Home Based Business Reviews
& Other Information Sources

This page sheds some light on how much trust can be placed in home based business reviews and other supposed 'expert' or 'impartial' sources of information.

These are the most common information types encountered on home businesses, some are good, some are bad, but most are sales tools disguised as advice.

Sources Of Information:

- Articles & Newsletters
- Web sites that offer home based business reviews
- Seminars
- Government bodies
- Critics & Watchdogs
- Forums
- Bureaus, Logo's etc

Free Newsletters

These are designed to build opt-in lists or potential customer databases and to establish a bond through repeated communication.

Readers are then more likely to buy a product or take a recommendation to visit another website, so that a commission can be taken on products sold.

As there is no initial purchase this method removes reader wariness.

The same applies to Ezines & Articles in publications that have a link at the end. Not all are bad or mere sales copy, there can be useful home based business reviews and lessons to be learnt, but it is important to allow for the reason the author is writing these pieces.

Home Based Business Reviews

These are one of the best marketing solutions for affiliate marketers.

Under the pretence of being an expert or reviewer, specific products are highlighted in terms of us and them. Invariably you are then presented with a link to the solution they have identified for you and on which they receive a commission.

This is called pre-selling, some useful information may be gleaned but it is important to bear in mind the prime motive of the author. People are generally looking for impartial information... these sites are far from being impartial.

Home based business reviews can also be sourced from people who have been unsuccessful with a company or business. If this is the case there are 2 possibilities:

• The company or structure could be flawed, dishonest or of poor quality
• Then again it could also be that the individual did not manage to run it successfully, how can you tell?

Free Seminars

Designed to act as a sample and funnel for the main paid seminar or as a client lead source to sell software, services or products. The same principles as the newsletter are employed, gradual manoeuvring of the potential customer until they are at a point to buy.

Very few people give up their time or expend money creating these things without a personal gain in mind. They are all marketing methods and extremely effective.

UK Government Departments

The DTI & DSA: These regulatory bodies are obviously not out to make money from you, but they are run by civil servants not entrepreneurs.

From the research on new companies and new types of opportunities, the most informed and up-to-speed department was the DSA, though they only deal with direct sales, their website is a useful source of information.

The DTI is a massive department with an enormous task... home business opportunities are just one miniscule part of their charge. They act as a regulatory body rather than an advisory council. As such certain rules and regulations have been put in place to aid better business practises and transparency.

They informed me that they shut down any business or company, over which they receive too many complaints, erring on the side of caution rather than carrying out in-depth investigations.

Critics & Watchdogs

Critics may be sincere at heart and motivated by a good intention but their job or tendency is to find something to be critical about. They tend to be highly opinionated people, and as such often edit and select information that coincides with their beliefs.

Being a true sceptic is an honourable trade which endeavours to find the truth, but there are far more pseudo-sceptics, those which merely promote their own stubborn preconceptions.

What qualifies someone to be a critic?

They may believe and in some cases they are providing a service, and there is certainly a swarm of dubious opportunities on offer.

On the other hand they may also be people who have been ‘victims’ in the past. If this is the case people often seek to reinstate their self-esteem by becoming heated and venomous about a certain industry, product or company.

In both cases these two forms are no doubt motivated by genuine concern, however there content shouldn’t be treated as gospel, as Benjamin Disraeli pointed out:

Forums

These vary hugely in the quality of the contributors. Contributors may have their own agenda to promote or axe to grind. How can you rate the purveyor of the information?

Opinions may be sincere, but that doesn’t make them correct.

It is also important to note that successful practitioners are describing their success, with their resources, talents, temperament and circumstances... at a certain point in time ...it may or may not have relevance to you.

Good ones are excellent sources of home based business reviews (if there is no hyperlink), and go well with the internet ethos of sharing information.

Logo's, Bureaus etc

There are a lot of logo's and stamps, bureaus etc that are included in sales pages. In the vast majority of cases they charge an application fee for someone to get their logo, and sometimes all they do is verify some contact details.

Promoters tend to use them to give a perception of credibility which increases sales conversions.

Bank statements: It is not unusual for a 'proof' of earnings or claims to be shown in the form of affiliate statements or bank statements; whilst they may be genuine it is also easy for anyone with a little technical skill to forge these documents.

Home based business review sites and other sources of information as we can see vary widely in quality and motives, just bear in mind some of the above when forming your assessments.

Instead of concentrating on any of the home based business reviews or critiques, I suggest learning about the common mistakes first.