Nominate Your Favorite Internet Marketer

Ryan,

It's quite difficult to say one name and let it go at that. So let me share several that have had a dramatic influence on me...

Alex Mandossian. I have learned quite a bit from him, about speaking, about presentation, about info products and more.

Ken McCarthy. I've spoken at and attended over 6 The System events. You can learn a lot about email marketing if you get on Ken's list. He's a sane voice in often a world of noise.

Jason Fladlien. Like Kenneth Hu commented, Jason is an amazing implementer. I buy pretty much everything he comes out with because there are always some nuggets and gems that even experienced marketers like myself often miss.

Sean D'Souza. Sean's work is quite thought out and I always learn new things from him. His book "The Brain Audit" really gets into the psychology of buyers. I also think Sean writes some of the better subject lines for email marketing.

Michel Fortin. There is no one better not only in terms of copywriting advice but also conversion. I also appreciate Michel being so open, transparent and real.

Sherman Hu. I love Sherman's enthusiasm and how he embraced social media before many of us even knew the term.

Glenn Livingston. As a creative at heart, I'll admit that some of Glenn's stuff is definitely advanced, yet I love the process in which he approaches a market. His market segmentation approach with Google Adwords was one of the smartest I've seen.

Robert Plank. I started buying Robert's products while he was still holding down a full time job and doing internet marketing on the side. I like how he implements fast and is all about completion. His products are easily consumed which can't be said for a lot of infoproducts.

As others have commented, it's hard to not only list one, but not list many. There are several others who have influenced me as well I haven't mentioned.

One more thing.

I also factor not only marketing smarts but who someone is as a person. As we discussed in the "Internet marketing is on life support" post, integrity trumps just about everything. It's hard for me to embrace someone's marketing teachings if I don't respect them.

My 2 cents and change,

Marc

I have one more name I can't believe I forgot...

Marlon Sanders. Marlon was the pioneer of the infoproduct salesletter.

His stuff is always easily consumed and offers far more value than it's very affordable cost. I've known Marlon personally for many years, and he is and always has been the real deal.

Marc

Ken McCarthy gets my vote as well.

There are many talented, knowledgeable, and helpful people in the IM world, but Ken stands out to me... primarily because he scared the crap out of me by calling me at work one day. I was a newbie-nobody who'd enjoyed his System Seminar (this was several years ago), and sent him an email asking if he'd care to provide some comments for an ebook I was doing about networking. Knowing his status (and how busy he was), I didn't really expect him to respond with even an email. So when I answered the phone and heard "Hey Bonnie, this is Ken, Ken McCarthy" I nearly fell out of my chair. He spent 30 minutes talking with me, even trusting me with some info he did not want made public.

He's incredibly generous and values real relationships above "partnerships" and profits. He's #1 in my book.

Ryan Deiss and Perry Belcher: Their traffic strategies have put more money in my pocket than anywhere else. They're crazy testers and I owe a lot of my livelihood to my teachings. Not everything's a hit of course, but the ones that do really took my game to the next level.

"The Barefoot Exec" Carrie Wilkerson: Because she's inspirational. No one exemplifies speed of implementation more than her.

Robert Plank and Jason Fladien: Crazy implementers as well...

I did my Best of 2009 - Internet Marketing Edition a few weeks back which includes some of your nominations here.

Ha funny that! Was just about to come on here (am subscribed by email) and suggest that the last 3 or 4 entries seemed a bit suspicious or (given the names nominated) some kind of joke!!

Alright, the disinformation campaign has begun, and I may be forced to shut down the comments on this particular post. The last four "nominations" have been fake.

"Terry Karlin" and "John Carmichael" both posted their nominations 7 minutes apart from IP address: 24.5.xx.47

"Terry Gomez" and "Mark Passion" both posted their nominations 12 minutes apart from IP address: 64.134.xxx.148

It's uncanny how similar the tone is in all of these "nominations," isn't it?

All four of these have been faked and will not be considered. If any more of these fake nominations are posted, I will shut down comments on this post. Thanks.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. The last four comments are making Mike Filsaime, Frank Kern, and Ryan Deiss look pretty bad. I hope they're not the ones behind this.

Hi Ryan,

My entry to your excellent blog was NOT a fake!

Sorry to have to correct you, but my nomination of Frank Kern is quite legitimate. (As is that of my girlfriend for Ryan Deiss!). We wrote our nominations on the same laptop, right after each other given our joint visit to your blog. Is there something wrong with that?

I'm not sure what you hoped to achieve by publishing the IP address-- Is that meant to somehow silence my voice and cancel my vote through some cloaked threat that you can hunt me down via a simple-minded IP lookup??

Please keep an open mind and please do allow everyone to link to Frank Kern's simply remarkable "State of the Internet Address" at [link removed]

If you have some real evidence or verified data that Frank Kern should NOT be nominated, then by all means please post it publicly so that we can all see it and make up our own minds. Your censorship of the link smacks of totalitarianism. Let's keep the web open for everyone to decide for themselves.

I'm sorry if my nomination offended you but I did follow your guidelines.

Thanks!
Mark

Nice. I just found your Twitter profile.

http://twitter.com/traderpassion

Still looks fishy to me, Mark.

Your tweets are disingenuous. I'm not preventing nominations of anybody. What I'm preventing are fake nominations. There is a difference.

But I suppose it's to your benefit to twist this into an "us vs. them" battle or whatever. First of all, it's not that simple. Second of all, why is it to your benefit to build this story?

Ryan

Hi Ryan,

I am not sure what you mean about me "twist[ing] this into an 'us vs. them' battle." There is no "them", there is just us and we are engaged in a conversation about a certain nomination that for some reason you refuse to acknowledge.

Further, I am completely at a loss to understand what you mean by me "building this story." There is no story -- Just a nomination of Frank Kern with a link to a video that expressly positions his work at the zenith of Integrity in the IM space. Please do yourself a favor and watch the video--I promise you will be amazed.

Peace, my brother. There is enough paranoia and anger in the world.

Kindly,
Mark

Pardon my skepticism, but your explanation is highly unlikely, Mark.

Disinformation campaigns are common among blog comments because it's so easy to pretend to be someone you're not. Are you disseminating a little propaganda here, Mark?

Also: My blog is not a democracy, and it's not a republic. It is a dictatorship.

Sorry if that offends you.

Ryan

P.S. I have no problem with legitimate nominations. And you're comment -- "but I did follow your guidelines" -- is quite telling.

Because I didn't say: "No fake nominations."

Okay: So maybe you and your "girlfriend" really did nominate a couple guys from the same laptop 12 minutes apart. I just don't believe you're Mark Passion. You sound like somebody who is nominating himself... or his best buddy.

Hi Ryan,

Again, my nomination of Frank Kern is NOT a "fake nomination."

You say "I just don't believe you're Mark Passion. You sound like somebody who is nominating himself... or his best buddy."

I fail to understand your logic. I am not nominating myself, I am nominating Frank Kern. I am not Frank Kern nor in any way associated with Mr. Kern other than as a raving fan and customer.

(You keep deleting the link to the evidence I provide for his nomination. Have you actually watched the video? By repeatedly deleting the link, you deprive your readers easy access but they can, of course, find it readily through Google.)

Interaction between IM customers will be huge this year, and if you don't deliver both value and killer customer service, everyone will know about it in Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.

With Respect,
Mark

My nomination for trusted, high integrity, high impact IM guy is Frank Kern.

Why? So many great products ... and just view this super professional video on "The State of the Internet":

It's rather long (about 30 minutes) but jam-packed with great information and just remarkable in what Frank says. It speaks volumes about his clear integrity and desire to make a difference for all of us in IM.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a fake nomination. Link has been removed. -RMH

I would like to RYAN DIESS.

His Perpetual Launch model and software is sheer genius!

Through a clever piece of scripting you can make it look like you are giving a live webinar and hence capitalize on the "urgency" of a live event (cf. Jeff Walker's Product Launch Formula) without the stress of actually delivering a live event. The software he provides completely automates the process and leads the viewers to believing whatever their active imaginations' want. You can segment your list and mail to selected portions each week about the "event."

His prior partnership with Perry Belcher, convicted felon, should not be held against Ryan.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a fake nomination. -RMH

I am amazed that no has yet nominated the coolest IM guy ever: Frank Kern.

Frank is 100% down to earth, genuine, always over-delivers and completely devoted to customer service.

I love his videos and his laid-back attitude. His Mass Control 2.0 is awesome for any serious marketer. I was delighted to recently sign up for his monthly continuity program at only $297 per month. What a steal for such great material.

--John

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a fake nomination. -RMH

I've seen several names mentioned who I would have nominated but alas since they are already in the till I will move on to ones not yet mentioned.

I will try to keep to the marketing teacher flow. I submit Mari Smith who always seems to have the time to answer others questions and freely shares ideas without beating one over the head promoting her product.

Next I see no one has mentioned Rick Butts who has no qualms about calling bullshit just what it is and is quite knowledgeable in my tiny opinion.

Dave Lakhani comes to mind. Haven't seen anything negative about him that I can remember and h also has quality, material that isn't out of reach of us mere mortals.

Jimmy D Brown is another low key person who comes to mind. He definitely has been around. He seems to be waaay out of the spotlight but if you find his products you'll learn some basics.

Maybe Ewen Chia simply because he knows affiliate marketing. His book can teach a person how to start bringing in income using the internet and basic marketing.

Lastly I throw Dr. Ben Mack out for his knowledge on branding and his coarse "difficult for some to take" style of engagement.

Just my ideas, but feel free to tell me I'm clueless if you feel so inclined, I don't offend easily.

The Zen Master of the Internet, Matt Furey

I don't see Michael Campbell's name on the list. I would have expected to see it here, but maybe there's something I don't know... If so, I'd like to know what it is, since I just bought one of his products! He came highly recommended by someone I trust, but one person's recommendation does not constitute an endorsement by this community.

I nominate Lynn Terry (http://www.clicknewz.com) and Nicole Dean (http://www.nicoleonthenet.com).

They're both successful and smart Internet marketers who have integrity and are generous to teach others what they know.

Interesting.

You asked folks, "Why do you nominate this person?" Now some names seem to be dropped (accidentally or not), but why?
(You have my email.)

Even the best teacher is not always a good match for any particular student for a variety of reasons. And many people succeed because they have ignored what they needed to hear. Seth Godin thinks a lot in that direction, doesn't he. Of course, there are some basic rules, fundamentals someone needs to know. No doubt about that.

Now, I close with a quote from Alex Mandossian, I think he is not on the list, yet.

"The genius marketer is the market itself."

I would go as far as nominating David Jenyns. He is not exactly a marketing guru by any stretch compared to the super guru's such as Kern and the such, however as far as being able to market his own products honestly and legitimately, he has done a damn good job at doing that. He connects with people on the same level as him, and doesnt talk trash in that respect, or just talk up an item for the sake of making a sale.

As far as working within the right FTC guidelines and all that, put it this way. He is in Australia, we dont have those kinds of laws here, yet he still operates on an ethical level.

That's my two cents anyway, thought I would throw him in there for all to see!

Ryan,

I don't know if I would call him my "favorite" Internet marketer, but David Bullock definitely gets my vote for coolest Internet marketer.

And I'll explain why.

I don't own any of his products or anything, and have only heard him one time in an interview with Glenn Livingston. But what makes him the #1 coolest Internet marketer for me is, he says he watches the movie "The Matrx" once per month, and gets ideas for his testing and Internet business each time.

For example, in the inteview he talked about Morpheus (from the movie).

And how Morpheus was talking to Neo about when you're in a situation where there are rules (such as in marketing, testing, software, copywriting, etc) you can bend them depending on your thinking and your ***belief*** in yourself that you CAN bend them successfully.

That opened my mind in ways no other marketer had done before.

And it's had a huge impact on the way I market and write ads, etc.

So I just wanted to add his name to the hat.

May I add Willie Crawford to the mix?

I first met Willie at a conference where he was speaking back in 2005. It was my first event and I was totally clueless, but as busy as Willie was making contacts that would expand his business, he gave quite a bit of time to me at that event (as well as at another one a few months later).

He doesn't try to hide either. You can contact him via his help desk and he makes the link readily available.

After a 20 year Air Force career, "service" means something to you.

He has also helped a lot of people, giving them publicity, doing projects with them (he did an interview product with me a while back -- and outside of you, Ryan, how many people have heard of ME?), etc.

He does have some high-end products (like his current JV coaching), but you have to look pretty hard to even find the sales letter for it.

Hopefully you'll consider Willie for your list.

Thanks,
Tom

Not to nitpick Ryan but based on the responses shouldn't this be about Online Marketing TEACHERS and not "online marketers?"

If I was to pick an online marketer it would be Amazon.

In my opinion, online marketing teachers shouldn't even be considered unless someone is already marketing a product. The internet is merely another way to distribute a message and while the methods of distributing are complex - they are unnecessary if you don't have a product.

That is unless you are marketing the internet as a form of BIZ OP. In which case you should name the category "Best Internet Biz Op Marketers."

Just trying to put this in perspective, since most of the people that are in the "bad guys" category that SD and yourself are outing are in the BIZ OP business and Internet Marketing is merely the newest and most lucrative biz op appeal.

Very insightful comment, Chris. Especially the difference between an Internet marketer and an Internet marketing TEACHER.

I'll keep that in mind for the follow-up post. Thanks for contributing!

Ryan

Here's the list of names that have been mentioned so far. Anybody missing?

Terry Dean
Ken McCarthy
Lynn Terry
Brian Johnson
Dr.Mani
Alice Seba
Carrie Wilkerson
Paul Evans
Ben Settle
Marlon Sanders
Sean D'Souza
Glenn Livingston
Sharon Livingston
Michel Fortin
Sylvie Fortin
Perry Marshall
Jack Humphrey
Paul Myers
Jim Edwards
Robert Plank
Seth Godin
Shawn Casey
Eben Pagan
Clayton Makepeace
Dan Kennedy
John Carlton
Lance Tamashiro
Ryan Lee
Sterling and Jay

(Remember, not all the names above will be included on the list.)

I would like to nominate Mike Filsaime.

His success speaks for itself. I've bought many of his programs through upsells.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a fake nomination. -RMH

Lynn Terry for both her honest approach but also some very good advice.

I'm also a big Justin Brook fan.. He was Russell Brunson's protege and he has some VERY good ideas.

I'd like to nominate Armand Morin.

In the interest of full disclosure...

Michel and I now work with Armand and his team, and the reason we decided we wanted to work with Team Morin is precisely because of his deep rooted integrity.

We've listened closely to how marketers talk about their customers in the "back of the room", when they don't think anyone's listening, and Armand has always been respectful and caring when speaking about his customers.

He genuinely cares about delivering rock solid training, and doesn't "follow the herd".

He tells people what they NEED to hear, not just what they want to hear.

And for those primary reasons, as well as his deep knowledge of business strategy, I nominate him to be added to your list of "unusual suspects". :)

I want to nominate Lynn Terry because of her honesty & willing to help the little guy.
I also want to nominate Tiffany Dow. She offers so much good free info and seems very down to earth.
Last but not least, I want nominate Brian Johnson because his Commission Ritual system is the first thing I tried that actually made me money. He is also honest and cares about us little guys.

My vote for a trustworthy internet marketer would go to Lynn Terry.

Enthusiastic, but never hyped.

Passionate about her business and about helping other people.

Lynn would be my first choice if I needed to bounce a business idea - and I would know with 100% certainty that anything I shared would be kept 100% confidential.

There are only TWO Internet Marketers that I trust and
would recommend wholeheartedly.

That's not to say that there aren't more than two good
guys out there (obviously).

Just - I know that I'd be able to give these two guys
access to my full banking details - and I could sleep
well at night knowing that my money would still be
there in the morning.

So, who are they?

Ken McCarthy and Terry Dean.

Why Ken McCarthy?

Ken McCarthy is one of the *real* experts on Internet
Marketing with a long track record of teaching people
to succeed in the area. He put on one of the first IM
seminars back in 1994.

He delivers high quality information in a no nonsense,
low key and zero hype way.

What's more, he's a teacher who really cares about the
success of all of his students and does his best to
teach clearly and effectively.

From his vast experience in dealing with Internet
Marketers at all levels, he knows how to give useful
advice to suit the people he communicates with.

He also has a keen eye for spotting up and coming
trends and bringing talented individuals to the fore
as faculty members of his System Seminar.

A lot of his free pre-system trainings give away more
valuable tips than many other so called guru products
I've paid money for.

http://www.thesystemseminar.com/ (no affil.)

I also trust him because you very rarely find him
promoting other people - especially those from the
Usual Suspects of the product launch circus.

His infoproducts are also top-quality too and the
depth of his knowledge is obvious and head and
shoulders above the rest.

I've also met Ken McCarthy in the flesh and he
passes my rigorous gut test.

Next...

Why Terry Dean?

Like Ken, Terry Dean has a *long* track record at
succeeding online inside and outside the field of
Internet Marketing.

Terry gives a lot of high quality information away
for free at his blog at http://www.terrydean.org
(no affil.).

He's very thorough in what he does and explains
things very clearly too.

He's not afraid to promote but he markets in a
non-aggressive way that doesn't offend me.

All of his products are reasonably priced including
his high end products and I've always gotten more
value in return for every dollar I've spent with him
(and with Ken for that matter).

Like Ken, he hasn't gone and sold his soul to the product
launch cartel either. You can be sure that any products
or services he recommends have been thoroughly
vetted before letting you know about them.

Terry Dean also happens to be a Christian Minister
- not that this guarantees future behavior but it's
at least a good indicator ;-)

I've interacted with Terry via e-mail and within his
Intern program so I've had some interaction with
him and can vouch for his character.

So those are my two major recommendations -
they are both Internet Marketers who truly care
about their customers and this industry.

There are other good guys like Glenn Livingston,
Perry Marshall, Dr. Mani, Paul Myers, etc but Ken
McCarthy and Terry Dean would be the two that
I'd recommend for anyone - regardless of where
they're starting - beginner, advanced or expert.

The Salty Droid and Ryan Healy are opening quite
a few eyes in the industry that's for sure. The truth is
finally coming out thanks to the real power of Social
Media.

*Shaun O'Reilly

That's a great criterion, Shaun. Would you feel comfortable giving your nominee access to all your banking info, credit cards, etc? If not, probably not a good person to nominate.

Also: Appreciate how you explained WHY in such detail. (By the way, I totally concur with what you wrote.)

Ryan

Thanks, Shaun :-)

A quote from my blog post, "2010 - What's In, What's Out?" in November 2009 echoes your sentiments about social media and transparency:

"Bluff & BS Is OUT, Authenticity Is IN

Social Media just turned the Web more transparent. Folks can see you, no matter where you try to hide. And see through you, to what’s real.

So keep it real. Don’t pretend you’ve got it all together when you really don’t. Congruence was never more of a competitive edge than now.

Or if you don’t/won’t/can’t do it, heed this… Stay AWAY from social media! (And isn’t that a ‘fate worse than death’ in 2010 and beyond?!)"

- - - - -

There's also a tid-bit about 'guru-dom'. Ryan, you may find it interesting ;-)

http://moneypowerwisdom.com/2010-whats-in-whats...

I'd like to nominate Alice Seba, for being such a sweetie, and Kelly McCausey for being so focused. I've learned a ton from both of them.

I agree about Alice Seba and I bought one of her products, a P.R. system and it was very practical, useful, and inexpensive.

Lynn Terry - because I know her and see how real she is, how much she cares about her readers, and because she is the only one who ever helped me see how to put all these moving pieces together. I guess it goes back to working with people I know personally, like immensely and trust implicitly.

Can I squeeze in two more, please?

Carrie Wilkerson, the Barefoot Executive - inspiring and energetic.

Paul Evans, of Nicheology - solid, valid, follow-able business sense and advice.

Alas, I've never heard of either of these two and I've been following Internet Marketing since it began.

Ryan,

You are on a roll...

I wish I could nominate a few dead people...

Gary Halbert gave me the reality check.

But as for the living guys...

Ben Settle (Although he denies being a guru)

Because he's such a stand-up and increbible guy.
I wouldn't be here without Ben. When he opens his
mouth I trust his recommendations... even if sometimes
he talks about Bigfoot.

Ken McKarthy...

Just finished the System Club Letters... and it's
the only book I read on Internet Marketing that's
made complete sense... and didn't try to promise
magic pills.

Plus, I've listen to an audio interview he did with Ben
about copywriting about ten gazillion times. And as you
know I'm not a complete newbie... I've spent thousands on
my copywriting education and of course I'm a staff copywriter
so definitely recommend that audio from Ben's Copywriting Grab Bag

And you,

Ryan Healy

Because you set a stellar example for what we should
all be doing. Although I haven't met you face-to-face
Your actions speak louder than words.

Terry Dean - always provides value, and is inspiring, helpful and generous.

Marlon Sanders - entertaining, informative and walks his talk.

As I trust, Dr. Mani, 100%, I trust his recommendations for Terry Dean and Marlon Sanders, too. Dr. Mani do you know Sean D'Souza? Because I would say that you're definitely kindred spirits in many ways.

I vote for Glenn Livingston. It was interesting that someone asked me a question like this over the past weekend. And while there are several other people I trust which I'm not going to list here, Glenn is in the only one I'd stake my name on his integrity and how he would treat his audience in this market.

And by the way Colin, I'm only 36...not 40 (will be 37 this year). Thanks for the vote though! But no need to make me older (I've been doing this since I was real young). :)

Although I've never bought anything from Glenn (too expensive) I've been reading his excellent articles for years and he, too, (like Michel Fortin, Sean D'Souza and Dr. Mani) always comes across as full of integrity as well as knowledge.

... how embarrassing for me. I'll piggy back on Ryan's comment. It's your maturity that shows through. :)

Thank you both. I think it has more to do with experience than anything else.

That's another issue with trying to make a list like this. I wonder how many people would start off or go in the wrong direction at least some point in their online careers. No one is perfect...just ask your spouse. And that also means people we may not see as credible can improve over time. I certainly hope that I've improved since when I first started so long ago. You hopefully gain a little wisdom over time and experience.

Or of course it can go the other direction as well. People who were trustworthy today may not always keep that consistency in the future.

Terry

It must be your maturity that makes you "older." ;-)

Ryan

I would like to nominate no one. I've seen a handful of names suggested - and indeed many were people I would trust. However, I think such an undertaking is bigger than a blog post or posts. Things change, alliances chance, reliability changes, and people change. Unless you also want to become a registry for complaints (to keep proper realtime score, like the BBB), this is beyond the scope of your most excellent blog. Rather than seeing you put yourself on the line in (implied) support of specific marketers (for which you gain nothing but assume the wrath of those it fails), I encourage you to simply maintain your critical eye and continue to say what's on your mind. On second thought, I'll cheat a little and nominate you Ryan, immediately after which I vote nominations be closed.

Whilst I agree with pointing out the dangers, i still think Ryan is providing a very valuable forum, here. I've been studying online marketing for many years and am sick of all the 'Get Rich Through Internet Marketing' gurus who promote each others' highly expensive products that the vast majority of people are simply not able to benefit from. The more people post about the lesser known REAL marketers who have sensibly priced products for the little guys, the better! I expect to see a few less well-known names (because they're not part of the 'Incestuous Inner Circle', coming up often!

Bill,

I appreciate your insight and honesty. As Sylvie pointed out, it may not be really feasible to assemble such a list. Right now, I'm thinking I'll create a small list -- but add disclaimers, etc.

And as far as nominating me... thank you. I'm honored. :-)

Ryan

With cast-iron disclaimers it will be a valuable resource, Ryan.

I nominate Michel Fortin for his refreshing honesty, deep knowledge of copywriting and obvious integrity and Sean D'Souza for being a thoroughly nice guy, a superb marketer, and providing the best free all round marketing information on the Internet. Furthermore, I nominate Sean D'Souza's The Brain Audit as absolutely the best value marketing system I've EVER seen. (My clients love it, too.) I've been a professional marketer for nearly 30 years, been teaching marketing at undergraduate and, now, master's level, for 8 years, and have just taken a Master of Science in Marketing (Merit), so I know what I'm talking about! 8-) EVERY business can benefit, immediately, from Sean's The Brain Audit which is superb value. I'm only amazed that it, and Sean, aren't as well known as some of the other nominations whose products, IMHO, offer far less value for money and are only of real use in very specific circumstances. Sean is all about REAL marketing, not selling very expensive 'Get Rich Like Me Through Internet Marketing' programs which, frankly, most people will NEVER benefit from! Lastly, Dr. Mani, although I've not bought anything from him, I have corresponded with him and read his work for many years, and he comes across as a thoroughly caring and knowledgeable guy. I'd recommend him, plus Sean, for anyone starting out who needs to get a sound foundation. Then, later, look at the more expensive stuff from some of the others listed here.

Sean D'Souza - he really delivers on multiple levels. He spends a great deal of time answering questions on his membership site, 5000bc. The live workshop I took from him was truly outstanding. His info-products are better than any others I've purchased, hands down. His remote interactive courses are amazing. I don't think he sleeps.

Of course, he says you actually have to work hard to succeed, and tells people if what they're looking for is a get-rich-quick scheme, they need to go somewhere else.

Ken McCarthy - He delivers what he promises and is always making sure his students are learning the stuff everyone else teaches after they learn it from his seminars. The System Seminar is first rate and not a pitchfest.

Perry Marshall - I'm a long time member of his Renaissance Club. Every time I think I should drop it to save the money, he sends out another newsletter and or a recorded interview that knocks my socks off. Worth the money every month.

I must say I strongly disagree with a couple picks. I'm surprised a couple names showed up here. I suppose I shouldn't be. This will be interesting to watch.

Perry,

Me too, with the Renaissance Club... every time I want to cancel, his newsletter shows up the door and i'm blown away.

besides... i'm locked in at 29.95/month... LOL

Well I would have said Perry Marshall until recently. However, I signed up for his Renaissance Club a few months ago but the payment processor kept rejecting my card. As I never received any confirmation email (or anything else for that matter) I assumed the payment never went through and gave up).

A few months later on checking my statements I found a regular monthly charge from Perry Marshall. After spending a fair bit of time trying to find a support email address I sent in a ticket explaining what had happened. The reply said that all future payments would be cancelled; but they have a "no refunds policy" so even though I had recieved absolutely nothing for the money I paid, I wasn't going to get it back! Well if that's how you get treated by one of the 'good guys' then I would hate to buy anything from one of the bad ones!!

Ken McCarthy because he's honest, straightforward and unabashed. He's also ecumenical in his marketing advice and been there right from the very beginning.

He's also Irish and I think that's reason enough right there to be on this list.

Bob Bly because he's honest, transparent, simple, proven and prodigious.

Thanks for participating with me. Keep the nominations coming. And don't forget to explain WHY you are nominating a particular person. Very important.

I'm one for Terry Dean.

Integrity seems to ooze out of everything he portrays. (not to mention, he did write a book on the subject of integrity)

Jack Humphrey. His Content Desk and Blog Success have stood the test of time. Jack is a straight-shooter, backs and honors his product and service guarantees without question.

Also, second others on Terry Dean, Perry Marshall, and Ken McCarthy, and Paul Myers.

All great nominations...

I would add the following two:
Lee McIntyre
Tiffany Dow

They both do a great job of laying it all out there...and best of all, they have that inherent trait that makes them great teachers.

Perry Marshall & Jim Edwards. I have followed both for over 5 years, and found them to provide solid information. Plus they are often a head of the pack. I have also noticed that they rarely promote others products.

Some others that should be mentioned: Glen Livingston, Robert Plank, Ken McCarthy. All provide solid, leading edge information.

John Deck

John Deck

I can't believe some the people that are already on the list. Does integrity have to do with being a good guy?

Let's go with integrity, I nominate Terry Dean.

By the way, This popularity contest is a great idea, Ryan

Thanks, Greg. I too am a bit surprised by some of the names popping up.

For me, integrity means not only how you run your business, but also what market you're in, how you behave in public, your personal life, etc.

So I'm guessing my list will be quite small.

If your personal life matches your business life, you have a great brand then. Sort of like "on camera" and "off camera" lifestyle. It's authentic and creates a higher quality brand.

I can only guess, Ryan, that you're thinking of the group behind StomperNet. By an amazing co-incidence one of my students once worked with the StomperNet founders, in the U.S.A.!

Nothing to do with my student but interesting, to say the least is: When and where StomperNet was cooked up

Frank Kern, John Reese, Dave DeAngelo (Eban Pagan), Jeff Walker, Andy Jenkins, the Rich Jerk, etc. all together In Vegas to help shill for fellow DB Yanik Silver. Date: July 2006

October 2006: StomperNet’s original “launch” Reese #1 affiliate. Kern handled the marketing.

Here they are in all their DB glory:
http://www.internetlifestyle.com/blog/fun/vegas...
SOURCE: http://saltydroid.info/stompernet-shit-storm/

I certainly will not be buying anything from any of the above! (I've spent an afternoon reading about these guys; not a nice way to spend a day!)

And now you see why we kept names out of the Sins report. :)

It always opens up a fresh new can of worms, the moment you start a list like this.

Problem #1: The risk of accidentally putting a bad guy on a list of good guys...

In cases like this, you risk inadvertently putting a bad marketer's name on the list of good guys, because his or her bad deeds might not yet be publicly known. Later, this one turns out to be a shmuck, and you're known as the one who says he was a good guy. Now, people blame you if the "bad guy" later scams them, or if they have a bad experience.

Problem #2: The risk of omitting a good guy...

What if you omit someone whose name should be on the list, simply because he or she isn't well known enough to merit attention?

Or because he or she isn't part of the "usual suspects" list and is just quietly doing their thing without fanfare?

Would someone who is investigating that person, and in the process of evaluating whether or not to do business with them, scan your list, fail to see that person's name, and make a decision not to do business with them?

Thus, the problem.

I feel for you, Ryan. It isn't easy doing something like this and take on the burden of responsibility for what others may do with this information.

Good luck!

I nominate my favor marketers Michael and Sylvie Fortin.≈ Let's dance and have fun girl.

I totally agree Sylvie - it's practically impossible to do a list like this without either omitting someone who should be on it or including someone who shouldn't (whether due to past actions or those that haven't happened yet).

I started to respond with several of the people I trust, but decided against it because some of them are names that you rarely see mentioned in posts like this, and frankly I'm not so sure they would want to be.

I think everybody should do their own due diligence when choosing someone whose lead to follow. Someone who I like and trust may not be the right person for you to follow, for any number of reasons.

The biggest problem I see in this market is the cult of personality - the marketers who are entertaining and know how to make a good video are the ones who tend to build these huge followings. But they aren't necessarily the right person to model your business after, because let's face it - how many of us can actually do what they do, especially if we're not targeting a rabid market that keeps buying the latest "secret" the way biz opp seekers do?

I got a promo from someone a couple of days ago offering a package of stuff that will show you how to connect with your market, and I found it interesting that some of the stuff in it was about how to act (as in movie acting) and comedy training. I think that says a lot about how a lot of marketers present their goods in the IM world.

Hey John. You've hit the nail on the head, when you noticed that entertainment value seems to trump quality content.

Why is it that people seem to flock to those who use smoke and mirrors, dog and pony shows, and magic tricks instead of actually teaching solid business strategy?

If you showed up in college and saw the professor acting this way, would you trust him/her to teach you anything valuable?

In the past couple of years, I've seen videos featuring surfboards, paid "models", rock music, booze, beaches, boats, and even more paid "models".

Has there been real substance? Hardly.

Just a never ending stream of nauseating show-offs.

How about we make 2010 the year we ALL get back to what people actually need us to do for them? Which is to deliver solid, actionable education.

What a novel concept! :)

I understand your point Sylvie. However, in the get-rich-quick market (aka business opportunity market) variations on hot-model-sitting-on-a-Ferrari marketing have worked successfully for many, many decades.

I still have copies of old 1980's ads from those magazines that are still running in nearly identical form today.

Translate that to the internet and you get people doing videos in front of their million dollar homes, in their new Porsches, or in front of their $100k surfboard collection.

They're living the life - and that's what sells in the biz op arena.

Fulfilling on promises?... that's another point entirely.

The more I think about it, the harder I realize it is to create a list like this. In addition to the issues you listed, there's also the question: Who exactly qualifies as an Internet marketer?

People who do business online... or people who actually teach Internet marketing... or people who sell products that teach Internet marketing?

Really, Seth Godin could be on this list. He's an Internet marketer -- although his products are generally physical books and small workshops in New York.

Maybe I should claim full responsibility of the list by calling it Ryan's List of Trusted Internet Marketers -- and then put a date on it with a disclaimer. :-)

Ryan

I agree, Ryan, some of the people nominated are true marketers whose knowledge is applicable just as much offline as one line, the great Seth Godin, being a good example. What I'd like to see is a list of the Get Rich Through Internet Marketing' gurus whose products ONLY work if the buyer has the same knowledge, experience and resources as they do. (Which, IMHO, is most, if not all, of the 'Incestuous Innner Circle'!)

Yep, and I think you'll also find that this post, and the one you create that lists the "good guys", won't be nearly as popular as the "bad guy" post.

Sad, but unfortunately true.

As for your proposed solution?

Yep, sounds like a plan. Make it your own. Your experiences with said marketers. What you know based on experience. With tons of disclaimers that you can't take any responsibility for what happens to others when they choose to buy products from any of them.

When you publicly take on the mantle of responsibility for stating who is good or bad, you take on all the rest of the pain that goes with it.

Just ask Santa. I wouldn't want his job either. :)

Yes, I don't expect the positive stuff to get as much attention -- but I definitely wanted to shift my focus (and my readers' focus) toward something positive.

It's no good dwelling on the negative.

But understand, anyone can create their own list of internet marketers not just Ryan, the internet marketers list may change because of things that happen in the future, and this list really becomes a referral network of like minded individuals, as Seth Godin states, our own "Tribe" of people. Not a bad thing at all.

Hello,

I am not an affiliate, but I have some stuff by Shawn Casey. Overall, It was a well rounded and a good product. Sound information and some nice audios came with the product as well. Also he has a lot of good marketing information on his blog, too. So Shawn Casey is my vote.

Shawn Casey?? You must be kidding!

His henchmen repeatedly called me to pitch me on a "coaching" program that was in no way related to a bonus associated with joining StomperNet. Upon complaining, his support staff told me I was the only person who had ever voiced a complaint and that others had welcomed being "informed" about the over-priced coaching program. Ha!

Tony,

Thanks for the heads up.

I had a positive experience. So I shared it. It's like my friend who had a terrible experience at a restaurant that I love. My experience there has always been so great, so I love it. But my friend says the complete opposite. Same place, but two different outcomes.

I appreciate your opinion/advice.

Thank you,
Mac Bull

PS I also want to add Ben Settle to the list. He provides fantastic e-mails, loaded with creative tips. The audios/interviews he puts out is of high quality and content.

I'd say Eben Pagan as well. With Eben's Altitude and Gurumastermind programs, I learned more in one year, in regards to marketing and copy, than I had in all my previous years combined.

When I first got started back in 200o, I would have said John Reese was the single biggest positive influence on my internet business.

I know we probably were to only nominate one, but I feel strongly that both of these guys have helped the internet marketing field.

Ken McCarthy, because he's extremely knowledgeable about the history of marketing and the internet, promotes the classic direct response concepts that will always be relevant, while at the same time keeping up with what's new and exciting, and because he features many non-gurus at his seminar, people who are innovating successfully right now and can teach effectively. In my experience he's one veteran expert who seems to see above the fray consistently.

Perry Marshall for straight shooting, dissecting Google advertising so most people can learn and use it successfully, and because his emails are always worth reading.

Clayton Makepeace for showing copywriters how to achieve so much more for their clients through becoming strategic marketing partners, resulting in a strong win-win.

Terry Dean for keeping things simple and direct, productive, and no baloney. He's the only offline newsletter I've stayed with.

Clayton Makepeace is another excellent writer on practical marketing and, again, everyone should read his free articles. I've never bought any of his stuff though.

OK. This is going to sound strange... but over the past six months or so, I've developed a set of criteria that's, well... howdoIputthis.... tough and maybe even narrowly focused.

Anyway, my criteria for who I (ideally) listen to these days are...
1. They're over 40
2. They've ran "real" offline businesses

So in that list would be: Perry Marshall, Terry Dean, Glenn Livingston, Sharon Livingston, Dan Kennedy, John Carlton, Ken McCarthy, Paul Myers etc.

This isn't to say I don't follow or listen to anyone younger than 40... I'm just very selective about them... and I think I'm doing this because, well, they have real experiences, like bankruptcies, failed businesses and history.... which leads to real wisdom.... whereas...

(and I"m going to get into trouble for making such a blanket statement...)

The younger marketers just started making money (or purport to) and they don't know what it's like to get in trouble yet. And as we saw in your last post... they don't seem to know how to handle it properly when they do.

Oh... I also like to read all the dead guys. Heh.

Great point that older people "have learned" about how to handle things, you can't disrespect older folks who know how to work with money.

EVERYONE should read Dan Kennedy's articles they're full of practical marketing wisdom which is applicable to real life businesses. Glenn Livingstone, too, is excellent, a real Internet Marketer; and John Carlton, is always worth reading. The late, great Gary Halbert is in a class all of his own. Whilst I know of Perry Marshall and Terry Dean, I can't say that their work has made such a strong impression on me.

Eben Pagan -- he strives to deliver valuable, real world, tested, information within his products and training events... And, in my experience, he has succeeded...

I'll go with Robert Plank.

I learn more reverse-engineering Robert's techniques than from paid content from other people.

Perry Marshall

Why?

Terry Dean. I know him personally and he is honest to a fault.

Lance Tamashiro. He's improved more than most marketers do in 10 years, but he did it in 1 year.

Ryan comes to mind. No, not Ryan Diess or Ryan Healy or any other Ryan. I mean Ryan Lee. He's both guru and rawly himself - if that makes sense.

I assume we can only nominate 1 person? If so I'll end it there.

Also might I suggest people declare whether or not they're affiliates of the guru they put on a pedestal here? Otherwise the honesty/bias of the recommendation may be questionable.

Ed Dale
Plus a team: Sterling and Jay (http://www.internet-based-business-mastery.com/)

Both are knowledgeable, and provide action-oriented training based on *experience*

Robert Plank

I second that... Roberts the man!

Why?