If hot dog vending is so great then why…..
I get an email from a new vendor.
(used with permission from sender – identifying information hidden)
I did call Lori back, but I wanted to share with you my opinion. (for what it’s worth) If you saw my last blog entry I write about another seller whom sells courses from hot dog vending to buying chinese goods to running a daycare. He first hooks people with the hot dog vending though. Lori is not the first person to notice this type of marketing.
Some people are marketers plain and simple and they have all rights to market their goods. They have all rights to branch out and market other stuff, especially those that have built a following and built trust and a loyal following. I do however see the potential for some followers to perceive this as a contradiction or conflict of interest. Just like Lori did.
“If you can make over $4000.00 a week while sitting on the beach as your website does the work for you selling information (a lot of which is free on the internet if you look for it), then God bless you! I’d like a piece of that action myself! The reality, for most people, is that it just doesn’t happen that way”. – another reader submitted
Lori isn’t a bother to me and we have exchanged numerous phone calls and emails, I do understand her concern and agree that it can be disconcerting. Lori had me visit the website while we were on the phone and she pointed out the image of how much he makes. Of course this appears to be from July, 2011 and the amounts are blurred just enough to entice you to sign up for more info. Hell, I was tempted to sign up. See the screen grab below from the site.
- From newopsgroup.com
Note the first number is visible and it appears that these are formatted as $XXX.xx / Assuming I’m reading correctly, just adding up the hundredth place you would be in excess of $3,800 in ONLY ONE WEEK! WOW! ALL FROM HOME – WORK ONCE AND GET PAID FOREVER! That’s the pitch.
I GOTTA SAY, this is sounding great…I want in. But, (I know, everybody hates buts) if you had an online company making $4,000 weekly and on autopilot, mind you that is over $16,000/monthly and over $192,000 annually. Would you need to charge $98.00 to get others involved? Really?
Now let me share this: You will notice on my blog, website and videos, I do not mislead or give you pie in the sky crap. Hot dog vending is hard work. I have said this over and over and over for years. I still vend and it’s gotten easier, but for the new person coming in, I don’t want them to think this is simple. The payoff can be huge and the rewards keep multiplying depending on how you grow your business, but as I told Lori; “Don’t worry, you have done your due diligence, yes, you are struggling a bit, but you are making money and more than you have in your past two jobs. Keep up the good work. Keep on keeping on.”
Don’t be discouraged. If I was to quit vending today, walked away from it all and started painting houses for a living, this would not mean that painting houses is better, it just means it’s better for me right now. Of course I’m not going anywhere.
(from NewOpsGroup.com – earnings disclaimer page)
Consider this: If you made your entire living selling information, if your income, your survival depended on getting others to buy courses and buying into associate marketing: Would it not be wise to continue to promote and entice others into helping grow your business? I’m all for it, if it’s your cup of tea. As long as you use honest, factual and verifiable information to promote your sales.
I can say, if it sounds too good to be true – it probably is. But there are exceptions; So always ask for proof, real evidence to support the claims made. If it’s true, then coming up with proof should be very simple.
The bottom line: You and I are in this business to make money slinging hot dogs to hungry customers. It’s what we do. Remember who your real ‘special opportunity group’ is: Your customers. Like I told Lori, “stay on track.”
Do you need a website? Check out the other blog post we did about getting a FREE website.
Oh and if you were looking for that pie in the sky… it’s right here:
All information and screen shots used in accordance to the: U.S. FAIR USE ACT / DMCA
The opinions expressed here are that of the author and not necessarily the opinions of LearnHotDogs.com, it’s affiliates or sponsors.
Tags: Hot dog vendor news, hot dog vendor websites, to good to be true
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Just 3 years ago I was broke, bankrupt and depressed. I had just lost my furniture stores and my home. Hot Dogs Saved my life! Nothing’s been the same since. I love to help others succeed in this wonderful business.
Comments (5)
I too sell hot dog courses on my sites- but I don’t use my email list to sell that get rich quick crap. I only email about hot dog or mobile food biz) related stuff. Using a hot dog course to try to get people to buy the next big get rich quick scam is un American!
You CAN make money with websites, but the way many people market these courses is questionable.
I need to tell folks about your sites.
For whatever it’s worth…
I’ve been an internet marketer since 2003 – made a living doing it until 2009. I was truly living the dream – making money in my sleep.
Now I made some choices in the early years (make more money short term while doing some things that didn’t have long-term stability), and my business collapsed when the economy did.
I took a full time job for awhile, and now I’m slowly rebuilding the internet business the “right” way.
It also happens that I’ve wanted to own and run my own hot dog business since 1995. Not having the capital to do that, I turned to the hot dog cart idea last fall. I did purchase the products of the person referenced in the post. I believe them to be thorough and worth what I paid.
He has mentioned (twice) on his hot dog blog that he was ready to teach others how to set up businesses systems like the one we all purchased through.
However, (and this is important) he is NOT emailing his list. He has set up a separate sign up list for those who are interested. In my view, he has done this the right way by separating the two into different lists.
The get rich crap is just that – crap. However, there are ways to build a sustainable income online. I know how to do it, because I’ve done it in the past. I signed up for his newest stuff because I wanted to see if he had any specific techniques that I could learn.
He hasn’t, but at least I’ve been able to see that what he is teaching is the simple, foundational stuff (thank goodness). Say what you will about mixed motives (and it might be fair to do so), but at the very least, I don’t feel, as someone who has successfully done what he is teaching, that he is leading people down a dark of broken promises and unfulfilled dreams.
To be honest, I like both of you.
Can’t we all just…get along?
Mike, thank you for posting. The point of the article was about the mixed message it sends to vendors. You state that it was kept separate, but it’s linked from the hot dog blog site. It encourages people to look at a website then to look at certain page, where that new stuff is advertised.
Steve is a great marketer. I would put him up there with Perry. But since I posted that I have received numerous emails from not current vendors, but potential vendors who had similar fears as did Lori. I received a total of 3 before my article came out.
If you would like even more info, that I didn’t post, feel free to call me. My goal was to encourage new and potential vendors to stay on track. Keep their eyes on the goal and to not get sidetracked.
I agree with Mike in that a great income can be made on the internet as we sleep. I, too, did it for several years before the bottom fell out and had to find other means of support.
The problem I have with Steve’s approach to his new venture is two-fold. Firstly, I found his site solely for the purpose of advancing my income as a hot dog vendor. That’s my focus. Not selling porcelain cats, or whatever, on the internet. Some people have been squeezed so tightly financially that they’re beginning to panic and are grabbing at whatever carrot is dangled in front of them to make ends meet.
Secondly, he may be keeping the two separate, but only to a point. He has a built-in database of people who are admittedly wanting, or needing, more money from which he draws. That’s a very valuable list of people. He may not sell peoples’ information as so many online entities tout. That’s commendable but he doesn’t have to buy a list of a particular demographic to hawk his latest venture either. 1.6 million unique email addresses per year, to use his numbers, that he has access to is HUGE!
I receive his newsletter, didn’t sign up for the SpclOps group, yet still receive emails reminding me that I didn’t with more blah blah blah with the usual slick pitch.
I resent people preying on others’ weaknesses and that’s what I (in my opinion) see here. I agree that he’s a great marketer and I don’t take that away from him. He has managed to coerce people into buying a product without actually divulging what it is. Pretty good salesmanship.
By your own admission, Mike, you signed up because you wanted to see IF he had any particular info to add to your internet sales arsenal. If you’ll read some of the posts he’s received, it’s apparent that you are the exception. Most are clearly jumping on a bandwagon hoping there’s a band.
As always, my opinions are just that and I wish everyone all the success they deserve.