Give An Entrepreneur A Break
© Cathy Bryant

Why do any of us choose to work from home? The answer to that question is as diverse as the individuals who call home their workplace.

For those of us who have chosen to market online, this question has many answers. But ultimately, everyone who works at home - online or off - has the same goal.

To make money.

For some reason, however, those of us who choose to do it online are often perceived as being greedy.

Let me elaborate.

Over the last few weeks, I've corresponded with several online colleagues who have indicated that they've actually been questioned or even criticized by individuals who feel it's somehow "unfair" for them to ask for money in exchange for their information product.

As if that was some sort of crime.

Now, I suppose that the proliferation of scamsters online can indeed make people somewhat skeptical. That's the reason that having a mailing list or newsletter is so important. There's no question that marketing online does have an impersonal nature to it. And, if a consumer isn't careful, he or she can be taken.

Another reason for this attitude, however, is that the internet is still perceived by some as a great gift that they are entitled to. That any information they want should be handed over to them without question - and without any compensation on their part.

Well, certainly a lot of information is online - if you are willing to spend months and even years (not to mention cold hard cash) to accumulate the knowledge and experience that those who have put these products together have done.

So why shouldn't they be compensated for it?

If someone were to walk into a bookstore, stroll up to the checkout counter with a stack of books, and tell the clerk, "I want to get all these books, but I don't want to pay for any of them," you'd think they were nuts.

So I ask you - what's the difference online?

Here's one big difference - and one not at all favorable for the much-maligned online information marketer. Keep in mind that these same honest, reputable marketers who have put tremendous effort into producing their own products have offered their products with an unconditional money-back guarantee as well.

And when people ask for their money back (unlike in the offline world) they can get it WITHOUT RETURNING THE PRODUCT.

So who's being scammed now???

I see changes - lots of changes - on the horizon for those who provide information products online. More and more of these individuals have their products on a secure site that denies continued access should the purchaser request a refund. I even purchased an ebook recently that uses a system which "locks" the book when a refund is given.

This is just as it should be.

Why should someone who has invested the time to create an information product and invested money to market it NOT be expected to be compensated for it?

No reason at all.