I just saw this comment from reader elizstrand and wanted to respond for everyone's benefit.
I just signed up with Global Cash Flow Network today and have charged $8590.oo in fees for the whole program including the Dan Kruscher [Kuschell] mentoring program.
About 2 hours after my Level 1 Consultant sign-up I received a phone call from another "work-from-home" sales rep for "Typing from Home" When I mentioned that I just committed to Global Cash Flow Network the caller dove into a full blown rant about what a ripoff, scam bad deal Global Cash Flow is and that I should immediately cancel. The caller wants to call me tomorrow and assist me in cancelling Global. I'm sick to my stomach thinking about this situation. What are your thoughts?
Talk about bad-mouthing the competition -- is there anything out there that's legit? What do you suggest I do? Cancel or work through the program?Thanks.Strand Communications (elizstrand)
Evaluating Advice
elizstrand, I feel your pain. I guess you were on a list for home-business information, and that's why the Typing From Home rep called you. The one thing that is important that I think you must realize already is that the Typing From Home rep you spoke to has a vested interest in getting you signed up with them, rather than GCFN. I've belonged to a network marketing company for a while and have found it hard to make any money (I've spent more on products than I've ever made). So I can't recommend Typing from Home!!
(I don't know much about that company, but you can follow this link to read a review about those types of "typing from home" opportunities/scams)
So bottom line, I WOULD NOT sign up or accept further help from the Typing from Home rep!
What About GCFN - Cancel or Not?
Whether you should cancel or not depends on your goals when you signed up. If you are expecting to make money fast (to replace your income quickly to just work from home and not need another job), I'd consider quitting. GCFN isn't a "make-money-instantly" program. It takes effort to study and then apply what they teach you, and I think the Kuschell mentoring takes place over a few months - so it would be months at least before I'd expect you to make any real money.
On the other hand, if you signed up thinking within a year's time you want to be trained in advertising and internet entrepreneur stuff, then I'd stick with the program and not cancel. From what I can tell, if you actually follow the program and use the mentoring (which sometimes takes persistence because the mentor lines tend to be jammed with calls), you will be able to start earning some real income a year or so later. Even now, while I've had a few big checks come in, I feel like I'm just learning.
Is GCFN a Scam?
I don't think it's a scam. At this point, they seem like a legitimate company to me. But I'm still debating whether or not it's a rip off.
I'm still undecided, for the many reasons I've stated in this blog in the past - it's hard to reach mentors on the phone, and there's no good way to track your advertising results when promoting GCFN. But they do offer a LOT of training and have connections to some good internet entrepreneurs like Joshua Shafran, for whom I've gained a lot of respect since subscribing to his "Two Comma Club" newsletter thru the CMPS program.
As an affiliate of the Global Cash Flow program, it clearly has an awesome back-end (customers you find will be spending thousands, which means you make a significant cut 10-20% each time, which can add up fast if you can find a good advertising/marketing method that works for you - as seen by the checks I've received). But correlating your earnings to your advertising is nearly impossible and something they really need to fix before I'll be able to say definitively that it's a good program.
Frankly, if you are signed up with the Dan Kuschell mentoring program, I'd give it a chance to work out for you. I didn't sign up for that, and actually regret it (since the "Guaranteed Traffic" was a total let-down, I wished I'd spent that money on the mentoring). My sense from talking to my level-2 coach has been that the Dan Kuschell mentoring students get a lot more help and advice. So the fact that you signed up for that is a plus - you're just going to have to work hard to get value from it.
With the CMPS program, you'll learn a lot about advertising and internet marketing stuff with the free "bonus" courses you'll receive electronically over the next few months, but you still have to figure out how to use that knowledge to make some money. Ideally you want to get in a position of promoting products OTHER than GCFN or Dan Kuschell's stuff. But you won't know enough to do that for a while.
That's why I've been saying in some of my past posts that I think the only way to succeed or get value from GCFN and the CMPS program is to look at it as an education/training course more than a money-making opportunity. You'll spend time and money now at a short-term loss, but I think long-term you'll have learned enough to start making real money on your own (not necessarily thru GCFN) within a year.
Bottom Line - Quitting or Sticking With It
It depends.
A) If you can afford to spend the $8500+ for the CMPS/Kuschell program and still be solvent if you don't make much/any money back for the next 6 months, you should definitely stick with it and not cancel. After 6 months, if you've really been following the program, you should be making that money back. And if you could leave a comment here about the Kuschell mentoring, that would be really helpful (because I'm assuming here that his mentoring program really has value to it, and isn't like the Guaranteed Traffic disappointment)
B) If you are going to be in financial crisis and not able to pay credit card bills unless the program starts producing massive amounts of cash for you, I'd recommend you quit and get your refund ASAP. From what I've seen, if you need this program to make money fast, you're going to be very disappointed.
C) If you are somewhere in-between - you can't wait 6 months, but you can afford to pay your bills (maybe you have another job) - then you should stick with it and not quit. You really will learn some stuff. I believe what you'll learn can pay off big-time down the road...but it's not going to pay off right away.
The hard part is applying what the CMPS program will try to teach you. It's all home-study, except for the times you speak to a coach and ask questions. If you don't apply it, you are wasting your money and will never get anywhere. You need to commit to really trying to apply what you'll be offered in training. I hope this doesn't sound harsh, but honestly, no home biz program out there is going to work for you unless you put some serious elbow grease into working your own education and business efforts. Unfortunately, even working hard won't guarantee success, but having any chance at profits at all starts with working hard.
Is There Any Legitimate Work from Home Program Out There?
I honestly do not know. I'm pretty cynical. I've bought plenty of courses, not just the GCFN/CMPS thing, and have yet to make any of that money back entirely by applying the material. But then again, I generally have been lazy and not diligent at applying the stuff I've bought.
The only reason I'm not entirely negative on GCFN/CMPS is because of the big checks I've been getting lately (roughly one big check $600-$950 a month for the past 3 months). It's hard to be negative about a program that sends me $950 checks.
I hope this helped. Please, let me know what you decide to do in a comment.
P.S. I have NOT received another check yet since my last post. But stay tuned!
