Re Carlton Sheets - in John T. Reed's Guru Evaluator

[Expat]

Tim F mentions that he admired Carlton Sheets with one of the most successful direct marketing business of all time, at I believe, $65m.

Oh, the memories, the memories.

Carlton Sheets. Patrician, trustworthy, distinguished. Great hair.

John T. Reed has an excellent guru evaluator page, mostly for real estate, but also some infomercial types.

http://www.johntreed.com/rateseminars.html

Mr. Reed seems to have been fighting a one man war with certain infomercial types for twenty years.

Remember Tommy Vu and the babes on the motor yacht somewhere in Florida. "You too can be rich like me. I came to this country with nothing. Now here I am surrounded by many beautiful young women wearing dental floss bikinis. Buy my course." Etc.

He doesn't like Robert Kiyosaki much either.

Infomercials are like walking over dodgy ice. Not good for long term health. John Reed's sceptical view is like a strong rope and a stout partner on the other end.


As a digression, Reed gives terrific reviews to two real estate investors - Bill Nickerson and Al Lowry.

Personally I liked Mary Weir's How We Made a Million Dollars Recycling Great Old Houses book and the later House Recycling book.

Unfortunately I don't have an answer on whether house recycling or direct marketing will be better in the 21st century but I sure agree with Tim F's calculation on relative earnings. Getting to four hours a week would be a noble goal. Rather than sixty, particularly if they are to be spent covered in plaster dust and grime. ;-).

If only I can a) find a market, b) find the product to fill it and c) create the handling mechanisms to fulfill the demand, all without losing my shirt. ;-) A noble challenge.

[Vince]

Yes, there are very few "gurus" that Reed likes, but he's serious about his research and honest about his limits. Reed actually saved me from signing up with a guy I heard speak at a RE seminar, who turned out to be ethically challenged.:eek:

Reed is a dinosaur when it comes to the Internet and outsourcing, however. He's not a role model, but as a resource, excellent!

[Feumet]

Yes, there are very few "gurus" that Reed likes, but he's serious about his research and honest about his limits. Reed actually saved me from signing up with a guy I heard speak at a RE seminar, who turned out to be ethically challenged.:eek:

Reed is a dinosaur when it comes to the Internet and outsourcing, however. He's not a role model, but as a resource, excellent!

While I think that he may have helped some people, he is a negative minded individual that I think may have harmed more people by stopping them from going forward as well. His long term diatribe is against Russ Whitney and pretty much everyone else. LOL But I purchased Russ's first book way back when "Building Wealth" and promptly went out, applied the principals and made money. I also attended one of his boot camps several years later and promptly went out and made money again, go figure. It changed my career and have been involved in real estate ever since.

I read Tim’s book in one sitting this Sunday May 27th and it has caused me to look at everything we are doing and it has turned me on my head. I am starting to change how we are doing things as of this morning. Some people are in for some big surprises. I already had a couple of Muses going. It was great to know that I was already starting on the right track. Just trying to figure out how to automate the rest of the process.

As far as Carlton goes, I know people that make money using his system too. So, you need to be careful about throwing the baby out with the bath water. You can bet there will be someone that will start a crusade against Tim here because he followed part of the program and messed up somewhere. You really need to listen to these types of people with a pile of salt as there whole goal in life is often the destruction of someone else.

Just and FYI if you want to get an RE Guru’s info, go to Ebay and buy a used set, you can get them usually for pennies on the dollar

[T.A.]

I think the thing to remember is that Tim admires his direct marketing skills/business not the advice itself that he is selling.
John T. Reed may be correct in his evaluation of the material but that doesn't make Carlton Sheets a bad direct marketing salesman.

[dixonge]

Here's the painful lesson from almost all guru-type informercial peddling real estate wealth products......

When someone is peddling a seminar where they are willing to teach you, for a hefty fee, how to become their competitor you can rest assured that they are not, and possibly never were, actively involved in said industry. If you are making millions in real estate there is no reason nor motivation to make thousands doing a seminar tour. Just think about it.

[jafine21]

I had a lawsuit once where I rep'd a company that got caught between John T. Reed and a guru he didn't like.

Reed definitely has strong opinions! I liked him a lot. The other company had a battery of lawyers like Mr. Burns on the Simpsons, and Reed pretty much kicked their ass (I did too, but I at least went to law school).

[dixonge]

I'll never forget when one Ron LeGrand, who had been sucking thousands of dollars out of my wife and I for real estate seminars, sent me a flyer in the mail. I was, after all, on his mailing list. It was a pitch for another seminar. But this one didn't involve making money by buying and selling houses, this one was all about how to make money by................

putting on real estate seminars!

Bottom line, I could expect six figures PROFIT minimum from a decently marketed seminar. That's when I knew that the real estate seminar market must be tailing off....

[Feumet]

I'll never forget when one Ron LeGrand, who had been sucking thousands of dollars out of my wife and I for real estate seminars, sent me a flyer in the mail. I was, after all, on his mailing list. It was a pitch for another seminar. But this one didn't involve making money by buying and selling houses, this one was all about how to make money by................

putting on real estate seminars!

Bottom line, I could expect six figures PROFIT minimum from a decently marketed seminar. That's when I knew that the real estate seminar market must be tailing off....

LOL...you may be right. Ron does have his own Lear these days I have heard. But, if you have listened to his tape or programs he cuts to the chase. Several years ago, I actually saw the set on a Friends shelf (he never opened the package) asked him if he would let me borrow them, went through them one week and picked out some of the gems there, some of it clarified what I already knew, and then I promptly went out and did a deal and made over $10,000 that month. That package still had cassette tapes so I am sure it was one of the old ones. But for my money, in this case $0 it worked for me.

Not sure I would want to spend a zillion dollars on it, as his teaching style is not my cup of tea. LOL

But in essence if you are putting up an informational website, we are all becoming Guru's or Schmooroos to a degree.

The thing to do is to do it honestly and in a non-ethically challenged way I think. Which is actually pretty easy! Heck, who wants to get people pod at you anyway. I think that it is too easy to do it right and the rewards are going to be far greater.

That is one reason why I offer a trial period with my Muse. I am always leery of those products that don't.

Does LeGrand offer a trial period? Just curious...

In the Real Estate arena, Vena Jones Cox does it probably the best. She does not charge an arm and a leg for products and she makes about half her money from doing deals, and half from teaching. www.regoddess.com Her delivery style is definitely different.

Perhaps we can use these other guys as an example when setting up your own little fiefdom. :)

But here again, if you have looked at any of the book reviews on the 4HWW on Amazon...you will see diatribes again Tim saying that he is a fraud and that it can never work too. But guess what, when it is applied, it does as everyone here can see.

Cheers!