Recently, Joe Vitale posted a blog entry about a curious question. His answer was even more curiouser, leading us to wonder what rabbit hole Fireboy is holed up in on his Wimberlie not-estate.
In essence, someone asked Joe Vitale why he charges so much for his audio book The Secret to Attracting Money. That's right. I'm not going to call it an audio "program." That's a trick of the internet marketing trade, you see, to call something that is really an audio book an audio program. Program sounds much more official. Book sounds like a $9.99 bargain bin find. But if you look at content, substance, and packaging, The Secret to Attracting Money is nothing more than a bargain bin audio book.
Of course, that's insulting to bargain bin audio books, in my opinion, but I think they'll forgive me.
Joe explains in numbered points (much more authoritative than bullets, donchaknow) why he is forced to sell his The Secret to Attracting Money audio book for $120 instead of $9.99 like other audio books of this caliber.
Let's take a look at some of those points.
1. I already give away a book! That's right. He does. And it's got www.miraclescoaching.com listed on every single page. It's not a giveaway; it is an advertisement. Also included as a bonus in his numbered point #1, the blame game: "you've got money, but you assholes don't appreciate your money!"
2. You wouldn't respect me if I gave something away. Free is not respected, says Joe. That's because Joe doesn't respect anything free... and he gives away his free book (see authoritative numbered point #1) as an advertisement for something he really craves... a boiler-room sales pitch designed to find out how much money or credit you have and how to get it ALL from you.
His comments about people not respecting something given for free is conjecture. No evidence of this, just assertions. But of course, we have lists of blog entries from Joe about how generous he is. He even gives away cars and has a program for ending homelessness in one day! Why would he do all of this if no one respects generosity? Oh right, conspicuous altruism. Joe's favorite card to pull when things get hot in the media for him. ABC News does an expose on his Rolls Royce Mastermind, so Joe goes full on psycho with his Operation YES, aka, Operation Broken Promises.
3. I have people to PAY, people. Sure you do, Fireboy. But why does it take so many more dollars to pay your people than it does anyone else who has an audio book? Why is your audio book priced so much higher than anyone else's audio books on the same topics? Why are other people giving away the same program information for free.
Darn, that's all the authoritative numbered points we get? I thought we were on a roll. But once again, Mr Fire disappoints.
Now, we're going to look at something important. Limiting beliefs, one of Joe Vitale's favorite "it's all your fault" mantras. Just by asking Joe Vitale why he charges exorbitant rates for his products, we are all just plagued by limiting beliefs. Instead, we need to venture into Joe's world... .the world where everyone can charge whatever they want, free market forces be damned.
In Mr. Fire's utopia, everyone pays what Joe wants. And if they ask a question, it's their own fault for not being open to Mr. Fire's definition of things.
They're not open to thinking that audio books are sophisticated audio programs. (Because it's not)
They're not open to thinking that Joe's audio book is unique and holds actual secrets (because it doesn't)
They're not open to thinking that Magic Wish Dolly's stolen from Maria in Russia can actually solve all of your problems (because it doesn't and it says so right in his disclaimer)
They're not open to being taken for a ride in his Rolls Royce Master Mind. (because it... well, it is being taken for a ride)
They're not open to seeing the possibilities of Prosper Inc. emptying their bank accounts and racking up tremendous credit card debt for Joe Vitale's Miracles Coaching. Oh, it's popular, Joe Vitale's Miracles Coaching.
It's your own fault for being so limiting to not give Joe what he wants when he wants it.
For someone who teaches taking full responsibility for everything in your life (the very basis behind the ho'oponopono teachings), Joe Vitale certainly has a lot to learn.
Lessons (numbered for their full authoritay)
#1. Don't blame your customers.
#2. Take responsibility for your pricing instead of blaming others. Why not say, "I think it is a fair price given the market, the content, and the distribution costs.
#3. Stop being such a monumental douchebag when people question you.
And on that note, I'm going to go buy an audio book and celebrate the fact that not all authors are complete douchebags. Just the ones living on not-estates in Wimberlie.
Here's one thing on which I agree with Joe Vitale: money is neutral. It is a symbol of what you value. How people earn their money is a symbol of what value fulfillment they seek in their life. From this blog post, I can only assume that Joe Vitale values money more than anything else.
Disclaimer: this web site and this blog post are full of my opinions, DUH.
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If, as Vitale claims, people don't respect anything for which they don't pay a fair price, what does that say about his repeated use of free creative labor? He has a long history of staging phony competitions where people are invited to submit things like graphic designs, with their only payment being at best a pittance to the "winner," and more frequently, no payment beyond the dubious honor of having their work used to promote his worthless products. He is worthy of the same kind of respect he shows the people he fleeces.
ReplyDeleteRon makes good points above. The hustledorks don't mind paying out the nose for the visible signs of a lavish lifestyle (leased Rolls Royces and suchlike), and of course they charge top dollar for their own creative work, but many if not most abhor the idea of paying fair and decent rates for others' creative work when they can get it for a pittance at Creatives-R-Us dot com.
ReplyDeleteI can well understand how a struggling new company or a nonprof with very limited resources would look to the cheap labor pools. But multimillionaires living high on the hog shouldn't squawk at paying someone a decent rate.
But I know I've griped about that here before. My other reason for coming here is that I have another somewhat related comment that I was going to hold off on sharing until it became obvious that a critical comment I'd sent to another forum was not going to be published. It appears that said comment will not be published, so I'll share it here.
Last weekend Joe apparently spoke with the Los Angeles CBS News affiliate station, pushing his freeee "Attract Money Now" upsell for Miracles Coaching.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/06/30/homeless-to-multimillionaire-dr-joe-vitale-discusses-money-tips/
The piece is pure fluff and reads like a sales page. So here's the comment I wrote, which did NOT make the cut for some reason:
==BEGIN==
Seriously. Is this supposed to be news? Or is this one of those paid-content pieces of fluff masquerading as news? It sure reads more like advertorial than news. But hey, mainstream news outlets are scrambling for income streams, so I guess I understand.
The truth is that "Attract Money Now" is little more than an ad for Joe's pricey Miracles Coaching" service, which is currently being handled by infamous Utah boiler room Prosper Inc, and apparently has been since early 2009.
Really, guys, "stories" like this on a supposed news site only add fuel to the fire (so to speak) of those who are growing increasingly critical of the mainstream media. For that matter, Joe himself has often preached to his followers to ignore the mainstream media because it is so "negative." Yet he is obviously not above exploiting the MSM to help promote his own schemes.
And, obviously, the MSM, such as this CBS site, are not above exploiting the subjects of their cutting-edge "stories" to make more money from links. In the sentence that mentions Joe's book, check out the link in the word "book." It's certainly not a link to the "Attract Money Now" site or to Miracles Coaching or to any of "Dr." Joe Vitale's sites. When I checked it out, it was a link to a diploma mill offering fake degrees, which, I suppose, is only appropriate, come to think of it.
Anyway. Here's another perspective from a not-so-mainstream media writer:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/8/3068342/prosper-scamworld-internet-marketing-boiler-room- joe-vitale-mitt-romney
You're welcome.
==END=
Joe Vitale is little by little becoming the guru he described at Attractor Factor: Jonathan Jacobs, a guy who became every minute more and more arrogant, who talked about himself more than people is willing to do, a person without humility who thinks that only he knows the absolute truth and an unscrupulous person willing to do whatever thing to catch attention, power... and money. Maybe Joe is aware or not of this but he is by now Jacobs.
ReplyDeleteHis last product is just plain bullshit. I bought Ultimate Clearing Meditation, done with his college Pat O'Bryan. It simply promises way more of what a couple of aficionados playing to be gurus can do. It didn't clear my "limitations" as they promise. It simply made me feel sick (literally). I was a fool. What could I have expected from two guys who are amateur musicians, amateur hypnoticers and wannabe gurus? That monster audio is sold by 97 bucks (plus taxes, not included). My God! How brave they are! Fortunately you can ask for a refund.
The points of this blog are very well thought out and written. Joe Vitale was the first one I turned to from The Secret and found his books and audios disappointing at best. His emails were chock full o' "buy" this.
ReplyDeleteSo I turned to John Assaraf whose emails invite you to a six hour infomercial for $5,000 in audio "programs." Of course, the moment I replied to the chat box that he forgot to tell us to visualize the money we were going to need for this "seminar" my chat posts stopped going through. Interesting.
Then we have James Arthur Ray, who's sitting in prison for manslaughter as we speak.
I don't know. It's all just so DISCOURAGING to be honest. It's obvious HOW they attracted their abundance - it's not the Universe - it's suckering the poor. How typical.
sounds like they are taking lessons from the "huckster pastors" that have been doing this for 100 yrs or more
ReplyDelete