Legendary Marketer: A Cautionary Tale
In a recent segment on the Today Show, affiliate marketing and the controversial company Legendary Marketer were brought into the spotlight. The show shed light on the deceptive practices employed by the company, which has been accused of operating as a pyramid scheme and engaging in bait-and-switch tactics.
You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/OIcKY1OzEtY?si=yU9ZrcgiMk7XyOn8.
The Today Show segment featured testimonials from Legendary’s affiliates who claimed to have become millionaires through Legendary Marketer’s $7, 15-day course. Legendary Marketer teaches its affiliates to use bait and switch techniques to create buzz on social media (Instagram). However, it was revealed that Legendary Marketer’s true intention was to upsell its customers on a $2,500 course, which taught them how to resell the same course to others pyramid scheme style. Like other programs in this space, they promise you can become an affiliate marketer for well-known brands like Lululemon and Nike only to make sales into Legendary Marketer.
Following the Today Show segment, the BBB revoked Legendary Marketer’s A rating and initiated an investigation into the company. The BBB cited a pattern of customer complaints regarding the company’s advertising and upselling tactics. Customers reported feeling misled and deceived by the company’s promises of quick and easy money. Many individuals who purchased the $2,500 course claimed that they did not receive the level of support and guidance promised. The BBB’s investigation is ongoing, and the company’s response is being reviewed.
It’s important to note that a ton of BBB complaints like this is one of the things that can trigger an FTC investigation. When the FTC clamped down on MOBE, the top affiliates also got nailed.
As affiliate marketers, we are responsible for our actions and in maintaining integrity and honesty. Just because one starts following an unscrupulous marketer, we are still accountable for the practices we use to promote any program. Don’t be mislead by fake gurus!
Darlene
Recent Comments
56
Good morning Darlene,
Thank you for your interesting blog post; we always have to be on guard when we work online regarding scams, etc. It reminds me of when I first started out online back in 2004, I could see the power and the potential of the Internet and yet I didn't know how to start! I ended up purchasing far too many scam products that didn't do what they said on the packet! What took me three years to learn, I could have probably learnt in one month at Wealthy Affiliate, it would have also saved me a lot of money.
I just watched the YouTube video that you suggested, it was very interesting. I don't know anything about Legendary Marketer, but I do know that quite a few members on this platform have promoted it. I want to promote something that is 100% genuine and not taking people's money for the sake of it!
I think we really need to be careful about what we promote. The first things we look at are whether we would purchase this product and whether it really does what it says on the packet! If it doesn't, then I don't want to promote it.
There is someone that I listen to on YouTube; he actually teaches YouTube. He interviews lots of different people and gives excellent and valuable information. He will often recommend certain books that people he knows have written. I'm guessing that I have probably purchased about 10 books due to his recommendations. They have all been excellent! This brings a huge amount of trust! The last thing we want to do is to destroy our reputation!
Have a great day, and thank you for the information.
Roy
What an awesome response, Roy!
Actually, I had no idea that anybody at WA would be promoting such a program as Legendary. That was an eye opener for me.
I also went through my period of buying and then promoting shiny objects. The promise of the big payoff sucked me in and it cost me thousands.
I’m so very glad to be here at WA where we are taught to give actual value to people in order to make sales and how to build an actual business we can be proud of.
It sounds like the guy you follow on YouTube is doing it right!
Cheers,
Darlene
Thank you, Darlene, I like to try and give a good response to member's blog posts!
I think that when success comes, we have to be careful not to promote just anything. We may have a large email list and gaining people's confidence, but it's still important to promote products that are 100% genuine, I believe. We definitely don't want to go down the scam product road!
It's interesting, Darlene. I have read many members' profiles. What's interesting is that many people have been down the shiny object Road! So we are not the only ones!
I couldn't agree with you more, Darlene, it's good to promote a product like Wealthy Affiliate that we know is genuine and we can promote it with total confidence!
The chap on YouTube is brilliant, although he had been in some tight spots in the early days, with his wife nearly passing away and I believe, a couple of properties repossessed. However, he went for it on YouTube, big time, it's really paid off for him. I think he now has around 30 staff who work for him. The best thing is that he gives valuable and genuine and really helpful information. I actually have his YouTube course.
If you're interested in knowing who he is, I can send you a private message. I never know quite how much we can say on this platform about recommendations in public. Although I have his YouTube course, I still listen to his YouTube videos as they bring such excellent information.
Have a great day.
I
There is something for everyone. Yes there is an upsell (That's a part of business). Just like there is an upsell within WA. Pretty easy to call fowl and play victim when twiddling their thumbs and not seeing progress. Been through the challenge. I personally would have upgraded to the blueprints because there is a daily support call plus decade in a day. $2500 for a lifetime of updates and daily support (no brainer), I've spent 5x as much and at the turn of the new year was getting upsold $2000 every 3 months. I think Legendary is one of the better ones but again. Do your own research. You'll either learn something or a new lesson in life. 😜
It's funny that some of their top affiliates ended up promoting an MRR (Master Reseller Rights) product and 💩 all over LM like they didn't help them in any way.
The important thing is to see what people are doing and what's working for them and try it out. Over time, people will get it... and what I learned from LM is... don't quit until the miracle happens!
You should never have to wait for a “miracle” to sell a program. Frankly, all of these courses that exist only to sell themselves are in for a reckoning.
You don’t entice people into a $2,500 course with a $7 course that actually teaches you nothing. You don’t teach your students to do side hustle videos that are bait and switch.
I’m sorry that you do not have the morals to see that deceptive practices will never bring you that miracle you are waiting for.
I understand this program deeply and have talked about it extensively on YouTube.
Whatever people do to entice their audience is on them. The skills you learn there is the same here. Don't hate the hustle. And thanks for taking a personal attack "I'm sorry that you do not have the morals" I was trying to be as objective in the comment. But you must have got hurt and I'm sorry.
The course teaches bait and switch and deceptive practices. It does not teach you self branding and how to find your own niche or anything else to the extent that WA does. It teaches you how to resell Legendary Marketer.
Of COURSE it tells you that you can use the skills you learn there to sell anything but look around you. What do the vast majority of people there sell? LM. It’s a pyramid scheme.
I’m sorry that I absolutely do not see that as being akin to WA in any way, shape or form.
Be aware that the FTC can and will go after the affiliates there if/when it clamps down on it as has the BBB. You are warned.
I’m not at all worried. You seem like you have a vendetta. It’s not a pyramid scheme. You don’t have a downline. You also learn self branding when you upgrade. How much can you expect for a $7 course. But you are entitled to your own opinions and feelings. Have a blessed Sunday!
You don’t need to have a downline for it to be a pyramid scheme. It’s even been labeled as a “bastardized MLM” by an FTC lawyer. Don’t just fall for the justifications they throw at you to keep you happy and selling for them.
I do have a vendetta - against deceptive practices in the affiliate marketing space because it harms us all.
I did the $7 15 day challenge prior to WA. I knew beforehand about the upsells, but was curious. Was a good introduction to affiliate marketing for a newbie like me. They recommended books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, created a sales funnel on a video and shared basic info on niches and digital products, etc.
Crazy thing is, they try and get you to purchase on day 4 I think. If you didn’t buy during a certain time frame, you would lose the “discounted price” and they charged extra if you wanted 1:1 mentorship calls.
All in all, a good resource for basic info on AM. I saved some of it in my dropbox to reference.
Most of the course is a “copy n paste” method for IG. You’ll see tons of ‘fill-in-the-blank’ affiliates on there. All the same templates w different faces.
Yes. I prefer to be unique and not simply copy templates. There is a ton of those on Instagram right now and they are obvious and oh so easy to spot.
Marketers selling marketing training to other marketers so they can sell marketing training and tools to other marketers to sell to other marketers.
Marketing incest.
Promoting the overhyped dream of becoming a gazillionaire, is the problem.
What I really like about (Wealthy Affiliate), is, it is a simple affordable membership fee with a community of people.
Together We Accomplish More!
#Magic,Brad 😊
Coaches coaching coaches to coach coaches! 😝 In a never ending cycle. I love your “marketing incest” term! I’m going to be borrowing that! Thank you!
Hello Darlene
Thank you for sharing and I find this very interesting. I first came across Legendary Marketer a while ago and almost bought their $7 15 day challenge once in 2022.
But the thing that stopped me from buying is that I heard on some reviews of it on YouTube that you are forced into 2 coaching calls which are really sales calls and you have to have them to get through the course.
I didn't like this so I ended up not buying it and rejoined Wealthy Affiliate instead. After more research and watching more reviews on Legendary Marketer I realized it is a complete waste of time and nothing but one big pyramid scheme that does not live up to it's promises and just tries to upsell you all the time.
Legendary Marketer is definitely one of the many make money online products to stay away from and it's great to see action is finally being taken against them.
I will be interested to see what happens with all of this and I'm really glad I didn't fall for it and came back to Wealthy Affiliate instead. Thank you again for sharing. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
I’ve lost my way before and then come running back to WA more than once! You shouldn’t need a gimmick to sell a program.
I’m glad that we are both back where we belong!
Hello Darlene
Thank you for your reply. I agree with you and I'm glad we are both back where we belong to. Thank you again for your reply. All the best to your success.
Regards
Timothy
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Interesting what you sent us Darlene.
I saw recently something simular on You Tube.
Of course there are many companies offering you affiliated marketing services
and promis heaven on earth.
It does not affect the possibilities of our business but it is a pitty of course that some muddy the reputation of the sector :-(
Affiliate marketing is starting to get the same reputation as MLMs because of groups like Legendary, unfortunately. 😞
MMMmmm .... I see it as a business, not a product. Keep positive :-)