Did they really make $10,000 with that e-book?

I see a lot of sites just by going through Google with things like "secrets to MLM success" or "how I made $10,000 in a month", basic phrases like that. While I am sure they are not being dishonest, each site follows the same formula, so let me explain how they are most likely "getting rich".

First off, their sites are nothing more than a portal for you to enter your name and email address. By doing so, you are simply adding yourself into a mailing list or into their potential leads pool. After you do so, you are directed to a new page, and a little message about checking your email box. The email you get will be very detailed with customer satisfaction stories, testimonials, etc. It looks great doesn't it? It's also from $49.99 to $199.99 for their cd-rom, book or other material. You get a lot of stuff. Now I have not actually purchased any of these materials, but let's evaluate this formula and really explain what's going on.

It's called an affiliate program. Simply put, the e-book or whatever else they are trying to sell you through their simple click me and buy this material to "get rich", is actually how they are getting rich. It doesn't really take a genius to figure out how, not even a SEO subject matter expert. It's not a scam, but it's a bit misleading.

Why don't I have one? I have been debating it. I am here to educate you and be realistic, not take your money and try to sell you a formula that if it "really worked", would more likely than not be common knowledge.

Let's look at the breakdown again from a bullet point stand-point:

1. Register a domain name such as secretstomlmwealthandpowerblahblahblah.com or something cliche like that ($10 through Google, you can get a domain name anywhere).
   
2. Make a video of yourself talking about how successful you are and use YouTube to avoid hosting costs.
3. Join an affiliate program to resell an e-book or other marketing material that "teaches" the secrets to success with online marketing and the powers of social networking; I am sure they have many titles. This should be free as you will make a commission.
4. Embed their code into your site so you can get them to "sign up" and receive that email with a download link with nice cost attached.
5. Make your commission.
6. Sit back and do basically nothing.

I don't know the exact figure for how much this actually makes, I am sure the more attractive or interesting you appear in your videos, the more success you'll have promoting someone else (if not your own) e-book or other materials and developing your commission. It's not that complicated when you really think about it, and it really isn't truly being dishonest with potential customers, but it is generally misleading for them to think you did anything in any of that material that actually built as much success as just having the website with an affiliate program to begin with.

By having their extremely long domain name that comes up all over Google and Yahoo, they generate thousands of hits from the get-go. If this works for you, feel free to send me the check while I see if my conscious allows me to make such a thing. I just feel really bad for younger people who really want to work to impress, succeed and avoid the f-word [failure]. It's hard enough when you have that cousin making six-figures and you are barely out of high school. Let me explain to you though, pay attention to the formula they are using on you, and less to the formula they are trying to get you to follow. This is where you can really learn.