How to Research Internet Business Offers
and NOT GET SCAMMED - Ever (Again)!
IMPORTANT! - Never BUY Anything Until You Do Your Research
Have you seen websites with someone lounging on a beach or leaning on an expensive car - with a signup page asking you to follow them into "the good life"?
They may call you with a sales pitch to learn how to make money online from them. They can be very persuasive.
Business offer websites will certainly sound enticing too. Emails and free ebooks may also be very convincing. Then you uncover the cost to you. Later you learn "the TRUE cost (more)" and how much YOU will have to learn and time you will need to spend.
Maybe it's too late. You've given them your credit card before you realize the business is NOT what you expected.
Get Your Refund If You Can!
As soon as you discover "the truth", try to get your money back.
Next time, don't even sign up for "free information" and especially DON'T give them your PHONE number until you've done more research!
Research Tips to Find Out "The Truth"
About A Business Offer, Tool, or Service
Today you can find out most everything online. I use Google first, but any search engine will do.
You want to search on the the "names" - people's names, website names, systems or program names. If you can't find names, STOP THERE and just forget it! To research the offer, you need "names", or don't trust it AT ALL!
Credibility factors are ALWAYS presented with legitimate business opportunities. Scam artists tend to leave them off, until after you sign up somewhere;-) Good marketers have learned (and teach us) that we have to identify ourselves to ensure our good reputations. All the REAL experts and good opportunities will have names associated with them that you can research.
So "google" the name (or use your favorite search engine) to start your research. Read a few pages of results for the names you find.
Adding the word "scam" or "review" may narrow your results to those sites with reviews and scam reports about a business, marketing method, or person. Give it a try!
Lots of offers you'll get that reek of "false advertising" and promises of wealth with little work and probably have fake testimonies. You have to dig deeper to find "the truth" about ANY business offer.
Read through several pages of the SERP (search engine results pages) looking for independent reviews, scam reports, forum and blog posts to find "THE TRUTH".
Be sure to skip or ignore obvious promo sites from the people trying to make money linking to the primary offer.
I like finding forum or blog posts best, but even those can be misleading. Be careful what you read in review websites because most of them are actually pushing their own business offers and scams (or hype).
If it Sounds TOO GOOD To Be TRUE, It Probably IS
You know, persuasive sales copy is an art form that is used by everyone online today. You will probably be using it too when you start your online business. BUT, the scammers are really good at it. I guess that's why they call them "Scam Artists".
Yes, scams are usually presented with the best, most convincing sales pitches ever - so BEWARE!
HOW to Research the Offer BEFORE you Purchase
If the information you want to know about a Business Offer is not presented, don't expect the product or "system" to deliver Your Dream of Wealth simply because they make promises and have testimonies.
Always look for the contact information and use your favorite search engine to search the name of the system and person presenting their offers. If they don't provide it, it's probably a SCAM.
Find out more about what the business opportunity entails before you BUY!
Here are several things to know first:
the products you would be selling and who your customers would be
is the company reputable, been in business very long? (check out BBBonline too)
what is your role in your website building and maintenance?
what is your role in phone sales and customer service?
do they have support for setup, sales and order fullment?
is it an MLM where you call all your friends and relatives? (read more about MLM's)
what are your marketing responsibilities and costs?
what marketing support and ad campaigns do they provide (how much extra will they cost?)
what is your initial and ongoing costs in their program and any support structure?
when and how do you get your commissions or payments?
Most especially, I recommend that you understand what skills you will need and what activities you will perform to manage the business that you are considering. Just saying they will provide all the training you need is not enough about what you need know to run your business. In fact, when they say that, BE SUSPICIOUS; it sounds like a MLM. (Read more about MLM's. Some folks are happy in MLM businesses.)
Again, DO NOT consider doing or selling "anything" because of the testimonials of profits and little work. We all need to use testimonies, but they should be supported with facts and details to satisfy your research. The more complete information provided on the website or via free downloads the better, and you will usually find it when a system is a viable opportunity.
Don't Forget About GUARANTEES - You MUST See One!
The longer the guarantee lasts - the better. I no longer think a 30-day guarantee is enough. It takes a few months to see any results, so you should insist on a 90-day money-back guarantee for most money-making offers.
Oh, and be sure to use your credit card to purchase anything online (or PayPal). They will help you get your money back, if necessary. But, first, try to contact the seller and request a refund. All "legitimate" businesses will have no problem refunding your money within the projected time period.
Marketing Tools Can Be SCAMS Too!
There are traffic generating tricks, linking mechanisms, and other "tools" of the trade that are useless wastes of time and money also. Research them as you would any system you are considering. I've paid money for traffic that DID NOT pay off. Don't commit money to anything you have not fully researched.
Remember there is a huge market of people who want to work at home and quit their day jobs. AND there is also a huge number of websites and emails dedicated to trying to sell to the people who dream of working at home. Most of it is repetitive, basic information (you can read free here) or a scam.
TIP: If they call on the phone, I have learned to be even less likely to trust them. Expect a high-pressure sales pitch, including convincing "only available today"- type of offers. We are likely to be all the more gullible on a phone call.
"Be Careful Out Here!" - Please read Internet Scams and Fraud too, especially if you are a victim already.
| 
