January 29, 2010
The Truth about Internet Marketing Seminars - Underground Online Seminar, Why I Attend …
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Ok, I had to share this! Hot on the heels of my post, Yanik Silver sends out an email blowing the lid off of what’s really going on at many supposed internet marketing conferences. Ok, so maybe not blowing the lid, as almost everyone knows this … but MAYBE you didn’t.
He says it better than me, so I’m going to reprint his email here (and put in my affiliate links to go to the seminar), but I really hope you listen. It’s so disheartening to see so many people go to seminars where the sold goal (aptly executed) is to get you to have an emotional buying response (over-riding your common sense), spend a lot of money at each speaker’s “presentation”, and leave (often) in more dire circumstances than when you came.
Here’s the scoop, direct from my email, to your ears and eyes (care of Yanik Silver’s hand):
Good morning Agent Evan:
I’m about to reveal confidential and privileged information that you probably won’t hear from anyone else (and I know some people definitely won’t like the fact I’m breathing a single word about this).
You see, I’ve been on the inside of a lot of seminars as a guest speaker and know
exactly how the ‘game’ works.
Here’s the deal: The host will invite a bunch of people to speak at their conference with two considerations in mind. #1 - How large their list is to promote the event and #2 - How well they can sell product at the back of the room.
For the most part (with very few exceptions) it’s true and here’s the other dirty secret…
Most speakers are not paid one thin dime to show up at these events. They have to pay their own pay for travel, hotel and meals. So before they even step foot on stage they are hundreds if not thousands in the hole. That means the only way for them to get compensated for showing up is to sell, sell, sell! Usually this translates to the fact they *have* to spend lots of time pitching their products and services. Really hammering the audience getting them to buy. Essentially their presentation is a thinly veiled commercial.
Why am I telling you all of this?
To show you yet another reason the Underground® seminar is different. I’m paying for the speakers to be there. I’m picking up the tab on their airfare, hotel and taking them out to some awesome dinners. They’re not there to sell you their products or services. (In fact, many of them have nothing to sell.)
Plus, I didn’t pick my speakers for their ability to fill the room. Many of them couldn’t
sell one ticket because their lists could give a flying fig about Internet marketing. I chose them strictly for the content they’d deliver to you for their real-world ventures.
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Actually I’m so serious about delivering immediately useful content here - that I’m even putting up $10k of my own money. You get to vote for the speaker who gave you the most directly impactful information you can take straight to the bank. The winner is going to be awarded ‘Top Underground Marketer’ and they get a huge plaque. Plus they get a $10,000.00 check that goes to their favorite charity. (THEY sure don’t need the money!)
Now I can tell you one thing for sure - most of these guys and gals are super competitive. That means, they are going to go all out trying to outdo one another vying for “the crown” while you sit back and soak it all in.
Remember this event is not bringing in the same usual ”suspects”. I’ve managed to
uncover a secretive group of real-people making real money online *NOT* selling “how to make money online” info.
These ‘under-the-radar’ successes don’t advertise their accomplishments because they don’t need to nor want to. They are quite content to make their money “in the dark” (while keeping their mouths shut and their secrets very close to the vest).
Look, it only takes one good idea to make this worth it for you. Don’t you think from a group of people selling $30 million online, all the incredible attendees and VIP guests you might pick up one or two new ideas?
My Internet buddies attending are coming here to learn NOT to socialize in the back-of-the-room like at typical seminars. And you can bet I’ll be taking tons of notes too.
You need to register right away because your Early-Bird discount and bonuses EXPIRE
February 3, 2010:
This is huge because you’ll save a full $1000.00 before the price increase but more
importantly the biggest bonus of all will vanish if you miss this deadline… When you sign http://www.UGOSeminar.com
Hopefully - I’ll see you there!
And that’s what he wrote me, and like he, I hope I see ya’ there….
Internet Marketing is a bear to stay on top of, and the internet marketing conferences rarely stack up. That’s why it’s a rare event when I recommend them. This conference I’ve recommended for the past five years …
Why is the Underground Online Seminar so Necessary? This is why you need to drop everything you’re doing and COME. This event continues to set the standard for actionable content, and step by step planning, that helps you build a dominating business on the internet.
Regardless of your niche, this conference has always delivered REAL cash into my pocket via actionable step by step items that I immediately put into practice. This is the ONLY conference I made it to last year! This is my first conference of this year. I go because it’s not hype, there’s minimal pitching, and I meet interesting people, and learn top notch and cutting edge material that helps me.
In plain terms, it helps me make money, and without it, I’d make less. Come join me! Use this link below, and drinks are on me (no, seriously - let’s get together for dinner or drinks):
I love this internet marketing event, and that’s why I’m recommending it. I’ll be reporting (daily) from the floor on MarketingCrazyMinute.com, but nothing beats being there. This is a great conference, and I applaud Yank Silver and the folks over at Surefire Marketing for putting on such a stellar event, year after year.
Wow, can Apple market or what? I don’t have much time, but here’s my thoughts about the Apple Ipad, and while not a review of the device, I have to say …
Why did you have to, overnight, kill my Kindle and make it worthless? Why, Amazon, did you not innovate in TWO years after creating such an innovative device? Any Why (Amazon), did Kindle EVER have a keyboard? These questions may never be answered, as the game is over. Apple Wins.
They haven’t yet gotten to price, or connectivity, two very important aspects of the new device, but so far, I am very impressed with battery life (yay - but still does not have replaceable battery), games, screen, books, and portability factor.
The event is hot, and from a marketing standpoint, well - we could study Apple for a decade. However, remember, it boils down to exceptional products that are amazing. They market well, but their products also speak for themselves. Yes, there’s much we can learn here about marketing, but we have to create amazing, life changing products, first and foremost.
So, the Apple Ipad is unveiled … Back to the event. More Soon!
Ok, following up on my last post, this should be titled, MarketingCrazy’s crystal ball, but it’s not. This, frankly, is coming so quickly - a lot of it is here already, regardless of whether anyone knows it.
And the fact is, very few people do know it. Prepare for Internet Marketing knowledge that will be commonplace in 2011, but for now, is cutting edge. Only three fortune tellings for now, as I’m off to the movies (all play, and NO work, not good - so here’s my work).
1) The Year of Universal Search screwing everybody up!
What is universal search? it’s when a search engine brings in items from other properties, and puts your organic search results (that you’ve spent years creating) toward the bottom of the page (yikes). It’s when, instead of 10 organic search listsing, there are only 5, below youtube videos, google news clippings, comparison shop and search engines, etc…). It’s the process by which a search query, on all major search engines, returns results not only from it’s organic listings, but from myriad (”universal”) locations.
Oh, and it hurts! And it’s going to hurt you … unless, you can ->
2) Be Everywhere in 2010
I hate Web 2.0, as you know. Hated more in 2008 than now, but still - what a waste of time. Argh, so much time spent in front of the computer versus at the movies, or on a beach. However, if you were #4 in google for removing “soap scum” and are now not even on the first page below all the youtube videos, news clippings, facebook pages, yelp reviews, and other “universal search” items that are appearing above your hard fought for organic search listing, you’ll immediately see the need to be everywhere.
It just got a whole lot harder (or a whole lot easier, depending on your perspective) to snipe someone’s top listing, or lose yours. A well done Youtube video can take #1 search rankings away from you in a week or less. A well crafted yelp (or insert web 2 property, flavor of the day) review can easily knock you off your pedestal.
That being said, it also allows brand new people to get into the game, if they understand what a game changer this is, and know how to capitalize on it. Let’s pray they don’t (or at least don’t read this blog, since I’m going to pretty much give all that away). 
3) Local Search is king, and all the Search Engines know it …
The direction of the world is local. Local this, that, and the other thing. I’m just getting my hands around this power, and work, that will be involved in the rapidly growing local search market. It’s huge and the tools coming online, including google’s own local search business center, are massive. Every search engine, and every SEO firm, are creating tools like mad to harness it - even me.
So, apart from me ranting about these changes, and how it’s going to actually require me to work to keep my dominating web presence in every niche I play in, what exactly am I recommending?
You mean, apart from the enormous amount of work it would require to “be everywhere”. Time to learn Youtube - it’s now the second biggest search engine behind google (yes, it’s #2, Google is #1). Time to learn Facebook and Twitter (and by learn, I mean have a presence there). Time to focus on your local search listings, and time to make sure your Yelp listing are truly up to snuff.
And yes, this is on top of (and in addition to, as well as relation to), Hubpages, Squidoo Lenses, etc … Why do I get the feeling I may have to work really hard this year? Darn it! I’m going to do that right after I get back from Hawaii …
Until then, what are your game changers? Write em’ below!
Also, take a look at our new MarketingCrazy Podcast and Online Business daily video show, http://www.MarketingCrazyMinute.com
