Are you ok with screwing people over?

[AG356]

Since the majority of us already read TFM I assume that you remember the part/chapter where MJ was talking about two types of people:
The one who're earning money by what they preach and people who earn money through their customers buying their "strategy to wealth"-product without applying it by their own.

So, recently I stumbled across this course on Udemy

Well, at first I thought it was a usual fitness course made by someone who would look like he's fit (at least in the eyes of the average Joe.
But nope, not even close.

I couldn't embed the picture so if you scroll down the lectures till the last one "My progress" you will see how this "personal trainer" looks like.

I'm not quite sure how to say this without starting a shitstorm but how can people be THIS confident to offer a program which should help others to build a solid pair of ABS and lose fat without even remotely looking like someone who's into fitness, let alone a "personal trainer".I can't even take people like this serious and I would truly consider them as scammers regarding their product.

This is like the equivalent of the late night tele-shopping channels where you will lose 20 pounds of PURE fat and gain a solid 10 pounds of muscles by drinking just one veggie-shake made by our new turbo-lender which is exactly the same as every other blender but the price is 5x as high! What you're waiting for?!?!one!1!
(From a marketing perspective point of view - no hate about those advertisements, they're truly on point)

So my main question is to you guys: Are you ok with selling courses/guides/programs to archive goal X without using it by yourself?
Or better said knowing that you probably don't have enough knowledge yet to preach it, but do it anyway?





Edit for some math:

Normal price: ~330$
(Selling strategy of udemy is to sell all courses for 90% less most of the time, so we'll asume that most of the purchases were made by the price of ~20$)
Students enrolled: 2054 x 20§ = 41.080$ (WORST CASE scenario)
The paycut differs between 25% for the instructor up to 85%, depends on how the customer got lead to the course (through Udemy paid Ads, referral links from the instructor, etc.)

So in the worst case, if every customer bought at the reduced price and the instructor "only" cashes in 25% of the sales, that would equal 10.270$ (till today).

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Delmania]

So my main question is to you guys: Are you ok with selling courses/guides/programs to archive goal X without using it by yourself?
Or better said knowing that you probably don't have enough knowledge yet to preach it, but do it anyway?

A group of people once accused Seneca of being a hypocrite because he taught virtue, and yet he was far from virtuous. His response was something akin to, "All the more reason".

Do you need to have been a great basketball player in order to be a great coach?
Do you need to to be a top notch video game player to become the CEO of a video game company?

It depends on the results.

 

[wade1mil]

It's all about perspective. Some people would love to look like his after picture. Other already have better abs than he does. I do think there is merit in getting others doing what you're teaching, but I also think there's merit in getting others to successfully achieve what you're teaching.

Michael Jordan is considered one of the best basketball players in history. I read an article a long time ago saying he'd be a horrible coach. It's not because he didn't practice what he teaches; it's that he's not good at coaching. Phil Jackson is considered one of the best basketball coaches in history. I just looked at his career stats as a player and they looked (from a non-basketball fan) terrible. He taught what he wasn't able to do and did it well.

So, as long as he can get results in others, I don't think he should be required to be chiseled with 4% body fat — as long as he can get others there.

 

[chriswho]

So my main question is to you guys: Are you ok with selling courses/guides/programs to archive goal X without using it by yourself?
Or better said knowing that you probably don't have enough knowledge yet to preach it, but do it anyway?

In my opinion it is always about the benefit for the one who buys the product.

I would NEVER buy a product like this from someone who does not executes what he preaches because I think that - in comprehension to other offers - someone who does delivers more value.

But that does not mean one can't benefit from courses of people who don't execute what they preach. This is why many marketers sell nevertheless. There are many people who can't differentiate between value and more value.

I myself always try to overdeliver. And speaking online courses overdelivering can be provided by things that I actually don't execute myself. But the product NEVER consists of things I don't do AT ALL.

Chris

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Lex DeVille]

Nice rant.

Also nice work sending him 10 times the traffic he had before you posted his link on one of the most heavily trafficked entrepreneur forums in the world.

Probably tripled his sales, but way to take him down.

how can people be THIS confident to offer a program which should help others to build a solid pair of ABS and lose fat

It's easy to be confident if you know your system works.

Over 2k students and a 4.7 rating...

If his advice gets students the results they want, does it really matter what he looks like?

 

[Mattie]

Authenticity plays an important part, and some people just aren't observant or aware to pay attention to what they're buying. Others like us know exactly what to look for, see the artificial flavoring and no it's not credible. It's a personal choice. And people choose to create the reality they live in. We all know this, and choose a different path than the rest. I don't personally like ripping people off. Although I notice other people don't really care, because it's money. So you can say there are two sides. An entrepreneur that chooses to rip people off because he knows he can. And the consumer that chooses not to be aware or observant and pay for something that really probably won't benefit from the product. Both play a role, and I suppose when both have learned the lesson they want to from the situation, they will do something differently.

 

[Contrarian]

I believe in practising what you preach, but assuming his stuff works, I don't see how he's screwing anyone over. Knowing something and living it are two different things. I see people in far better shape than me in the gym doing moronic exercises in the gym practically every day.

Besides, I had a spin class instructor once who was 350lbs. He was, by FAR, the fittest person in the room. Apparently he'd lost 300lbs in two years and decided to share his new-found passion with the world.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[E-Sharp]

OP, I don't understand how you've reached conclusions about the instructor's level of fitness, and/or on his qualifications to teach the course, based on a photo of his HEAD.

 

[wade1mil]

based on a photo of his HEAD

I thought that at first as well. Read what OP wrote.

I couldn't embed the picture so if you scroll down the lectures till the last one "My progress" you will see how this "personal trainer" looks like.

 

[hellolin]

It's not really screwing people over, it's how people see what's valuable to them.

The guy who made the video went though the process of making them, and the process of trying to lose fat, and he is sharing this experience with the rest of the internet, who bought the videos because they liked the "event". Nothing wrong with that, only if you read the books and you will realize this fact and step on the "process" side of things.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[E-Sharp]

I thought that at first as well. Read what OP wrote.

Thanks...looked but didn't see it the first time.

I still don't see a problem. I would hire a trainer based on their knowledge and qualifications, not what they look like. A trainer who is into distance-running is not going to look like a bodybuilder, but doesn't mean they're not qualified to teach it.

I've been to overweight doctors too, and I don't discount their health advice (though I do wonder why they're not following it.)

 

[AndrewNC]

Since the majority of us already read TFM I assume that you remember the part/chapter where MJ was talking about two types of people:
The one who're earning money by what they preach and people who earn money through their customers buying their "strategy to wealth"-product without applying it by their own.

So, recently I stumbled across this course on Udemy

Well, at first I thought it was a usual fitness course made by someone who would look like he's fit (at least in the eyes of the average Joe.
But nope, not even close.

I couldn't embed the picture so if you scroll down the lectures till the last one "My progress" you will see how this "personal trainer" looks like.

I'm not quite sure how to say this without starting a shitstorm but how can people be THIS confident to offer a program which should help others to build a solid pair of ABS and lose fat without even remotely looking like someone who's into fitness, let alone a "personal trainer".I can't even take people like this serious and I would truly consider them as scammers regarding their product.

This is like the equivalent of the late night tele-shopping channels where you will lose 20 pounds of PURE fat and gain a solid 10 pounds of muscles by drinking just one veggie-shake made by our new turbo-lender which is exactly the same as every other blender but the price is 5x as high! What you're waiting for?!?!one!1!
(From a marketing perspective point of view - no hate about those advertisements, they're truly on point)

So my main question is to you guys: Are you ok with selling courses/guides/programs to archive goal X without using it by yourself?
Or better said knowing that you probably don't have enough knowledge yet to preach it, but do it anyway?





Edit for some math:

Normal price: ~330$
(Selling strategy of udemy is to sell all courses for 90% less most of the time, so we'll asume that most of the purchases were made by the price of ~20$)
Students enrolled: 2054 x 20§ = 41.080$ (WORST CASE scenario)
The paycut differs between 25% for the instructor up to 85%, depends on how the customer got lead to the course (through Udemy paid Ads, referral links from the instructor, etc.)

So in the worst case, if every customer bought at the reduced price and the instructor "only" cashes in 25% of the sales, that would equal 10.270$ (till today).

If only the math worked out that way for all us udemy instructors.

Lot of students may be from free promotions. Udemy does a lot of $10 sales where the instructor only gets $5 or less than that.

Still an impressive volume of students and ratings though.

 

[lowtek]

I'm sorry but it's pretty bad form to judge content based on the form its messenger takes.

Boris Sheiko is an old man who doesn't even lift, yet has built a champion Russian powerlifting team. If you were to pass him up for your typical gym rat, because they look like they lift, you would be doing yourself a disservice.

Content trumps appearance.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.