Honest

"In 1992, Lapre began broadcasting "The Making Money Show with Don Lapre," which promised viewers that they could make money as easily as he had. For several years the show was ranked among the ten most frequently broadcast cable television infomercials. The principal product was Lapre's "Money Making Secrets," a package of booklets, tapes, and commonsense tips for placing ads and operating a 900-number business. The product was sold through New Strategies, whose parent company was Tropical Beaches. Soon after purchasing the package, buyers would be telemarketed by a sales representatives who offered additional psychic, dating, entertainment, and chat 900 lines, plus free Web sites that together could cost hundred or even thousands of dollars. The real income opportunity was minimal, but many customers complained that they didn't even receive what they paid for."

I don't normally do the personal thing here, but this link hit way too close to home.

I worked as one of those sales reps at New Strategies for two weeks back in the mid-90s. I had no problem feeding off the greed of idiots who thought you could get money without working. Lapre figured out the real way to make money was by hiring a room full of young people with no conscience making $10 an hour to telemarket from the sucker list of the people who bought from the infomercial.

These customers paid up to $120 for all the crap you see in the picture. It was real. They got what they paid for. All we did was call them up and offer the chance at more. I was amazed at the number of smart people who readily listened to the 12 minute taped presentation of Don doing his verbal hypnosis and then were begging me to take their credit card.

The sales managers were ruthless. They showed the A-B-C scene from Glengarry Glen Ross to pump us up and weed out the weak. I couldn't take orders fast enough. C'mon, even in 1994, would you have bought a 4 extensions on a 9,999 extension 900#? That's right, if you remember 900# ads, they used to say 900-555-1212 x1234. If you typed in 1234, bob got some money. If you typed 4444, sue got paid. All of this was clearly explained and people kept giving him cash.

I finally quit when my mark was a 70+ year old lady who decided to spend her social security check on these worthless 900 numbers rather than her pills. My supervisor was not amused at my humanity.

Read more about the evil Don Lapre!

(Link found at grow-a-brain.)

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