Kevin Trudeau’s Debt Cures

Notwithstanding this book is being hawked via a 30 minute infomercial (major red flag), this is a prime example of caveat emptor. The background of the book, as told by the infomercial, is essentially yet another “get out of debt without any risk” tome.

What is the over all mission of every infomercial on television? Simply stated, the target of any infomercial is easy to discern: to separate you from your money. How do infomercials achieve this goal? Simple: by playing on your emotion of fear. Face it, everyone is scared/concerned about something. Otherwise, there would not be infomercials out there that will help you lose weight, look prettier, household gadgets (the fear of not having that “right” tool at the “right” time), and even relieving yourself of debt. The fear that Trudeau’s well written infomercial plays on is the fear of not being able to get out of debt.

Every sales pitch contains three basic, essential elements in order for the pitch to work for the huckster. These three elements exist in online, television, or even face to face sales pitches. The three elements are:

Target, front end and back end (add ons).

The target portion of the sales pitch is simply who is the product aimed at? Is there a specific demographic? Is there a specific niche market? For Trudeau’s book, the target is simply the people who can actually afford his offering the least: those that are hopelessly in debt. The beauty of infomercials is easy to understand: when you make the call, you are hooked, you want the item. Is the information helpful? In some cases, yes it is; however, in most cases it is simple separation tool (separating you from your money). I bought Kevin Trudeau’s book for two simple reasons:

1) Curiosity. While I strongly doubt the book contains any new information, the book is not available in stores or the public library.

2) I am going to see how the 30 day money back guarantee works. I want to see how easy/ hard it is to return and the total time it takes to receive a refund.

When dealing with an ‘over the phone’ purchase, the front end of the sales pitch is actually the information portion. You must realize, at this point, you have already been closed. Barring a miracle, you are going to buy this product. This is sometimes referred to as the point of no return. This is where you call the 1-800 number that is on your screen. You have to take your first step outside of your comfort zone by making contact (going to the car lot, going to Best Buy, or in this case, calling the number). What happens when you make the call to the 1-800 number? Typically, the call is recorded to make you feel trapped (because you are) and it also gives the company a legal leg to fall back on: if you later decide you do not want their product and you attempt to do a charge back to your credit card, they have your voice authorizing the sale. What is the first thing that the (commissioned) telemarketer does? They get your first and last name. Why? Well, first to put them on a first name basis with you. I mean, which sells better: “Sir, I am sure you will like our widget” or “Ted, thank you so much for calling! I understand that you are wanting to purchase our widget, is this correct?” Yep, the second one. After you answer to the affirmative to his/her question, guess what is next? “Ted, can I get your shipping information?” Wham! If you had questions regarding the product, for many people, you are now in “buying mode”. They have your information, simple as that. As a side note, when the salesperson asks for your phone number (in case there is a problem with your order), DO NOT give them your number. Why? When you you’re your phone number, you just gave that company or any entity in which