Some people I know are wary of internet marketers, considering them to be snake oil salesmen who are always looking to scam them out of some money by selling them products they don’t need.

Not all are equally suspicious: apparently their long sales letters with bold promises still do work to pull in sales and subscribers.

These gurus usually offer their own informational products, along with in opt-in mailing list, which allows them to prime an audience to support their future ventures, products or affiliate sales. They are also skilled in branding themselves as an expert through the recommendations of others.

Are these internet marketers trustworthy? Their aggressive sales letters may look like scams but you’ll have to understand that that’s somewhat of a standard for most marketers. The sales pages may be antiquated but apparently they must work for a large number of people, ergo their longevity and persistence.

Why You Should Give Internet Marketers a Chance

Everytime I come across a free newsletter or report, I’ll often sign up for it just to get a closer look at how the internet marketer operates. There are several reasons why opting into these email lists will help you to make money yourself.

1. Learn How They Sell. After you sign up, observe how the internet marketer presells you by offering bite-sized chunks of information which build your interest and desire to learn more. Examine how they gradually push their own or other people’s product and look at how they brand themselves or evoke trust from the readers.
2. Newsletter Management. If you’ve always wanted to run your own opt-in newsletter, sign up for several lists and learn how the ‘gurus‘ or experts do it. See how they format their newsletters or emails and you can even write them personally for feedback about the tools they are using. I’m sure they would welcome the direct contact.
3. Beneficial Information. Not all email lists are junk and some actually do send you information that can be applied for your own websites and online businesses. The guideline here is simple: Look through all the fluff and extract the essence from the ideas offered. See how it can be applied for your website and test it out to see the results. Don’t believe their words blindly.

If you’re still not comfortable with giving your email address to an internet marketer, create a free throwaway email and use it exclusively for these lists. Log into this email account every alternate day or weekly to go through the mailings you get.

Manage the list every few weeks and opt-out of those who do not offer useful information. You may gradually find yourself trusting some marketers a lot more than others. Those are the ones you will have to study in detail. How did they earn that trust from you? How can you apply the same methods to build your own audience?

While they may get your approval, I would suggest doing some research before you make any expensive purchases based on their recommendations; do a search online or run a few checks with a few trusted friends who might know more about the product or the marketer’s history.

Develop an inquisitive and analytical mindset and you’ll make the full use of the time spent following and reading these newsletters and emails.

Many, many times. You know it well. Every marketing guru has spoken about this topic. I’m sick of hearing it. But it STILL bears repeating.

Because some people still don’t get it. What’s the underlying principle for successful online marketing, selling or networking? The art of giving before you try to get. Before you get something from someone, you need to first give them a reason for them to give it to you.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? Don’t you know that everyone has walls around them? Don’t you see them at all? They don’t like to be scammed out of their money. That’s why they’re cautious and won’t just click to buy immediately. They don’t like to waste their hard earned salary on crappy products or services. That’s why they do a thorough research online.

They don’t want to be lied to. That’s why they are hesitant to believe what you say or claim. They don’t want their feelings to be exploited. That’s why they are wary about trusting you with their true thoughts. They have been fooled before and no one wants to feel stupid again.

It’s a defense mechanism designed for self-preservation in a life that is nasty, brutish and short. Living ain’t easy. People are fed-up with hard-sells and sledge-hammer pitches. They’re sick of hustlers always running game on them. Their walls grow stronger, reinforced by the plaster of bad experiences. Once they pigeon-hole you as a ’spammer/scammer’, it’s all over. Don’t bother with getting them to take out their wallets. Won’t happen.

There is a fool-proof way to get people to lower their defenses and commit. You just need to manage their impressions of you. You need to change what they think about what you’re doing. You’re not spamming, you’re offering a product that is designed to fulfill needs. You’re not a money-hungry marketer, you’re a passionate individual who loves to help people achieve their goals. Reframing and re-adjusting the prospect’s image of your brand.

So here it comes. Here’s the part when I tell you to ‘always add value’ and ‘build trust’. But let’s refashion this proverbial tip on selling. Let’s put a spin on value or trust and combine them into a single actionable guideline: Always focus on giving before trying to get.

Give them helpful free content. Give them answers to their questions. Give them a freebie. Point them to tools they need and things they should know. Give them tips they can instantly use in their lives/business. Give them pleasant surprises. Give them interaction. Give them promises you can keep. Develop a history of giving. Be known as a giver.

“This person has given me many valuable things. I have benefited from these gifts. I like her. I will pay attention to what she says. I think I will trust her words. I will lower my guard a little and run with it. What else could go wrong? I’ve only had good experiences with her so far. She has proven herself to be beneficial to me. I think I may…. no, I will commit and take a chance this time. It’ll be fine, I’m sure. Don’t worry too much.”

These are exactly the thoughts you want them to think. This is the inner dialog you want in their heads as they look at your proposition, as they wander and explore your website. This is how you get them to buy, subscribe, agree and take action on your suggestions.

Don’t mass spam your links all over the web and think that you’ll get someone’s trust or money easily. That’s a silly strategy. You’re not selling to robots or animals. You’re selling to people who care about the seller. Get what you want by first giving unconditionally. Manage what people think or feel about you and you’ll get what want easily.