With the global economy experiencing a tough market, those get-rich-quick schemes are on the rise. My email boxes are loaded with ads begging me to join. They must think I’m loaded!

It’s obvious that they are experiencing a decreased income, because they have lowered their prices. Some are offering their services for less than half what they were last year. The prices range from $10 month to $39.95 month just to be an active member in their organization. In some cases, the initial sign on fee is free, so be ware of the monthly fee before you eagerly join. (Do the math, $10 month equates to $120 annually, $39.95 month equates to $479.40 annually.)  I received one that wanted me to pay $1,997 with the guarantee to earn $3,000 monthly!

This trend might be the effort of their marketing department to increase memberships. The idea is that if they lower the sign on price they will increase the customer base. Whether the new enrollee actually becomes successful isn’t their concern, they have secured your monthly fee until you submit a cancellation notice, thus ensuring their income from the monthly fees. Most new enrollees order extra products for the first couple of months, so this is an added bonus income for the company.

The products they offer are usually some form of online information with a replicated website for the new enrollee. This replicated website is part of their spectacular offer because the average person doesn’t have the foggiest idea how to create their own website. Online information is easily and immediately accessed, which satisfies the buyer with instant gratification for their enrollment fee! There is usually no inventory to store and just pages and pages explaining their complicated compensation plan. Of course they claim their compensation plan is the best on the market!

The sales strategies haven’t changed in many years. Each company suggests that you advertise your new opportunity to everyone you meet. Buy and distribute your business cards, place ads everywhere, and encourage every person you see to join your opportunity.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the first page of their solicitation asking me to supply my name, address, telephone number, and email address BEFORE they tell me about their plan. That page is known as the landing page. It secures my information in their database of potential customers and gives them permission to send me email reminders until I unsubscribe. And like I said, all that is prior to giving me any information on their company.

The initial landing page grabs attention based on the emotional sensations of the reader. Those suggestions stir your emotions and prompt you to submit your information. Creative suggestions imply that you will have more time to spend with your family, you can choose your own hours of operations, you won’t have to invest thousands of dollars, your income potential is unlimited, and some even suggest that you can do all this in less than 20 hours a week. While all that may be true, it isn’t exactly honest.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t.