Thanks for commenting.

It should make people more honest and, as we’ve seen already, had an impact.

To make sure it’s clear about testimonials in the U.S., it doesn’t matter if the testimonials are real (frequently they are although frequently they aren’t) you still MUST say explicitly what are typical results if you have any testimonials that make specific results in it.

Even if you have 100 people on video with signed and notarized statements attesting to the validity of the results they quote, if those 100 aren’t representative of typical/average results then you must say what those typical/average results are; technically even if typical results are better

Don’t mean to beat that into the ground but I want to make sure that is clear.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, Geoff is one of the silent but very successful Internet Marketers. Super knowledgeable and a great person too whom I’d had the pleasure and honor to work with in the past and hope to do so again in the future.

He does seem to take one month vacations all over the world every couple of months though!

Thanks again Geoff.

David

Well, my solution is to remain in the UK and keep my head down !!

However to be honest I have always tried to be honest with the sales speil on my websites, and the few testimonials which I do have on my sites are real genuine testimonials which I can verify should the need ever arise.

I have become increasing bored over the last few Years especially with all of those “Guru” Testimonial which are so fake its unreal !! This may make some of those so called “Gurus” be a little more responsible and honest about the products they sell and recommend to others.

So if any of you Guys want to do a partnership with me on a site that escapes the rules because it will be UK Hosted and Managed….just let me Know LOL…I,ll even arrange for a few testimonials.. LOL

geoff Lord
http://www.hyper-advertiser.com

Thanks for the kind words.

I’ve read some things myself since I’ve written it and found some useful information as well as some people who didn’t seem to have read the guidelines press release at all

Sales copy is like that “death of a 1,000 cuts” thing, it takes a lot of little things to convince the prospect and testimonials are just one part of that. They do tend to work better outside the IM niche nowadays as we’re all so jaded.

Me, I believe Gary Halbert and Dan Kennedy and the like that ultimately the offer is the most important thing; although I still want testimonials to get that extra few percent.

David

I’ve done a lot of reading of peoples’ statements & opinions about the new FTC rules…I have to say this is THE BEST explanation of the new guidelines I’ve seen!! Big Brother is now on the Laptop/Desktop whether we like it or not. Personally, as a product buyer, I’ve never used testimonials as a key element of my decision making process b/c I knew they are mostly hype and in many cases are…uhhh, well…blindly fabricated quid pro quo statements.

Thanks again…
Ross

Thanks for your comments.

I agree honesty is the best policy and reviewing ones ethics is a valuable thing.

Testimonials still work really well even if some of us ignore them.

For most people, testimonials still help them feel more comfortable with purchasing and every internal/psychological barrier you can remove the better you conversion rates will be.

Of course, everyone needs to do things the way they see fit but testimonials are one of a number of valuable tools in the toolbox of a copywriter and it seems a shame to neglect a tool just because some people use it badly.

David

I appreciate your efforts to present the facts and to express your truea opinion on the possibilities. Phil has expressed my opinion better than I could have. I am glad to see this acion by the FTC.

At the same time, I am saddened by the very necessity of such sanctioning action in our industry. Honest has always been the best policy and will always be the best. These things get out of hand when one person starts stretching the truth, becomes a visably successful “guru” and begins teaching other marketers these unethical practices. Dishonesty begets more more dishonesty, etc, etc. We will all need to review our own ethics and make adjustments, as may be suggested by our own honest appraisal of our ethics.

My own appraisal of the use of Testimonials has been they are predictable, frequently unbelievable and for me, a total waste of time to read through. When I am the consumer, I just page down until those things are out of the way, so I can make my own assessment of the product or service offered. If I am the only one skipping them, I would be totally shocked to learn that.

Thanks again to you and to all who have added their comments,

*Jerry

I’d say that’s an excellent question and one I hadn’t thought of but should have because I do some of that myself

Unfortunately, I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone knows how the guidelines impact your situation but a lawyer specializing in these types of matters can probably give you an opinion which would be hugely more valuable than any opinion I could give.

I will say that I don’t usually hide the fact that I get a commission on affiliate sales, although I don’t think I always explicitly state it either.

I have gone as far as saying something like “I’m going to make some money from this and if that bothers you I still think it is important enough for you to look at so here is a direct link”.

I even did a test “prove me wrong” once where I asked people on my list to show that most people aren’t greedy and don’t mind helping someone else get a little bit out of something that helps them.

It was a campaign where I said that and then provided 2 links, one an affiliate link and one a direct link, and I am happy to say I wasn’t proven wrong. Most people who clicked used the affiliate link although some people used the direct link (which, I will admit, saddened me).

Well, I’m rambling now, but you need to talk to a lawyer or just be open about getting a commission so it doesn’t become an issue; you will lose some sales though because of it (I couldn’t tell you why because I am very happy to have someone else who helps me get something out of it).

David