seminar - n. : a meeting in which you receive information on and training in a particular subject
That, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Although most seminars are normally exercises in academia, attended by scholars or undergrads and hosted by a knowledgeable professor, the term seminar has recently come to mean almost any gathering of people for the purpose of providing information and training on just about any specific subject. So it is no surprise that real estate gurus from late-night TV are using the seminar circuit to their advantage - and to the disadvantage of "the folks."
The issue we - and the Better Business Bureau - have with this abuse of the seminar is simple: the gurus do not use the "seminar" for disseminating any worthwhile information or providing training on the subject at hand - real estate investing, and how to profit from it. Instead, these "seminar scams" have one purpose - to sell something to the attendees. More particularly, to upsell increasingly expensive add-ons, such as mentoring (coaching), boot camps, bus tours or whatever other terminology they can come up with that sounds really cool! (NOTE: One program, "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate" does not utilize such sales gimmicks. When you have a course that actually works, it sells itself by word-of-mouth and gimmicks are not necessary.)
These seminars are nothing more than a re-creation of the old-tyme "Medicine Show", where the barker would attract a crowd with entertainment such as a dancing girl, magic show or sharpshooter, and then go into a fast-talking spiel to get the mesmerized folks in the crowd to buy a bottle of his "cure-all" medicine - which is often referred to as "snake oil". Completely worthless, few people complained much because the "medicine" was alcohol based, designed to make you think you were getting benefits that you were not really getting.
Sound familiar? That's because Than Merrill and his FortuneBuilders franchise, Armando Montelongo, Carleton Sheets, Ron LeGrand and a host of other real estate gurus use those same gimmicks to sell their own brand of snake oil. As FORBES magazine so aptly put it, the only ones getting rich from these seminars are the "gurus" running them.
Do not misunderstand - real estate investing is one of the few tried and true methods whereby the average person on the street can achieve financial independence. But "seminars" hosted by late-night infomercial gurus are unlikely to get you there.
Seminars are a great way to teach, but the infomercial real estate gurus do not use them for that purpose. They have perverted them, and given seminars a bad name in general. And it is not just seminars. It also includes boot camps and bus tours, or any other gathering dedicated to selling. In essence, they are all "Medicine Shows". A rose by any other name...
If you truly want to learn how to invest successfully in real estate and have the benefit of a free coach to walk you through every step, visit "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate". It is a complete, stand-alone program that actually teaches real estate investing and includes everything you need to succeed, at a cost anyone can afford.
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