After typing furiously for the last three days, my wife has finally put together the first part of a three-part manifesto, in which she finally exposes some of the grievous sins committed by many marketers on the Internet.

It has shocked a great number of people, and it will make a lot of people mad. She’s also taking a monumental risk by speaking out like this. But she’s mad, too, and can’t take it anymore.

In it, she not only lashes out at Internet marketers who use stupid (and sometimes illegal) marketing tricks, but also consumers of Internet marketing products who perpetuate them — and what to do about it.

There are 15 sins in all. She will be covering five sins in each installment, and she’s currently working on the second. The first five sins are available right now.

This manifesto is free and there are no sales pitches.

There is an opt-in email form in order to notify you when each installment is available. And in it, my wife does offer some links to a few resources, including some of our own. But they are not necessary for you to read and benefit from this report.

Now, an important warning…

She doesn’t hold anything back. If you are squeamish or get offended easily, then please don’t download it. My wife uses very strong language not intended for younger audiences. So reader discretion is advised.

Click here to go download “Internet Marketing Sins.”

Preamble: In response to some excellent rebuttals as well as countless comments I’ve received on my previous post, “The Real Sinister Side of Forced Continuity,” I believe some people are missing the point of my argument, and I want to clarify a few things.

I’m not a lawyer by any stretch. But as a copywriter and business owner, I do know the rules enough to know that there’s a difference between “optional continuity,” “forced continuity,” and “hidden continuity.”

Optional continuity is self-explanatory. Forced continuity is a very common marketing practice (I’m not a fan of it, but I don’t mind it). In fact, there’s nothing wrong with forced continuity in and of itself.

What’s wrong is when it’s used in a wrong way.

The real problem, I believe, is that good marketers, including marketers using “forced continuity” in an ethical and legitimate way, are getting a bad reputation because some marketers unscrupulously misuse forced continuity.

The lack of transparency is the real culprit — such as hiding it or disguising it. Especially when it’s done on purpose. That annoys me. Because it’s no longer an issue of misuse. It’s out-and-out abuse.

But what bothers me more is how it affects us all. And it affects us all, both customers and marketers alike, in more ways than you think.

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“The trouble with so many of us is that we underestimate the power of simplicity. We have a tendency it seems to over complicate our lives and forget what’s important and what’s not. We tend to mistake movement for achievement. We tend to focus on activities instead of results. As the pace of life continues to race along in the outside world, we forget that we have the power to control our lives regardless of what’s going on outside.”
– Robert Stuberg

“First, all relationships are with yourself — and sometimes they involve other people. Second, the most important relationship in your life — the one you have, like it or not, until the day you die — is with yourself.”
– Peter McWilliams

Remember that your inner self is your greatest source of all that feeds you along the road of life. It’s what builds you as a person. It’s your values, your priorities, your mind, and especially your peace of mind. Most important, it’s your self-image. Since your image is a mere reflection of your self-image, then what goes on outside of you is an indication of what goes on inside.

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Throughout my research, I’m always surprised when I stumble onto websites that are professionally designed and seem to offer great products and services, but lack or fail in certain important elements.

Elements that, with just a few short changes, can help multiply the results almost instantaneously.

Generally, I have found that there are seven common mistakes. I call them the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Is your website committing any one of these?

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Have you ever made a buying decision only to have that gut instinct called “buyer’s remorse” creep up on you immediately after you’ve left the store?

Or, worse yet, have you ever felt the need to rationalize a purchasing decision to save yourself from this conflict?

This very thing happened to me just a few days ago. However, this time it was the vendor who initiated the remorse. (The result was the loss of a four-figure sale!)

Read on to find out their grave mistake… and the marketing lesson behind it.

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My apologies for the webinar being cut inadvertently short. I was giving out so much content that I lost track of time. The software mercilessly booted me out in the middle of my presentation.

This presentation was “off the cuff” and meant purely as a way to give you as much great content as I possibly could. I wasn’t looking at my watch. (Judging from the emails I received, you weren’t, either. And I’m glad!)

But I want to stick to my promise.

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Yup, I feel like a schmuck. I goofed up, and here’s how YOU benefit from my mistake. But first, the backstory…

Today, I got a frantic email from Eric Graham, who unsuccessfully tried several times to join my Email-Based Coaching Program since it first came out.

His email, which was a well-written plea infused with a bit of humor (it made my day), talked about how he tried to join when it was $300 a month. As more people joined, the price went up, as I said it would. But he was persistent and kept trying… to no avail.

At $350, nothing. $400? No luck. $450? Try again. Then at $500, he gave up. Almost. He then emailed me, pleading me to take his money. (No, Eric, I don’t accept cows, chickens or even your firstborn.)

Then, it hit me.

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