I went to this free seminar recently and spent $3500. Wait a minute. Did I get scammed? The big seminar was great. I met some wonderful people there but I left with $3500 less than when I walked in with! What's free about that? It's a scam. I was tricked into taking the bait, enjoying the show and then opening my checkbook to some charismatic golden-throated speaker in front of hundreds of his followers. I've been duped. I've been scammed. I've been had by the best.



Oh, don't get me wrong, the people putting on the big seminar didn't scam anyone. I scammed myself! Thanks to internet gurus like Armand Morin, Russell Brunson, Marlon Sanders, and Jim Edwards; there are plenty of great seminars out there for anyone wanting to learn how to make money on the Internet. These guys are big seminar masters and they're on the leading edge of what it takes to succeed on Web 2.0.

But, they're not the problem. There are tons of big seminar promoters out there and although most of them are legitimate, some are not. But it's not the seminar people who are the problem, we are the problem! We are the problem because we create expectations in our mind that are so unrealistic or so far-fetched we can't possibly live up to the fantasies we create. Here are just a few of the scams that I have perpetrated upon myself over the years. Do you recognize any of these embarrassing scams?

1. The Zero Dinero Scam - Believing I can get something for nothing. Even though there may be plenty of free information being given out by respectable seminar presenters I am still the one that needs to implement what I've learned.

2. The Rich Uncle Rescue Scam - Hoping I'll find the sugar daddy to find me, feed me and fund me. Your rich uncle and your rich seminar leader can give you lots of advice but you alone hold the power to change your life. Waiting for a rich uncle to take care of you is a scam you can do without. Take control of your life. Quit hoping and start working.

3. The Lypo-suction Seduction Scam- Looks are deceiving and getting sucked into a seminar just because it looks good or you think it makes you looks good just ain't good! Lypo-suction is a quick way to get rid of the fat without the hard work. Seminars may bring you attractive opportunities but you still have to do the work. Put a little lipstick on a pig and you still have a pig. If you're a seminar junky and you never really use that stuff, just knock it off. Either quit going to seminars and accept your place in life or actually do something with all that wisdom you've been listening to!

4. The One-Night-Stand Scam - Don't be seduced into another "one nighter." Go to a seminar that works a little more like a marriage. You want a long-term commitment from the people you meet and greet to get the most mileage from your investment of time and energy. If you wouldn't want to see the people you meet at the seminar after the seminar, then you're in the wrong seminar.

5. The Attraction-Without-Action Scam- Fooling yourself into believing that if you just think positive, you can sit there in your Lazy Boy and success will find you. Ain't happen' dog. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" is great for little toy trains going up the mountain but it doesn't work that way in the real world. If all you get out of that seminar is some great thinking, then I think you're sunk.

6. The Bright Shiny Object-of-the-Week Scam ? This looks cool, I think I'll try this! If you easily jump from one idea to the next, consider this. My friend went to a seminar and bought a software program to trade currency on the international markets recently. The software looked so cool and the seminar was slick and polished. Problem was, he didn't have any currency to trade to start with. But that bright shiny object he paid $800 for sure looked good! Look beyond the surface before you sign up for the next seminar. Is it something you really want to do or is just another bright shiny object on the sidewalk of life?

7. The Book-Buyer Scam ? Collect the books, tapes, and CD's but never read them or listen to them. If you're the kind of person that gets excited by a great presentation and buys every up-selling item at the seminar, then leave your checkbook and credit card at home and focus on paying attention to the seminar. If you do buy additional materials at the big seminar, then use them immediately.

I don't like to beat up on myself too much because life is a learning process. Unfortunately I never went to the "How to Avoid Stupid Seminars Seminar" long ago. The only real problem with most seminars from my perspective is usually just that, my perspective! If you want to maximize your next big seminar experience and avoid getting scammed (by yourself and others) then do this:

? Adjust your expectations ? back to reality

? Focus on learning two or three things that you can act on immediately

? Find a small number of people who you really connect with and build a relationship that will continue after the seminar

? Use these connections to help you stay committed to integrating what you learned

? Set emotions aside and calmly think through which tools, books, and CD's to buy.

Keep an open mind, think it through and don't be scammed by you know who!

Copyright (c) 2007 Steve Dahl