I am sort of disappointed with some internet marketing gurus.  It seems that the prevailing attitude is to deliver only part of a part of some information in the info products they sell just so that they can sell you another piece of the IM puzzle later.  Of the dozens of ebooks and courses and hundreds/thousands of dollars spent on how to make money on the internet, only a small handful sell the whole package for a fair price.

It also seems that these marketers deliberately short change and expect everyone else to, too, or receive the displeasure of the IM community.

Speaking as a beginning IMer as well as buyer of IM info products, I see both sides of this.  And I for one am glad to know there are others who feel the same way I do.  That is, under promise and over deliver.   Sure it is tempting to sell an ebook or course for big bucks.  But I am glad to see that there are more and more IMers coming on the scene who are more interested in serving the IM community, giving honest value, even appear to give away solid information.
I have been known to spend $400 on one course and receive such value that I knew I got ten times the worth out of it.  That is a fair price, to me.  It isn’t the dollar amount; it’s the combination of cost and value of information. 

I have recently spent $20 on an ebook that gave me the tools and skills to make my business explode.  Did the guy give info away i.e. overdeliver?  Definitely!  Well, it seems to me that each of us ought to sell their products as whatever they deem right.  Will this guy build trust?  I think so.  Sure he could have charged $77 for it.  But his goal is to serve the IM community and not just his wallet.

Everyone expects businesses to make a fair profit.  But just who decides what is a fair price?  Let’s use an example of a tangible item like running shoes.  You may be able to buy the same Nike shoes for $30 at an outlet or $120 at a specialty shoe store.  Was the specialty store gouging?  I don’t think so. 

People vote with their dollars.  That specialty shoe store stays in business because they offer something people are willing to pay for.  The folks who bought the $30 shoes were happy and the folks who paid $120 were happy (or if they weren’t, they should have shopped around). 
It is still a free country (or should I say free world wide web).  And the Internet is probably the biggest example of sellers offering items with huge price ranges.

The golden rule in my business, taken from the Bible, has always been “do unto others, as you would have them do unto you”. For you Bible believers, you already know what I mean. Whether or not you are a Christian, there are sound business principles in the Bible that have been the Key to success in life and not just business.

There will always be shysters and marketing hucksters making huge promises and charging an arm and a leg for a small piece of the pie or cheap goods.  I for one am glad there is a quiet revolution of marketers that underpromise and over deliver.  I hope it will be a trend that will catch on.  

What determines fair price?  Word gets around that you give great service, great info or great products and folks spread the good news.  People will vote with their dollars.  It’s as simple as that.

You can be sure I will continue this story in coming months…

I am conviced I am an entreprenuer – heart and soul.  I love thinking up how to make an extra buck or 10. 

Some years ago, my family made and sold baked goods at a local farmer’s market.  You know -breads, cookies, muffins – stuff like that.  Nothing out of the ordinary, although we used only natural ingredients and organic whenever we could.

I was always experimenting with replacing the “badies”: white sugar, brown sugar, white flour, refined grains, etc. with healthier ingredients.  So our cookies were made of whole wheat flour, butter, Sucanat, and such.

But the item that set us apart was a granola type bar that I modified the recipe to be all wholesome ingredients.  We called it the Olympic Munch bar.  I could go on and on about how we developed the whole business and I will bring it up from time to time as this blog rolls on.  But for now, suffice it to say that I have successfully built a real business.  I have cried, cheered, screamed, all in the same day.  Owning your own business does that to you.

As of today, though, I sold my “baby”.  The Olympic Munch bar has been sold and is in the hands of another more capable family. 

Good bye, munchie.