An Attack On Online Home Based Businesses
An Attack On Online Home Based Businesses
A popular UK newspaper have recently hit out at the online home based business industry by basically calling us con artists, scam merchants and thieves.
The saying “there is no such thing as bad press” is a lie. The media can make or break your career, fame and business and it doesn’t take much to do it. Look at Brittany Spears for example.
And I am sure you can think of many others.
On my merry commute one morning along with the rest of the rat-race I came across this article.
Breaking Down The Bad Press
It was probably written by a disgruntled ex home based business owner who is lashing out at the whole industry for their poor judgment and lack of clarity. (They should of just hung out with The Better Bunch).
The headline does its job perfectly. We all know how important a headline is.
It only speaks to people in a home based business, thinking about starting a home based business or is involved in a home based business.
“Home-working ads ‘too good to be true’”
It then goes on to say “ADVERTISEMENTS offering the chance to earn money by working from home are RARELY genuine and could cost respondents thousands of pounds”
This opening sentence is aimed at PPC and any other paid form of advertising online.
Within the headline and opening sentence they have created negative doubt about the industry and discredited online paid marketing methods.
Now, anyone who is actively looking for a way out of the rat-race and a way to better their lives and fulfill their dreams will have come across the home based business industry. US
We would of done our best to assure them that what we are doing and the money we are earning is real, ethical and 100% genuine. They too can achieve what we are achieving with focus and commitment.
This one article has caused many people to stop their search and settle for the “safer” option I am sure.
The Proof (Twisting the knife in the wound)
The article then calls on a top respected magazine to verify their damaging claims.
Which? magazine is a well known publication in the UK that looks out for the public’s interest when it comes to their finances.
By saying that the Which? Money Quarterly did an investigation and found that “internet adverts” asking for up-front fees in return for information with the asker receiving nothing in return is hugely damaging to the home based business industry and paid advertising methods.
The Truth
YES there are individuals (a minority) in the home based business industry who are scamming people left, right and center.
YES these people should be exposed and dealt with in the correct manor.
And YES the public should be warned that this happens. At the same time they should also be directed to credible sources who do offer exactly what “the escapee” wants.
They should be made aware that the majority of “internet adverts” are genuine and are not asking for any up-front payments.
But this wouldn’t make good news, which means less news will be read, which leads to a lack of advert space being sold in the newspaper and the newspaper will eventually go broke curl up in a corner and die. (Or be smart enough to go ONLINE where all the new money is!)
Will This Stop You?
This wont stop me. There has been many attacks on the industry and there will be many more.
I just say “isn’t that interesting” and I get on with my plan.
It is a shame that the less educated will stop looking and settle for the carbon copy, rat-race life, but if they really wanted to fulfill their dreams they would push on with their search regardless. Maybe the press are doing some filtering for us?
Have You Come Across Any Bad Press?
What effect do you think this has on the home based business industry?
Let me know your take on this.
Unstoppable
Dwayne
>>P.S. By being better home based business owners (Better Networkers) we will weaken the damaging effect the “bad seeds” are having on our industry. If you want to join my network marketing circle where only positive ethical work is done fill out your name and email address in the boxes below.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
This reminds me of one person getting the whole class in trouble in elementary school.
It's a shame they were not more specific. Then again, like you said, it would not make for a good headline. At one time there was a scammy “money tree” opportunity that used the #1 search engines name in it. People were complaining they didn't disclose the monthly fee. People like that need dealt with.
For the rest of us, we are working legitimate business', and I'm not changing my mind over an uneducated author!
Thanks for sharing!
Twila
Twitter: tommydipietro
May 25, 2010 at 13:57
Dwayne,
The bottom line is that people writing about this usually
-has no experience in this field
-has read too many negative forums
-just looking to stir the pot
- has been burned before because they never took the opportunity to
learn about the industry and how to conquer it.
Believe me, when I started, I was a little nervous when I 'GOOGLED' my company
and some of the horror stories.
BUT…what about the positive side? Why does the negative get the press over
the positive?
People really need to read the fine print, open their eyes and understand that this
is a business and not a hobby.
If you are wearing a blindfold, chances are you will walk into the door. If you take it off,
you will be able to open it up and walk right through
Have a great day,
Tommy D.
Twitter: Josh_Garcia
May 25, 2010 at 15:24
Hey Dwayne,
One quick question, “Did you put that article up in the newspaper for advertisement?”
Individual who wrote that probably was bored and didn't have anything better write about. I bet you that they were in business in the past and couldn't handle the fact they had to put some work into their business and QUIT! Now, this is an assumption so don't go quoting me in the UK newspaper.
Chat with you later…
Josh
I wouldn't necessarily disagree with this article. There are more people making claims like, “Make $10,000 in one month now!” than not. If not and that's just my perception, than I will gladly eat those words. Or maybe they are just the loudest. I wouldn't blame the newspaper, I would blame those that make the claims.
Many people in our profession miss one critical part when trying to recruit people; Set Proper Expectations. Not only is it better for your business in the long run, it's morally superior to trying to recruit with misconceptions at best and straight up lies at worst.
Hey Dwayne,
I think that this just makes having a blog that much more important. People can come by the academy and read about my whole life. They can go to the about me page and meet my family. They can see the amount of comments, tweets, shares, diggs… and see that people know, like and respect me. My blog says to the world, here I am, get to know me and then make your decisions about me. In essence I am more accessible and easier to trust than Wal Mart. Who can tell me anything about Sam?
This definitely won't stop me one bit. Glad to hear you're the same.
Sure there are claims that are thrown out there that absolutely absurb, but then there are others that are not are getting lumped with all of the others.
The best thing anyone can do is be true, honest, and upfront. We're not in this business scam anyone.
That will bring no long term result. No one will benefit. So, it's not worth it to approach it from this perspective.
Have a great day and chat with you later,
Jerome Ratliff
Hi Dwayne,
First of all, if we are out to scam people, why do we provide every possible way for folks to contact us (e-mail, phone numbers), along with our pic splattered all over the Internet. I agree there are some scammers out there, but these are usually the folks who don't provide any value to anyone, though a blog or through social media. They hide behind their fancy sales pages.
Have a great day!
Anne
Hi Dwayne,
I have run into this mindset numerous times. Most are not clear on what it is that I do so I run into a healthy dose of skepticism when discussing the private activity I'm engaged in.
Hype will always surround the work at home arena. The wisest online entrepreneurs ignore mass thinking and obtain the facts concerning a particular venture. That's why they become successful; they do their OWN thinking!
There are scam artists, dishonest people and hucksters in all walks of life. Do we call brick and mortar operations scams because of a few shady vendors? An online business is an easy target because so many fail in this arena. More failures = more “scam” potential because “SCAM” is often used as a 4 letter word for a lazy entrepreneur who would rather blame a business than take responsibility for their failures.
I'm in your boat Dwayne. I note these type of ads, chuckle and continue to create value for the people who are genuinely interested in a home based opportunity.
Thanks for sharing your insight
Ryan
Hey Dwayne,
“Isn't that interesting?” is a great little quote. I had someone join me and quit after only 2 days probably because something like this stole their dream. That's just part of the business. Yes, unfortunately there are a scammers out there with nothing better to do than rip people off, but the frustrating thing is people reading this stuff won't have the free will to think critically for themselves. They'll just believe it.
Wayne
Excellent point, Chris!
Hi Dwayne,
Articles like that one pop up all the time. I'm like you …. interesting! …. and go on with my life and my business. I like what Chris said below. If we were out to scam people, would be as transparent as we are? Certainly not! We would be hiding in the bushes like the folks from En*** and other such companies.
By the way, did you know that the insurance business has the same 'failure rate' as the network marketing industry … 93%. But really, do you find that many negative write ups about insurance salesman?
Anyway … have an awesome week!
Ilka
Hey Dwayne,
Yeah, that magazine you mention has a lot of weight here in the UK for sure. Sad to see the few that are unethical ruin it for the rest.
Interestingly, I hear a lot less people read physical newspapers these days, so these papers are actually losing power.
Anyway, I guess these things are part of the challenges.
Thanks for sharing.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
I guess my gigs up. How did someone in the UK figure out what my motives are? You guys got on hell of a research group going on at that paper. The person writing that article is probably a disgruntled idiot– I mean uninformed person. It is true there are a very few marketers that are out to scam people, but for the vast majority of people, they are in the business legitimately and building their businesses in that manner.
Keep preaching,
Eric
Very interesting,
There are some people out there who are scam artists and they should be exposed and dealt with.
However they are throwing around some pretty big generalisations there.
The funny thing is this, newspapers, news tv programs, pretty much all media out there, they all exist solely to sell advertising space…
And they do it by “almost lying” about whatever will get the best ratings, they have no problems twisting stories to get more viewers.
So i would say they are just as guilty as the people claiming “get $10,000 in a week” when it comes to bending the truth.
And “found to ask for upfront fee's for information or training”… Where exactly can you get training or information for free these days? it sure isn't from schools, I know I paid a lot of money studying business through the eduction system over here.
And information? hell i paid $50 just to get a copy of my own birth certificate through the government.
Now i'm not sure what they mean by “got nothing in return” but i know I've spent $10,000's on courses, books, and other things and have NEVER had a problem.
Ok thats the end of my rant for now haha,
As you can tell ignorance annoys me
Hey Twila
It is a little bit like school.
We are all here on full display ready to answer any question about waht we do and if needs be provide proof. Yet once again the minority spoil it for the majority. Sad
Hey Tommy
I agree with you 100%
Negative new plays on peoples fear and people like to read about negative things more than positive things, strangely it makes us feel safer.?!
Hey Josh
Thanks for bookmarking this all over the net.
To answer your question. No. I came across the article, the headline caught my attention.
I am going to use your idea and email the newspaper a link to my article.
I don't see as much anti-home business press as I did say 5 years ago (and I dismiss it when I do see it), but I do have to deal with the implications of these disgruntled people. Like most of us, I still come across the skeptical prospect that has been told, or read that most home business opportunities are scams/pyramid schemes. I choose to deal with these types of prospect by directing them to credible sources of information, and encouraging them to think for themselves. Sometimes they come back and join my business, sometimes they don't.
To answer the questions: No, this type of press will not stop me, and the effect of this type of press is negative. I think that within the home business industry, we have to take action that will counter what the disgruntled folks say. It could be as simple as: stop the marketing hype (this one is killing us) stop the spamming, and being transparent about the industry.
Thanks for sharing Dwayne!
Have a great day!
-James
Hey Seth
I would disagree with their claim of ““ADVERTISEMENTS offering the chance to earn money by working from home are RARELY genuine and could cost respondents thousands of pounds”.
Yes I agree that there are some bogus ads with only one intention of scamming people but claiming that internet ads are RARELY genuine is a huge over statement.
I agree that proper expectations should be set. I have written many post about this.
Thanks for passing by.
Nicely put Chris.
We are very transparent in what we do and we can be easily found! No running for the hills for us
Scary though how the whole industry is perceived as untrustworthy just because of some careless marketers.
Hey Anne
I agree with you.
We are right here, not hiding, not scamming, very transparent. And we would be happy to answer any questions they may have.
More failures = more “scam” potential because “SCAM” is often used as a 4 letter word for a lazy entrepreneur who would rather blame a business than take responsibility for their failures. – Perfectly said. I notice you have a way woth words Ryan. Good stuff man
Its the best thing to say and then just move on. I know this stuff happens, its just a shame really.
Hey Ilka
I didn't know that about the insurance companies, thanks or filling me in.
Such a shame the few spoil it for the many
No problem Wayne
…and your right these are just more challenges to overcome
Ha. I had a feeling it was all you Eric.
I am going to do Josh's idea, email this post to the newspaper and see what they do about it (probably nothing).
Great rant Matt
$50 for your own Birth Certificate, that's robbery right there!
I think if “Which” had done a balanced investigation they would have discovered that there were more unsuccessful home business owners because they had failed to commit to the journey and then blamed the industry for their failure. Of course that wouldn't have made for a sensational type article. The press are just as responsible for perpetuating senseless blame as the next man. It's no wonder I don't read newspapers anymore!
~Marcus
Hey James
I agree, we do have to take action to counter act the disgruntled folk. The best way to do this (in my book) is to remain ethical, moral and teach these attributes to our downlines.
Hey Marcus
When have the press ever done a balanced and fair investigation. I am glad they are rapidly losing their power of the minds of people.
Hi Dwayne,
There are scam artists in every industry. Realtors in the U.S. have been known to sell swamp land to unsuspecting victims, Wall Street has put the entire country in a funk, Insurance companies have been known to break their promises, etc…
However, it doesn't mean that everyone in those industries are bad people or that you're sure to get scammed by buying real estate or insurance.
Why should it be any different in our industry?
Hey Derek
I think the big difference with our industry and say real estate is people don't need us, but people need houses, government, banks etc.
So the effect of negative press will have a bigger impact on us.
Well said Dwayne!
I came across your blog and it looks great. I just spent 3 days with Armand Morin who makes around $30m a year teachng people how to make money online. It is a pity that mainstream still see us as scammers when mlm allows me to take 2-3 vactions to exotic locations every year, and allows me to spend time with my young daughter, just for helping other people escape the rat race and getting their life back! Hardly a scam.
My 2 cents worth. Big business are the csammers. They want to own everything and shut down any competition. We are on the front line of preserving individual freedom. Maybe you could invite the journalist to rid in your new Jag when he retires on a measly pension!
Hey John
Welcome to my online.
Thank you for your $0.02 worth, more value and individual points of view are always welcomed here.
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