Jeff Lerner’s YouTube ad starts out: “It’s a fact. In the new economy, average people are becoming millionaires faster and easier than ever before. But how do they do it? According to the news, the whole world’s falling apart. Well, that’s the million dollar question. Now if you’re not interested in the million dollar answer, go ahead and skip to the end of this video,” he says, hopping into his Can-Am.
The ad picks back up in the middle of the desert. Jeff introduces himself and says he had an unusual path to becoming a millionaire. He didn’t slave away at a 9 to 5 for 40 years, max out his 401(k) and wait patiently for compounding to kick in. He didn’t invent anything. Or hit it big on a scratcher. No trust fund. He just took a “massive shortcut” on the internet and, $50 million dollars later, here we are.
And, for a limited time, Jeff’s going to share his secrets in a simple book called The Millionaire Shortcut. He swears it’s 100% free. No strings attached. “And I promise, it’s gonna be the most powerful book that you’ve ever read on the subject of how average, ordinary people are becoming millionaires fast in the new economy,” he says.
But after clicking the button and entering my email to receive it, I was not impressed. Actually, I was annoyed. It felt like a bait-and-switch. Immediately, I was redirected to a video sales letter. After lots of buildup and no mention of what I’d actually be learning, I was pressured to buy a $39 course before the countdown timer hit zero. Surely there would be upsells after that. Hard-pass.
A few minutes later, Jeff’s “book” arrives in my inbox. I think he meant to call it a short PDF document that pre-sold his course I just mentioned. What was the big “shortcut,” you ask? To find a millionaire mentor and model them. That’s it. Groundbreaking stuff, Jeff. And super convenient that you happen to be a millionaire who offers mentoring. Please. Take my credit card and run it up. I’d love to buy you a new Can-Am.
While I’m sure Jeff Lerner can teach you a thing or two about digital marketing, for me, the lack of transparency was a deal-breaker. If you have something for sale, say so in the ad. If your “lead magnet” is garbage, don’t position it as a powerful book that can make someone seven figures in no time flat. And how about some specifics? What, exactly, will I learn in the course? How will it make me an internet multi-millionaire like yourself? Connect the dots for me. And what can I expect after that first purchase?
Obviously, there’s a reason he doesn’t do any of those things. ROAS. Return on ad spend. Honesty would whittle that down to nothing. But even if we look past that, Jeff Lerner seems like a generalist. I’d rather learn from a specialist. Someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes their craft. Someone who can hold my hand, walk me through each step, and almost guarantee the outcome I’m looking for.
So unless Jeff Lerner’s course was on how to run a YouTube ad with misleading marketing to sell a generic course followed by a bunch of upsells, I personally would not be interested. What about you?
