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Phony Review Sites Hurt Legitimate Businesses

Phoney Review Sites – #1 Ways Not to Get Burned!

Phoney Review Sites – Don’t get burned or scammed by them!

Phoney review sites hurt a lot of people. If the headline got your attention, let us know in the comments!  Perhaps you’ve had an unfortunate experience with one of these sites, yourself.  Let us know and help us all.

The problem with phoney – aka fake –  review sites is twofold.

First, they directly harm legitimate businesses.

Secondly, they leave people wondering who they can trust.

How do phoney review sites work?Phoney review sites

Let’s take a look at how phoney review sites work, as opposed to sites that legitimately rate and rank the trustworthiness of online businesses.

What I refer to as “phoney review sites” are sites that let anyone offer a review without any checks and balances. They may have been created with a desire to help consumers and legitimate businesses, but without checks and balances in place, including monitoring and a dedicated support system, they will rapidly descend to the level of a place where people with an ax to grind destroy good people and businesses.  They become little more than “sleight of hand,” a trick used, often maliciously, to skew the real value of a website or business.Read More »Phoney Review Sites – #1 Ways Not to Get Burned!

Corporate bullies in their ivory towers

When the Corporate Bullies Cry Foul

When the Corporate Bullies Cry Foul – you and I don’t stand a chance…

When the big corporate bullies cry foul over something you’re doing or selling, you and I, the little guy, don’t stand a chance.  Have you had this experience?  (Tell us about it in the comment section!)

I found this out several times during my years of selling on eBay.
Overall, selling on eBay was a pretty good experience, although I don’t do much of it any more. Their support staff was pretty good to me. They always went as far as they sometimes dared to help me.

But then there’s Amazon…

When the Corporate Bullies Cry Foul
Image by Markéta Machová

 

Amazon wasn’t nearly as helpful. Their service was so bad that I stopped selling on that platform. It wasn’t that their staff wasn’t nice. They were very nice, including the ones in China where their software error routed me for months, as they tried their best to understand and be understood. (They understand English much better than I understand Chinese, but that’s not saying much…)
What I found as a seller is that, first of all, it’s really difficult to sell anything if you’re not using a big platform with lots of traffic. Secondly, even the largest platforms like eBay cower before the really big multinationals (like the guys who sell the really, really popular and expensive smartphone, who are the biggest corporate bullies of all).
Read More »When the Corporate Bullies Cry Foul

Creating a secure digital economy

Harnessing the Power of Blockchain to Create a Secure Digital Economy

Creating a Secure Digital Economy by Harnessing the Power of Blockchain Is creating a secure digital economy a real possibility? Or is it the stuff… Read More »Harnessing the Power of Blockchain to Create a Secure Digital Economy

Year End is a time to reflect

Year End in the 21st Century

Year End – a time to take stock

Year end.  Do those words send a chill down your spine?  Tell us about them, below!  If so, you’re not alone.

Year end is a time of renewal for many.  It’s a time when the old year is drawing to a close, and the new year is arriving with all the promises of a clean slate. Read More »Year End in the 21st Century

Advantages of blockchain technology

Exploring the Advantages of Blockchain Technology for 2024

Exploring the Advantages of Blockchain Technology for 2024 Introduction What do we mean when we talk about the advantages of blockchain technology? Let’s take a… Read More »Exploring the Advantages of Blockchain Technology for 2024

An Overview of Blockchain Technology and Its Use Cases

An Overview of Blockchain Technology and Its Use Cases Blockchain technology is a revolutionary new way of storing and transferring data that has the potential… Read More »An Overview of Blockchain Technology and Its Use Cases

vacation time beach

Vacation Time

Vacation Time – When You NEED a Break, Take it!

Vacation time is often put off because of goals, commitments, and just plain forgetting what living is all about.  It’s easy to get into a rut of just making money or building your business.  But you have to remember that life is uncertain.  Someone is going to spend that money, but if you never take a break, it might not be you.

I remember, a few years ago, talking to a family member on a drop by, door knock visit.  That’s all he had time for – to drop by, knock on my door, and visit for a few minutes at the door.  He couldn’t come in.  He had to get a lot of things done so he could get back to his business in the oil patch, far away from home. Vacation Time

I mentioned to him that he should take a break and take some real vacation time. He said he’d like to, but he was too busy.  Have you been caught in this trap?  What did you do?Read More »Vacation Time

Ad Network Scams – 3 Eye-Opening Reasons they Don’t Work

Ad Network Schemes – 3 Eye-Opening Reasons why Ad Networks don’t work

Ad network schemes are everywhere. While not necessarily illegal, how ethical are they? When something is advertised as being extremely cost-effective and effective as an advertising tool, should it not deliver? Well, first of all, they are shady at best, and secondly, they can get you in a lot of trouble. Finally, like any such scheme, the only people they work for are the ones who set them up and a few choice friends.

What is an ad network? Simply put, it is a system, designed in much the same format as a network marketing program or worse, a pyramid scheme or ponzi. They are sketchy in their legality, barely sneaking under the radar, if they do at all, mainly because they aren’t directly charging or promising money.Ad Network Scams pyramid scheme

The similarities are very strong in every other way. They promise that if you join their HUGE network, you will be able to advertise your wares, service or business opportunity to thousands upon thousands of people.Read More »Ad Network Scams – 3 Eye-Opening Reasons they Don’t Work

Customer support – you Can get 1st Class Help with patience!

Customer Support – yes, you CAN get 1st class help with patience!

Customer Support
Photo by Olha Ruskykh from Pexels

Customer support can be pretty maddening when you need help, especially if you have a “situation” going.  Has this ever happened to you?

Here’s my experience. This is actually very typical when dealing with customer support with many companies.  

Today… I finally got a Customer Support Manager. Have you ever had a tough time trying to get help from the support people?  Yep.  From many companies, you’ve probably noticed it can be a bit frustrating.  Or maybe a lot frustrating.  Are you feeling it?

Be patient! Here’s exactly how it works. I can tell you this from many years of experience dealing with customer support for MY customers. Plus, I’ve also been seated in the Customer Support chair. I understand what they go through, too.  Have you worked in this position?  It can be pretty thankless!

Customer Support is a crazy busy job. I Read More »Customer support – you Can get 1st Class Help with patience!

Ask for the Referral

Ask for the referral, your #1 Source of New Business Success

Ask for the referral when you make the sale!

Ask for the referral every time you make a sale.  There is no better way to find your next client.  Referrals are what salesmen call “hot prospects.”  That’s because, unlike so-called “cold calling,” you have an “in” with a referral.  It’s almost like being introduced at a meeting or party…

Ask for the Referral to Make More Money

Let’s face it.  No matter what anybody tells you, selling can easily be hard work, whether you’re doing affiliate marketing on the internet, or network marketing, or selling woven cedar baskets by the side of the road.

You need to get your product or service in front of people who are looking for your product or service or who you can convince they need your product or service and are willing to pay money to get it.Read More »Ask for the referral, your #1 Source of New Business Success

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