Comments on: 7 Lousy Marketing Tactics

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By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 13:13:09 +0000

Kristen, I suspect you're right. From what I've seen, most (not all) of the offers sold in these ways aren't holding a lot of value. A few people do it right and still use these methods, so I can't say it's an automatic "no thanks" when I see them. The caliber of the person will make me pay attention. That's about it, though. 😉

By: Kristen Hicks

Kristen Hicks — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 15:43:08 +0000

Most of these raise red flags for me too. I think there are some genuinely good marketing courses and resources out there, but most of those aren't being touted via theses methods.

I think most consumers are getting savvier and the best businesses are learning to avoid some of these tactics, at least the smarmier ones that make people less inclined to trust them.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 16:44:46 +0000

LOL! It means you get me, Paula. 🙂

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 16:15:35 +0000

Does this mean we're psychic twins, Lori?

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:12:20 +0000

Cathy, you and me, sister. It's tiresome. I think I mentioned a friend whose sales tactics were so constant I had to unsubscribe from her feed. I adore her, but if even a friend can't take your constant sales pitch, how the hell do you make anyone else listen with all that shouting?

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:11:00 +0000

Paula, exactly. You've nailed what this post is about. It's not about the people who are doing it right -- walking the talk. It's about people who are mimicking successful people and not offering anything of value.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:09:04 +0000

Eileen and Jenn, I knew you'd disagree with me on the long sales pages. :) I just think using these for writers is the wrong market for them. Personally, I've never bought anything from a long sales page -- ever. If I have to scroll for a few pages, I get the impression it's a scam. It may not be, but I can't help my own impression. And if I'm a buyer, I'd think marketers might want to know they're losing me.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:05:03 +0000

Ah, but you see, Michael, I'm not one to join a game just because everyone else is playing. Yes, it's direct marketing, but is the audience the right one? I wonder. In fact, I argue it isn't.

You use the excellent example of Bob Bly. Yet given my own criteria here, Bob practices what he preaches, as do people like Ed Gandia and Peter Bowerman. There's a difference between truly having something to offer and simply tossing up a badly written sales page and teaching what we the teachers don't understand ourselves.

I wonder what research you'd like me to do? Irresponsible is a pretty heavy charge to toss about, especially since I've been in this job for over 15 years and have seen, firsthand, the bad practices mentioned in this post. As Jenn says, I don't like these tactics. Personal opinion, but also an opinion that I think beginning writers can learn from. There are way too many people dying to sell them the "new" way to make money without actually teaching them anything other than how to part with their cash. To me, that's the worst offense.

Michael, thank you for your opinion. I'm always happy to have dissenting views here. It's how we learn and get good conversation going around something, right? You're welcome here any time.