Hight ticket programs are nothing new to the online world and it doesn’t seem like they will be going anywhere either.
As a newb to this whole making money online deal, you can bet that I’ve run into, joined, and gone all in with a high ticket program.
Without doing so, I don’t think I could have ever gotten to where I am today.
Not only have I joined but I actually got involved with about 3 of them.
It might not have been the best decisions I have ever made, but it has shaped the person I am today.
Especially as a full-time online entrepreneur.
And without the high ticket experience, I wouldn’t be able to write this post.
And most especially, I would’ve never been able to run into the first legitimate make-money-from-home program.
Others will look at high-ticket programs as a nightmare, but I like to look at things from a more positive perspective.
So yes, I do think I have learned a good chunk of my knowledge and mentality from high-ticket programs.
Now for those of you who are looking to get involved with one or simply looking to learn more about them, this post is for you.
A Little History on High Ticket Programs
High ticket, 100% commission schemes started with a site called My Lead System Pro, also known as MLSP.
Two of its members (David Wood and David Sharpe), saw the potential of such a plan, so they decided to launch their very own product.
The Empower Network.
That is the same company that took things to a different level and that is also where the chain of high-ticket programs began.
That led to others like My Online Business Empire (MOBE), Digital Altitude, and others that are no longer around for obvious reasons.
The Empower Network
These guys started everything when it came to crazy online marketing.
From the bad-mouthing of other companies to showing off crazy incomes through their live webinars, there was just no filter with them.
My online career started there, and although I am not proud of it, I did learn some of the biggest lessons when it came to making money online.
What started all the “badass” mentality and “I don’t give a crap” style of marketing, created some of the first few online millionaires through high ticket marketing.
That all lasted for a couple of years before the entire business came crashing down, leaving thousands of affiliates in debt and confused.
I was long gone before any of that happened, but I never lost sight of things.
Every big wig marketer from the Empower Network started leaving the company, and even David Sharpe decided to do his thing too.
That left David Wood all by himself, leading him to become a bit crazy.
The end of the Empower Network left the company owing millions of dollars to affiliates, with the top affiliates long gone.
I’m sure the FTC won’t let them off the hook and the people will get back what they deserve.
MOBE
MOBE started off as My Online Business Empire and easily took over as the #1 high ticket program on the net once the Empower Network collapsed.
Matt Lloyd took things to a different level and offered packages that exceeded $30,000.
Who in their right mind would purchase something from the internet for such a high price?
Well, you wouldn’t believe how many people did, and you can thank all the marketing that comes with every high-ticket program.
I’ll cover that a lot more later in this post, but let me get all this history crap out of the way first.
To make a long story short, Matt Lloyd tried to change the company name to My Online Business Education (which I found quite hilarious), just to stay under the radar of what they really were.
A Ponzi scheme.
MOBE lasted for quite some time before the FTC finally came in and put an end to the madness.
But before getting slammed, Matt Lloyd had the nerve to sue the owners of Wealthy Affiliate for all the negative reviews about his company.
What’s crazy is the fact that Kyle and Carson actually lost that case.
Thanks to the FTC, though, Matt Lloyd finally got what he deserved, and the WA gang got back what they had lost.
Wealthy Affiliate is the same company that taught me almost everything I know about making money online, so you can bet that they are not a scam.
For any newb looking to make money online, you might want to check them out so you can see why I think they are the best way to make money online.
And no, you won’t be spending thousands of dollars to learn how to make money, either.
Digital Altitude
This company was next in line to take the throne, but the FTC wouldn’t let that happen.
People were getting desperate and jumping from one high-ticket program to the next, and Digital Altitude was one of them.
With their mountain climbing style website, many people were intrigued by their tactics.
What I didn’t like about this site is that some of the biggest review bloggers promoted them.
They suckered so many people into this site and promoted a lifestyle.
Again, thanks to the good old FTC, this one got shut down, too, and I hope everyone got their money back.
What kind of sucks, too, is that those big named bloggers were hit by the FTC, too, so you can bet that I’m glad I never promoted them.
The Intent of a High Ticket Program
High-ticket programs were created with one thing in mind and one thing only.
To make more money.
From what they can take from the affiliate marketing business model, these high-ticket product creators think they have everything planned out.
Talk badly about the affiliate marketing model and promote a high-ticket product instead.
Who wants to make $10 from selling regular old products when you can promote a Ponzi scheme to make more money?
That’s all there is to it, and that’s the start of a high-ticket sales funnel that will have you pulling out your credit card.
If you’re not careful, of course.
As long as you understand the initial sales page of any high-ticket program is designed to work against you.
Every single step of the way until they get as much money from you as possible.
“Buy this now, or you will pass up your commissions to your up-line.”
Don’t go fumbling in your wallet to get your credit card because almost 99% of all members will never make a single high ticket sale.
Unless you think about things before making any decisions, the marketer will usually beat you.
Ah, the Education
Remember what I mentioned about why high-ticket programs were created in the first place?
That same stance didn’t change in the past 10 seconds.
What these high-ticket product owners (the few that haven’t been shut down) are trying to do is a little crafty but funnier.
Because the FTC pounces on “Make $10k tomorrow” type marketing and will shut you down faster than you can see that money, these fools have taken a different approach.
This is the same route Matt Lloyd took and still got shut down.
Promote an education.
Let’s come off as a site that teaches others how to do online marketing but still makes thousand-dollar commissions.
“But John, this training is awesome and is worth every fricken penny!”
That is exactly what other high-ticket promoters tell me.
What they tend to forget is that I was involved with them before.
Sure, the training is cool and might work, but do you think it’s worth even just $500?
Because you can find that same training elsewhere.
Buying Education Before You Sell Education?
Get the flock outta here with that nonsense.
I do affiliate marketing for a living and I love everything about it.
One thing I really appreciate is the fact that you DO NOT need to purchase anything to sell it.
Now, when it comes to high-ticket programs, you do.
Is High Ticket Affiliate Marketing?
It is, but in a really shady way.
They use the whole fast food franchise as an example of why you need to buy the product, but we all know that’s a crock of crap.
High-ticket product owners don’t even know what to call their products in the first place.
Education?
Franchise?
Affiliate marketing?
Someone, please help them out.
What You Are Really Getting
With everyone getting shut down, you can bet that all high-ticket product owners hit the panic button.
Most go the education route and try their very best to tell their affiliates not to promote them as some make-money program.
That’s hard to do when you are trying to make money, right?
Well, that’s when they come in as they are some network marketing help center.
This might sound a bit crazy, but the same company that started all this is one of the few that remain active.
They are also one that I can say is as close to legit as it gets, and that is because the owners know how to dodge bullets.
How They Remain Alive
MLSP has been around the longest by far.
And as long as they remain open for business, no one will ever take that spot.
But how do they do it?
They do what everyone else is not doing.
The first thing they do is not promote themselves as a make-money-from-home program.
Do that, and they’ll be gone in a heartbeat.
Every time you see one of their videos, you will see that they emphasize that they will help you in your current business.
They don’t go telling you that their program is going to make you rich as everyone else has done.
What I don’t like is that everyone is flocking to this concept, but they still have the get-rich-quick scheme in their back pocket.
Secondly, they don’t go prancing around like they’re an actual university.
Providing education is great, but not when it comes to making money online.
Now, when you consider yourself some kind of institute, that’s when the red flags get drawn.
These guys don’t do that, which is why they are still around.
Lastly, they don’t charge you thousands of dollars so that you can make money, although they have done in the past.
Their pricing has gone through quite the overhaul, and even if I disagree with their pricing, it is at least fair.
Not to mention the fact that they also have regular products that you can promote as an affiliate and still make higher commissions as an affiliate.
Are High Ticket Programs Right For You?
There is a very fine line that you don’t want to cross when it comes to high-ticket programs.
For the most part, almost all present high-ticket programs are changing their business models.
I still disagree with spending thousands of dollars to make money online, so do stand clear of those types of sites.
If you are looking to make money with your network marketing business, you might want to go with MLSP.
For now, that is the best one I know of, but I will be doing more research as more companies come around.
Before you join a high-ticket program, be sure to do your research and look for some reviews.
Don’t always settle for the first options either, as most of them are probably promoting them.
Do some thorough research and see what the TOTAL amount that you will be coughing up is.
Most start at around $47 but will have you going through a funnel that will have you spending thousands.
If that’s where you see your boat heading, jump off and get a refund.
My Final Opinion of High Ticket Programs
Most high-ticket programs won’t be around for a very long time.
The dollar signs are too big that the owners and their affiliates will not make the necessary changes.
It’s hard to do when all the original members have paid their dues, but it is what it is.
If you want to make money, do things the right way and maybe start a real online business instead.
You do not need to spend anything close to a thousand dollars to make money online.
Besides that, I wouldn’t recommend any high-ticket programs unless you know what you are getting into.
I hope this has helped you in one way or another.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
What’s your take on CF? And CB?
You mean ClickFunnels and Clickbank?
Really good article man! I was a member of WA a few years ago.
I created a site, promoting a CB product, and was making consistent sales with it. This was my first successful site after lots of failed ones. Man it felt great!
But… then some A-hole basically ripped off my site and Google displayed his (over mine) overnight and that was it. It really pissed me off and really turned me off to all of this. It seems Google is getting harder and harder to please now.
That’s one thing that was frustrating about Kyle and Carson. They always harped on “don’t worry about backlinks, just worry about quality content”. I get what they are saying, but dude come on. Backlinks are a huge part of the algorithm.
I was making some money promoting WA and enjoyed the recurring commissions. I may join again and just focus on WA promotion. It is a good and legitimate place for sure.
Thanks man! I went through the same exact crap man so I feel your pain. The same site that made me Vegas 4 years in a row got hacked and that idiot’s site is ranked over mine now. I completely stopped working on that site and now I have BrokeVeteran, which I really do like anyways. Pissed me off but I think starting this site will be better in the long run.
As far as backlinks are concerned, they are actually right. I did absolutely nothing to get backlinks on this site and it is already doing better than my old site. So yes, you do not need to worry about backlinks and focus on quality content.
The way I see it (and I’ve read it somewhere else as well) is like like this. Backlinks are great and needed but by publishing content and linking internally will serve the same purpose as a backlink. It absolutely works man and I did no work in getting backlinks whatsoever. Try it out and you will see some really good results. Not to mention my stuff ranks almost immediately.
You should come back though and I can even help you if you’d like. However, I do know you have the knowledge to replicate what you did and a whole lot more just understanding that posting quality content regularly is just as good as getting backlinks.
Thanks for the kind words my man and I am looking forward to your return. Cheers!
Great article.
Thank you.
I was surprised to hear about MOBE, I purchased at the top pf funnel at $47, then I dont recall if I moved to the next at 87, though that was it. It seemed to be a good product from my perspective, though intuitively I didnt continue, something didnt seem right. So that must say something.
Glad you trusted your gut Giuseppe! Sometimes we get desperate and we start thinking that spending more means we will make more. At least that’s what I thought and why I spent the thousands that I was handcuffed to spend. So glad you weren’t like me as it is not an easy lesson to learn. Hope you are doing well and I hope you have found something that actually works Giuseppe. Don’t forget to checkout my top recommended program to see what actually worked for me. Cheers!
Got to love wealthy affiliate, there’s no such training available online which comes close, the community alone is worth the investment to me. I never really liked promoting high ticket stuff, sales are often a fluke, I’m more of a recurring cashflow person (from smaller recurring sales)
Great article John. I have only been doing low ticket items with small commissions since I started affiliate marketing but the temptation to do higher ticket is always there. I agree and don’t think the higher ticket programs will not be around for a while. This is the reason I think finding something you’re passionate about and a lower ticket item will always win in the end on average. I think of it like the turtle vs the hare. I know a few people who have spent thousands of dollars for programs that guarantee to make them thousands of dollars a day. I even had a friend last week say he spent $1500 on training and has had zero results. Your $50 a month program you recommend looks amazing and that’s the way I think everyone should start.
High ticket programs are designed for you to make higher commissions and does not mean you are getting your money’s worth. I have bought into high ticket programs in the past and the idea of selling what you just bought just to make money is not something I could get myself to do. I cut my losses and believe it or not, that same $50/month program is what got me all my money back. Not to mention I have been working from home for the past 5 years and helping others to do the same. Glad you found some value in this post Bobby and I hope your business is doing well.