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May 7, 2008
 I exchanged a few emails today with a blogging buddy of mine. We were hypothesizing on a few things like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), organic traffic, buying traffic and the like. We were also speculating about a favorite nemesis of ours and wondering if he, in fact, actually made any money. We did both agree that he was a very good marketer.
Sometime later it hit me: some of these marketing guys are so good they could sell Crap-In-A-Box, literally. They do figuratively because some of what they sell is as useful (or is that useless?) as crap!
Who hasn't bought something that promised to be the next greatest thing and hours, days, weeks, months later discovered that it wasn't even close.?
I've bought products for use in this Internet Marketing/Business arena that I thought were awesome, well, good anyway, but they lacked a few things. So used them and put up with the poor design or bugs or whatever because they did what no other product would supposedly do. But, it dawned on me yesterday that maybe, perhaps, I'd been had on one product in particular. Taken. Used and abused. Just maybe the "need" that this product fills was completely fabricated, made-up and wrapped in make-believe proof. Could that be possible? I don't know. It's a hard thing to prove. I tossed this thought over to my blogging buddy and he agreed: it's definitely possible. If true, it means that the creator of this product sold crap, and continues to do so!
He's good. So good in fact that people clamored to get the next version of Crap-In-A-Box! Crap-In-A-Box The Sequel!
There's also the possibility that his product works. But I'm really starting to doubt that it does. There's also the possibility that his intentions were good and honorable and he just does not realize he's wrong. But I tend to think he knows he's selling crap to people who will, in all probability never use the software, or never realize that it fills a need that does not exist. Is this despicable? Not entirely because his product does actually help you do something, just not to the degree it's trumped up to, and in fact, the "magic sauce" that is the main selling point is not even necessary. So I guess it's half despicable if that's even a classification! Kind of like Larry on the old TV show Three's Company!
My point is that good marketing can sell almost anything. A good product does not! Let me say that another way: build it and they won't come... it doesn't matter how good it is... without marketing no one will buy it. The flip-side: put the right marketing behind it and you don't even have to build it and they'll show up. To those of us that actually like substance, these are hard concepts to take to heart but ones that we must learn to find success. |
If you're fortunate enough to create products or services with substance and you also have the marketing ability to sell Crap-In-A-Box, you'll be unstoppable!
Stay tuned until next time when we tie the Crap-In-A-Box analogy into our current Presidential race!
Until next time,
Fred
About the Author
Fred Black is an experienced programmer, web site developer, online business operator, systems integrator, father, husband, musician, and songwriter. Visit his Internet Business Blog at: http://www.pqInternet.com.
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Posted by Fred on May 7, 2008 | Printer-Friendly
TrackBack: http://www.pqInternet.com/Blog/mt-tb.cgi/137
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Comments:
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Hi Fred,
I agree. With good marketing skills you really could sell crap-in-a-box ONCE to a customer. That ONCE is the key here. They won't be buying anymore.
And that's where the real business really is...repeat sales. I love it when clients buy everything you put out almost automatically. To have that happen, you need to have the marketing skills and work your butt off to make the products as good as possible (not perfect as nothing is ever perfect and can always be improved).
If you've ever read Cialdini's "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" you'll see he talks about how con men operate and how people are brainwashed as examples you can learn from in marketing. The big difference is you try to influence people to do things that will benefit them instead of manipulating to take advantage of them.
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Nice post Fred. It's obvious to anyone who knows the "online business guru's" scene who the primary sellors of "crap in a box" are... I constantly warn people not to waste their money on the "miracle no effort secret tricks online business" gimmicks. Ironically, guys like you and I sometimes do NOT have as much success selling because we refuse to exaggerate, lie and manipulate people. I'll take less money and a clean conscience. Guess that makes me one of the 98% of losers... hmmm.. who is it that thinks that way? FYI: there are many indicators that the "guy" you speak of indeed doesn't make the money he claims he does. It's part of the marketing lie he tells. (and even if that part is NOT a lie, plenty of the rest of his garbage is).
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Arghh, I have bought a lot of Crap-In-A-Box.
It's like religion. Good marketing, no substance. Even 40 years after the documentary about the big tent revivalist being complete scam artists and exposing all their secrets - people are still lining up to give money to them and their newer counterparts - televangelists.
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Ah... Steven...
Lumping all big tent revivalists and televangelists into the same "religion" box... is precisely the same as lumping you (whom I consider a legitimate marketer) into the same "crap-in-a-box" with all the scam-artist marketers...
:-D
Cheers!
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I have to agree with Terry quite a bit... yes you can sell junk to just about anyone once, but its the repeat customers and fans that are going to make you.
-SS
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Hi, i really like your site layout. I will continue reading here, so i subscribed! Maybe you could check out my site, and even subscribe if you like. Thanks, Zach.
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Thanks for your submission to the fourth edition of the Blog Carnival: Blogging. Your post has been accepted and its live: http://thatsblog.com/?p=55
-ThatsBlog.com
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As an internet marketer, you need to be able to sell just about anything. If you can write the right stuff and get traffic from the right sources, you could literally sell people crap and they would buy it non-stop.
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I love the "crap in a box" piece. So many of us know sombody that can sell just that. however, it catches up with them. crap only works for a minute, and people who have been lured away from your solid advice and worthy products will remember you when the "crap" they bought into proves worthless.
people love to hear "what they want to hear" and often that is just "crap in a box".
I am salesman, and I know, that if i "turn on the gas" i can sell anybody anything. but in the end and after the dust has settled its not worth it.
sell strong, stay the course and dodge that damn crap in a box.
snakecharmer
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Heh. Of course, if you made "Crap-In-A-Box" confusing enough and convinced buyers it was their fault if they couldn't get it to work, you can cleverly sell them "Crap-In-A-Box The Sequel!" by telling them it's got an improved, simplified interface that "...even an idiot like you could use!"
Me, I'd just market it as a box of fertilizer to farmers, but then I'm a literalist. :-)
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