Free Programs and Fine Print

Yep!  It happened again today.  I was invited by a Skype friend to look into a free program.  Their claim was that it was free to join and I would not have to pay anything to earn money.  I’ve been around the internet long enough to not believe claims of overnight wealth and to distrust “free” joins but I indulged their request to click on the link anyway. 

Non-English Landing Page

The first thing that I noticed was that the page was in German.  I have a toolbar installed that allows me to instantly translate to English so this wasn’t a huge issue. 

Analyzing the Offer

The first sentence on the landing page was a disclaimer: 

This is no joke and no dream … You get paid money, because investors want to distribute funds.

If you have to begin by telling stressing the fact that your incredible program is really incredible and go on to suggest that investors want to give away their money, I’m immediately suspicious.  Investors want to leverage their money by investing in things which will earn them money.  At least that is what I’ve learned… 

The landing page encouraged me to read the terms and conditions, although I would have done that anyway before filling in any forms.  It’s called due diligence.   

Free Isn’t Always Free

The second paragraph on the Terms and Conditions page said this: 

Once you receive the gift, you have to pay into this program.

I didn’t need to read any further.  Clearly, if payment is required to benefit from the program, it isn’t free. 

I responded to my Skype pal by copying and pasting that text into our chat window.  I added that I was a conscientious objector of cash gifting programs and that having to pay into it made it clear to mea that it wasn’t free.  I thought that would be the end of it but they replied that I had misunderstood. 

I re-copied and pasted the same text into our chat window and told them, in addition, that there was nothing ambiguous about the phrase: YOU have to pay into this program. 

Denial of the Facts in Front of You 

My Skype pal protested by saying that “no one had explained this” to them.  I suggested that reading the fine print before joining anything, free or not, is a personal responsibility … and it is! 

Are you entitled to a do-over if you sign a contract that binds you to a commitment you didn’t understand just because you expected it to be explained to you?  If you are of legal age, the answer to that question is no. 

I’ve worked in a business where contracts were necessary to proceed.  I would spend no less than an hour going over the terms and conditions that my clients would be obligated to once they put pen to paper.  I took pains to explain what their obligations were, as well as the authority they were granting to me as their agent.  I never put paperwork in front of someone who might later claim diminished capacity because they had had a few drinks.  I scheduled the meeting for another time and instructed them to hold off on the beers until after we were finished. 

Not everyone will do this … especially if they are promoting a get-rich-quick-and-easy internet program. 

Money for Nothing? 

Call me old fashioned or jaded, but I’m not of the mindset that money will flow into your bank accounts without applying some effort. 

When I was new to online marketing tactics, I got suckered into things.  We all do.  Once I abandoned the belief that the hype was more than it was and began to focus on things that I enjoyed doing anyway, which could earn income for me, my life has been simplified and I’m having a lot more fun too. 

Many of the people whom I used to communicate with on a daily basis are still chasing the dream of instant wealth and fly-by-night programs.  For them, and for those of you who pursue similar things, I wish you the best of luck and encourage you to return and post your results to my blog. 

There are no Magic Wealth Pills.  The recipe for business success is the same:

1. List the things that you are interested in doing
2. Analyze those things to determine if their might be a market for you to leverage
3. Construct a plan for pursuing that business
4. Devise a list of measurements you can use to validate your success
5. Determine the best approach for marketing and promotion
6. Follow your plan and monitor results
7. Know when to revise or abandon the plan and try the next thing on YOUR list