Tight Budget? Still Need In?

On a very limited budget, it's not easy to get access to a product, but this isn't always true.

A common tactic used by vendors who have inferior products, they litter the product sales promotion with downsells as they do with upsells.

A downsell is a page that appears when you go to exit the page you are on and you get the "Wait, Don't Leave!" dialog box. Whilst this isn't always an indication of a bad program, it often is.

They don't take "no" for an answer. It's one thing to be hounded with upsells right after you've purchased a product, but they also try to catch you with one of their downsells in hopes you will purchase and they can get your money, even it it's a smaller amount.

Downsells - Great for Reviewers on a Tight Budget!

I love it when I research a product and get these...especially when this is a Clicksure product! Often, the vendor has ulterior motives when selling products. They are often a bait & switch situation - something quite damning to write about.

I've had a product very recently with four downsells! That's right, four "Wait, Don't Leave" messages! The final one had, "Okay, Take It! It's Yours!" Puts the true colors into what's going on here. Sure enough - led to just another bogus product from which they derive affiliate sales.

In this case, the lowest downsell - FREE resulted in a totally different promotion plastered in my face. To get the product, I had to go through the process again and take the next-to-lowest downsell - $9. That got me the product with none of the features working. However, it did have the training videos in there from which I was able to get enough information about the product to review it!

Negotiating with Vendor, Discounts & Getting Refunds

As for the good products, sometimes you can negotiate with the product owner, though this isn't as common as it used to be, and work out a deal where you get to evaluate the product in return for an honest review on it.

Sometimes you can get them at a discount. The last product (which actually I'm working on now) I got for half price. Although the product has issues, the vendor is obviously sincere and willing to help anyone along with the course materials he's offering.

Finally, I've purchased lousy products at or near cost and after researching and reviewing, got a refund. Be careful with Clicksure-processed products! Be sure you understand the policies of the affiliate network the vendor is using. Some, such as Clickbank, require vendors to offer good guarantees. Many will with no questions asked. A good affiliate network company will stand behind guarantees offered by their supported vendors and will deal strictly with any that do not comply with policies.

Final Thoughts on Accessing Products...

If a product is decent and good for a nice review, don't ask for a refund. At least, this is my practice. If it's that good, make this part of your business policy to honour the vendor the sale in return for a good review, and one that will make you some money if written and SEO'd correctly.

If a vendor has discounted the product in your behalf, or has, for the reason of an issue with your purchase, granted you an upsell or other gift, don't ask for a refund. It's not nice, even if the product is inferior. Use your judgement in this. When I say this, I mean you've actually had interaction with the product owner and you can see this person is trying to market his product honestly.

If you are reviewing a bad product, as I've already mentioned above, know which affiliate network company hosts it. Know their policies. If you find it saying that it is not responsible for whatever happens with regard to a vendor promoting a bad product through them, this is a sheer sign that this is a haven of pirates! Be certain that Clicksure isn't the only one!

Now on to some dos and don'ts...