Ok I have to admit... I'm a sucker for great copy. Excellent sales letters will win me over almost every time. But I'm a copywriter... so what most people will tell you is an excellent sales letter really isn't. For me at least. Most so-called "great" sales letters are usually a bunch of hyped up amateur BS that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
This one though, was good enough for me to reward. And in my world, a reward means: 1. I buy the product immediately. Without hesitation or "thinking it over" time. 2. I buy the product at full price. Whether it's through another affiliate's link or direct from the merchant.
In this case I bought directly from the merchant.
Now, I need to be clear about something here, because some people will feel this is wrong: I usually buy through my own affiliate link when I want to review a product. This gives me a "discount", yes, but I don't do it just to save a few dollars. I buy products like this for the intention of promoting them - or at the very least reviewing them - for others with much less experience than I have. And I usually generate much more dollars in sales than I "saved" to get the product in the first place.
In the real world, products are sent to reviewers for free usually, or at steep discounts. This is a standard cost of doing business. It's frowned upon online because most people don't actually review or promote the product they received discounted or at no cost. They simply try to "steal" as much stuff as they can.
So I personally buy products through my affiliate link if I intend to review and/or promote them. When in doubt though, I buy at full cost - or through another affiliate's link.
All that aside, I have to tell you about Project X. As many of you already know, I've been an affiliate marketer for close to 10 years now. I've even spent several years as an affiliate program manager, teaching others how to be successful as affiliate marketers themselves. Because of this, I rarely buy ebooks on the topic. I'm sorry if this sounds egotistical but I can't help the truth: I just can't find any products that will actually teach me something new.
Sometimes products will give me ideas on creating twists, and sometimes they'll remind me of things I've done successfully in the past. But that's usually it. And Project X is no different.
I'm getting ahead of myself though, so let me try to start at the beginning...
I came across a discussion thread this morning about a new product called "Project X". I hadn't heard of it before, but several responses to the thread were some of the most heartfelt recommendations I've seen in a very long time. So I hopped over to the sales page to check it out myself.
I make a habit of checking out almost all the new products - I actually keep my ear to the ground specifically so I'll have a clue what's going on in the Internet Marketing from one day the next. As I've said already, most new products are underwhelming and unimpressive, so I rarely mention any of them here.
This one though, captured my attention from the get go. The sales letter actually kept me reading word for word all the way through. This is extremely impressive. Why? Because as a professional marketer and copywriter, I know all the friggin sales letter "tricks".
Not only is it very well written: This sales letter was filled with testimonials... from people I've never heard of before!
Why is that a big deal? I'll be honest - and I'm sorry if this sounds a bit brutal - but sales letters and testimonials from "well known names" usually turn my stomach. This goes back to knowing all the "tricks" of course, and admittedly it's not the case for all well known names... but it is for most. For me at least.
So seeing such heartfelt testimonials from names I'd never heard of really impressed me.
Now I've used the word "heartfelt" in two areas already: The original discussion board thread, and the sales page testimonials. The experienced marketers out there may chuckle a bit and think "ahhh yeah... those tactics work so well". But you need to realize something: I have 10 years experience in this stuff, and I can "read between the lines" extremely well. I can smell BS a mile away. I do have to say this though: I get the impression most of the testimonials are from inexperienced marketers... and as such, I understand why they had the reactions to the product that they did.
So enough about the sales letter, let's talk about the product itself. It's 50 pages of no-fluff, no-filler, detailed information. So information-packed in fact, that I had a difficult time following here and there, because the author would be on one topic, and veer off to explain how this fits with another part of the equation, then say "more on that later" or similar. This wasn't too much of a problem, but it can be distracting at times.
Project X covers affiliate marketing... but it's not your standard affiliate marketing manual. It does spend a few pages covering the basics, but it doesn't go into deep detail like James Martell or Rosalind Gardner's products do. This one pretty much summarizes things, then jumps into the power tactics. And these tactics are the jewels...
Now I have to warn you again: I am an advanced affiliate marketer. The tactics in this book were not new to me, but they are NOT what you'll find in most any other products or websites around the web. Even products you pay several hundred dollars for do not tell you about this stuff. In fact, I'd guess these tactics are not known or used by even 1% of affiliate marketers today.
With that said, I actually only use two or three of the tactics myself. The first one mentioned in Project X is one of my favorites, and I've made a lot of money using this technique over the years. The other one I've used even more so over the years is called "Brute Force" marketing, or the "Work Horse" method in this book. It takes a lot more work and initial time to see profits, but it works amazingly well for long periods of time after the initial work is finished.
This work horse method can be done by investing time and effort instead of money, and when done well it can earn you an easy $50-$200 every day over time.
The first method is something I've used successfully, but I've done it with a slight variation to the way he outlines in this book. His method is just faster than mine, but it takes a little bit of cash outlay/investment.
Which brings me to the rest of the techniques detailed in Project X. They all work - quite well mind you - but they generally require at least a small investment in either tools, advertising, or both. The author does a great job explaining which things to start with if cash flow is small or non-existant, and tells you which order to try things in as you start generating profits.
Now I have to warn you: A couple of the methods are being billed as "sneaky" or "borderline illegal". My personal opinion is: Bull. These are "art of war" type business techniques you see in the real world corporate environment every day. Crafty? Sure. Cut throat? Yep. But hardly "borderline illegal" in my book.
The book also focuses primarily on making money with ClickBank products and there's nothing wrong with that, it's just not my personal first choice. It also provides several examples, but these are based around Internet Marketing and Make Money type products. Now there are very good reasons he used these markets for his examples, and you'll see why when you buy the book yourself. Along with examples and step-by-step instructions, you get links to a couple of live websites using the techniques he's teaching you.
So do I recommend this ebook? I'd have to say Yes. Without a doubt. This ebook will actually be ground breaking to many of you.
There are very few expert marketers who may not feel they've gotten value from the book, but I feel that number will be extremely tiny. There honestly aren't many true expert affiliate marketers out there.
For those of you who are fairly new to affiliate marketing, and those of you who have started learning some things and even started making a hundred or two a month: You will absolutely love the information in this book.
Now that I think about it actually - and to be completely honest - I think if you're not yet making at least $2000 a month with affiliate marketing, you really should buy Project X and try a few of the tactics. They DO make a world of difference.
If I could offer you a rebate on this ebook I'd do so in a heart beat. Unfortunately ClickBank doesn't allow this anymore :( I do intend to create a special bonus for anyone who buys the book through my link though, I just don't know what it'll be yet. If you have ideas or requests, feel free to leave them here :)
By the way: The price at the time of this original writing is $77, but I can't guarantee it'll be that low by the time you get to it.
This review was Originally written October 25, 2006