People are too 'fatigued' and far too savvy to keep falling for the 'fake promise' of so-called gurus.

Under promise and over deliver, that's become my business motto. And it works. Good hotels leave guests a chocolate on their pillow. Exceptional hotels will also leave an eye mask or some other useful and unexpected gift. It is these more considerate and imaginative hotels that will gain by attracting guests that are fiercely loyal because they know the hotel has their desires and best interests at heart. ;-)

(No, I'm not a hotel owner!)

People are too 'fatigued' and far too savvy to keep falling for the 'fake promise' of so-called gurus.

Under promise and over deliver, that's become my business motto. And it works. Good hotels leave guests a chocolate on their pillow. Exceptional hotels will also leave an eye mask or some other useful and unexpected gift. It is these more considerate and imaginative hotels that will gain by attracting guests that are fiercely loyal because they know the hotel has their desires and best interests at heart. ;-)

(No, I'm not a hotel owner!)

I agree with all of your points. In addition, another trend that I foresee is the flood of internet marketers who haven't quite made it online and are going “offline” to target small businesses will die off (either through bright-shiny-object syndrome, or they just can't deliver), leaving the work to those that have already been doing “offline” for years already.

With the Guru era coming to an end, can we kill off the hypey, 8 mile long salesletters too? Please?

1: I'm sure seminars are gonna get harder to fill as well. Not only that, there gonna have to be of superb quality to get people coming back. I went to the InfoSummit in Atlanta and was totally unimpressed by it. It was my first seminar ever but like they say, “The first impression is the only impression…” I expect more and will highly consider dumping $3 to $4K for a seminar just to network.

2: I agree 100% that Direct Mail is coming back. It certainly is for my business. I'm not talking about the big red headline DM…I'm talking about nicely written, old fashioned copy that tries to sincerely relate to it's audience first. The sale will come after the relationship is formed.

3: It's nice to see that online adv fluctuates and is becoming more affordable. In the end, the Internet is just the vehicle. It is not a means to an end.

4: You are right on when you say that 2010 is the end of the Internet Mkt Gurus. I also wrote an article dedicated just to that topic: People are becoming desensitized to big red headlines, claims of making a bazillion dollars sitting on the sofa, in your underwear with no list, no product, no f@ckin' brain, etc… Little by little, individuals are smartening up to this bulls#it and getting back to what really matters: Connecting with real people other ways besides Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks for such a great article. I will support your view by making an effort to get in touch with you some other way than the internet. :)

Let me get my phone…

peace

Very interesting article and predictions. I couldn't agree more with #2 (which is why I'll never buy a Kindle!)

Happy New Year,
David

To be successful takes work. No way around it. You might think you've found a way, but you're wrong…either now, or later.

Thanks for the comment! You can almost smell the desperation sometimes.

What many “gurus” have forgotten is that you can't hit a homerun every time you step up to bat. That's reality.

And building a business is more than a one-time event.

Ryan