This morning a reader of mine sent me an old Warrior Forum post from 2009 that made me laugh…
This was right around the time when VSL’s got popular in online marketing.
So in the thread I was arguing with a bunch of people about whether or not VSL’s worked.
I was on the side that they did work.
And everyone else was saying otherwise.
So they were saying things like…
“Your video shouldn’t be more than 2-3 minutes long. No one will watch a 30 minute video“
“Long videos are an insult to your customer. Their inbox is full of these promos everyday. Respect their time and keep it short“
And probably my favorite one…
“Video sales letters do work, but only morons buy from these things. So if thats the kind of buyer you want, then use them“
What’s funny is that probably 90% of the people in the thread were agreeing with the people saying this crap.
And the more they agreed, the more everyone else agreed as well.
It was 100% group-think.
And while they were all having a love fest talking about how they hated VSL’s…
I was the only speaking the truth.
I knew VSL’s worked.
I knew they weren’t a fad.
I knew they weren’t gonna die in two months…
How did I know this?
Cause I was making real sales everday with VSL’s.
I saw how well they worked.
But the people in that thread didn’t want to hear that.
Because they had such hate for VSL’s that they didn’t want to hear another viewpoint…
And here’s the thing…
I’d be willing to bet a pretty penny that none of the people saying this shit were making any money at the time.
None!
They were probably just on all the guru’s lists, and were sick of seeing VSL after VSL come into their inbox.
So they rallied against it.
And gave out terrible advice like “make your video 2-3 minutes long”.
And as much as I’d like to clown on these people for being wrong…
There’s a big lesson in here…
And it’s one that can save you a lot of money in the long run…
And that’s…
Be careful who you take advice from!
Everyone loves to give advice…
Especially people who shouldn’t be giving it.
Why?
Cause it makes them feel important.
So there’s a never-ending line of people willing to tell you what to do.
That’s why you can’t just take advice from anyone.
For me, unless someone has real “in the trenches” experience doing something, their opinions are pretty much worthless.
Mark Cuban could give me great advice about how to run a basketball team…
But I wouldn’t trust his advice on writing an 8-page direct mail letter.
That’s not his bag.
So again…
Be selective about who you take advice from.
That Warrior Forum thread is proof that there’s no shortage of people willing to give you bad advice.
Keep that in mind…
– Justin
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