Hollow Words

Speaking of being cautious about money-back guarantees in cyberspace, we're going to list an example ...

We've commented previously that any such offer is inconsequential if it's not accompanied by a physical address or telephone number. That's common sense advice, but as we've also commented previously, there are a number of sales techniques employed in cyberspace that are designed to cloud your natural instincts by appealing directly to your tendency to hope that the product or service in question will improve your life.

More often than not, though, hope is what improves someone else's life, using your money to do it.

Consider an eBook entitled The Money Inventor. It's offered by a gentleman who uses the name of James Cochran. His sales pitch clearly states that if, for any reason, you're unsatisfied with his product, he'll refund your money with no questions asked. So, on top of the fact that he has listed no physical address and no telephone number, he also is making a refund offer with no conditions. Let's call that the Shallow Trifecta of Marketing.

From what I've been able to research, Mr Cochrane has simply re-wrapped old news. He states the obvious facts that you need a product, you need a pitch and you need a marketing plan and then he sells it for $99. The details provided in The Money Inventor are nothing more than common sense that could easily be found for free with a half-hearted search-engine session. If you did want to pay for such services, there's an abundance of free or lower-cost eBooks out there, such as the Internet Cash Machine, which sells for $15 and contains a much more responsible presentation of facts and resources for anyone who wants to learn more about becoming a cyber-marketer. (Just realize, though, that it's going to take you much more than any eBook to actually be successful in cyber-commerce.)

Mr Cochrane's marketing campaign goes by the numbers. His pitch to the public includes a two-part target page that attracts your attention with the 'sizzle' of the product's potential to improve your life. The first page includes an element that asks for your name and e-mail address that you need to complete in order to learn more. Like any good marketer, he'll use that to send you a series of e-mails which continually pitch his product to you; the industry's tenet is to transmit seven messages over a 2-3 week span in order to generate a 1%-2% response rate. This is a very effective technique, whether or not the party who deploys it is scrupulous.

The point to be made about The Money Inventor is that it uses a money-back guarantee to seal the deal in its effort to separate you from your cash. As far as references are concerned, though, all I can see is that, contained in one of the follow-up e-mail texts, a vague allusion is made to an office at the Clarence House somewhere in north London. I'm still in the process of determining if this is an actual building and, if it is, if Mr Cochrane actually does have an office there. If I find it, I'll let you know. Other than that, the only other contact detail is his e-mail address. Attempts to contact him by that route do not elicit a response.

Thus, be aware that The Money Inventor is a below-standard product that utilizes a false promise to tug at your sense of hope. The real tug, though, is at your wallet.

That makes Mr Cochrane a cyber-pickpocket. Avoid him. Avoid his product.