There’s one subject that gets people riled more than any other… Well, maybe apart from government taxes and Wayne Rooney sleeping with prostitutes…
And that’s scammers.
Let’s face it – scammers are everyone’s favourite evil. If I ever put on a panto I’d cast the villain as a scammer, and have him trying to sell Cinderella a ‘sure fire secret strategy that will make you richer than the prince – OVERNIGHT!’
Or I’d have the ugly sisters as two crones selling timeshares to pensioners for non-existent properties in Spain.
Boo! Hiss!
Of course scammers are despicable people. They should be put out of business, or locked up, or both, when they’re uncovered.
But you know what…? I think people give them FAR too much thought and column space when they could (and should) be focussing on active ways to improve their lives, not worrying about the potential pitfalls that may or may not hit us.
In fact, I’ll go one step further and say that I think some people use scammers as an excuse NOT to make the strides they need to improve their lives.
The blinkered attitude that holds most
people back…
If you really wanted to see the wonders of Marrakech, you’d go wouldn’t you?
You wouldn’t think about the possible dangers… the chances that your travel company might go bust, the slim possibility that your plane could crash, the one in a million chance that you might be kidnapped and sold to sex slave traffickers (although if that happen to me, the traffickers would feel THEY’D been scammed!).
Okay, you MIGHT think about the dangers of travel… but I doubt it would stop you going.
Yes, there are scammers out there. Yes, we should warn people if there’s something that’s been exposed as a scam, or if you’ve been personally stung by something.
But other than that, get over it. Otherwise you’ll never make the moves you need to achieve what you want in life. Crossing the road has risks, eating fish has risks, riding a bike has risks…
LIFE has risks. Worrying about it won’t get you anywhere.
All you need to do is follow these two simple rules, then forget about it:
- If you’re going to try something, make sure it’s been recommended to you by someone you know. In my opinion this is FAR more important than making sure there’s a money-back guarantee, or a returns address, because a good scammer would put these things in, wouldn’t he? So NEVER part with a penny if you don’t know who’s made the recommendation. For instance – you’re reading this right now because someone you trust guided you my way. That – in my book – means that you can read this website with confidence, knowing I’m here to fight your corner and share ideas that won’t rip you off.
- ‘Do I trust him?’ If in doubt, DON’T BUY. Not even from me – not until you’re confident about me and my letter. Just use your gut instinct on this one. I’ve recently started to get emails from a guy who sounds ever so friendly, who writes well, who I might even enjoy a pint with.
But two things bug me about this man…
First, I started getting emails from him without ever agreeing to get them.
Basically, I don’t know where he comes from. This reflects the above point – no recommendation means he’s going straight into my junk mail.
But there’s something else about him that sets off the alarm bells…
From Day 1, he’s been pestering me to buy something. He NEVER gives me any other advice or tips, NEVER sends me anything good that I can get my teeth into without expecting anything back. All he keeps doing is saying ‘Hey, why don’t you buy this?’
‘Because I don’t know who you are! Now sod off.’
Basically, that’s all you need to know. Money back guarantees…? Yes, they’re important. But genuine businesses AND scammers both ‘offer’ these, so I personally don’t get too hung up on them. I’m much happier doing business with someone who I have a relationship with and who doesn’t officially offer a MBG than someone I don’t know from Adam who has 10-pages ‘proving’ how trustworthy he is.
So just follow the two points above, and you’ll pretty much be okay. And don’t let the fear of scammers stop you from reaching out and trying new ventures and ideas. Because one of them could be the thing that starts making some serious money.
Why you should listen to scammers…
A few years back I worked with a man who gave me an excellent bit of advice…This man was someone worth listening to. He’d made millions from publishing, he’d sold his business and retired, and he spent all of his spare time either:
A) Playing tennis
B) Charging thousands as a consultant
C) Complaining about his prostate
Now, maybe (C) isn’t a goal of yours. Maybe (A) isn’t either. But (B) would be a pretty good position to be in wouldn’t it?
This is what he told me…
If you ever hear of a bonafide scammer, especially one who’s conned thousands of people and made millions, go and take a look at his ‘sales letters’ or emails.
Listen, this may sound crazy, but if you don’t have a look at a letter that’s made millions of pounds, then you’re missing a trick – even if that letter was illegal. Because you can learn A LOT from a successful scam.
That’s LEARN, not EARN.
Remember, if you’ve heard about the scam (certainly if you heard about it through a mainstream newspaper), it must have done pretty well to get that sort of attention. That means it must have persuaded a lot of people to invest or buy – and if you’re running a small business, that’s EXACTLY what you want to do.
So put aside the ill feeling you may have about the scammer, and see what he or she did that worked so well. After all, they wouldn’t have simply written ‘Send me £1,000 to this bank account…”
No one would fall for that. So what did they do to make thousands of people fall for their scam? What phrases did they use? What promises did they make? How did they make it sound convincing/exciting?
If you can pick apart a successful scam, see what makes it tick, and apply those traits to the advertising and offer of your LEGIMATE business, you could see your sales go up dramatically. This is a much better way of using a scammer than wringing your hands and wailing about their evil ways.
Take advantage of them, and rip THEM off instead.