After reading Thoughts on Forced Continuity and Similar Scams from Caroline Middlebrook’s blog, I’m taking the opportunity to digress from my Internet Business Ideas Guide series and blog on the sincerity of sales pitches.Internet Marketers in general, have always been successful in painting a very convincing picture of the success of their business. More often than not, they are associated with overselling, and at times, delivering products that turn out to be less than spectacular. Truly, their “solutions to all your problems” often turn out to be disappointing to many buyers.

Worse, with forced continuity hidden in their fine print, some Internet Marketers silently bill their unsuspecting customers once the “trial” period lapses. They’ll then push the blame back to the customers citing, “It’s not our fault that you didn’t see the fine print“. By doing this, these sellers are just teetering on the border of ethically unacceptable and legally wrong.

The questions are - Why do many Internet Marketers have to resort to over-hyping to make a sale? Is it really necessary for a sales pitch to sound the way it is in order for a sale to be made? Do customers really need to be told, time and again, to take action?

Or, are these just tactics that have turned into generally accepted norms of the Internet Marketing industry?

At the core, buyers are not stupid. They recognize a sales pitch when they see one. In fact, they’ve seen so many that they begin to doubt the authenticity of the “in your face” superior product claim. They begin to wonder if they will again be sold a disappointing product, with a bunch of freebies that no one wants.

It is with this that many Internet Marketers have been somewhat regarded as using shady tactics, just to get money out of other people’s pockets. Even Caroline Middlebrook admitted that the tactics she used in 2002 were skewed towards a borderline level of fraud.

As this industry matures, I believe that sincerity would be a virtue that would be appreciated. People want to buy from someone they can trust for a second purchase. After all, it costs more to gain a new customer, than to retain a repeat buyer.

Internet marketers need to change for the better. They need to deliver or even over deliver on what they had promised in their sales pitch. Refunds have to be made promptly, and without question, if buyers feel that what they have paid for is not worth the price.

Sellers would then be on their toes when it comes to their promises, and ensure that they sell a quality product that meets expectations. Features and benefits have to be spelled out as clearly and as accurately as possible. Trying too hard to coax a customer to take action should no longer occur. They will buy if they are certain that they product is relevant to solving their problems.

In the end, if everyone thinks sincerity and honesty, Internet Marketers can at last get the “scammer” labels off their foreheads and finally be regarded as reputable and reliable entrepreneurs.