The Post That Will Piss Off Speakers, Gurus, Internet Marketers, and Snake Oil Salesmen Worldwide

What follows is definitely a rant and I'll likely be "uninvited" from many stages as a result.

I just got off the phone with a woman who has followed about every fast cash, make a million overnight, fortunes on the internet with no education, no experience, no money, think good thoughts and the secret will set you free guru, huckster and snake oil salesman on the planet.

What did she want?

Well, she is just about to file bankruptcy, is devastated by the prospect, is unemployed in the worst economy in her lifetime and she wants the magic pill. She wants to know what she needs to do to make money fast to avoid bankruptcy and to save herself, she's living in her car. She was willing to do whatever it took to get whatever money it would take to get me to help her, she was sure I could because everyone told her I could, because everyone said when you need to make a change fast, that works, call Dave. More about her in a moment.

I feel really bad for her and the dozens of other people I talk to each month who are in the same boat.

Now this rant will seem a little odd since I sell in the same marketplace often but stick with me and you'll get an education that will save you tens of thousands (and may actually make you money).

I've gotten in and out of the speaking industry several times (well, I've never really left speaking, I simply transitioned my business from platform sales to corporate speaking) because of the bold faced lies and bullshit so many people present as truth in order to sell something. I'm going to make a big blanket statement here, the majority of people who tell you they are making a million dollars a year in their business online . . . are not. Now I'm not talking about the legitimate people who are running real businesses, I'm talking about the ones who appear out of nowhere and are gone nearly as fast without being able to show a track record, history, or quantifiable results. They learn how to tell a story that sells and then they go out and sell it. They are not focused on real results for anyone but themselves. They are world class manipulators who prey on people who will never ask them to prove it.

So here is my first piece of advice, if you are going to spend thousands of dollars with someone, don't rely on testimonials from their friends and family, do some independent research. Find out who is actually using their system completely and who is getting the results they promise. If it is as easy and replicable as they say, you shouldn't have any problem finding people who are successful to sing their praises, not just people that sat in a seminar and gave them a testimonial about what MIGHT happen if they got all the results that the business in a box, snake oil, or idea of the day would promise.

People get so caught up in buying the dream that they forget all the hard work it takes to get there . . . and it's not all your fault, but a big part of it is. Salespeople sell the dream because they know that is what everyone wants, everyone wants a big, nice house, a new car, a huge bank account and a beautiful spouse along with trips to Paris, Rome, The Pyramids and Machu Picchu, the source of all enlightenment (they are just sure of it because someone once said that they found it there and that person was semi-famous). They dream sale goes something like this. You've worked hard your whole life and slaved away, you've missed out on your kids soccer games, you've put off your dream vacations and you've struggled to make ends meet. But while you've been killing yourself hundreds if not thousands of people are silently building businesses that create millions of dollars in income starting with nothing, no experience, no money, nothing! And you can do it too. Simply buy this program and it will do everything for you, you don't have to know anything to be successful. Isn't it time that your neighbors were jealous and envious of your success, your cars, your lifestyle?

The second piece of advice is STOP BUYING LIFESTYLE. The chances of you ever being an international superstar celebrity if you aren't already are between slim and none. You can become well known in your industry and have celebrity like status but it will be because of what you can do, not because of what you bought! If you want trips to Paris then by all means, save your money and take one, it isn't that hard or that expensive and you can hype it and make it sound as glamorous as you like to your friends and neighbors (even better don't hype it, they'll do that all on their own). LIFESTYLE DOESN'T PUT MONEY IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IT TAKES IT OUT.

People who visit me are often surprised that I don't drive the latest model car and live in a 7500 square foot home in a gated community on a private lake. My response is always the same. Why would I? I have a daughter who is five and me, why would I support such a massive over purchase of space? It doesn't make sense. And, the car that was good enough a couple of years ago when I got it still is. I don't need to prove how big my . . . well, you get the idea, there is no value in that unless I choose to be a porn star.

My third piece of advice is: Leverage your money to make more money don't use it to try and show how much you have. Warren Buffet has lived in the same house for decades, he could afford to live anywhere and have the nicest house there but he doesn't. Money is a tool to be used to make more of it. Learn to leverage your money in your business and life and you'll have plenty to do all the things you want to do soon enough. Leverage it all to demonstrate your lifestyle and you'll always be chasing the next dollar.

When people ask me how terrified I would be if I had to start over with nothing and my answer is always the same, not at all. I know how to make money and I know how to make money grow, that is the skill to learn and to practice. I have no pride when it comes to what it takes to make a business grow. When I did turnarounds, I changed light bulbs, took out the trash, vacuumed floors and did anything else that was necessary that I could reasonably do to get the company back to profitable, same when I've started new businesses. Hustle is the key to success, learn to hustle and leverage and you'll find success quickly.

Don't be short sighted though, know what to spend your money on, make investments in technology or customer acquisition tools that work and improve your bottom line. Make everything be cost justified, Either there is a measurable return on investment or you stop spending the money, period.

The woman I talked to today was a big fan of the Law of Attraction. When she asked me what to do I told her the smartest thing she could do in her position was to get a job. Broke people who've bought into the brainwashing never want a J O B, that would be a sign of failure. And this woman told me exactly that, if she got a job, everyone would know she had failed and she'd never be able to go to another seminar and face them again.

Failure is part of success, I've failed plenty, I've lost plenty of money and I've learned a lot of very valuable lessons, I don't know any self made entrepreneurs who haven't. When I built my first million dollar business, I worked as a bartender and a police officer while I did it. In fact, I kept the law enforcement job way too long because I wanted the health insurance and retirement, as soon as I realized it cost me more to stay than to focus on my business I left. And, if I needed to grow my business right now and couldn't raise the cash from the business, the bank, or any other way, I'd get a job and do it that way. And, if it came down to me living in my car with my daughter, you can bet I'd be washing dishes at Burger King if that is what it took to support us.

But the woman that called wouldn't consider a job, she also said that it would be attracting the wrong sort of energy too her, that like the boy in the movie The Secret who locked up his bike and it was stolen, if she locked up her dreams and took a job she'd be punished too. She just had to find a course to take that would give her the missing secret. But it also had to help her make money overnight.

When you need money fast, you don't need another course, you need to learn to hustle. You need to do whatever it is that you are good at doing for money for as many people as possible as quickly and as well as you can. The art of hustle is being willing to set everything aside to get what you need and want. It is about doing what it takes in the moment to achieve what you need to move forward. It is about taking action again and again and getting better at it. It is about implementing and profiting.

I agreed to do two things for the woman if she'd make one agreement with me. I told her that if she'd list all of the personal development and money making courses (some unopened) on ebay for sale by the end of the day today I'd buy her and her 10 year old son a week's stay in a modest hotel and some groceries and I'd help her find a job in her area. She left the call incredibly reluctant to sell her courses because she couldn't imagine success without them.

My final piece of advice is this: When you need to make things happen hustle is the key to success, do what needs to be done, put your pride aside and get to work. There is no failure except in doing nothing. The surest way to finding your way to the top is not by standing on the shoulders of gurus, it is by getting up, working hard, and doing whatever it takes to get accomplished what you need to at this moment to move you forward. Success is a series of actions that you take even when you don't feel like it and don't want to, it is not something that happens by buying a box of anything.

Practice fearsome focus, work hard, do what others don't want to do, follow through, leverage your time and your money, keep what you earn and make it grow, take some time out for yourself now and then, reward yourself with a nice vacation or a new car once you've created a predictable income if you want to . . . or just make that money work harder for you and retire early and live how you want until the end.

Or, Wal-Mart will let you sleep in their parking lot . . .it's a good gig when you won't open the door and walk to one that will pay the bills.

At the end of the day the only person responsible for your success is you so be a thinker and be a skeptic, but most importantly, stop betting your hopes and dreams on what people promise, watch what they do and how they do it, that's where the money is.

Comments

[Paul Klein]

Hey Dave,

Terrific and pointed post. I agree with all you have written, and though the truth may be hard to swallow, many people need to read this and take it to heart.

I have seen way too many people think there is some magic bullet to working the internet and they just need to push the right buttons and their millions will appear. Maybe they are the same ones who think winning the lottery will solve their ills...

At any rate, the truth about success is taking action and putting effort into what you want to achieve. As you stated, failure is part of the roadmap to success. How many times did Edison fail before perfecting the lightbulb? I have failed at many things in the few years I have been online, but I never let it stop me!

Keep up the great work and information. You are one of the only ones I truly listen to when I want to cut through the BS of noise online.

Paul Klein

[Jacob Nordby]

wow! this is just great advice--straight from the shoulder. Thank you, Dave. LOTS of people need to hear it and I'm delighted to send this link back to some folks who keep pounding me with get-rich-quick ideas via facebook/twitter/etc.

[Lisa Preston]

I've been saying the same thing for so long, I tend to get impatient with people who think that somehow overnight success is in the next ebook. Perhaps one day I'll have the time to develop the audience that you have in order to spread this same message - but at the moment, I'm busy staying focused on my business and creating my success through hard work.

I hope the woman listens to you. One of the best things someone can have is another person to keep their head out of the clouds and give them a kick in the ass every now and then. Works for me.

Thanks for your insight.

Warmest regards,
Lisa Preston

[bestlifemom]

I love what you have to say. This woman is like so many other people out there. I love how you think.
Warmly,
Pattie Pilling
The Best Life Mom
www.bestlifestresssolutions.com

[Pam Ragland]

Dave, love you lots. I'm not sure where on Earth people ever got the idea the Law of Attraction is about doing nothing. Not at all. It is about focusing your thoughts and actions (vs. just your actions). I've had my business 9 years and although I enjoy a balanced life with my kids, I DO a lot to create that.

This woman doesn't realize her fear of a job & that she has failed will attract that very failure to herself, anyway.

One day I'll be more known for what I do. People will say "she's an overnight success." No. Just like you, by that point I'll have been working who knows how many years to get my message out. If I just sat around & thought all day long, nothing would ever get created. This balance needs to be brought back in.

Warmly,
Pam Ragland

[Don]

Hey Dave

Great post, the power of hard work, focus and persistance is often under valued these days.. Don

[Tian Yan]

Dear Dave,

I've heard you rant about this earlier in a teleseminar with Kevin Hogan and Blair Warren about "The Secret". The straight truth was a breath of fresh air for me and I received a great entrepreneurial education from it as well. I wonder if you can post that link up again so others can hammer this message into their head.

This article is my favourite (it's right up there along with Gary Vee's message to hustle!) and I would love to recommend more of your straight talk advice to others who need it.

Thanks for this and please continue doing what you do best.

Warmly,
- Tian Yan

[Slobodan Blazeski]

Great post Dave keep them coming.
Whenever I a get rich quickly scheme it reminds me of Rule 204:
When the Grand Nagus arrives to offer you a business opportunity, it's time to leave town until he's gone.

Slobodan Blazeski
http://www.linkedin.com/in/slobodanblazeski

[twitter.com/noworrysmon]

Reminds me of an excerpt I read in a book recently..."what happens when a seductive self-promoter meets a celebrity-worshipping society? The Tono Bungay Effect!!! (how salesmanship can triumph over substance and what happens when our discontent causes us to become eager consumers rather than careful contemplators, ie failing to examine the reasons for our discontent and THEN seek solutions!)"
Mtn. Jim Fisher
book url: http://tiny.cc/N3d4V

[Rachna Jain]

Dave,

Great post. As others have noted, the Law of Attraction is not about doing nothing. You can feel great all you want (and should!) but at the end of the day, it's what you *DO* with what you think about that accounts for your results.

The other point I wanted to add to the excellent ones you made here is that making money is actually what gives you freedom. That is really the lifestyle piece of it all. We all want enough money to live how we want and where we want- and we want the freedom to make our life exactly as we want it to be.

But it will take some focus and discipline to get there. Too many people want to skip over these key factors because, frankly, they aren't always that much fun. It's easier to whip out the credit card and buy something new- so you feel like you've done something. But it's way harder to open the box and actually learn and implement what you just invested thousands of dollars to acquire.

Rachna

[David Van Hulst]

Great post Dave, I have been preaching the same thing since I wrote some how-to books back in old mail-order days and buyers would call me for refunds because reading the first chapter didn't make them rich. It is still a vestige of human consciousness (or unconsciousness)that makes many people look for the "mystical authority" that can give them effortless living (and they want it for only $29.95 I might add). Out of thousands I have sold books to in the past, maybe less than 1% actually tried to do something with the info. Enjoy teaching the few who want to use it - there will always be those mystically inclined souls around and...the charlatans.
Have fun!

David

[sylvia]

that post really got to me because it is the truth, and something that both dreamy artists like myself and people buying the next $300 marketing course share - the stalling, the postponement of action, waiting for all the blessings of heaven to fall into our arms as we're standing still. It's good to read the harsh posts and get reminded to just do more and work harder, I not dream more earnestly and with more "magic". It all does take work. really enjoy your writing.

ps: I listened to your blogspot radio with that eastcoast chiropractor and totally got what you were saying about The Secret - i'ts interesting that you're doing your tent city rescue, it could be argued that much due in part to the impression of "endless abundance" we've bankrupted our environment and economy to the point where those people are living in that place and things are the way they are.

I'm working on a site which is very much in small part like your Kick Start America, maybe you'll come by for a visit:
http://hemp4abetter.world.com

[sylvia]

http://hemp4abetterworld.com

just for sterile industrial hemp. could create a lot of jobs.

[Steve Chambers]

Dave:

I'll add to the chorus, "Great Post." The secret of success has been pretty constant over the years...hard work and smart decisions. If people focused on these two things instead of looking for the easy shortcut they'd make better progress in achieving their dreams. They would also pay a lot less money.

Thanks for the post. It's a good one. This is worthy of printing out and reading again and again to remind ourselves of what it takes to be successful in real life.

[Lynne]

Woot! Great post!

[Chris]

Finally!!! Thank you.

[Rich]

Dave,
What this woman is living is horrible, but the worst part of your story is what this woman is teaching her 10-year old son. Parents can only pass on property that they actually own. It's the same with beliefs.
If one's beliefs don't inevitably lead to action, then what good are the beliefs.
Thanks for post and living the truth for your child.

Rich
BackToSchoolBeliefs.com

[MaryAine Curtis]

Hi Dave,
Very practical advice. I am humbled by all that is happening and hustling to get the bills paid.
So getting real with what's happening is what I'm willing to do today right now.

[Dr Wright]

Great Post!

Dr. Wright
http://www.wrightplacetv.com

[Leela Cosgrove]

This is an awesome post Dave.

I've worked the backend of some MAJOR events companies in Australia and I've seen the stuff you're talking about - people who go to a multi-speaker event and buy EVERY course. Then call up 6 months later on the verge of bankruptcy.

Yes - I agree the problem is the "Get Rich Quick" sell (and I think this has a lot to do with the pressure put on speakers by promoters at said gigs - I don't think most of these speakers start OUT wanting to screw people over - but as they get pressure put on them to perform they begin to make small compromises ... until they compromise themselves right out of any real integrity) - but it's also with the people buying.

The issue here is symbiotic ...

There is NO get rich quick scheme. Want to make money? Many of these programs WILL show you how - but you're going to have to work your ARSE off ... After 4 years of 120 hour weeks ... (or as Gary V says "Working until your eyeballs bleed") you'll start to see some amazing results. But it takes that long.

Having met hundreds of thousands of people at these events over the years I can see the 1 thing that separates the successes from the seminar junkies - action. The people who are successful are the ones who go to one, maybe two seminars a year and then go home and IMPLEMENT what they've learned.

The seminar junkies keep going to seminars hoping that one day they'll hear the magic piece of information that makes it all work - and there's the rub ...

The "magic bullet" isn't in the information.

It's in the action.

It's taken me 10 years to become an overnight success - I've studied, worked in my industry, invested in my education (as opposed to buying get rich quick courses and then doing nothing with them!) and worked my ARSE off. Now, people are like "Who IS this chick? She's EVERYWHERE right now?!" ... and I just smile.

[Melissa Malin]

Hi Dave,

Absolutely terrific article!

It brings to mind one of my favorite sayings by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing".

I hope you continue to "irritate" people by continuing this practice.

I think the woman was upset cos she misinterpreted your message. You never told her to abandon her dreams. You told her it was necessary to address basic human needs first (hers and her daughter's).

Most successful people I know built the foundation of stability first, then topped it with their dreams....which they never gave up. It did fuel their efforts, after all.

Hope to see you soon!

[MJ Schrader]

Dave,
Wow! Thank you for the great advice. It's very easy to buy into, the make money overnight just by wishing. Some very well-known people push this philosophy on the public without regard to the consequences.
And I agree there's nothing wrong with keeping the car that works for you rather than to have to have the latest simply for the appearance value. Same with having the biggest house.

Thank you again
MJ Schrader @LoveRockstar

[Amy Wilcox]

Great post! So many ppl are looking for the magic bullet & it does not happen for most. Thanks

[Wes Hopper]

It's amazing how many people can take good material and miss the uncomfortable stuff. I teach "Science of Getting Rich" and always emphasize that the entire second half of the book is about action! There's a reason why Napoleon Hill spent a whole chapter on persistence in "Think and Grow Rich" too. But people like the rich part, but not the work part. And the multitudes of LOA teachers fan the fantasies.

[Jim Kukral]

Like you Dave, I have that same call from the same person almost every day. You nailed it. They have to be told by somebody (us usually) that this is hard, hard work and requires hustle... but also working toward the right goals.

So many are being taught to chase business models that are hard to reach, or take years to build up. I always tend to focus on helping them figure out how to generate some cash in 30 days... then wash, rinse, repeat.

But they have to be deprogrammed most of the time, to understand how to make that happen.

All we can do is continue to help them out as much as we can. But it's hard, very hard, to preach the hard work mantra and win out over the people screaming otherwise.