Today, I want to talk to you about the cornerstone of everything we do online in our Internet Marketing endeavors. Indeed, it’s the cement that holds all business together. In fact, it should be the way that you operate your life.

I’m talking about honesty.

I’m writing this in the wake of some very heavy-duty action taken against a very well known Internet Marketer who has been forced – through his own actions – by the US legal system to get out of everything to do with Internet Marketing.

You probably KNOW who I am talking about. Sadly, he is a person possessed with extreme talent and great charisma. Look, he could sell ice to Eskimos. I wasn’t gonna mention his name coz I don’t want to add to his grief. But, having complimented his talent and charisma then hopefully, it will balance out. It’s Perry Belcher.

OK, I KNOW he did some bad things and he’s admitted it and he’s been severely punished for it. I have read a lot about it and I’m aware of most of the material facts.

What saddens me is that now that he’s been outed and convicted so many nasty, negatively-programmed and hateful people have taken it upon themselves to attack him personally over all manner of things including his physical appearance. How low. They are like rabid jackals and vultures all wanting to take a bite. If I were Perry (and I don’t know the man personally – only what I have seen of him in videos and forums and blogs etc) then I’d be “collecting” all that information and using it in a defamation lawsuit. A lot of what I have seen is hideous and a real good indicator of the lives of the individuals mouthing off. In short, it’s idiotic and shameful.

Seriously, I don’t think these haters should be adding to his problems. The guy got caught and he’s suffering for his actions. And NO – I definitely don’t agree with what he did AT ALL! It was wrong. But people make mistakes. He’s suffering from the indiscretions he committed (and YES, they were serious errors of judgment and he should have known better).

What I lament is the fact that he could have had a fantastic Internet Marketing career if only he’d followed the honest path right from the start. And now the Internet Marketing world has lost a serious talent.

Anyway, enough about Perry Belcher. I wish him NO ill-will at all and I hope he is able to recover and use his obvious talents in a positive manner for the betterment of his future and that of his family.

Moving right along…

The US Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is now planning a slew of legislation governing Internet Marketing, principally false testimonials and “misleading” testimonials designed to trick people into buying something through false recommendation. It is also talking about jumping all over blogs that are set up principally to support goods and services where kickbacks (aka slings, hidden commissions and bonuses etc) are given in return for glowing endorsements. Clearly, this is misleading and deceptive conduct designed to elicit a response from the masses reading or listening to these things. And that is WRONG. It’s bloody dishonest!

But, I wonder how long it will be before the medical profession gets kicked in the guts for recommending pharmaceutical products and medicines solely because the doctors recommending these “products” are being wined and dined and holidayed (you thought I was gonna say 69’ed, didn’t you? LOL) at all sorts of resorts for “favorable” recommendation of those products. After all, what’s good for the goose should be good for the peacock. (Sorry, gander is so clichéd!) But, there are huge companies with massive vested interests in this industry. And they can afford outrageeously expensive lawyers.

Back to the FTC…

I won’t go on about all the intricacies of it here because Frank “Mass Control” Kern has done a very good job of explaining it all on his blog. You can read about it here: http://masscontrolsite.com/blog/?p=59

(Incidentally Frank, get those damn permalinks sorted out will you? While I’m on that, can everyone see how a person’s “mass control” ability and reputation and standing in Internet Marketing is more important than having properly structured permalinks? Oh well.)

My point today is that if all Internet Marketers behaved honestly then none of the forthcoming restrictive legislation would be needed. But we all know that the Internet is an absolute HAVEN for dodginess, false claims, outright lies, deceit and general shitty behavior. That is why the bulk of Internet users now believe almost NOTHING of what they read and see from Internet Marketing types. Quite simply, we have all been lied to and had our credit cards spat upon so often that we are now skeptic extraordinaires, hardened to any and all marketing pitches – even the HONEST ones.

Ten times bitten, twenty times shy… does that ring a bell with you?

With what crooks and scumbags can now do on the Internet – sitting safely behind a keyboard – why would any of them need to put on a balaclava and use a shotgun to rob a bank? Some criminals, like some honest people, are VERY clever. Only the real dumb ones use the balaclavas and firearms now.

So, my message to you today is this:

Be HONEST!

Be honest in your Internet Marketing activities, be honest off-line (sadly life is littered with dishonesty offline too and I have been the victim of this too many times myself) and be honest to yourself. If you can’t or won’t do that then brace yourself for that “knock on the door.” The trucks will be in the driveway and the folks in forensic suits will start transferring your computers and other “evidence” out to them.

Final comment… don’t promise your customers the world and then only deliver up an atlas.

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Filed under: Frank Kern • Gary Simpson • Perry Belcher • honesty • internet marketing • mass control

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