Quick warning if you were thinking of spending a dollar on Keith Wellman’s latest offering.

Read through the Terms and Conditions thoroughly.

Along with Gary Ambrose, Keith has released a special offer for footage of a “$5,000” seminar for just $1.

For this product it is very apparent that Keith has made sure to cover his back after receiving a lot of flack during his “AutoPilotFX” launch a few months ago. The main complaints were about extremely poor customer service.

You can read more about that at the following blog:

[Edit: Apologies folks, the author of the blog has decided to remove all of the posts he made]

By signing your initials on the order form, you are agreeing to join a $40 per month forced continuity program. You are also agreeing to be charged $150 if you chargeback any month from Keith’s company. I’m not sure if it would stand up in court but that’s what’s in the small print:

By purchasing the Breakthrough Profit Creation product for $1 you agree to also sign up to the free 30 day trial of the Masters of the Month program. After 30 day we will automatically bill your card for $39.95 and each month after… There are no refunds on the Masters of the Month DVD. If we at FX Marketing Inc get a chargeback from any purchase or monthly billing we may excecute the right to charge you for the cost of the chargeback as well as a $150 processing fee. If the customer wins the chargeback, the debt is still valid and we may attempt to collect that debt via a 3rd pary collection agency.

(all taken from http://www.fxmarketinginc.com/wellman_tos.htm)

Unfortunately I don’t trust Mr Wellman after a bad experience buying a product through his link in 2007. Therefore, I wouldn’t use a normal credit card to buy this from him.

To avoid the forced continuity trap I would use a temporary credit card with a very low balance so any attempt to rebill me would fail.

But, that’s just my opinion.

Read more about that tactic here:

Avoiding the Internet Marketing Forced Continuity Trap

You may well wish to receive the “Masters of the Month” DVDs and so you will need to make sure to use a credit card that can be rebilled at a rate of $40 a month.

I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss the part in the sales video which tells you that you will be signing up for a continuity program – whether you like it or not.

Can someone explain this to me because I can’t understand how this can benefit me…

Late 2006 I sign up for a printed newsletter which gets good reviews. It’s a yearly subscription, priced at (for arguement’s sake) $127 per year.

2007 I renew, again paying $127 for a full year.

Fast forward to late 2008 and I receive a subscription request letter saying:

“The current monthly membership fee is $24.95 per month however… [as you are already a member]… your membership is kept at the original low level of $19.95 [per month]”

Erm, no, that’s not quite right.

My YEARLY fee is $127 – why would I want to pay $19.95 a month? That’s almost TWICE what I pay now!

I would prefer it if the person(s) in question were upfront about wanting to increase the price – but to try and make out I am getting a good deal by signing up again at double the price doesn’t make sense.

So, no thanks, I’ll leave it I think.

I was going to sit down and write a long blog post about why I dumped Aweber and several thousand subscribers but I decided against it.

Blog posts are better when they are short and to the point.

So, if you were interested, here’s why I closed my account on the 2nd January 2009…

(1) I haven’t sent an email since September 2008 and sent perhaps 10 in total in 2008

(2) I’ve lost all interest in email marketing and copywriting (incidentally I never had any interest in product development). It was a major hassle for me to compose, load and send an email broadcast. That may have been reflected in the tone of my emails. Sorry if you detected that!

(3) In the last couple of years it has become evident that the marketplace has changed. The barriers are lower and now, in my opinion, the whole ’email newsletter’ thing has been harmed because anyone can send out emails just by getting an autoresponder account. In other words, there are lots of people sending out complete junk and marketing jibberish which harms the rest of us.

In addition, I just wanted to take this opportunity to answer some questions I received when I told my list I would not be emailing them again.

Q: “Ben have you lost your marbles? Your getting rid of your aweber account? WHY? Is your list not making any money?”

A: The list always made money – some promotions were far better than others. Seminars rarely ever sold which was always disappointing because I find seminars to be the most valuable ‘product’ you can buy. I’ve not lost my marbles but thanks for checking! I figure that I can always start again in the future if I want. I built one list and could do it afresh whenever I like. Next time I probably won’t use Aweber though – far too complicated for what I need (great service though).

Q: “Sorry to hear you’re putting the newsletter to bed. I thought I should suggest an alternative that you could offer your other subscribers. Using FeedBurner to syndicate your blog’s RSS feed, you can also offer updates via e-mail. I see your blog uses WordPress so it should be as easy as adding the FeedBurner plugin to your WordPress installation and then pointing subscribers in the direction of the e-mail signup page.”

A: Thanks Philip! Great advice. (Check out Philip’s blog at: http://philipjohn.co.uk/)

Q: “hi ben… it was always an interesting read… not of late they were few and far between… hope all is well, might bump in to you at one of them seminars at the late night bar… wonder if you had any info on this: (webprosperity.com)”

A: Hope to see you at a seminar too! As for ‘Web Prosperity’ – not 100% sure. I see it as a gimmick where a lot of people are pushing it expecting to be at the top of a huge matrix, earning lots of money. In my opinion, if you see the word ‘matrix’ on a website and it isn’t advertising a Keanu Reeves film, run the other way.

Q: “Would it be possible to make an offer for your mailing list?”

A: Sorry but no. When I collected the names I specifically promised that subscribers’ names would never be sold or shared. The list dies with the Aweber account I’m afraid!

Q: “This is sad, it your your site that I first joined since I started my search as an Internet Marketer. It would be nice to know if you have been successful with your list (selling backends etc).”

A: Thanks for the email Mo. The list was definitely successful. It was built mostly via PPC advertising. I spent about £2,500 on PPC over the years and then sold tens of thousands of pounds of resale rights and affiliate products. I made multiple times my expenditure in profits. Of course, this was when I was still motivated to earn from an email list. Sadly that motivation has now gone. Don’t let that put you off though, email marketing can be very lucrative.

Q: “Sorry you are pulling out. Hope the reason is that you have made your millions?”

A: Not quite Andy but I am happy with how that particular venture turned out. Thanks for the email.

So thanks for the emails everybody.

I only got one nasty remark:

“Thank god at least one piece of useless spam will not darken my inbox again”

So thank you, Howard, for making me laugh. I assume you are serious which saddens me a little.

Happy New Year everybody.

This weekend just gone I spent down in Heathrow at the Focus Marketing UK Seminar which was organised by Pat Lovell and Sean Roach.

I had a great weekend, despite a couple of low points – what kind of hotel closes their bar at 1am?

I’ve just added a full review of the seminar – warts and all – to the main website and you can read it here:

Review of Focus Marketing Seminars UK Event, Heathrow, October 2008

I can’t say it enough – these seminars are superb for meeting other people who are in the same position as you.

There was no indication whether Pat and Sean will be back in the UK anytime soon but you can keep up to date with the latest UK IM seminars at the following website:

[Link removed – site no longer online]

Were you at the seminar in Heathrow? What did you think?

I’d love to hear from other attendees, feel free to leave your comments below…

Read through a few posts on this blog and you will soon discover that I like to attend a couple of internet marketing seminars a year.

I really enjoy getting away for a few days to a hotel and mixing with other marketers.

Although me and countless other marketers take seminar attendance in our stride, we were new to it once and can fully understand why some people find it daunting and are put off.

A lot of it may be down to misconceptions i.e. “it’s just a big pitchfest with no real information or benefits to ME” or just the fact that it’s scary to turn up to an event not knowing anyone else who will be there.

Read on to discover what kind of people you’ll meet and what to expect at your first internet marketing seminar (and please note, this is based on my experiences of attending small gatherings of 50-100 attendees NOT huge 500+ conferences).

Smaller gatherings of the type organised by Robert Puddy and Steve Foley are perfect as you have a good chance of speaking to everyone who attends – including the speakers.

Here’s a selection of the people I have been lucky enough to have met at a seminar, maybe you recognise one or two of them yourself?

1. The Weirdo

This is the fella you will speak to once and then avoid for the rest of the weekend.

He’s the guy (or gal) who wants you in his MLM and will stop at nothing to convince you that MLMing is the way to go.

Advice: Say “oh, yes, MLM is wonderful! In fact, I’m already in that program, isn’t it great?” Immediately he will lose interest and you’re out of danger.

Do not, under any circumstances, say “MLM is a load of tosh” or you risk being lectured to for 2 hours on the benefits of building a downline. You have been warned.

2. The Drunk

The drunk forgets he is at a business meeting, has a few too many on the Saturday night and then threatens the barman and a random hotel guest when they look at him funny. He’s very remorseful on the Sunday during the first presentation but the damage is done. By all means have a few drinks, but don’t get steaming drunk and do something you may regret.

3. The Over-enthusiastic JV Man

Show the slightest bit of interest in promoting this fella’s product and he’s your friend for life. He’s also the one who continually emails you after the event putting pressure on your to promote to your list. And he’s not just doing it to you, everybody else who expressed an interest in JVing with him is getting hounded too. Advice: If you are looking to JV with others, select one or two potential partners towards the end of the event and NOT on the first night after you’ve got a little tipsy!

4. The Smokers

The smokers have all the fun. Stood outside the fire doors for long periods they chat, forge friendships and get all of the latest news and gossip. Even if you don’t smoke, be like a smoker. Fresh air is good for you so go outside occasionally and stand with them – you’ll be surprised by the sheer amount of information you pick up.

5. The Clueless Newbie

Full of questions and not afraid to ask, this is the one attendee that even the speakers avoid. If you’re a kind, generous and patient soul you can befriend them and field their questions all weekend. Otherwise, pretend to be just as clueless and they’ll wander off.

6. Your New Mastermind Group

I meet with 8 other marketers once a month and have been doing so for the last two years – our mastermind group surged ahead after we got together following a seminar. I know of two other mastermind groups in the UK that were formed out of seminar attendees and no doubt there will be more. If you want help, advice and motivation on a regular basis then the relationships you forge at weekend events can benefit you for years to come.

7. The Arrogant Speaker

This is the one speaker who jets in at 10.30am, speaks at 11am then leaves the building at 1pm. All of the other speakers stick around and mix with the attendees but not this one. Once his pitch has finished and he has banked some money, he is off.

8. Mr “Know-It-All”

Get stuck talking to this attendee and you’ll spend the next half hour thinking of excuses to get away. Mr KIA talks a good game but you soon realise he is just spouting the usual “expert advice” that he read last week in the latest over-hyped Clickbank best-seller. Nothing new here.

Of course, he mentions his product several times in the conversation (you’ve never heard of him or the product) and when you finally do get away, 2 hours later, he slides you his card which features his cheesy picture and his website address in big letters. Of course, you’ll make sure you buy his product the moment you get home!

9. The Surprisingly-Nice-In-Person Marketer

I’ll hold my hand up and admit that I’ve made some assumptions in the past that proved to be very wrong.

Whilst booking to attend a seminar I thought “oh no, not that speaker, don’t like him at all”. Then, when face to face with the person they turn out to be really friendly, knowledgeable and keen to share.

My advice would be to go to an event with an open mind, don’t presume somebody will be an idiot – let them prove it when you meet them!

10. Your New Best Friend?

I’ve only been to a total of 4 events over the past two years, all in the UK but at each one I’ve met other marketers who I keep in touch with and look forward to seeing at the next event.

Be yourself, be friendly and approachable and listen to the people you meet and maybe you’ll forge some life-long friendships. At the very least you’ll have some friends to meet up with next time you attend a seminar and people who can potentially help you in your business.

A few further tips:

Dress comfortably – you won’t have to attend wearing a suit. Some people do but I’ve always found jeans and a t-shirt or shirt to be perfectly fine.

Take some spending money for drinks/food etc – you can usually add everything to your hotel tab but often it is nice to go out in the evening to the nearest restaurant.

Don’t feel you have to buy any of the speakers’ offers. I’ve never spent anything on “back of the room” items at a seminar and for that I’m probably a seminar organiser’s nightmare attendee – I take up space and don’t get my credit card out. If something really resonates with me I will probably buy it but so far I’ve never been tempted. And all of the seminars I’ve attended would probably be labelled “pitchfests”.

Don’t expect to get very much sleep. Networking can continue long into the night and at one particular event a well-known marketer was still at the bar as the attendees were coming down for breakfast.

Try to get to the hotel the night before the seminar starts so if it is due to begin on Friday at 9am, arrive on the Thursday night and go down to the bar. You’ll find a few early arrivals “networking”. This also has the added benefit of helping you arrive for registration relaxed and refreshed on the first morning.

Although attending an off-line event can be daunting, you’ll soon get into the swing of things once you have been to your first seminar.

The next one I’ll be attending is the Focus Marketing Seminar in October see Internet Marketing Seminars in the UK for more details.

Do you recognise any of the above people? Are you planning on attending a seminar soon? Feel free to leave a comment about your experiences at internet marketing events or any questions you may have.