IMPORTANT! - Never BUY Anything Until You Do Your Research You may even find that signing up for "free information" will start the process of bombarding you with high pressure promotional email messages. At least you should be able to unsubscribe when you've had enough.
If you give them your PHONE number, you'll get the sales pitch over the phone, so be sure you really want more information. And be prepared to say "NO" until you've completed your research!
Is it Too Good to Be True?
When you first hear about a business opportunity, it may seem "too good to be true". This is a clue - and a WARNING that it may NOT be as easy as it sounds. Unfortunately, this hype is commonly used today to lure prospective customers. Be sure to dig deeper than the testimonials on their website.
Look for the "names" - people's names, system or program name. If you can't find one, STOP HERE and just forget it! Find the product or "system", website name or name of the person who presents it in the advertisement or sales page.
Credibility factors will ALWAYS be presented for legitimate business opportunities. We all learned that we have to identify ourselves to ensure our good reputations, and all the REAL opportunities will have names associated with them that you can research.
Then "google" it or use your favorite search engine to start your research. Read a few pages of results for the names you find. Use other search engines if the first set of SERP's don't give you enough information to make an informed decision.
Is it a SCAM?
Adding the word "scam" can narrow your results to those sites with scam reports about a business, marketing method, or person. Give it a try!
Look at forum posts carefully as some comments may be frivolous statements or poorly researched by that person, and other posts may clearly indicate a scam.
Persuasive sales copy is an art form that is used by everyone online today. You should be using it too when you start your online business. BUT, the scammers are really good at it. I guess that's why they call them "Scam Artists".
HOW TO RESEARCH BUSINESS OFFERS
Some people say that you never need to pay to get into a legitimate business. I'm not convinced that is true anymore. But you need to know what your payments are going toward and decide if the expense is worth it for you.
Specific Things to Ask or Learn Before You Decide:
- What products/services you would be selling?
- Do you need to buy inventory up-front?
- Who your customers would be - demographics of people that would be interested in purchasing from you?
- Is the company reputable - been in business very long? (check BBBonline, Alexa, etc.)
- What is your role in your website building and maintenance?
- What is your role in phone sales and customer service?
- Do they have support for setup, sales and order fullment, or perhaps they do it for you?
- Are you expected to call all your friends and relatives to buy from you?
- What are your marketing responsibilities and costs?
- What marketing support and ad campaigns do they provide - and at what extra cost to you?
- What is your initial and ongoing costs in their program and for any additional support?
- When and how do you get your commissions or payments?
What Skills or Training Do You Need?
Most especially, I recommend that you understand what skills you will need and what activities you will perform to manage the business that you are considering. Just saying they will provide you all the training is not enough information on what you would need to learn and do to run your business.
Your current skills may make a certain opportunity better for you, or can make it more difficult. Plan on learning new skills, but if you already have a head start, it will be easier.
Is There A Guarantee?
The longer the guarantee lasts, the better. I no longer think a 30-day guarantee is long enough. It takes a few months to see any results, so you should insist on a 90-day money-back guarantee for most money-making opportunities.
PAY With Your Credit Card
Always use your credit card to purchase anything online (or PayPal). They will help you get your money back, if necessary. But first, try to contact the seller and request a refund. All "legitimate" businesses will have no problem refunding your money within the projected time period.
