyone else?

  15. You know.. I really hate the warrior forum. I buy absolutely nothing from there and resent anyone who suggests I should. I opt out of lists the very instant a marketer starts pushing WSO’s.
     
    And frankly, Im still skeptical as to why it appears here.. on a blog  that I WANT to trust…are you just pushing a colleges crap on us? It being an affiliate link didn’t help the case either. 
     
    But i’m student of Costas Peppas, and Jack is trusted so I took the plunge, got it, read it, watched it and thought…
     
    There is actually some valuable info here..
     
    Very actionable and very concise…However..
     
    The course (and author by extension) lost some its saliency when he suggested swiping photos from Pinterest. Im guessing that’s a big no, no. 
     
    And very easy get caught?
     
     
    “A Lawyer Who Is Also A Photographer Just Deleted All Her Pinterest Boards Out Of Fear”
     
    Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-28/tech/31106641_1_repinning-copyright-entire-image#ixzz28m7EDurQ
     
    Just watch your selves.
     
    M out.

    1. @m throway I’m a professional photographer. My pictures are like an IM guru’s ebooks and courses. I wonder how this idiot would react to me telling everyone in the photography forums I use to not bother paying for his stuff but just find a way to download it for free. And if that fails just buy it and ask for your money back.
       
      If he does not value what others have created, we should not value what he has created.

    2. @m throway Good catch. I went back and watched that video and it was definitely not clear on how to use the images you find on Pinterest within Facebook.
       
      He doesn’t say to download or steal the images. It just seemed like there was a missing step.
       
      I contacted Ben about this and he was very appreciative to find out that was missing and that it was being inferred as instructions to steal images, which he DOES NOT want folks to do.  He is said he will have the missing piece of the tutorial up this evening and email notification to the buyers.
       
      Thanks again for letting us know.

    3. @m throway
      I completely understand your feelings on warrior forum and I’m not a big fan of the over-hyped way things are presented in there the majority of the time and have resisted passing the good stuff on for just that reason.
       
      However I do find some really nice nuggets and have made a decision to let folks know about the good tools and training I do come across.  I may continue to do so and will probably throw my affiliate link out there when I do. It is part of the Internet Marketer in me.
       
      Hopefully you can see I’m not a churn and burn, constant crap promoter and that you actually get a lot of value out of what I provide for free on this site and in my emails.
       
      My goal is not to have you buy everything I promote. I generally tell people to stay away if it’s not something that’s already on their radar.  If my emails don’t provide you with more value than the time you put in to reading them then I will be the first to tell you to unsubscribe.
       
      I’ve unsubscribed to some marketers that I respect tremendously to avoid being taken off path. My feelings would not be hurt at all if someone unsubscribed to avoid shiny objects.
       
      Anyone that has followed me for long has heard me say that the key to my success has not been the ability recognize or act on opportunity.  The biggest impact on my success came when I learned how to IGNORE opportunities and focus on completing what I started.
       
      If you will feel resentment from getting emails from me about a WSO that I like then that’s not good for either of us and I would certainly respect your decision to unsubscribe. 
       
      I think your post here proves that you have valuable insights and are willing to share when you see something that may have changed your mind and when you see something that others may miss.
       
      So I think of you as a valuable subscriber whether you buy anything from me or not.

  16. Good catch. I went back and watched that video and it was definitely not clear on how to use the images you find on Pinterest within Facebook.
     
    He doesn’t say to download or steal the images. It just seemed like there was a missing step.
     
    I contacted Ben about this and he was very appreciative to find out that was missing and that it was being inferred as instructions to steal images, which he DOES NOT want folks to do.  He is said he will have the missing piece of the tutorial up this evening and email notification to the buyers.
     
    Thanks again for letting us know.

  17. I think, we should take the same principals and strategies that the WSO product developers use to sell their products and use them in our local market and stop complaining about the hype and the prices and tactics. This should be a learning experience. Allow me to ask a question, are you in this business to learn and make a living or to be just a consumer. If you’re a consumer than you shouldn’t be here, and by here I mean, this forum, the warrior forum and in any forum or blog for that reason. If you’re going to be here take the information you learn and apply it to make money. Those guys and gals over at WF are making things happen, they’re making the big bucks, they turn the wheels of the economy. I am not a WF seller, yet, but I aspire to be. I have purchased plenty of products, some of them I haven’t even opened yet, (I am ashamed to say). I subscribe to Jack’s offline x factor because he gives me real life information and advise I can take and use to make money, as I do with a few other respected creators of info products. Do they always deliver 100%? Not to my opinion, there’s some information in there that acts as filler, it is necessary, but that’s acceptable, it’s part of marketing, it would be ludicrous to think that you’ll pay $10 for a product and get a $1000 value. Take it, spin it and make it your own, apply it to your business and if it doesn’t work for you, then probably it’s not for you, oh well…

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