How to Take your Customers for Total Idiots
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Ever since his ebook came out, I’ve had a sort of morbid fascination with the Rich Jerk. Thankfully it’s starting to wear off now but there were many interesting lessons learned along the way.
Just two short days ago, I got an email from Mister Jerk that gave me fits of nausea. I wanted to write about it then but actually fell sick and have been slow on the PC since.
It’s a glowing example of two big names selling out for couple a bucks…
Let’s start at the beginning. Sometimes you learn just as much by following the marketing methods of one or other guru as you do from actually buying and reading their products.
The Rich Jerk has a completely unique approach in his sales letter. It can be called nothing short of marketing genius. Since it came out, it has been many times emulated but never duplicated.
The idea was/is to treat your customers like idiots. Belittle them from your pedestal, all high and mighty with your millions and your “I don’t give a rat’s patooty about your or your problems attitude. If you buy my book, you may have a chance at becoming like me, but I doubt it, since you are genetically inferior…”
Ok, that’s old news. But it’s all show right? It’s sales copy, made to – you guessed it – sell.
So back to the email I received. It actually wasn’t the first poor taste email from the Rich Jerk. That was (arguably there were more) the Rich Jerk vs Brad Fallon and Andrew Jenkin’s for Stomper Net. It was an only slightly amusing and very thinly disguised push for the product barely veiled in a convoluted story.
I’ll spare you the details because the one I really want to talk about is the more recent one, this time involving Mike Filsaime.
Before we go on, here’s the obligatory disclaimer: what follows is only my opinion and it is entirely possible, though not likely (in my opinion 
) that I am incorrect.
Hey Mike Filsaime, Rich Jerk: Are we Really that Stupid?
So here is the gist of that email.
One night, when the Rich Jerk had nothing better to do than scour Mike’s sites for “secret hidden backdoors” he happened to find a “secret hidden backdoor”.
You could have seen it here: butterflymarketingmanuscript (dot) biz. The third dot at the end of the pre-header was a clickable link to buy the butterfly marketing manuscript for $30 off and get a good bonus on top of it.
The link is gone now because these two conspirators have already stretched the assault on people’s intelligence to its limits.
But here’s the thing. If you complete the buying process for the Rich Jerk, you will get an OTO (one time offer) to buy the same manuscript for $30 off. And this has been live since before the little ploy which in and of itself was glaringly transparent.
When does marketing go too far? Yes the goal is to get people to buy things. We all know that, we expect it…
But when is it too much?
On the internet, it appears it is only too much when your customers and prospects, nauseated by your infinite disregard for their time and intelligence, take a stand and believe a single word you say, quoth the raven, “nevermore”.
on December 2nd, 2006 at 1:04 am ¶
Hi Alex,
Hah - I suppose the Rick Jerk wouldn’t mind the message you’re sending. Not sure about Mike though. In any case, I do hope your venture in internet marketing goes well. I have several students who write in the same style as you, one is www.Adam-Wong.com. I welcome you to my site to offer your insights as well. No major sales pitches there, just a whole ton of info. Hope you like it! www.internetmarketingsingapore.com.
on December 2nd, 2006 at 1:46 am ¶
Hi Stuart,
Thanks for your comment.
I tell it like I see it.
I checked out Adam’s site and he brings up some interesting subjects and rich content. The same is true for your site. Nice resource.
Cheers and best success to you.
on December 3rd, 2006 at 12:18 am ¶
Alex,
Why do you only point out those 2 opportunists when there are a few dozens of them?
I mean, all these gurus, how would they be selling their nicely-packaged-and-extremely-well-marketed ’secrets’ if there wasn’t enough of the average idiots on the internet always looking for the next ‘revelation’?
Sometimes I feel like they are in a tight competition to see who will be crowned this year’s king of the idiots
But hey, it works for them - so, why not? After all, the net is one big huge pie and as long as you figure out how to take a piece of it and grow your bank account, you’re doing great!
PS: I don’t think clowns in real life make that much money anyways!
on December 3rd, 2006 at 6:07 am ¶
Jad,
You’re right, there are many many examples of this going on over the web, just this one stuck out like a sore thumb and I was in a ranting mood I suppose…
I can feel the sarcasm dripping out of your post. To me it’s amazing some people can retain decent mindshare and reputation with the antics they pull…
on December 5th, 2006 at 11:05 pm ¶
bring back blackhatseoblog.com. marketing is for pussies.
on December 6th, 2006 at 12:43 am ¶
Haha,
Surely you’ve read of “multiple streams of income”?
I haven’t stopped BH by a long shot but here’s the thing, as you must know.
BH is lonely. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing it but it’s kind of cold and loveless.
So now I do it but I blog about other things as well. After a while, you run out of content on BH to blog about and end up selling out like Quadzilla, talking about Digg and linkbait and other things that make your toes curl.
If you’d taken the time to leave a comment on BHSEOblog, I might have kept it going but I think I got 4 comments in total out of thousands of visitors.
If it was a diary I wanted to keep, I’d just be writing it out in my little black book.
If you have any specific BH ideas you’d like to see written up, I’m perfectly game for it…
Anyways, thanks for your insight and identify yourself, it won’t kill you…