Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Have you ever considered purchasing a product, only to scan the sales page for income screenshots and earning statements?

Within the “make money” industry, there are countless offers claiming to hold the Holy Grail to undeniable fortunes.

And while many of the merchants and marketers behind these products CAN help you make money online, beware of one of the most common “triggers” used to push you into buying mode.

FAKE SCREENSHOTS & EARNINGS!

Nothing will motivate you into buying a product from someone who claims to know exactly how to build online fortunes than a crisp and clear screenshot of a recent bank statement showing thousands of dollars in income.

Nothing will prompt you into action like a giant snapshot of a Paypal account boasting thousands of dollars in earnings.

Nothing – and I mean NOTHING will get you as excited as a seemingly innocent screenshot of the kind of money you’ve been dreaming of. After all, if THEY can do it – surely YOU can do it, too?

The problem is that a large majority of those snazzy screenshots and income statements found online are fakes. Not all of them, but MANY of them are, and you need to be aware of this and not base your decision to purchase solely on the fact that someone can produce dazzling income shots, or hefty bank account statements.

As to HOW people create these fake screenshots?

They are either created by using an image-editing program like Photoshop, or they’re created using on-site JavaScript which will allow anyone to edit anything from bank statements, Adsense earning statements, ClickBank income statements to Paypal accounts, in order to inflate dollar amounts, and payments.

In fact, with just one line of code pasted into any browser, you too can edit the text on any website, or within any account.

But fake income screenshots aren’t the only thing to be leery of.

Many marketers use ‘actors’ and ‘live talent’ on their websites in order to help connect visitors with a “face”. It adds a personal touch, and helps to lower your guard.

You’ve probably seen this type of marketing, where an actor “walks” onto the side of a website and immediately starts selling the product or service. While there’s nothing wrong with using actors within marketing messages when it’s CLEAR, the problem comes into play when these actors pose as “customers” who are satisfied with the product and claim to provide an unsolicited testimonial.

With sites like Fiverr.com and other low cost gig sites, anyone can hire an actor or online personality to create video testimonials, and voice-overs from people claiming to be happy customers, case studies, or successful “students” of the websites offer or product.

Be careful when visiting websites that use this type of marketing gimmick. Most honest marketers would prefer to be the ones discussing the product on the sales page, rather than hiring third party services to do the job for them.

So, now that you know about just how easy it is to fake screenshots and earning statements, what can you do to verify that the person behind the website can actually show you how to make real money online?

Run a search! Take some time to evaluate what that person has done online. What websites does he or she own? What other products have been released under her or his name? What are other people who have purchased their products said about them? What kind of success rate are customers having with the products?

Take some time to browse through forums, review sites, open communities and social networks. It won’t take long before you’re able to gain a better, more clear idea, as to whether the person offering to teach you how to make money online, REALLY can and does make money online themselves.

It’s a bit of work evaluating offers and researching marketers and merchants, but in the end, it’s one of the easiest ways to eliminate risks and protect your investment. And no one is going to do that for you – but YOU.

Side Note: Beware of affiliate testimonials and reviews when evaluating marketers and offers. You want to make sure what you’re reading is a genuine review from a customer, not from an affiliate trying to sell you on the product.

Try to avoid traditional review websites, and focus on user-powered networks like public forums and community sites that focus around that market.

Hello? Anyone There?

One of the things you need to look out for is ‘after sales support’.

Sure, a product might live up to its expectations, and perhaps the marketer did the best job possible to create an explosive product or mind-blowing program. And it just may be your golden ticket into making money, or completing a task that you’ve been struggling with.

But what happens AFTER the sale?

Genuine marketers and developers want to help their customers. They come from the school of thought that if they go the extra mile in building rapport and providing exceptional customer support that they’ll earn a loyal, lifetime customer.

Savvy marketers know that loyal customers equate to ongoing profits – and they work hard to increase the value of every customer’s experience. It’s in their best interest to make you happy.

But shady marketers don’t care about after the sale. They’re only goal is to ring in the orders and go to work on the next big offer, leaving their customers frazzled, helpless and frustrated because while the product may be phenomenal, they simply don’t know how to use it, what to do next, or how to put all of the pieces together.

While it’s never easy to determine whether a marketer or merchant will provide ongoing support after the sale, you can certainly do your due diligence in minimizing problems in receiving support and communication after you order.

Search the Internet to determine whether the merchant offers a support desk. Then, take a few minutes to post a “test” question. Make sure it’s a legitimate question or concern you have about the product BEFORE you order it. Give the merchant adequate time to respond, and see just how well they communicate.

Next, browse through online forums and search engines to see what people are saying about the product, and whether people are generally satisfied. Make sure that there is far more positive than negative feedback and that those who purchased and needed help were given support.

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

Step 4: Join Those Groups

Now that your profile is complete and we have done our group/ niche research, it's time to go back and join the groups you checked out earlier. A completed profile is very important because many group owners/moderators actually will review your profile to make sure you are an 'appropriate' new member for the group.

New people with incomplete details very often will have a difficult time getting accepted into the more active and beneficial groups, but since you have taken the time to set up a good, solid professional profile - you should have no problem getting into the majority of the groups that you apply for.

One thing to remember - no matter what your membership level is with LI - you are limited to joining only 50 groups, so use some care in joining. If you find later that some groups are not proving to be as productive as you want, you can leave a group so that you may join another.

Once you have joined all of your groups, write a brief intro about yourself and your business - nothing too elaborate, just enough to let the group owner and members know that you are going to be a valued contributing member of the group. I usually spin it a bit for every 8 to 10 groups, as there are going to many people that will belong to several of the same groups you are posting to - you don't want it to look totally 'copy and paste' across all 50 groups!

So spin it a bit - change up the opening sentence every few sites, switch the paragraphs around, change the close. You don't have to write something totally unique for each one - but you do want to vary it a bit so that across the 50 groups you have at least 5 different versions, and ideally 10 different versions.

Step 5: Participating & Connecting

This is the time consuming part but absolutely essential: you need to become a visible known entity at several groups before you start your own group - and start reaching out to 'connect'. This is all about building your credibility on Linkedln - and credibility will lead to your long-term success with this project!

Here's the game plan: I usually focus on the largest and most active 5 groups that I have joined first as it is pretty overwhelming and time consuming to try and do this over all 50 groups at once.

And as mentioned earlier - there will be many people that will belong to more than one group on your list - so by focusing on the top 5 groups, you stand a very good chance of still being seen by may people that are also members of many of the other groups on your lists.

You will usually find that people will respond to your introduction post - some will welcome you to the group, some may even ask for more information on what you do. Respond to each comment, and send out an invitation to connect with each person that comments. That's the big perk of joining groups - according to Linkedln's hierarchy, you are now 'connected' to every person in every group that you belong to - you can now start reaching out to them directly.

But, obviously, we want to be much more proactive than simply waiting for people to comment on our introduction message - so now we start posting to the groups as well. I like to vary the type of posts that I make. Generally, I will start with a news piece of interest to the niche, and will link directly to the source - NOT to my website.

Next I may ask a question - I may ask for help with a problem related to the industry, asking for assistance in looking for a resource etc - in other words - you are recognizing that others in the group have knowledge and resources that you value and respect.

My next post will usually be an interesting article or even a survey on a topical issue (the more heated/controversial the better!) on my website. I continue this process for a few days - I rotate through all 5 groups, and never post to any group more than once a day.

At the same time that I am making myself 'visible' across the groups that I have joined, I will also send out invitations daily until I have built up my connections to 200+ (this doesn't take long). 200 connections seems to be a good base point to start your own group - it doesn't take long to get to this point, and gives you a good number to send invitations to once you set up your own group....

You will see the page you want to send your visitors to, a brief summary of the content, a comment box for any additional comments you want to add and below that, a checkbox for "Post to groups".

Make sure you check that box for groups and that the post is visible to anyone (just next to the Twitter box). If you have a Twitter acct - be sure to check that too!

Once you click on the "Post to Groups" link, a new box will appear. As you start to type the name of a group, you will see the names of matching groups that you belong to appear in a pop-up window, so you won't have to type in the whole name - just select them from the list as they appear.

Linkedln does not let you cut and paste your list of groups into the box - this is one of their spam prevention measures.

BUT this does make it a lot faster than having to type in each group name completely!

Another aid is to copy your list of groups into notepad or something similar so that you have the list handy for easy reference while doing your submissions - it's a lot easier than having two browser windows open!

Alternatively, you can use HootSuite or Gremln - but for some reason - I find that my submissions seem to show up in more groups when I submit from inside Linkedln rather than use an external service. No reason as to why this would be the case -just personal experience that I thought I would pass on!

Ebook Sample Content Preview:

The most important thing you will need are good running shoes. There are many brands on the market with a range of prices. You may be tempted to go for the cheapest pair but bear in mind that this is the only investment you will be making.

It is best to get running shoes that provide good support. Most running injuries are caused by wearing old shoes or ill-fitting shoes that are on the verge of falling apart. There is a lot of impact in running and this impact needs to be cushioned by shoes that were designed for running.

The best thing you can do is to visit a running speciality store where the staff can evaluate what type of shoes are best suited for you. Different types of feet will require different types of support. For example, someone who is flat footed may require a higher arch. Get shoes that work for you and that’s half the battle won.

A good practice would be to note down the day you buy your running shoes. You will need to replace your shoes after about 400 miles or about 640km. Do not judge the condition of a shoe by its outer appearance. Sometimes the shoe may still look good but the inner cushioning may be all worn out.

A sign of poor cushioning would be pain in your knees, muscle fatigue, shin splints, etc.

If you’re feeling a nagging pain that has appeared out of the blue, chances are it’s time to get a new pair.

If your budget allows for it, get 2 pairs and alternate them. The shoes will last longer since the cushioning has more time to dry and decompress. In the long run, you’ll actually save money on shoes by using this method.

About halfway through the life of your running shoes, you might want to buy another pair of running shoes to rotate into your runs. Your shoes will last longer when you allow them to decompress and dry out between workouts. Also, having a fresh pair of shoes as a reference will help you notice when your old ones are ready to be replaced.

Although you should replace your shoes every 300 to 400 miles, there are ways to make sure they last until the higher end of that range. Follow these tips for making your running shoes last longer. Once you've bought a new pair of running shoes, you can donate your old ones to one of these organizations that collect used running shoes.

Comfortable Running Attire

One man’s meat is another man’s poison. This is true with running attire.

There are all kinds of attire being sold for running. Some people like tight fitting sportswear, others like loose fitting t-shirts and some men don’t even like wearing a shirt when they run. Your best bet is to wear what you are comfortable in and run

That being said, women will need to get a good sports bra. Both sexes will have to get socks that are made for sports. These are usually a synthetic blend of materials because 100% cotton socks tend to cause blisters.

As you become a more avid runner you may decide to invest in clothing specifically designed for running. These clothing often have unique features such as removing moisture from your skin fast so that you feel cooler and they also do not chafe your skin, especially during long runs.

Stopwatch

Having a stopwatch is essential to tracking your progress. You will want to reduce your timings and strive for improvement. You can only do that if you’re keeping track of your runs. Most digital watches including the inexpensive ones come with a stopwatch feature. Get one and use it. Record your distance and timings in a journal religiously.

Water Bottle

This is not essential if you hydrate well prior to your run. However, some people may feel breathless and thirsty while running if they are not used to it. If you get thirsty easily, get a water bottle. The only issue is that you will have to carry it with you and run or you could leave it on a bench nearby and get to it whenever you need to.

If you’re getting water bottles, it’s best to get a BPA water bottle that is made out of hard plastic. It is safer for you.

Ankle Weights

After a while, as your stamina improves, you may wish to add ankle weights to your legs. This will make your runs more challenging and force your body to adapt. Your stamina and strength will improve by leaps and bounds.

Anti-Chafe Balm

Some people may experience chafing since they run often. You may get an anti-chafe balm from a sports store or you could just order one online from Amazon.

Other than the items mentioned above, runners may prefer other items such as headphones to blast their favourite music, running armbands to slot in their smart phones, heart rate monitors, sunglasses, running tape, headbands, head lights, etc.

Quite frankly, all these are luxuries and totally up to you. If buying these motivates you to run, then by all means get them and run. If you don’t have the budget, you don’t need them and it doesn’t make you uncool. What really matters is how good a runner you are.

What else do I need to know?

Besides getting equipment, there are 2 essential things you need to do.

Stretching

Hydrating

Always stretch after your body is warmed up a little. Do not stretch cold. You can warm up by doing jumping jacks for a minute. Other exercises that are good would be skipping, mountain climbers and burpees.

Once your heart is pumping and your blood is circulating, then you should engage in a series of stretches. Ideally, you should aim for a total body stretch. Focus on the knees, calves, ankles, waist and hamstrings. You should also rotate your head and shoulders. Just get limber and mobile.

The whole stretching session could be about 3 to 5 minutes. It doesn’t have to be a drawn out yoga stretch that lasts 45 minutes. In fact, you do not want to stretch too long. Your body will warm up during the run. This initial stretch is just to prep you up for the run.

As for hydration, make sure you are consuming the recommended amounts of water daily. Since you’re a runner now, you will need to consume as much water as required. Constant sips throughout the day is ideal. Don’t overdo the water consumption but don’t neglect it either.