Howie Schwartz: Genius or Jerkoff?

Hey guys. I'm curious about people opinions on Howie Schwartz products. I'm not a total noob but certainly not making a ton of income on line. I got on his list I've been getting a lot of videos, pdfs and audios since then. I've definitely gained some value from them. But... should I take the plunge and buy one of his crazy ass expensive courses?

I bought one of his cheaper products. Did it deliver me value? Definitely. Did it deliver all it promised? Not really. A couple things seemed to be missing and it seemed that not all the info was there to put it all together and really make it work. Outsourcing was talked about but never explained for example.

I've found his IM Leadership course to be intriguing but it carries a hefty $1200+ price tag. I feel like I could get value out of it but that it's overpriced. Then today, he sent out a case study for it hXXp://www.im*leadership.com/julie-case*study.html.

I found it to be UNimpressive. In my opinion, they brag about getting a phrase which has almost no competition ranked on page one of Google. It seems like I can do that without paying $1300. I also don't see how a testimonial from Howie, which is billed as a big selling point, means jack to the local lawyers and accountants I would want to try and sell to. Sure, we've all heard of him, but who in the real world has, especially in your local market?

Anyway, I see a lot mixed emotions about Howie on the forum, which is what I would expect from a "big name". Some say he's selling old methods, selling the same methods over and over again (I kind of suspected that) or that he's not even really making real money except as a guru. Others say he's the real deal and that if you apply his methods you will succeed. I feel like maybe the truth is somewhere in between these extremes.

So, who has strong feelings about Howie Schwartz products? Who has used them? Positive or negative experiences? Anyone ask for their money back? Anyone make decent money with them? Anyone think he's scamming newbies?

Thanks for your opinion

Greeting OP...

In all honesty..what Howie teaches is valuable just from the fact that he has used his methods

to create millions of dollars..Howie outsources on a diffrent level than the average IM'er

and he'll admit it.Over and over again I have heard Howie talk about how important it is to

find the land of the blind and become KING and afterwards take on other markets..


As for the pricing goes..it depends on how long the program will be for...I clearly remember

the time when he was selling Apprentice 3 for quiet a pretty coin..but when you think abou

t it..hes actually giving you access to people that are his project managers plus doing the

outsource part for YOU..sure..we may know half of what they know..but I'm sure they are

a big help along the way..being able to build friendships with his staff is also a Big WIN..

Nevertheless..if I was looking to join a program right now..with no doubt in mind..I would

go for Howies program..and by the way if you happen to get IM Leadership..make sure to pm me..I

have adeal for ya..

I haven't gotten REAL involved with Howie but I've watched several hours of his videos. You can learn a lot from him but it's nothing that I think you need to pay those prices for. My advice is to save your $ in the beginning of your IM career and find mostly free info. Take it from me. I spent a ton of dough my first 12 months that looking back, I didn't need to. There's great info. right here on BHW if you're willing to look hard. I also made a point of finding several IM'ers that I respected and who I knew told it "like it is" (they aren't gurus). There are some GREAT IM bloggers out there that will give you tons of good info. and step by step methods for free. Take advantage of "Free Stuff" first...IMHO

gun-shy

Thanks guys, two really well thought out answers and exactly the type of things I was looking for.

I think he's a genius because he's such a jerk off. He made himself successful and now he stays even more successful by marketing to marketers. Now he's just like every other guru pitching us shit we don't need. Obviously we don't need it because he didn't have it to become successful, right?

In my education and experience Howie is excellent with WH niche, keyword, and website marketing practices. Without meeting him I have nothing bad to say about him at all.

I have learned from him and that is what makes my income, so it does have value. If I spent $1200 (but it secured or insured my multiple streams of lifetime income), Is it worth it? I say yes - tenfold.

gun-shy315 said:

I haven't gotten REAL involved with Howie but I've watched several hours of his videos. You can learn a lot from him but it's nothing that I think you need to pay those prices for. My advice is to save your $ in the beginning of your IM career and find mostly free info. Take it from me. I spent a ton of dough my first 12 months that looking back, I didn't need to. There's great info. right here on BHW if you're willing to look hard. I also made a point of finding several IM'ers that I respected and who I knew told it "like it is" (they aren't gurus). There are some GREAT IM bloggers out there that will give you tons of good info. and step by step methods for free. Take advantage of "Free Stuff" first...IMHO

gun-shy

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I totally i agree with this. Howie is not the ultimate. There are many who are far more superior than him who hide themselves and never reveal themselves.

And how do you know how successful he is check screenshots?

coolcocky said:

So all in all, his methods work but you need to add your element and not just copy his total solution. Also, if you are thinking of doing everything yourself including web 2.0 property creation, you would not get anywhere

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This has been my experience with what I've learned from him so far. It's actually good to hear confirmation that I do need to automate/outsource some of this, and that it's not just me. I've had some success using these methods but spent a lot of time in front of my computer. It seems daunting to scale this without some sort of help.

I believe that he is a genius... at making money from selling information on how to make money. Fs for learning his techniques; I think there is a lot of free information out there that is just as good.

havokb8 said:

And how do you know how successful he is check screenshots?

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Thanks for mentioning this point. I agree, I would definitely not believe a single person I didn't know personally based on screenshots of alleged money. He does use these occasionally but they're not his main selling point.

I think his selling point when you get down to it is the same as everybody's is: I have the formula that you can apply to make real income online. To me, that's what every person who buys any product is looking for.

I don't really expect to get that "magic formula" from Howie, but if he has knowledge that I can apply (and I'm looking for things I can REALLY apply - not just read and move on) and make more money with I'm interested.

Honestly, I'm getting pretty sick of gurus. I'm tired of them all pimping the same product to me and getting the same emails every single day but from a different person. The point that people make all the time seems valid: "If someone really had the best way to make money, why would they sell it?"

The reason I'm interested in Howie though is because I have been able to apply what I've learned from him and actually see some results. Not the results I'm hoping for yet, but better results than I had before. There's a big leap though from a $150 product to a $1300 product and I'm not convinced to make that jump yet.

Maybe I just need to spend more time on this forum though, because there are obviously smart people here. The answers I'm getting just to my one question so far have been great. And just last night I picked up an ebook for free that is basically Howie's social media method with a twist.

I imagine there's a lot of good stuff floating around on here. I've found some great ideas but then it can be hard to "connect the dots" so to speak. It's just a lot to sort through and it can get overwhelming when you see multiple methods and techniques but you've got limited time to apply them. It overwhelms me to the point of inaction sometimes.

Maybe that's another reason I'm interested in Howie - I want someone to slice away some of the filler and go: "Here - focus on THIS if you want to make money".

I still don't know but I'm loving the conversation, so big THANKS to everyone who's posted. Every single response has been great.

tousif1988 said:

Howie is not the ultimate. There are many who are far more superior than him who hide themselves and never reveal themselves.

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I definitely believe this, but unfortunately these people hiding in the shadows don't help me in the least. And why should they? Thanks for your thoughts

gun-shy315 said:

I haven't gotten REAL involved with Howie but I've watched several hours of his videos. You can learn a lot from him but it's nothing that I think you need to pay those prices for. My advice is to save your $ in the beginning of your IM career and find mostly free info. Take it from me. I spent a ton of dough my first 12 months that looking back, I didn't need to. There's great info. right here on BHW if you're willing to look hard. I also made a point of finding several IM'ers that I respected and who I knew told it "like it is" (they aren't gurus). There are some GREAT IM bloggers out there that will give you tons of good info. and step by step methods for free. Take advantage of "Free Stuff" first...IMHO

gun-shy

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Hi,
Im a newbie to IM marketing could you please list a few names here so the rookies can research their materials.

battman323 said:

Now he's just like every other guru pitching us shit we don't need. Obviously we don't need it because he didn't have it to become successful, right?

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That's my big fear.... besides losing money I can't really afford to lose.

The gurus sure make me wonder: If they're making so much money selling products and being affiliates, why bother being a guru? Maybe they just want to make MORE money. Or maybe making money online selling to others how to make money online really is the only way they make money.

obviously they wanna make MORE money.
What everybody wants is to be an AUTHORITY at something that they do and for howie,
his current authority is being a IMA (internet marketing adviser)
and a really good one as well

Also.... Does Howie every REALLY close any of his programs? They always seem to say "only five more spots left" or some such thing but every time I return, it appears they're still willing to take my money. The Apprentice was "closing tomorrow" for several weeks. Now it says they've opened another group but "today is the last day to join". I would take it anyway because I'm sure there's value in it but $3000 is way out of my ballpark.

Howies products are pretty much released on the intentions of being bought in group buys. He is a clever guy. I don't know about how he was in the beginning but now that he is known to be a successful internet marketer with good content he continues to write good content but has upped the price knowing that individuals are not going to be able to afford it but group buys are. How can he advantage from this? Affiliate links and referral links to aff networks inside the ebooks, he must be making a fortune from referral income alone.

In my opinion I think his content is good, maybe some of it a little too stretched out, other bits well over priced but he is definately a very successful, very clever, internet marketer.

I feel like he went in the right direction at the right time with his current course (IMleadership). Is it over priced? I think this is all perspective. I mean if you were to take the $500.00/month option, and by month two you have a client or clients who are paying your more than $500.00/month then you would quickly make your money back. I think the price all comes down to how serious someone is about making money or going after local businesses and getting them to bite.

We all know that Howie has given out great free info in the past, but these stupid ebooks that he is giving out to his list for IM Leadership are ridiculous. I probably would have bought the course if I hadn't seen the "18 step" thing, which just wasted my time.

Anyways, this course seems like it will be good for the type of people that need to fill in 90% of the holes with what Howie has already explained.

His content maybe good but it could be better if he can explain these in a short pdf file instead of dozens of dvd. This is the trend for these internet marketing, to milk as much fluff as possible on top of some useful idea or technique. Of course doing this to justify the sky high price.

I mean you waste a lot of time watching these DVD's if you don't implement what's told to do.

gimme4free said:

Howies products are pretty much released on the intentions of being bought in group buys. He is a clever guy. I don't know about how he was in the beginning but now that he is known to be a successful internet marketer with good content he continues to write good content but has upped the price knowing that individuals are not going to be able to afford it but group buys are.

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A group buy, interesting idea I wouldn't have thought of. Maybe I need to find myself a few partners.