Scam Alerts and Due Diligence

10. September 2008 by admin.

Well, I hadn’t planned to write this today.  I was reading an article on how to promote one’s business using article writing.  One suggestion was to study TV - news, talk shows, infomercials, etc. to get ideas on what to write.  Well, I was surfing my TV and came across an infomercial by Mr. X on becoming an Internet millionaire, “Shortcuts to Internet Millions”.

The two main speakers were beautiful young women with low cut dresses and they were talking sitting down and leaning over.  Well they were very distracting.  Oh, back to the story.  Having been scammed and reading about scams on the Internet, I did what every person should do before investing even $5.  I did a search on “Mr X” and read what others had to say about him.

Now a word of caution when you do this type of research: don’t believe everything you read on these various “scam alert” websites.  I say this because often times people are put up on these sites using the power of reverse psychology.  They say to beware of so and so and then go on to say don’t go to http://xxx.com to find this great product/service.  They go on to say how great the product is and people go to the website to learn more.  It’s natural curiosity.

I am interested in fuel saving products and other high tech products.  One search I did was a person berating the head of a company I was interested in.  The 5 or more comments that followed said nothing but positive things about the product the company was offering.

People love to read negatives more than they do positives.  That is why the newspapers are so negative and depressing.  People gravitate to that sort of thing more than they do refreshing positive stories.

Well, what I read about Mr. X was nothing but negative, a good sign that perhaps he is the real thing in scamology.  Just because it is seen on TV and promises great guarantees does not necessarily mean that it is true.  Proceed with caution.

Before investing in any program, be sure to do a thorough research.  The greater the investment the more research you need to do.  Never believe what you read on one website.  Check many sources and be sure to read the comments sections if there are any.

Although it may be a good idea to get the input of your trusted friends, it may not always be the best thing to do because your best friends are not you and they may not be as willing to take risks.  To succeed you need to take risks.  Just be sure to take calculated risks.

Another caution: be aware that often people will blame their shortcomings on others when they need to look in the mirror to find the person who caused them to not succeed at a business.  Two people can start a business with the same background and tools to succeed.  One will do very well while the other could fail miserably.  It’s like two people looking at the same half glass of water, one seeing it half full and the other half empty.  That’s life and when we do our research, we need to factor in this possibility. 

The bottom line is you need to do your research, list the pros and cons, set up  a plan of action of how you will proceed, if the program looks good, and then take action on your plan and don’t quite until you succeed.  The only way to fail is to give up.  If you truly want to succeed at having your own business, your first attempt may not work and your second or third or forth just might put you over the top.

Posted in Living | Print | No Comments »