A Word on the Current State of the IM Marketplace

It is no secret that the main part of this blog is the product review section. In this section people share their experience with products they’ve used. New products are listed for reviews as they are launched on the market. It is moderating these reviews that gives me a unique insight into what is going on in the IM marketplace.

And it’s not pretty. In fact, I can no longer recall the last time there has been a positive review on a product released in the past few months. It’s all the same story – broken promises and shattered dreams. What’s worse, I can also see the trend in the consumer mentality and where it’s heading – it’s not pretty either.

It seems that the constant influx of push-button do-it-all-for-you software has created a new niche on its own, a niche that is starting to overtake the entire marketplace. Let me quote one person who has sent me an email regarding my free pdf:

Noone wants to work that hard to make money. We want a system that’s up & running ready to use right now!!!!

This quote speaks volumes. Not only did months and years of products with no substance that only target greed of people littered the marketplace, it has also created a want for these products. No, these products don’t work and never will, but they satisfy (at least momentarily) the greed of people who are not willing to do what it takes to make money but want it right now!

There has been an “uprising” recently of marketers with integrity who have decided to dissociate themselves from these crap products. But what I saw it did was only that there’s been significantly less new products on the market from these people. People who have in the past rolled out some decent products. In other words, the crap has overwhelmed the marketplace now almost completely.

As there are affiliate links for all products listed on this blog, I can get some insight into sales data, such as the refund rate, too. People who buy these products are obviously just looking to satisfy their greed or desperation for money, but after that good feeling of achievement from buying the product wears out, and the product doesn’t live up to its promises, they more than likely ask for their money back. Thus the refund rate has sored.

Clickbank has introduced new rules for product promotion, effective August 1st of this year (2011). But do you think that has changed the marketplace in any way? Rules can be worked around – marketers are a creative lot, and when there are no moral values standing in their way whatsoever…

So now we have this market of broken promises and shattered dreams and its prospect is very grim. However, on the bright side, it is a free market, and it has its ups and downs – it’s always had. We are on the down side now and as soon as we hit rock bottom (very soon hopefully), there’s only one way up.

Meanwhile, there are still people who work honestly, they’ll just stay somewhat in the background for a while. And when the market crashes, and the dust settles it will be them to rebuild it once again.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant.

8 thoughts on “A Word on the Current State of the IM Marketplace”

  1. Indeed, I agree we have had an overwhelming amount of products that have made broken promises and shattered our huge expectations out of the products. However, I think we still have hope that something big and better is just around the corner, but this spotlight seems to have been stolen by companies such as ‘Apple’.
    Businesses just need to have faith in the products we offer them because we have chosen what we think is the best.

    Reply
    • Well, I’m really talking about the Internet marketing community, or IM education community to be exact. Apple has nothing to do with it. It’s a relatively small community but it concerns everyone who does any business online. Big companies with big budgets hire big agencies so they’re in their own league (even though there were rumors that a marketing executive from Apple was using PLF at some point, but that’s not the point). It concerns all small businesses, one man operations, mom and pop shops, you and me.

      And we don’t need what is offered now nor faith in it. Not sure what you’re talking about there. Who has chosen to offer crap products that defy all logic? It wasn’t me and I hope it wasn’t you. But there are people who will do anything to “sell to the market what they want” even if what they want doesn’t and can’t exist.

      Reply
  2. I agree the whole IM. Get rich is going crash…

    Some marketers have changed their usps
    into coaching memberships at $1000 + /mth.

    Which the majority of people can’t afford.
    Or don’t want to do the work.

    Theres a huge market for done for you IM.
    Where you can set up sites with content,
    and show people how to market.

    “Noone wants to work that hard to make money.
    We want a system that’s up & running ready to use right now!!!!”

    I say go with the flow$…

    Marc, extremebizopp(at)mail.com

    Reply
  3. >Theres a huge market for done for you IM.
    >Where you can set up sites with content,
    >and show people how to market.

    The presence of this market is exactly why it’s all going downhill. Content? What content? Generic rehashed spam crap that nobody cares about and Google is desperately trying to get rid of? Let’s face it, it takes a lot to create great content that people care about. Even the “gurus” can’t do it (care to test this fact – buy some of their crap they sell). And if they do somehow pull it off after investing a lot of time and money into it, do you honestly think they will give it to some newbie to screw up?

    It does not work that way. The “done for you” market is a snake oil market.

    >I say go with the flow$…

    You mean screw the greedy ba$tards? Not that I believe in it, but I hear karma is a bitch.

    Reply
  4. I realized a very long while ago that IM was NOT a friendly place. Everyone is fending for themselves and doing anything to make money. This meaning selling broken and empty promises.

    So What are We to do?

    Stop chasing after Gold and Work Your Way Up!! It’s that simple, work and progress. There is no one to stop you but yourself.

    Reply
    • Of course. Ask anyone who has succeeded and you will not find a single person who’s bought their success from a “guru”. They might have bought something that’s shown them where to start but it was not a push button software.

      Unfortunately, you’re not gonna change what people like to think. We already know it, but there are thousands upon thousands of people who have no clue and let their greed blind them.

      You try to explain this to a guy who insists he doesn’t want to work but wants money now. He believes in it, because a guru told him it was possible. The guru was a scam and he knows it but the dream is too sweet to give up.

      Reply
  5. When i say done for you. i saying setting up a landing page, autoresponder
    for newbies… Providing a service…

    Admin… You think you should have an open discussion,
    before jumping to conclusions…

    Don’t seem to have to many posts here?

    Anyway, wishing you the best, Marc.

    Reply
    • Marc, I’m sorry if I offended you but the way you worded it hasn’t left much room for imagination. Especially the “go with the flow$” part.

      So either you’re talking about the good ol’ web development and design service, or you’re talking about screwing the gullible. My whole idea for this post was the latter. Sure, you can provide a service of landing page and autoresponder creation and more, but how you provide it and to whom changes everything.

      I’m sure you’ve seen how certain people do it – with promises of near instant wealth from just a simple landing page and no real product. That’s selling BS regardless if the landing page itself is all nice and well. Because these people aren’t sold on having a landing page, they are sold on a system that makes them money with no hard work.

      Reply

Leave a Comment