Small Business
$4.95 Or Die!
By Ade Martin

Have you ever stopped to consider why it is that perfectly ordinary, likeable and usually ethical people suddenly forget every principle they were ever taught by their Moms and Dads and rush headlong into a turmoil of lies and deceit once they start to market online?

That $4.95 affiliate commission is suddenly the most important thing in their whole lives. It becomes such a powerful driving force that all sense of humanity, honor and responsibility seems to have deserted them.

There is no thought of whether the product is any good or not. No thought of the people being ripped off who can ill afford it and have purchased this worthless commodity in good faith. If it's got a great sales page that converts then "Hey, who cares?"

Is it the anonymity of the Net that breeds this attitude in otherwise respectable people? Is it because, unlike an offline business, they will never meet face to face with their customers and this gives them a virtual shield to hide behind?

If so, it can only be that these people are cowards who lurk behind an Internet connection. They accept no responsibility and think nothing about shutting down their free sites, one after another as their spam and complaints catch up with them. Unfortunately by then it's too late for you as a consumer to do much about it. Of course, they already have their $4.95 check!

You see, once you start dealing with real people, once you have accepted their hard earned money in exchange for your product or service you have a responsibility towards your customers.

It seems that the majority, but thankfully not all, believe that once the "financial exchange" has taken place they are absolved of any further responsibility in this relationship.

On the contrary, you are accepting greater responsibility towards your customer once you have taken their payment. If you treat your new customer with respect and genuine interest in THEIR business they will become a friend.

Gain enough friends this way and your success is 100% guaranteed. And, what a way to succeed in life! You feel clean and can rightly feel proud of your achievements. How different that feeling is when compared to those furtive, shifty creatures scurrying from one failing biz opp to another with all their "stolen" $4.95 commission checks from honest folk!!

I guess it's just human nature to want to take the easy way out of any situation. The Net gives us all the opportunity to take the easy way out. Write a few Ads, send a few (million) emails and Presto - You have your very own "Business In A Box".

But hang on just one darned minute!! Isn't there a moral aspect to consider here? Consider just who is being the hurt the most? Retired folk, work at home Moms and Dads, the unemployed desperately trying to get some self respect back into their lives, people on low incomes, including the disabled trying to make provision for their kids education or put something away for their retirement.

How can ANYBODY in possession of these facts knowingly deal in lies and deceit all for the sake of a $4.95 commission check?

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Ade Martin is the publisher of the popular newsletter
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