Clickbank: A Tarnished

If you have been online for any amount of time, you have most certainly heard of Clickbank. According to their website, Clickbank is the premier online market place for digital information products. So how are they getting a tarnished reputation?

Clickbank  is an affiliate marketers “heaven” so to speak. Might as well say it’s the same for product owners too. They can pair affiliate marketers with any number of products to promote, all with one simple tracking number. Sounds like a great partnership, right?

I would 9/10 times  agree with the above statement, however, as of December 1st, 2010, I may be changing my position. The all mighty powerhouse of affiliate marketing is teaming up with Internet entrepreneur,  Mark Ostrofsky.

Ostrofsky is the author of Get Rich Click and has made millions online. His website is supposed to be a “how to” to make money online. Here in lies my issue with Clickbank teaming up with Ostrofsky. When you visit the Get Rick Click website, you immediately get the feeling of B.S. It has the same overtones of all the get rich quick schemes some of us have fallen prey to when just beginning.

It’s no secret that Mark has created successful business ventures online. He is the seller of Business.com for a record breaking 7.5 million dollars.  I don’t question that he has made money and been successful. The issue is in the presentation of the material. In his own words:      “Making money on the internet isn’t difficult. It can happen with just a few clicks. Create wealth often without spending a dime upfront.”

Uhm, in my honest opinion, that’s crap. Their are too many scammers people telling you it’s not difficult to make money online. Can it happen with a few clicks? Yes…but not wealth as is being depicted on this website. And when you take the free route, it takes time. Why would you want to buy your way into wealth anyways. Wouldn’t you want to feel the pride of building your business online and then reaping the rewards?

I personally utilize as many free marketing opportunities as I possibly can. They do work. You just need a little more patience. When you start turning a profit, then you can spend some money. Obviously there are business expenses you have to incur, such as auto-responders and web hosting….but this is minimal.

Clickbank already has such a strong presence in the online market place and a good reputation. They pay out on time, they have amazing metrics to analyze your progress and thousands of products for you to promote. So, why, with all this success would they need to partner with someone who gives off the impression you can become a millionaire overnight?

According to the Clickbank press release,  this partnership will feature expert advice, how to videos, success stories and proven tips to increase your earning potential online.  I was all in until I did my due diligence and researched. Having seen the get rich quick schemes numerous times, I quickly got that chill in my spine when I visited the site. Maybe it’s just me, but I would bet that at least half of you would get the same feeling.

You have probably noticed I didn’t link Ostrofky’s website in this article. I couldn’t do it! You are smart people and I know you will find your way there to check it out. When you do, I would love to hear your thoughts. Am I too sensitive to the get rich quick schemes? Or do I just maybe have a point that Clickbank is tarnishing their reputation?

Tagged as: affiliate marketing, clickbank, get rich quick, mark ostrofsky