Fresh off yesterday’s Internet Winners vs Internet Losers we had both types demonstrate their appeal today.  The following is a series of exchanges I recently had in the Entrecard forum under my promotion post and by message.  We will call the 3 characters “Loser” “Winner” and “Turnip“, none of which knew each other before the conversation.

Turnip: Anyone who signs up for Bluehost Hosting using the link on my site receives 1000 Entrecredits, as well as free tech support from me to get you quickly up and running. Contact me if you would like the names of satisfied Entrecarder references.

Loser: Funny, I was already definitely going to sign up with Bluehost today :) Just curious, how much do you get for it?

Winner: I am seriously considering it my self and I think 65.

Turnip: They have 2 affiliate programs. One pays $65 and another pays $90. Naturally I prefer the $90 one. Since it doesn’t change the price for you regardless of how you join Bluehost, signing up through my link is simply a bonus for me. That’s why I offer 1000cr and tech support. Better to get something than nothing.

Loser: Got to say, if you are making $90, you should def offer something better than 1,000ec (which is street value of $4.) 10,000 and you’d def. have a deal :P

Turnip: How about I remove the offer completely, and be like 99.9% of the other people with hosting affiliate ads on their sites? But thanks for demonstrating the reason most marketing sites are not honest with their readers. Some #%&* discovers you make 2% for referring someone, and immediately demands 1% or no deal. BTW, don;t ever ask me a WordPress question without paying my $40 consulting fee. That’s what I get paid in the real world. Considering the hours I’ve spent helping some people, I’d say they owe me money.

Winner: I am still looking turnip, but you are not ruled out I have nothing against someone getting a something for a refer fee, credit, whatever. I am just mind boggled by all the different hosting companies out there. Your offer of support sounds great, whether you offer 1000 cr or 0 credits. More power to you! (At this point I would do Winner’s entire site for them. I can tell already this is a client I would enjoy working with, and sent them a polite pm telling them so.)

Loser by PM: Hey man, if I could do month to month for 7 or 8 a month I would totally do it, but I just found out you have to pay 96 up front. I know you’d be getting 90, if you wanted to split it 45/45 I think I’d be up for it. Let me know.

Turnip by PM: You are an embarassment. Stick with blogspot.

Loser by PM: Lol.  I never understood peoples desire to be such an asshole to random strangers on the internet…  Do you want $45 dollar for doing nothing or $0 dollar for doing nothing?  You obviously haven’t thought this through, and no, the I would never sign up with you now. 

I thank both Winner and Loser for playing their respected roles so well.  It’s funny, my accountant didn’t laugh when I told him I knew the money I paid him to do my taxes was all profit.  My doctor didn’t laugh when I asked him for a discount because the same treatment was cheaper in Canada.  The Quick Check cashier just gave me a dirty look when I bought a cup of coffee and I told her I knew the markup on the coffee was over 90%. 

Obviously my mistake was running an honest internet marketing blog along with running an honest promo.  People who don’t value other people’s time and effort are simply the sandpaper in life.  If Loser had instead said to me “hey, for each person I send to you to signup, can I have half?”  he would have had a deal.

But I don’t worry about losing one irritating customer.  I’ve spent countless hours designing my site, running ads, learning WordPress, running promos, providing customer support, and then paying taxes on the little profit I make.  All for something that is a hobby and not my day job.  Never sell yourself short or you will regret it for a long time.  Know what your time is worth and stick to it. 

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