Overview:
Michael
Wong runs several sites. His most popular, as far as I can
tell is mikes-marketing-tools. His philosophy is similar to
my own, namely that he will not recommend products that he
doesn't support.
There
are however, several differences. Many of his pages are listings
of products and a short blurb about the authors, with no critical
content. Those products that do get a review seem to be specifically
positive and feature oriented, not critical reviews.
In
other words, he is primarily a salesman, not a critical reviewer.
Michael's
only teaching product, the one that earns him the "guru"
label is his ebook on Search Engine Optimzation. He specializes
in that field, but it is not the bulk of his earnings. He
says about 88% of his earnings come from affiliate sales.
(top)
Positive:
Michael Wong claims
an approach similar to my own - namely that he won't endorse
a product just for the money - he will only endorse those
he believe have real value.
Wong
makes it clear that he is just an average Joe, who desires
to do an honest and upright job. He is a waiter-turned-marketer
and the feeling you get from his site is clearly that successful
Internet marketing is truly within reach of most common folks
like you and me.
I
would have no trouble recommending his teachings, and I wish
there was more than the one ebook. I wish he had more products
since his teachings seem to be sound. He only has the one.
(top)
Negative:
One
philosophy where Michael Wong and I part company is in the
area of competition. When I contacted him to ask about an
affiliate program and asked if he had any other products I
could review, he replied that he would not provide these answers
because my site was in competition with his.
This
took me back. I wasn't sure how reviewing his product and
offering to represent it with an affiliate sales link was
competition. I think he thought my site was primarily a for-profit
effort, which it is not.
I
responded to him and have attempted to explain it to him,
hoping to change his perception. He responded that because
I sell affiliate products we are in competition and he didn't
intend to give me an affiliate link. I thought this was odd,
because anyone likely to sell his product would also be selling
other marketing products too - unless he only restricts his
product to sites that exclusively sell his.
He
also alludes to the spirit of competition in his ebook on
Search Engine Optimization when he states 'This is war."
He is correct that SEO is war, but it saddens me that he felt
treating our relationship as war would serve his interest
better than the synergistic effect of mutual cooperation.
I
want to make it clear that I will offer a fair review of his
product regardless of my personal profitability, but he loses
points for his attitude. I felt his uncoperative nature was
uncalled for and counterproductive to the positive synergistic
effect that can happen when marketers cooperate with each
other. (top)
Affiliate
Program
I can't say whether there is
an affiliate program for his book. As I mentioned above he
wouldn't offer me one due to the belief that if I represent
other marketing affiliate products then we are in competition
and shouldn't associate. (top)
Site
Popups
I
have not gotten any pop-ups from Michael Wong's Website. I
respect that and applaud him for that. (top)
Valuable
Free Content
Michael
Wong offers a large number of short articles and references
to free tools on his site. In fact he has other sites full
of content as well, which use the concept of offering links
to other products as ads on the sides and tops of the content.
It's a good, sound practice, which works nicely.
(top)
Newsletter
I
have not been able to find reference to a newsletter or ezine
on Wong's primary Web site. howeverm there is a Blog he runs
at michaelwong.com. (top)
Money-Back
Guarantee
Michael Wong has only one product, but
he offers a 1-year no-questions asked guarantee. I have absolutely
no reservations about it. I'm convinced he will honor it.
. (top)
Support
Mr. Wong has an autoresponder
which promises quick personal turnaround to email. I've found
him true to that promise.
Although
his email response to me was short and he rejected answering
my questions because he apparently felt threatened by a perceived
competition, he was gracious and certainly showed that he
does value the concept of support.
High
marks for support. (top)
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