I didn't say I don't find the flash and lies absolutely disgusting. I'm just speaking as to what the current trend seems to be in fitness marketing on the interweb of tubez.
In reality, what one would hope for is truth presented in a decent way so that it has the broadest appeal. Know your audience is the first important step in any design or advertising project. Then, the ubertacky just make crap up, and the true professionals find the balance necessary between flash and depth of information.
Your soccer mom isn't interested in the science, just the results. So that's what she should be given. The fitness competitor is a different client, as is the athlete, the elderly lady, the full-time student, the obese family, etc.
But the ridiculous "act now" bamboozlement is tacky, and often a product of the times... a good designer can make that stuff work. But we're not talking about good designers/marketers, we're talking about DIY peeps trying to save a buck and make 3 more.
I perfectly understand the need of the bamboozle... I just think it can be carried out waaay better than it often is... and it would make people look so much less ... bad and tacky and classless.
Which is more reason for him to be pissed about someone ripping off his stuff. That is, unless Craig let Jimmy the Smythe cut and paste from his own site which is also a douchebag thing to do and gives less credence to the gurus.
Right. I looked on the site and don't see the references. The links are going to 505 errors. Maybe someone brought down the hammer.
BTW, I don't really see a problem with someone who's a Fitness Professional selling someone else's program on his site.
Let's say I'm a trainer. I know a lot and can train people very well, but I just don't have what it takes to write a book or program that I feel comfortable selling to the general public. Turbulence Training would be a good product to resell, just like I might also resell The Guide to Flexible Dieting, Mag Mobility and Inside/Out. Reselling (directly or through affiliations) just needs to be handled correctly and with class.
Right. I looked on the site and don't see the references. The links are going to 505 errors. Maybe someone brought down the hammer.
BTW, I don't really see a problem with someone who's a Fitness Professional selling someone else's program on his site.
Let's say I'm a trainer. I know a lot and can train people very well, but I just don't have what it takes to write a book or program that I feel comfortable selling to the general public. Turbulence Training would be a good product to resell, just like I might also resell The Guide to Flexible Dieting, Mag Mobility and Inside/Out. Reselling (directly or through affiliations) just needs to be handled correctly and with class.
Sure. I absolutely agree. That's no different than JP selling the NROL through his amazon links. Just because JP sells Alwyn and Lou's book doesn't mean that I don't think he knows what he's talking about.
The difference is the cut and paste and outright thievery.
__________________
Isaac Wilkins, M.Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, and who cares what other letters?
In the big scheme of things it really does boil down to the thread title. Jimmy was just being lazy & careless, it's not like he kidnapped someone's pet & raped it. Maybe he just got shitfaced after a Perform Better seminar & decided to build a website & his judgement was way off. Who knows. I've actually talked briefly with him on a conference call w/Lyle, Craig B, & others. Jimmy seemed to be a pretty lucid, sensible guy. Hopefully this incident will give him a swift lesson in integrity.
PS - from an "industry guy" perspective, this whole thing is just sort of a tragic comedy. But I can understand how it would piss off the buying public who at the very least expects some honesty.
In the big scheme of things it really does boil down to the thread title. Jimmy was just being lazy & careless, it's not like he kidnapped someone's pet & raped it. Maybe he just got shitfaced after a Perform Better seminar & decided to build a website & his judgement was way off. Who knows. I've actually talked briefly with him on a conference call w/Lyle, Craig B, & others. Jimmy seemed to be a pretty lucid, sensible guy. Hopefully this incident will give him a swift lesson in integrity.
Hopefully. Everyone stumbles, although this is a hearty stumble. If nothing else maybe it'll force proof-reading!
__________________
Isaac Wilkins, M.Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, and who cares what other letters?
Hopefully. Everyone stumbles, although this is a hearty stumble. If nothing else maybe it'll force proof-reading!
Oh yeah, make no mistake about it, this was a pretty solid face-plant. Being at a spot where I'm happy with my reputation in the fitness information business, it's actually a little painful to see a guy who's trying to build a rep do it the precisely wrong way. At least lessons learned the hard way are the ones that tend to stick.
Is this the same Jimmy as on the Fitcast? I think I remember there was a couple Jimmy Smiths.
Same guy.
And reselling a product isnt bad, but cutting and pasting it as your own is just plagiarism and douchebaggery.
Quote:
PS - from an "industry guy" perspective, this whole thing is just sort of a tragic comedy. But I can understand how it would piss off the buying public who at the very least expect some honesty.
What I think is more fucked up is that he and the crew prop him up to be this guru and the next badass in training when really just a 'lucid and sensible' guy who's too lazy to make his own site and rely on hyperbole and the good old boy network to further himself.
Hows this for irony:
Quote:
“Jimmy Smith is one of those young strength coaches who is doing all the right things to build a great career. He’s worked with a wide range of clients. He’s learned his functional anatomy. He’s building his own philosophy, not just taking that of someone else. So while he may be young, he is already 10 steps ahead of most of the competition. Be on the lookout for Jimmy Smith in the future; guys like him are the ones that don’t just enter an industry, they revolutionize it!”
-Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W.
I actually like Mike and a lot of his stuff, but this friendship testimonial thing is going to make all of them fall further into ridicule.
__________________
"The strongest steel goes through the hottest fires."-Anonymous
"When you begin to believe nothing is heavy, all weights become light." -Rossbow
"Just remember, somewhere there is a little Chinese girl warming up with your max."-Jim Convroy
"It's a round hole, dammit. Everyone fits."--Anonymous Mod at Strengthmill
And reselling a product isnt bad, but cutting and pasting it as your own is just plagiarism and douchebaggery.
What I think is more fucked up is that he and the crew prop him up to be this guru and the next badass in training when really just a 'lucid and sensible' guy who's too lazy to make his own site and rely on hyperbole and the good old boy network to further himself.
Hows this for irony:
I actually like Mike and a lot of his stuff, but this friendship testimonial thing is going to make all of them fall further into ridicule.
Yeah, good points. I wonder if Jimmy's friends are going to advise him to address this or just let it blow over.
I have heard of using anothers template for your site, posting it to the web with intentions of going back and making it your own, or forgettign to take it down after seeing what it would look like before editing....maybe that happened here? I don't know...
__________________ 'I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. ' ~Frank Sinatra
WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher,
smarter, faster and better looking than most people.
Bro, testimonials are the easiest piece of the pie.
Check this out:
PMDL is awesome! We've seen amazing results already. Best investment I've made this year.
--Brian Perry
If you ever have any stubborn people like me, have them call me. I am completely blown away. Thanks to PMDL, we've just launched our 5th website!
--Edward Phillips
Your company is great to work with. Buy this now. You won't regret it. PMDL is the most valuable business resource we have EVER purchased.
--Kate Jenkins
Since I invested in PMDL I made over $100,000 profits. I would also like to say thank you to all your staff. Since I invested in PMDL I made over $100,000 profits.
--Fred Cook
I mean really man, can all those people be wrong????
Give me money RIGHT NOW, before this deal vanishes!
__________________
Articles | Blog | Pirate my book. "Yeah, but you did your post grad thesis on trolling, so you don't count."
-JP, endorsing how awesome I am
Bro, testimonials are the easiest piece of the pie.
Check this out:
PMDL is awesome! We've seen amazing results already. Best investment I've made this year.
--Brian Perry
If you ever have any stubborn people like me, have them call me. I am completely blown away. Thanks to PMDL, we've just launched our 5th website!
--Edward Phillips
Your company is great to work with. Buy this now. You won't regret it. PMDL is the most valuable business resource we have EVER purchased.
--Kate Jenkins
Since I invested in PMDL I made over $100,000 profits. I would also like to say thank you to all your staff. Since I invested in PMDL I made over $100,000 profits.
--Fred Cook
I mean really man, can all those people be wrong????
Give me money RIGHT NOW, before this deal vanishes!
Where's the link to buy this offer? How come it doesn't come with any BONUS material?
Perhaps someone more adept at the legalities can enlighten me, but isn't there supposed to be truth behind testimonials?
I just had to de-lurk to respond to this. I'm not an expert on the regs that apply to truth in guru-ness, but I think a good analogy can be made to a rule that applies to Investment Advisers registered with the US SEC (these are people who sell investment advice, to clients, for a fee).
Specifically, the SEC rule prohibits any registered adviser to use testimonials of any kind in their advertising. Why?
- "Testimonials are prohibited on the ground that they are likely to create deceptive or mistaken inference that all of the [guru's] clients typically experience the same favorable results as the person providing the testimonial."
- "By their nature, testimonials emphasize comments and activities favorable to the [guru] and ignore those that are unfavorable."
Note that the SEC assumes the adviser is using their own testimonial(s) and not glomming someone else's. That, IMHO, is merely another layer of deceptive and potentially fraudulent conduct.
Whether investment advice or fitness advice, I'm still paying money to an expert to guide me on a subject I don't know much about. As a potential (and clueless) consumer of personal training products and services, I call upon all guru's to either ditch the testimonials all together, or otherwise provide a representative sample of negative testimonials as well.
Linear Mode
