"Focus on the Dream" is a scam for ripping you off!

Published on this site: November 18th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

Why is it only a few business consultants and ad agents who'll stand behind their promises, willingly?

The majority make huge boasts about what they can do for you. They paint vivid pictures of success. But in reality few are willing to offer even an infinitesimal performance guarantee. They offer a promise but make you bear the burden of whether or not the promised success comes to you.

Here's what I mean.

The other day a telemarketer called me out of the blue claiming his company can make my Adwords campaign a bigger success. I was intrigued... but not gullible. So I asked a couple questions and this turned into one of the shortest telemarketing conversations I've ever received.

Here's how the call went...

Caller: Hello, this is so-and-so from some lame company. I was looking at your Adwords campaign and was wondering if you'd be interested in making the campaign more successful and profitable?

Me: Do you guarantee your company will make my Adwords campaign more
successful and profitable?

Caller: Uhm, no. But we've done the same for other companies.

Me: Do you give me my money back if the work you do for me doesn't
eventually make money for me?

Caller: Uhm, no.

Me: <click>

As a consumer I don't care about what you've done for other people. I don't care what you 'think' you can do for me. I only care what you actually can and will do for me. I have no problem paying top dollar according to the value received -- provided the value is actually received and not just another empty promise.

Maybe the company behind that telemarketing employee really could
make a difference for me. I'll never know. I'm not Stevie Nicks… I've no interest in buying dreams (only 'old timers' will know what this means). Keep your lame dreams, give me cash!

I know my views won't sit well with my peers. Most want to get paid for their expertise, knowledge, and effort, or as Alan Weiss calls it 'the conceptual sale' and not actual results to the client.

To me that is a poor business model. We have a responsibility to our clients. We need to do more than put our best effort forward, we need to produce solid results that can be seen and measured. Excluding stupid things our clients' employees, or their vendors, or their officers may do to sabotage our efforts, the burden of performance really belongs on us the consultant – not on the client.

If we simply focus on effort rather than results, we are no better than media reps who sell ad space. In both cases the clients ends up paying only for the pipe dream.

I'm personally sick of paying for false hopes and false promises. Call me a dreamer, a hopeless romantic, or whatever but by golly I want to see my dreams become a reality. And I'm willing to pay handsomely for it.

Andre Bell - is an author, copywriter, and marketing advisor. Andre is committed to helping entrepreneurs like himself discover what it takes to maximize profits from every marketing communication and effort. Visit his official site at http://www.AndreBell.com for fresh marketing tips and resources.