Last year I purchased my first ever Maytag product, a new refrigerator resplendent with stainless steel doors and lots of computerized gadgets. Why did I buy a Maytag?  Because for years I have watched as the lonely Maytag repairman of TV commercial fame sits pining for something to do. Maytag appliances don't break down as other appliances do is the unspoken implication.

Six months later I've had to call that "lonely repairman" 3 times!  I bought the lie.

Yep, it's a lie.  As the *real* repairman said, "The only person who is not working his butt off at Maytag is that actor in the commercials."

Lesson learned: Don't believe everything you think you see and hear. The Maytag brand is just like all the others - their appliances do break down. The repairman is not lonely; he's so busy I had to wait 2 weeks!

I was thinking about my refrigerator experience as I re-wrote a sales letter for my own private label articles site. After much writing and re-writing to make sure I didn't mislead anyone, I finally perfected it (in my eyes) and uploaded it to my site. It goes against all the advice I've read from the gurus on how to write a sales letter but I feel good about it. It's not long enough (according to some). But I don't care. It's not misleading. It's not hyped up. It presents my offer in a clear and honest way. And, you know what? Each time I started to write anything "hypey", I would conjure up the image of the lonely Maytag man and I would start deleting. He has permeated my psyche!

Well, that works to keep me from writing hype and misleading advertising — but how can you protect yourself against the double talk of Internet sales hype that plummets your email account every day?

One caveat that holds true for every facet of the marketing arena is: "if it sounds too good to be true, it is — so don't fall for it."

I know you've heard that a thousand times before and it might seem trite, but it will keep you from making a big financial mistake if you will follow it. Here are a few more tips:

• Read every ad and sales letter with a healthy dose of skepticism.
• Click away from claims of ultra high earnings
• "Google" the offer, adding +scam to the search
• Ask other opinions or advice about the offer
• If you're dead-set on making that purchase … wait 3 days. Sometimes you have a better perspective when you give yourself space and allow your brain to process the information.
• Ask questions before you purchase. You will get a feel for the people behind the ad by asking questions. Do they answer right away? Is it an automated response?

And remember … if it sounds to good to be true …

I'm sure you get the picture! 

What about you?  Have you a bad advertising experiences you'd like to share?  If so, please click on the comment link and tell us about it.
 

-Linda

[tags]internet marketing, advertising, misleading advertising, writing sales pages[/tags]