WordPress on Crack
The weekend before last, I launched WordPress on Crack... a set of video tutorials (5 hours worth) showing you how to write your own WordPress plugins... most of them easier to write than a standalone PHP script because you don't have to deal with most of the install, data storage, and templating issues that you'd normally deal with in PHP.
It also included three bonuses: Techie Howto WordPress by Joel Holtzman, Install SEO WordPress by Pawel Reska, and Advanced WordPress by Quentin Brown... also videos.
Total, the WSO grossed me over $8,000. Yes, $8,000 from one launch... that didn't involve any joint ventures or any advertising aside from a single forum post and a mailing to my list.
Here is a quick video from last Thursday showing the $7,000+ balance in my PayPal account (this is when the sale was still going on):
I sold 33 copies at 13.33 ($439.89), 33 copies at $16.66 ($549.78), 88 copies at $33.33 ($2,933.04) and 88 copies at $44.44 ($3,910.72). The last 12 discounted slots are selling at $66.66, so far 3 are gone ($199.98). That brings our grand total to: $8,033.41.
Take away a couple hundred dollars in PayPal fees, plus the cost of obtaining the resale rights to the bonuses, but you can add those back in when you accounted for "sidetracked" sales... getting my name out there caused people to buy a few more of my products.
"WordPress on Crack" made May 2008 my best month EVER! Even beating out June 2007 where I made $3,000 in a day. In May 2008, I made over $14,000 from PayPal (before fees). For the ENTIRE month, taking into account fees, Clickbank and day job income, I cleared over $16,000... in one month.
How did I do it? Easy. I acted like a marketer. I had something to market so I wrote a sales letter for it that explained everything (so many people post a WSO with nothing but a payment link... or even worse... a "buy me a beer" link... and wonder why it doesn't sell).
I created a product relevant to my e-mail list so I could market to that list. I gave them a unique offer -- the limited quantity -- which was something I actually tried last year with Push Button PHP and you know what? It pissed people off just as much then as it does now.
I had so much traffic going to that offer (opt-in list of 11,500 subscribers -- most of them paid) that the offer closed up quickly and people got angry because they couldn't get in.
Some of my subscribers told me they were unsubscribing for life because they were used to getting everything for $1.00 and could buy in at any time they wanted.
I had people saying I shouldn't resort to gimmicks because the product should sell on its own.
Guess what, most of the people who said that would never have bought anything from me over ten dollars, and have probably never done any serious marketing on the internet.
In 2008 alone, I've posted 31 special offers and earned $62,000. In the past 12 months? Fifty Warrior Special Offers!
I stick to one project at a time, I put myself under time constraints -- like having to get in my car to go to my day job or come off of my break.
I act like a real marketer... I try to over-deliver, and not in that generic cliched way. I added an e-book, scripts, and videos, and went out and bought resale rights to augment my original product.
I followed up with my list every day throughout the launch explaining what the price was that day. I hit them with a different angle every time and saved each mailing so I could use it as an automatic follow-up later. You know what people always say... it takes an average of 7 follow-ups to make a sale? How come almost NO ONE follows that rule?
What's your opinion on this situation? Was I wrong to limit the number of sales? Or was I a smart marketer by taking a WSO that would have normally made me $2,000... and turned it into $8,000?
Please take a moment to comment below.
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- TEST at InternetMarketingMasters.com | October 14, 2008
Robert,
I buy a lot of your stuff and I managed to get WP on Crack in the initial offer. It was pure chance that I was looking on the Warrior Forum just after you made the offer.
Must say I’d have been disappointed if I’d missed it and had to pay more, but that happens in the offline world too.
For me, since you’re sticking to your word I don’t have a problem with it. If later on you’d started selling a whole bunch of copies at the early price then I’d have found that unethical. You meant what you said and you did what you said.
So if I miss an opportunity for some reason in the future, that’s just how it goes. When I miss a sale in my favorite computer store I don’t normally expect to get the sale item by insulting the store owner. Asking nicely, maybe – maybe.
One thing for sure: this shows that your list is (awful term and I hate it, but it fits) a hungry list. Also shows you produce stuff worth having.
And I love the fact that you’re proving that acting like a marketer actually works. There’s a lot of advice out there on how to make sales and, as you asked already, how come almost NO-ONE follows it?
Would I prefer to get your stuff for $2 every time? Yes please.
Do I think it’s worth what I pay for it?
Yes. Or I wouldn’t buy it.
Robert, after your recent email that you had learnt some lessons from the launch, I’m surprised to see everything in this post is on the same track as before.
I know and I appreciate that your products are good and you have provided updates for them. You also answer reasonable questions for your customers.
It must be clear to you that the method you choose to offer the products penalises customers who are not in the Continental USA.
In my opinion, it does not display the concern for your customers which John Taylor says that you have.
It was by chance that I saw the first email about the launch of this product in time to buy it at a low price.
I’m not usually at the PC between 3am and 4 am.
Strangely, each email was apparently sent at an earlier time than the previous one. That may have just been coincidence.
I wonder if this approach is more profitable than allowing all your customers to buy without the minimal limits and discriminatory time frame.
I don’t think that is proven but this works for you.
John Williams
I think John is bringing forth a valid point, and noone should sit and wait for Robert to come forward with a new product. There are more fun things to do when the sun is pleasantly shining upon us all. 🙂
I fully appreciate the good quality, but was happy to buy under the “old terms of service”, and though coming to late for all the rehashes of WordPress on crack I won’t loose any sleep. It was your choice to create this new model, and let’s see how it goes.
Good luck. 🙂
Robert,
Since you do have customers in different timezones to where you are (in some cases many hours different), why don’t you have some fun and post an offer in the future at a time when most Americans are asleep?
You could let the UK, Germany, France, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Australia and the rest all have a bit of fun while your fellow citizens sleep soundly.
Go on – I dare you!
Oh wait, you wanted to make more money. Hmm. We pay in dollars too!
Of course I’m usually awake at ridiculous times in the morning so I often see offers, but I’d hate to think how hard it would be to jump in on them for someone who isn’t practically an insomniac!
Clearly this works well for you (well done and all that jazz)… but having missed the boat with the early offers, I just couldn’t bring myself to go in at the much higher rate to buy the product.
I appreciate this makes not the slightest difference to you, your profits, success, profile, etc., etc., but just wanted to provide feedback as a potential, UK based, customer.
Adrian
Robert,
You are clearly a genius programmer, and a successful marketer. But, I think you may be thinking of your customers as elements in a program that can be moved, twisted, and manipulated as you see fit to achieve your objective.
Do I think that you should have sold your product for $1, or $10? Hell no. Do I think you are going to sell a huge number at $99? Hell no. Look how many are going for $66.
Artificially creating a ‘shortage’ or an ‘urgency’ can be done – especially when you control the supply! – and you did it successfully. 8 grand in a week isn’t anything to complain about. For you.
But, I wonder how many you would have sold if you’d just put it up at $35 from the get-go? Using your numbers, if you’d sold it for $35 and the same number of people had bought it, you’d have made the same amount of money and I don’t know if as many people would have been pissed off.
I think you would have sold twice as many, twice as fast. Your stuff is GOOD.
Just a thought. Maybe try it next time, eh? 😉
PS. I’ve bought a couple hundred dollars worth of your stuff, and it’s worth every penny. Did I buy this time. Nope.
Whilst the product quality is undisputed, and you are clearly happy with the figures, I would like to raise two points for further consideration;
1)I think the manner of the marketing showed a marked lack of respect for your list, your customers, and especially your fellow warriors. In an environment where dubious marketing tactics abound, and in general “anything goes”, including exageration, lies and deceit, I do not believe your offer was in the true spirit of the forum as intended by its founder – a spirit of openness, honesty and integrity – an oasis in the desert. I believe you brought “Internet Marketing” to a new low with your “use and abuse” policy, acted arrogantly and unethically, and debased yourself.
2)I do not get the impression that you have even considered the ramifications of this method. For a start off you have certainly damaged your reputation as a marketer – you are now just “one of them”. Not only have you impacted future sales, you don’t even know how much you might have made out of this launch if you had pursued a less arrogant and more appreciative approach; double what you actually made I suspect – but who knows?
Hey Rob,
I say ur a smart kid (I’m nearly 43, I can call u a “kid” and not be insulting lol) and the whiners of the world would do well to learn a lesson from you, even if the BIGGEST lesson (IMO) is that you TAKE ACTION and are CONSISTENT!!!!
Well done for your results. You should be proud of yourself.
I live in Australia, so missed out on the early email offers, and by the time I read it, it was too late. In the end, I grabbed a copy @ $33, and was happy I got it at that price instead of $66 or $99, etc.
I didn’t curse you for being arrogant or unethical, nor did I complain that you weren’t taking my time zone into account. Instead, I accepted that it was YOUR product and YOUR WSO, hence it was YOUR choice how you ran it.
For the rest of you whiners & whingers, get a grip and stop giving away personal responsibility for yourself.
Well done Mr Plank, I salute you & your success!
Eran Malloch
Perth, Western Australia
AdWords Consulting/Management
Hi Robert,
No doubt you could continue to sell just like you’re doing and keep ‘selling out’.
Question is, are you wanting to ‘make money’ now —
OR create a relationship with clients who will continue to buy from you.
I made 3 attempts to purchase your product. Each time you already closed the sale.
That’s perfect for you. You made money. You feel good because people bought and gave you a “sell out”.
In the long run though, how many times do you think I’ll try to buy?
How does repeatedly being prevented from buying make your customer FEEL?
There are too many other products, too many other options for anyone to keep chasing ‘sales’ that will be ‘sold out’ in a matter of minutes to a small handful of people.
People buy from people they can trust to make the process easy and painless.
It’s really a matter of what your long term objective is.
Money from the passing crowd …
Or relationships with people who are loyal because you’ve serve their interests and are respectful of their feelings.
Tom
Robert
I wrote to you privately at the time of your “experiment” offering a view that some of your activities might not be customer friendly. As you have invited public comment I will just add a couple of points.
As a marketer you are responsible for overcoming potential customers objections and concerns so by enabling them to proceed to purchase. In this instance you actually created the objections to buying. This is a fundamental problem in your experiment. I suggest you don’t repeat it.
All experiments have multiple variables. Just because your sales total was the highest that you have recorded so far doesn’t mean that all your variables created positive contributions. You have to separate out all the positives and the negatives if you are to maximise your results. The value of your product in this instance may well have been so great that it overcame some negative aspects of your campaign.
When over one hundred ( I think that was the figure you mentioned at the time) of your customers are unhappy with your approach I think that you need to take the hint.
Last point. Your blog post above reads to me as if you are trying to win the argument not pose the question. In your enthusiasm you may be putting in the occasional sentence that really rankles your potential customers without realising the underlying message that you are conveying. It is very hard sometimes to see these little red flags but they are all a wavering customer needs to see to give them the excuse to pass on your offer. Even single words in a long sales letter can turn a person off. Perhaps you should run your sales copy passed a couple of copy writers to spot these and eliminate them.
Just for the record, I have purchase several things from you but passed on this one, I looked elsewhere for information and found it.
Hi Robert,
This is the second WSO of yours that I purchased and am very happy with the quality of both of them.
I didn’t get in until the price was $44.44 as the time difference played a big part, I am in France, but to be honest I would have paid $97. I love wordpress and it took me long enough to learn how to code a theme I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.
I thought the way you managed the sale was brilliant. You had me checking my e-mails all the time until I got it, I am sure I am not the only one.
I think people have forgotten what this business is about. We are here to make money. This doesn’t mean trampling on people to get it I agree, but I don’t feel you did that at all. You had a very sought after product, you knew that, you took a chance and it paid off as paople saw that it was a good offer and jumped on it.
I think that it may not work again this way, but you never know. If the product is good, then who knows …
Thanks again for a great product.
Kelly
I have bought a few of Robert’s products and I like them. I bought this one for (I think) $44. Do I honestly think I should always get quality stuff like this for $13? No. Do I like Robert’s “new methods”? No. And what is he suggesting he is about to do? Another daytime (U.S. time zones) offer that I will miss unless the quantity is high enough to last the workday.
On the one hand I congratulate you Robert on this success. On the other hand I find this experiment and your suggestion you will do it again not friendly to past loyal customers.
As I suggested in a private email to you a week ago, and which is echoed above in at least one other comment, mix the start times around. Your comment back to me was, “I can’t change the start time. I’ve tried that in the past. People get confused and angry that I’m moving the start time around.” It looks like bowing to those who cannot read instructions and look at a clock angers another segment of your established client base.
But as I always told my kids as they were growing up, “Stop complaining. It’s their backyard and they can make any rules they want in their yard.” To Robert I say, go ahead and make your own rules, but stop and carefully consider which friends you want to alienate the most.
Richard
robert yes you are a marketeer who is motivated by profit and most of your offers are motivated by GREED.
you use to want to help people understand programming.
But now you seem to be fueled by hype
john
Robert, as it was said before, you have sorely missed the point. It wasn’t the red hot limited quantity at the special pricing that had so many of your customers upset. It was the fact that when the special number of discounted sales had been reached then those who missed it were NOT ALLOWED TO BUY IT AT FULL PRICE!!! Why? Because once the number of discounted sales happened the sales page no longer had ANY order button on it.
And that means instead of selling more at $33, $44, and $66 later you would have sold a rather large number of those exact same customers at $97, making WAY MORE MONEY. Unless you don’t think your product is really worth $97
Funny how you’re so arrogantly determined to shoot yourself in the foot!
This little “marketing method” has cost you many more higher priced sales AS WELL AS created ill will among probably 100+ customers, many of them now vowing they are now ex-customers.
Imagine a fine brand new Mercedes Benz automobile. Imagine there are several of them on sale…for less than half price. They sell really quickly and there are no more available at the special price. What does the average dealership with additional inventory do? They charge the FULL PRICE when the sale is over, and in the process manage the sale in such a way as to make the customer still feel special…either by making them think they got a good price or by offering them something different…sometimes just a psychological advantage of some sort is all the dealership needs to offer. But you can rest assured that dealership that still has inventory on the car that used to be on sale is NOT going to tell the customer “sorry, we’re not selling any more of those today, not at any price.” – at least not while they still have more on the lot.
Your customers are telling you, practically screaming at you, that you have a Mercedes Benz of a product. As a digital product you have an unlimited amount of it since it is merely electrons. And yet you act as though your internal value of your product is that of a used Hyundai…or worse, a 10 year old Yugo…when at the end of your sale you have NO SALES BUTTON AT ALL ON THE PAGE, NOT EVEN THE ONE WHERE CUSTOMERS PAY THE FULL PRICE OF $97…OR HIGHER!
If this is what you call a marketing method then you really have sunk to the bottom of the pit.
Try 33 + 33 + 88 + 88 + 9 = 251 buyers. Something else that’s interesting is that:
1. Some of these people were never customers in the first place.
2. Some of these people were “junk” customers: bought in at under $10, and complain that I choose to limit the number of copies… those are not loyal customers.
3. Some people said they would unsubscribe but I didn’t see them take themselves off my list.
4. Some people bought in later and I didn’t hear a peep out of them afterwards.
Just some observations.
Hi Robert,
I believe we should be free to sell our products
as we please.
I would of bought at regular price they are worth more than that. But I bought for $33 and glad I was on time. 🙂
Keep up the good work, your site is filled with the best lessons in programming I have seen. Others are charging thousands for php lessons and don’t even go further with your other topics that are really the heart of online business.
Thank you.
Edna
OK, you request our honest appraisal in your mail announcing the blog post after I made my comment (no 3).
In your article you wrote: “Guess what, most of the people who said that would never have bought anything from me over ten dollars, and have probably never done any serious marketing on the internet.”
You might be right, but you might also – for once 😉 – be wrong. Truthfully, your “pay as you go when you use a credit card” WAS poor advice. WHen you ask in your e-mail whether people aren’t responsible for their own actions, they sure are.
But you would NEVER have used that line of reasoning if it wasn’t to create an extra sale, so STAND BY YOUR ACTIONS instead of cowarding out just because some criticize you.
Live by the words: “If the shoe fits, wear it” and enjoy life as it goes. Your six or seven products I have already bought have all been splendid, and I have written so on your blog many times. That won’t change just because we disagree on this one blog topic.
Finally, you request comments. Don’t make the mistake other marketers have made in only allowing the positive comments to filter through. A bit of controversy can be healthy as long as it’s held in a good tone.
You’re a darn good programmer. Making one mistake won’t kill you or your list, so take courage. Take what you can learn from and improve your online marketing. THAT should be useful to you.
Carpe diem. 🙂
(ive send my comment in an email to you robert, instead.)
Robert,
You’ve obviously got a rationale for what you did.
For me, the bottom line is that before this episode I had a uniformly positive impression of you; now I get a slightly negative feeling inside me whenever I get an email from you or see your name anywhere.
I think you’ve damaged your brand – and that’s really serious.
David
I bought at $44 and was glad that I did. Others have left valid points in this post but one thing is clear. The people that purchased the product no matter what price are pleased they did. I am too. It’s times like these that I wish I didn’t live in a different time zone so I could have saved a few bucks but … it all works out in the end.
Leanne
Robert,
This method obviously worked well for you.
I was not happy because by the time I opened the first two emails the offer was no longer available and it really p@#$%d me off. I told myself that I was going to unsubscribe, so far I haven’t but I refused to pay $66.
Boo-hoo Robert.
Why do you make me pay for your time and energy… why?
Why can’t you just give everything to me for free… I’ve bought all your products, I’m your best customer… I deserve a discount everyone once and a while for my loyalty, don’t I?
Come on people… give it a break!
Robert… the product, like all of them, kicked ass.
It was worth more than I paid ($44.44) and I could care less whether or not I could have gotten a better deal or not.
Do you people complain when you miss a sale at Wal-Mart?
Do you call Wal-Mart greedy and soul-less because they end a sale and put the product back to regular prices?
How is it any different here?
You missed out on the opportunity to buy at a lower price. Now that you have the chance to buy at the current price, you can either do so… or pass it up.
Plain and simple.
It doesn’t change Robert’s status as a marketer, nor bring into question his motives.
Jason
Robert,
You have great products and you used a great marketing idea. Was the feedback you received from doing it this way valuable? I am sure it was. Your time and energy in creating these products is worth more and more each day. You are teaching not only PHP scripting but clever marketing to boot. You are not tricking anyone.
Those who are complaining should start their own campaigns for their own products. Instead of giving everything away, you generated profits while generating a highly targeted list. What more can anyone ask for?Very good marketing
Kudos to you my brother! Keep up the great work!
Hi Robert,
Probably it’s because I’m in the U.K., but I never got a sniff at the early offers and the price is now way over what I’d pay for the book, as I don’t even use WordPress. It would have been an interest-only purchase.
I’d say that if it’s worked for you, then good, but it has been mentioned a number of times here, that people feel let down in some way. You have to find your own ways of doing things, but consider that one of the tenets of marketing is the fact that people buy on emotion, rather than logic. Maybe those people are ‘whingeing’ as someone put it, but then, people do, so perhaps it might be sagacious to allow for that in your next plan…
Mike
Watch the video! Why is what Robert did here any different in its foundation than a dimesale? In a dime sale, the price goes up at a specific interval – each sale, every half hour, whatever. The only major difference that I see, is that he offered his own version of the dimesale. Nothing new, and it’s been done before on the WSO forum.
Robert’s products are not only top notch, but in my opinion so are his marketing methods. Take the post above and read between the lines, friends – he is showing you precisely what he did to make the money he did. It is a lesson to be learned, absorbed, and potentially applied to your own business. Take it as such. I got in and purchased on the first round, because I knew Robert would raise the price at some point.
My only issue would be that, Robert, you did portray a rather negative stance with this one. New (and potentially repeat) customers that come and see this post and watch your video might feel offended. I realize that you “hate” the way some individuals run WSO’s and want to help improve their techniques, but a more positive tone would help.
I was about to leave a comment but Jason Dolman said it perfectly (Good to see you by the way Jason).
If Robert wants to sell 10 at $10 and then next 10 at $1000 he can! If it’s too much, or you don’t want to pay full price, then don’t buy and wait till his next offer. Or don’t.
One thing we cannot dispute…Robert puts out kick ass stuff that is always ridiculously cheap…so you may have to pay an extra $20 for this one than you’re used to…it’s still a heck of a deal.
Someone said Robert is just like all those other “greedy” marketers, well I’ll bet you $50 that Robert WILL NOT BE promoting the big launch that is happening today (and I haven’t discussed it with him I just know how he does business). Continuing, how many affiliate offers has he promoted to his list this past year? Or the year before? I can’t really think of ANY. WOW. That’s greedy isn’t it.
He just puts out great product after great product and we all get them for pennies. I could go on but I have my own business to build.
If you’re at JVAlert say hello!
Robert,
No matter what you do, some will be happy with it, some will not. There are lot of good comments on this post and it’s fascinating to see how different people react differently.
In the end, it is your product, your business and your life. Build them the way you want them to be.
I missed the first two offers because I was doing family and friends things on those days. When I got a chance, I bought on the 3rd offer. I could have done better. I could have done worse.
Am I happy with the product? Yes. Do I feel the price I paid was fair? Duh! I paid it, didn’t I?
Whenever I do something that stirs the pot, I always ask myself if I learned anything of value from all of this so I could improve the offer next time. If the answer is yes, I have succeeded in advancing toward my goals.
Bob
You can’t make everyone happy. That is a fact. No matter what you do a group of people will always complain.
There is nothing wrong with the marketing approach Robert used. It is not evil, slimy or greedy…it is marketing.
Plus, look what Robert has done, by increasing his price he now knows which of the people on his list are willing to buy things for more that a few dollars. These are his buyers…these are the people who will make Robert the majority of his money and place a serious value on the products Robert creates.
I’ve never bough any of Roberts stuff because I just discovered him through a thread on the Warrior Forum but looking at what he offers it is ridiculously cheap for the scripts. My coder is very reasonable on prices but not this cheap plus you get all the video tutorials and support.
Honestly I think everyone is lucky to have gotten his stuff so cheap in the past.
Unfortunately, the result is that Robert has conditioned his list, and “fans” to expect cheap prices for his work.
Besides, next time all he has to do is start the launch more friendly to a different international time zone (international to the US) so those outside the US can get in on the super low prices….of course then there will be a new blog poast with tons of US whiners!
Some valid points made here but, for myself, I really wasn’t all that put off by the order button not being there when I got to the sales page. It had a polite message informing me the offer would be up again the next day, and maybe still for less than the final selling price. Waiting a day for a good product isn’t a big deal. There’s too many other link building tasks that can be done in the meantime to worry about it.
As long as Robert stays true to his word that it is always going to sell at $97 after these discounted copies, I’m fine with it.
On a side note Robert, my download page had the main set link plus the link for the Techie HowTo bonus but I didn’t see the links for the Install SEO WordPress or Advanced WordPress bonuses. I haven’t had a chance to explore the package much yet so maybe those are included under the one bonus link?
Forgot to mention…
About the time zones, maybe Robert can allocate a set number of copies of each offer to various time zones and program his ordering script to detect the time zone of the user so the offer page that they see will be for their particular time zone, still showing what remains for the batch that was allocated for that zone.
Not sure if this is possible, but seems it would be easy enough if Robert wants to try it and put an end to the time zone arguments.
Bit of polarisation here from the “Yes, brilliant method, hit me again, I love it, more, more” SM kind of approach to the slightly peevish “You hurt me, don’t do it again”.
What everybody is forgetting is that Robert has form on annoying even his friends with what he writes – heck, he’s even made it the subject of recent emails. The technique used was pretty clumsy and wasteful (as pointed out above, no alternative full price button) and the replies given to genuine concerns fairly disrespectful to previous good customers.
What’s slain me though is that the reason given for all of this has been a stated need to “limit quantity”. So a wry grin when today we get an email talking about “Hint: WordPress on Crack Resale Rights with a limited number of slots!”.
Bottom line, we’re not talking a big ticket launch here so not much harm done, but I have certainly viewed the fallout with interest.
There is no doubt that you are extremely talented product designer. However, you are not a great marketer, as a great marketer does not offend so many current or potential customers. People felt like you were not being customer centric (time zone), timing (Memorial Day), etc.. It’s not just about sales numbers, and I know that you know that. Read some Jay Abraham or Dan Kennedy. Find out what it REALLY means to be customer focused. With your talents, you should be making millions not just thousands.
That’s the point of being a marketer, to make money. Do you want to save the pandas, ok great then make some money and you’ll be able to do a lot more to save the pandas.
I give away tons of info on the blog, I publish articles, I have free PHP tutorials, I run WSOs for under $10 all the time. What’s wrong with being paid for my work… nothing.
I don’t even know what this is referring to. Are you talking about the Steven Schwartzman e-mail, where he kept starting one project after another without finishing? I told people to post on his blog and tell him to get some work done. The only thing you’re proving with that statement is that I’m abrasive and not afraid to be wishy-washy… that’s something I am proud of.
In any case, getting my business partner motivated several months ago, has nothing to do with my markteing efforts of the last couple weeks.
My point EXACTLY!
That’s exactly what made this work. Pretty much everyone told me I should open up new slots at the higher price immediately, but waiting a day or two made it even more scarce.
I firmly believe that if I hadn’t done it that way, I would not have even come CLOSE to that $8000.
Right, so I told people ahead of time when I would re-open the offer, I increased the number of available slots from 33 to 88, and I even kept the offer going to the point where it took a week to sell out… giving people plenty of time to get in. I did listen to what people had to say and I changed the offer accordingly.
That would be too complicated and would lead to people claiming I really wasn’t limited the number of copies, IMO.
How would that have worked… I sell a limited number of copies at $33, but the overflow gets it at $97, then the next day when I price it at $44… that’s not going to work.
Funny that you mention Dan Kennedy because in the original warrior forum thread, Big Jason Henderson mentioned a Dan Kennedy article about how weeding out the problem customers is a good thing.
My friend John Calder used to send e-mails to his list saying nothing other than, “If you want to unsubscribe, there is the link below.” I don’t want disloyal customers to drag me down, just because I stuck to my promise and only sold the number of copies I said I would.
I concur with Barbara! -With your talents, you should be making millions, not just thousands!
You already have a rabid followers-customers base… don’t mess with us!
Just put a price in your products, and we will buy! -You don’t need cheap marketing tactics.
Luiggi
Robert,
Please respect the privacy of your purchasers and kindly remove the video above or re-edit to blur out all the personal information you are clearly displaying. I am not happy that my PayPal purchasing habits have been displayed in your video for all to see. I realise you are excited by a successful launch, but to display such information so blatantly is a clear breach of confidentiality.
Regards
Jeff
No problem Jeff. The only info that was shown was your name and the date of purchase (most names didn’t show up but yours was one of the few because it’s so short).
Anyway, I’ve redone the video with blurring of the last name and replaced the YouTube video.
Robert, who are the disloyal customers?
I appreciate that you haven’t filtered the responses as far as I can see.
But, why this negative response about honest feedback which you asked for?
“2. Some of these people were “junk” customers: bought in at under $10, and complain that I choose to limit the number of copies… those are not loyal customers”
So, if they buy at under some unspecified figure, they’re junk.
Who says they’re not loyal, as in buy other Robert Plank products?
That is incredible – make an offer and insult the people that buy it.
John Williams
John, you are only reading half of that sentence.
“bought in at under $10, and complain that I choose to limit the number of copies”
Junk customers are the people who are used to paying $10 for a prevous product and are throwing a fit just because they can’t get in for $10 for this particular product.
“Set the price and we will buy it” — if that’s the case, take a nap and wait for $97. What they mean is, set the price at $10 and we will buy it.
Robert, to me, they’re customers – that’s it.
They want consideration and, maybe, reasons.
Their complaints are a separate issue.
You or I or anyone else might or might not consider their opinions “junk”. But, you don’t have to agree or change your methods. The “junk” customer label is not deserved.
That, of course, is just my opinion 😉
I was disappointed that the only reponse I got when I had the repeated problem with the Payment page was “Better luck tomorrow.”
Yeah, at 4 am again.
“Set the price and we will buy it” was not my comment but, again, it is just someone’s opinion.
This is feedback in response to your request. If your view is that it makes me a “junk” customer, that’s disappointing.
John Williams
Hi, Robert
I’ve always found you to be up front, honest, and accessible (unlike many IM superstars) as well as willing to listen to feedback, as this blog here further demonstrates. You create good products and consistently update them and include how-to videos.
As the creator of these products, you would have the clearest idea of their true value, and how much time and effort you put into creating them. You must be doing something(many some things) right, while I’m still struggling to figure out how to crack the internet marketing code.
It is said that if people buy things too cheap, they’re less apt to recognize its true value. Ultimately, it is the consumer’s responsibility if and how they apply products that they’ve purchased from you.
I’m not sure, but this thread may be showing a bit of giving-meat-to-the-bear psychology. That is, once you offer pieces dripping red meat to the bear from your car window, and then suddenly pull the meat away and shut the car window, the bear is going to be angrier than if you hadn’t given it any meat at all and possibly dangerous, instead of being appreciative and grateful . Human psychology (bear psychology, too). (Very Canadian analogy, eh?)
I suggest that maybe people’s would be better directed at banks (North American banks, at any rate) that charge bogus service fees for this and for that (having done some merchant banking work, I can assure you that these “service charges” are bogus), stealing your money because you let them and have such great faith in big established institutions. That money that the banks have stolen from you would have been more than enough to purchase some of Robert Plank’s excellent products.
I bought the product at $44, and was pissed… not at Robert, but at myself for missing the earlier prices. I get tons of e-mail, and quite often don’t get around to reading it for a day or two, then have to catch up. Each o the earlier offers came at a time I wasn’t on the computer, or reading my e-mail. I lost out on lower prices… but that’s not his fault. If I were as diligent as I should be I wouldn’t have anything to complain about.
Gene
06 June 2008 16:41:56 Central Daylight Time
Dear Robert Plank,
I missed your initial offer because the hard drive on my main machine crashed suddenly without warning and then my backup drive became and still is inaccessible. Go figure, shit happens.
Luckily I’m a prima fascia neurotic and had a month old back up on a third drive. Then I received a urgent call to use my German Shepherd for search and rescue. I train German Shepherds and love to help others.
Now your price is to high for me and my budget.
I like you Robert and I think you really are a nice guy.
I know that Internet Marketers love to brag about how much money they make but it makes me feel sick inside when the do. Not because I don’t have any money because I do have money, in a trust fund from a wealthy father. I get only so much every month as per his Last Will and Testament.
Perhaps, I will just have to wait and get WordPress on crack sometime in the future from a authorized reseller if my budget will allow it.
I don’t mind bragging about my formal education because is shows discipline and caring,i.e. Post Graduate Biochemistry Research University of Kansas, Registered Nursing at Saddleback College Mission Viejo, California, Medicine at the Autonoma de Guadalajara then finally Unix Administration pretty much on my own. I did take Unix Administration at a local Technical College but I knew more that the instructor and they wouldn’t let me bring my dog. My family donated a lot of money to that school so I have no plans to go back.
However, I never, ever go around telling people how much money I inherited! Ever! I feel good about myself and what I have done and will do without having to tell other people how much money I have.
Yes, it’s the money that matters, especially in California, but character rates one notch higher plus friends of noble character around the world, simple values and good memories that will last a lifetime.
You are breaking through the clutter with your excellent work Robert but please stop telling me how much money you make. I hope you don’t loose your Robert. Internet Marketers are being to make me sick.
How many lives have you saved lately, personally? Have you ever held the hand of a complete stranger as they died in an effort to comfort them in their last moments on this earth? These are the things I am proud of! Not how much money my wealthy father gave me.
Your friend,
Frank Funston Eckdall
Esquire
Hi, Frank, Robert, et al
Speaking for myself, I like that fact that Robert Plank is sharing how much money is actually making. He is, after all, teaching Internet marketing techniques, among other things, so this information is relevant to what he is offering.
It is refreshingly honest and a good barometer to use in assessing the claims of internet marketing gurus who state that they’re making millions of dollars. I think Robert keeps it real by saying what he’s really making.
Also, the Internet is a tool that can be put to a lot of use and could, indeed, help and indeed save many lives. Again, Robert Plank shows in his various products and guides how to maximize the return of a website.
For example:
1) I plan to learn the ropes of internet marketing in order to introduce new avenues of income for talented people in wheelchairs wheelchairs who are stifled not so much by their physical situations (challenging as they can be) but by the negative and discouraging attitudes of people around them. Namely:
Joe Moulins is a director/producer/cinematographer (eg Citizen Sam) of films who is training people in wheelchairs to become videographers. A team of engineers is devoloping wheelchairs and cameras so that individuals in wheelchairs and get full use of cameras. It is a natural, really — you know, wheelchairs are often used a dollies in film shoots.
But there is a problem — LACK OF FUNDING. That is decided that I am going learn how their training can become self-funding — through the creation of niche market information products! That is when Robert’s products and guides will be of immense value.
So, yes, I believe that Robert Plank, in practicing his craft, does help lives.
Regards,
Adam Fulford
Hi Adam,
Your point is well taken. H. Ross Perot while running for president said that the money he makes was like a score card on how well he was running his company and that a company is a money factory.
If you are not making much money your grade card is about a C. If you make a lot of money your grade card is an A.
In this context Roberts boasting is appropriate as a learning tool.
May the god of light bless your plans to help those in wheelchairs and yes you are right their environment is negative. I am currently helping a local retarded friend and some desperate friends back in México, Venezuela and Spain. I’m not sure how far I can go with the retarded friend. I would like to prove that even a retarded person can make a little money on the net if taught proven internet marketing techniques, not lies that are backed up with hype and and exaggerated claims of income.
I will iterate that I like Robert Plank and I really do think he is a nice guy. Not to mention a real smart cookie, pun intended.
I will save my blasphemous remarks for some of the biggest names or rip off con artists in the internet marketing world for my own blog. I am nobodies groupie and I’ve been watching the net for a long long time. “There is only one defense for libel and that is the truth.”
I can take the heat! When it gets hot in the kitchen I just turn on a fan or change my IP address on the fly. I’m a white 50ish guy but I’m pretty fly for a white guy.
Having said that, I appreciate your correction and will remember your name Adam Fulford
Kind regards,
Frank Funston Eckdall
Esquire
Congratulations Frank, you win the award for the most outlandish blog comments of 2008.
Hey Robert,
Congratulations on a great WSO and a great product.
$6,800 is pretty good and for the average online marketer it is absolutely fantastic.
Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
Some people just don’t understand the difference between, cost, price and value.
You product has a value way above any of the prices you have been charging, so nobody has any grounds to complain if they didn’t get it at the cheapest price.
You are probably a victim of your own success; your followers are so used to seeing your Dime Sales that they expect to see all your products on sale starting at just $0.10, which gives them a better chance of buying at a lower price.
Robert,
I think the offer and the methodology was brilliant. Of course, I wish I had gotten the cheaper price than $33. But I didn’t pay the higher price either.
The offer generated interest and action. The only mistake, IMHO, was not allowing people to continue to buy at full price after the discounting period was over. I think you left a lot on the table because of that.
As a relative newbie (to WordPress), this product save me lots of time, and was a lot cheaper than the cost of the time I would have spent researching the same material.
Well Done…
Hi Robert
Perhaps it’s time to settle this debate and move on by releasing another article on your blog. Perhaps your vote for Jason mail could serve as inspiration in that regard.
It seems we won’t settle anything in this thread. Some are dissatisfied, others are fine – and that’s probably the end result of all debates. Some agree while others disagree. 🙂
Have a nice weekend everyone. 🙂
Hi Robert,
I’m another one of your happy customers who always finds a lot of value in everything you’ve created.
This might seem like a dumb question but hopefully I can get an answer.
I’ve been trying to follow your step-by-step directions in your videos trying to get my files to look identical to yours.
I’m using EditPlus because that is the text editor that you’re using in the videos to edit your files. On a couple of occasions you split up the code on a line so that it appears on two lines that have the same line number.
For example on one video this is what appears on line 8:
8.
You then edit this line so that it appears on two separate lines that have the same line number:
8.
I was just wondering how you do this in EditPlus because I have not been able to duplicate the exact look of your files.
I know this will have no effect on the way the code will work but I was just wondering how to get the same line number to appear on more than one line like you did it in the video.
Thanks
Hi Robert,
I just made a post (50) above but the code I was asking about got stripped out of the comment.
My question was how to get a line of code to appear on two separate lines that both have the same line number using EditPlus – because this is how you had your code look in the videos.
I was unable to duplicate the look of your files and that is why I was asking how you did it.
Thanks
Wow, Robert. Wow. Wish I’d found your site when I first starting learning about internet marketing. It has almost everything here (you need to add an email marketing product). It would have saved me thousands of dollars if I’d found out about your site first.
Hi Robert,
I’ve come across your ‘wordpress on crack’ and am wondering if you are running any specials on price currently for the product?
Thanks!
Frank Thomas