What is another word for unemployed? Consultant.
Lately, I have noticed a great many commercials on various media wanting me to give them money for them to teach me how to_________. You fill in the blank for any variety of topics. Buy stocks, buy distressed property, be successful on eBay, be successful on Amazon, make $10,000 per day or how to retire at age 30. I particularly love this one because I am way passed 30.
I know that these type of things have been around for decades. I guess I only recently began to pay attention to them. Not because they interest me in a positive way, rather they all seem to have the same message. “Give me your money and I will show you how to ________. ” There is that fill in the blank thing again.
This type of selling bothers me. It bothers me from the perspective that once they started teaching they lost touch with their customers, their products and their industry. There is no way that these experts can truly stay on top of their topic unless they continue to practice what they preach on a daily basis.
On top of that, if what they were teaching was so great, made so much money and gave them the lifestyle they wanted then what are they doing teaching you? The simple fact is they make more money telling you how they did it than they did actually doing it. If that weren’t true they wouldn’t be telling, they would still be doing.
I went to one of these seminars this week. A friend of mine asked me to attend as he was sponsoring the event and wanted to have enough attendees to not be embarrassed by a weak turnout. That in itself should have been warning enough, but I went anyway. The seminar was entitled something like, “Why People Fail in the Copier Business and How to Fix it.”
The content of the seminar did mention copiers. It did mention items that tied the goal of the seminar to the copier industry. However, make no mistake. The purpose of the seminar was to sell the audience on paying the presenter to teach them how to sell using his proven sales techniques.
During the seminar my mind began to wander. Questions came into my mind that centered around, if his techniques were so good why isn’t HE selling copiers? The notes he kept referring to were torn, tattered and a bit ragged. Obviously, he had used them before. I wondered, how many times had he taught this copier selling course or were these his notes for every group that was lured into his classroom?
He had a permanent office in a nice office building. There wasn’t a copier in sight but he had lots of sales materials scattered about for us to buy and invest in. If this presenter knew much more than how to make a copy I would have been shocked.
The next day I got a call asking me to come back so that the presenter could see if his sales training might be something that I was interested in. It was actually funny to me that he proceeded with his closes on me even after I told him that I wasn’t in the copier business. Amazingly enough, his techniques would work in every industry, including mine.
Therefore, I came up with a list of 10 things we should ask before investing money in any system, products and theories.
10. Are You Ready to Hear What They Have to Say
Is every consultant out to get you? No. I am not saying that. However, you do need to understand what they are truly selling to see if you have a fit. For instance, don’t pay to learn how to invest unless you have a good chunk of money you can afford to loose.
Do you truly have the time that is going to be required to complete the training and to then put into action the things you have learned?
Do you have an open mind and want to change your current situation? If you were already doing things right would you need to hear that from a consultant or seminar? If you are not ready to make a lifestyle change then you should not attempt to learn a new method of doing something.
9. Do You Need What They Have
What are they offering that you need? With a little preparation could you teach the class? How experienced are you on the topic? Is the information timely and relevant to current business trends?
Don’t get involved in something that will not benefit you long-term. Consider the time you are going to have to invest to learn what they are teaching. From my experience you will spend at least 2/3 of your time learning and 1/3 doing.
8. Is this the Only Source for this Information
Can you get this information from some other source? The Internet is a wealth of information. Have you searched the article directories for free sources of information.
Today, there are plenty of Blogs and other free sources of information on more topics than we can include here. I am very confident that you can find plenty of good information on your topic for free.
7. Do they Believe in their Information Enough to use it Daily
Are they still using their information on a regular basis or is selling this information the bulk of their income? If they are selling you a “system” on stocks or investment property how much did they make last week, month and year using their system?
A word of caution here – too many people will answer this with top line revenue instead of bottom line profit. I am not interested in selling for the sake of selling. I want to know what they made after paying all the fees, buying the products and paying the freight in and out.
6. How Much and How Long
What is your ROI (Return on Investment) and how long will it take to recover what you spent? If it sounds too good to be true… You know the rest. Don’t forget to include your time in the investment/spend column. Your time is the most valuable asset you have. How you choose to spend it matters and should be included in this calculation.
The length of time to determine a reasonable ROI is strictly up to you. If you are looking for a quick hit with a fast ROI then you are the perfect candidate for these seminars. They are looking for you! There are any number of get-rich-quick systems available and they will gladly assist you in parting from your money.
However, if you are patient, methodical and practical in your approach it is not unreasonable for your ROI to take up to 18 months and be a lasting stream of income.
5. Is There a Guarantee
Do they offer a money back guarantee? This is a good indication of how much they believe in their own product. If it works then they should have no problem making this offer. Is the guarantee conditional or unconditional. I know a computer company that has a “Money Back Software Guarantee” where they will refund the cost of the software you purchased within 30 days but has no return policy for the computer hardware you bought. The software is the smallest portion of the sale and is the only portion that is refundable.
4. Is There Ongoing Support
Do they offer follow-up resources? Do they offer continued consulting and answers to questions beyond the purchase? How long?
Do they offer a Blog for support, E-mail support, live support or all three?
You are going to have questions after you give them your money. How are you going to get those answers.
3. References and Referrals
I love the line from one of the Santa Clause movies staring Tim Allen. He is trying to explain to his niece that it isn’t so odd to have a reindeer. Lots of people have reindeer. She comes back at him with, “Really? Name 3.”
You are going to hear how lots of people have been successful using whatever they are selling. Really? Name 3.
Get references. Make them name names and get phone numbers. Take the time to contact these references and quiz them on the program being sold. Ask the questions listed above and see if you hear anything that you like.
Go onto the Internet. Use the major search engines to find information on the program or system being sold. You will probably find information for and against the product. Read as much of both and see what makes sense to you.
2. How Long is the Offer Good For
Limited time offers are fine. They have been around sales and marketing forever. I am not taking issue with this type of offer.
Giving you time to think things over, talk to your spouse or gather your thoughts is not a problem for a legitimate operation. I had a person once who said that they wanted to pray about it. Heck, I even have a friend who was in the car business who once had someone tell him that they had to go pray about the car purchase. When the salesperson told his manager the manager got on the public address system and said in a booming voice, “This is God. Buy the car.” My friend no longer works there.
If they tell you that if you walk out the door the deal is off, then don’t walk out the door. Run! Get away from them as fast as you can and don’t look back.
1. They are not Invested in your Success
I may have saved the most important thing for last. These consultants, teachers and purveyors of practical knowledge truly are not invested in your success. Whether you use their materials or not is truly of no concern to them. They probably already have enough references for people to call. Your success is not what they are selling.
While I am sure that they believe in what they are selling what do you think they would say to someone a year down the road if they called and said that they had not been successful using their system? How much sympathy would they have?
They are selling and people are buying information from them. Nothing more. Remember that at all times. It is now and always will be up to you to make it happen. Just because you have the knowledge does not make you successful. You have to take action, put your knowledge to good use and you have to have the staying power to make it through the tough times. For there will be tough times.
Nathan Lewis has over 25 years of experience applying technology to solve complex small business problems.
Mr. Lewis is the Sales and Marketing Manager for CJ Internet Sales, an Internet retailer with sites such as:
Barry limo ..