On Your Honor - 3 Steps to Building the e-Trust Factor

Written by Rick Beneteau


One ofrepparttar greatest virtues we can possess is to be trustworthy.

One ofrepparttar 121628 greatest compliments we can receive is that we are trusted.

Why begin an Internet marketing article with those sentiments? Simple, because onrepparttar 121629 Internet trust is everything! I repeat, trust is everything onrepparttar 121630 Internet!

Face it, we are not pressingrepparttar 121631 flesh, face to face with potential customers. All we have is one very thin and very short opportunity to beginrepparttar 121632 process of building trust with people. NOT starting this process is where most entrepreneurs (and most ofrepparttar 121633 major companies who have failed online) missrepparttar 121634 cyber-mark.

It doesn't matter whether you are selling brownies, or monster trucks. You could be writing and selling eBooks or publishing a newsletter. You could be working an MLM or promoting several affiliate programs. Regardless of your product or service, here is how you beginrepparttar 121635 process of building trust with your website viewers and potential customers.

1. Credibility Right Outarepparttar 121636 Box

It all starts with credibility. If first-time trigger-happy clickers don't getrepparttar 121637 feeling right away that you are someone they can trust, then you might as well save yourself your monthly dial-up fees, or just start hangin' out inrepparttar 121638 chat rooms. Of course, you must also tell them what you have to offer (features/benefits) right offrepparttar 121639 top, but once you capture their interest, startrepparttar 121640 process of credibilizing yourself.

I use testimonials as one powerful way to do this. Inrepparttar 121641 second paragraph of my main website at: http://www.interniche.net, I've posted a great unsolicited testimonial. If you don't feel like clicking to see it, here 'tis: "Rick, you ooze credibility and honesty! Keep uprepparttar 121642 good work! You arerepparttar 121643 cream that rises torepparttar 121644 top ofrepparttar 121645 hype, lies, scammers, etc. Honesty in Internet marketing is becoming a prized commodity. Thanks!"

If you are inrepparttar 121646 mood to click, here's a webpage where I've posted just some of my customer testimonials: http://www.interniche.net/said.html

Look, I can tell you how great my products are, but when this many customers do, it establishes a high level of credibility, and eventually trust when they do purchase my products and experiencerepparttar 121647 level of customer service I offer. Speaking of which . . .

2. Value - Sell a MEG but Give a GIG!

One of my favorite quotes is from Bob Proctor: "Quality is not Expensive, it's Priceless!" I learned this from my early days inrepparttar 121648 drycleaning business. I hired and trainedrepparttar 121649 best people and paid them more than my competitors. I boughtrepparttar 121650 best supplies and had nice looking and very clean stores. I was fanatical about my end product and my customers were only too glad to pay top dollar in town for my services. Steady customers were given free drycleaning several times throughoutrepparttar 121651 year.

The Latest, Not-so-Greatest dotCon Game

Written by Rick Beneteau


Affiliate Program Managers Beware!!

Last week I becamerepparttar unwitting victim ofrepparttar 121627 latest Internet scam.

I own and operate 3 affiliate programs and as such am used to receiving and filing order confirmation emails all day long. I was noticing a recently registered affiliate (overseas) for EZineMoney.net was really racking uprepparttar 121628 sales.

Much to my delight, I emailed to congratulate him on his success. Next day, four chargebacks inrepparttar 121629 mail, all attributable to his sales/reseller site. Two cards, both charged twice with different Order Names. Then,repparttar 121630 phone started ringing with other people who did NOT order my ebook that had EZineMoney.net charges on their credit card statements.

Now, what I *should* have noticed with each/most of these orders wasrepparttar 121631 following:

1. Order Name and Name on Card were different.

2. Email addresses of customers were *strange* and often similar in nature ie: fmam@famfdma.net, fasdm@fmasdfm.com, mfa@mfdamfai.com, or, this: juansmithjtiti@yajhin.com. Of course, these don't exist.

3. None of these *customers* bothered to register forrepparttar 121632 reseller program after ordering. About 75% of real customers do.

Whenrepparttar 121633 fraud hitrepparttar 121634 fan, I called a well-known competitor for his advice, and I wasn't two sentences into my explanation when he stated in no uncertain terms - fraud! He then told me to watch out for an email from this guy "almost begging" for his commissions check. No more than half an hour later, that *desperate* email graced my inbox! See, this astute marketer had been hit with this scheme recently.

Now, what makes this allrepparttar 121635 more ludicrous, is this thieving reseller was using stolen credit card information JUST to receive his commissions a month or more later! I mean, how low-percentage can you get?

Oh silly me, here I was congratulating an active reseller and he must have been laughing his lyin' derriere off at my naivety! However, last laugh was on him, as his site was deleted, and, his HUGE commission check NOT written! Not surprisingly, when I informed him ofrepparttar 121636 deletion of his site andrepparttar 121637 withholding of his commissions, he hadrepparttar 121638 parts to reply withrepparttar 121639 following:

"all i can say that is not unfair and i will see a way to get my rights and my money. Best regards".

Double negative aside,"Best regards" my butt!

The story gets worse though. Shortly after undertaking a lengthy audit of orders, I came across my good friends friend, who registered under him of course, and voila!, a ton of fraudulent orders there. Migraine-bound at this point, I discover a third and fourth participant!

When all is screamed and done, a LOT of innocent people had their credit cards charged in my name (they will all be refunded of course) and my bank account is going to be reduced by an amount that would make most people's teeth rattle! There will be endless hours of refunding these innocent cardholders and adjusting applicable commissions (a notable affiliate program directory isrepparttar 121640 innocent sponsor ofrepparttar 121641 first culprit). Plus, of course, my merchant account is in jeopardy due torepparttar 121642 sheer volume of fraudulent orders and chargebacks.

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