(My quest for the truth begins in Part One of me learning how to make money from Internet Millionaire Dominic Tay. Click on the link to read Part One of this experience)
DASH Diet Recipes Jumpstart Cookbook – Over 30 Mouthwatering Recipes Ready In 30 Minutes (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack & Dessert Recipes Included!)
Here, Dominic pauses to emphasise, again, that no one should be recording the seminar.
“I’ve never told anyone this strategy so no audio recording, no video recording or photography. If you have no notebook or pen, please stand up and take some stationery from the table at the corner.”
The first word he told us to note down was ‘E-book’.
Everyone needs cookbooks and self-help books.
According to Dominic, this is how the E-book business works.
Amazon Publishing will create a website for you within 24-hours of signing up on the platform. You’ll also be able to attract visitors to your site through the existing Amazon customer database and their active promotions.
A different concern arises though with the E-book business—with established authors and writers themselves struggling to promote their book sales, what does the average person know about book publishing?
He walks over to a small whiteboard and scrawled: “Cookbooks”. At the same time, the screen brings up the image of a ‘How-To’ book or more familiarly known as ‘________ for Dummies’. It’s the simplest solution. Everyone needs cookbooks and self-help books. He’s convinced it’s a concrete strategy. And for a while, so did I.
The process of creating his mum’s E-book was simple. After picking a book genre, they sat down to look for freelance writers. According to Dominic, “No one has the time to sit in a cafe for two years waiting for this thing called inspiration”. He had a friend who was an established author with an E-book on Amazon that gained little to no traction after two years.
I watch intently as the young man seated in front of me, clad in a yellow polo t-shirt and jeans nod enthusiastically to each point Dominic highlighted.
“But if I produce this book, can don’t use my real name or not?”
Dominic recommends the hiring of freelancers or ghostwriters who will conduct the research you need for your new E-book. The idea need not even be original. Here, he uses the example of the book ‘The Secret’ to emphasise that no one needs to worry about copyright issues. He points out how the author, Rhonda Byrne, took the idea from a book produced a long time ago and gave it a new name to generate a brand new product. A freelance designer will then design the book cover, bringing to life a book ‘written’ by you.
“Ah boy ah, so easy, ah! But if I produce this book, can don’t use my real name or not?” his mum asked after seeing the almost complete product. Dominic’s solution was simple. He told his mum to think of the first Caucasian name that pops into her head. Princess Diana. What about the surname? Easy. He told his mum to skim through the newspaper and pick out the first name she sees. Davis.
The result is ‘Dash Diet Recipes Jumpstart Cookbook—Over 30 Mouthwatering Recipes by Diana Davis’. It now ranks 1,034,114 in the category of paid e-books in the Kindle Store.
“Do you want to learn how to be like this? If so, raise your hands and say YES!”
It’s nearing the end of the two and a half-hour long seminar, and I wanted to know—if it’s so effortless and the results are proven, why hasn’t everyone else jumped on the bandwagon? Also, why do such seminars cost an arm and a leg?
Dominic then looks at the room. “Do you want to learn how to be like this?” with his arm movements mimicking a waitress serving food to customers. “If so, raise your hands and say yes!”
The initial response is lukewarm. The passionate leader that he is, he repeats himself, this time slightly more enthusiastically and a little louder. “DO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO BE LIKE THIS?” This time, hands flew up earnestly and enthusiastic “yes’s” follows. Dominic stands back looking mighty pleased, like a prophet parting the Red Sea.
S$10,000
A slide with the amount of S$10,000, in bold red, pops up on the visualiser screen.
“You don’t have to lose this much to earn a passive income. You don’t even have to be like Tony* and spend a large sum of money on courses and seminars.” Dominic says. A strike-through animation cancels out the S$10,000 on the screen. I spent the whole seminar this afternoon waiting to know how much the actual workshop was going to cost. Finally, all will be revealed.
This free seminar is a mere sampler of the actual “secrets” and coaching that Dominic says he’ll provide in the actual upcoming two-day bestseller income workshop. My mind is going into overdrive, chanting, “Wait for it, wait for it.” as Dominic continues his speech.
“You might think that I’m inviting all of you to my two-day workshop. But I only want those who are serious and committed. This is my criteria. Write this down.”
“The Criteria.”
There are four parts to Dominic’s criteria of an ideal candidate for his program:
- Follow the proven blueprint that he’ll provide
- You must be willing to invest your time at the start of the E-book process
- Have the hunger to grow together with an open mind
- Prove that you have a strong commitment to gaining a passive income for yourself within the next six months.
Although there is still no sign of the actual cost of the two-day workshop, he does introduce the five-step bestseller income blueprint to the room.
- Topic selection
- How to avoid plagiarism while creating your book
- How to search for freelancers and build your freelancer directory
- Learning how to market the E-Book once its produced
- How to scale our income by producing more E-books
After this speech, he repeats one more time, like a true blue salesman, “Do you want to learn how to be like this?” Again, hands shot up more quickly than previously. Only then does a different number appear on the screen. This time it’s S$4,995.
“We Don’t Want To Waste Forms.”
However, this doesn’t happen to be the final amount. Signing up on the spot supposedly lets you enrol for the workshop at a significantly reduced amount.
He addresses the raised hands and gestures to his assistants waiting near the back of the room, “Keep your hands straight up. Assistants, please only give out the forms to those whose hands are straight up. The half-hearted ones, don’t bother. If you don’t know whether you want to be a part of this program, we won’t give you a form. We don’t want to waste forms because we have limited quantities.”
I didn’t raise my hand. But the lady next to me on my right did. So did the overly enthusiastic lad in front. I try to sneak a peek at the form while the lady next to me fills it up. The bright yellow form has various sections to be filled, but for now, Dominic requests them to strike out the S$4,995 pricing that’s printed on the top right corner of the form and fill in only their particulars.
“Once you’ve filled in your particulars, I’d like those with the forms to stand up and follow me to the table in the corner. Only then will I tell you the exact amount that you will have to pay for my two-day workshop.”
Amused, I watch as people began to frantically fill up their forms, stand up, and walk fervently to the stationery table at the corner. I pay close attention to Dominic as he moves from the front of the room to the small group of approximately twelve people at the edge of the room.
He removes his microphone, whispers something to them out of earshot, and… that’s it. I don’t get to hear any more about this elusive special price. Like a prized reward, it’s a privilege reserved for the select few.
“The Competitor”
I take that as my cue to leave. Also, I was in urgent need to relieve myself. As I made my way out, I bump into an older woman lingering by the doorway. During the seminar she had left her seat twice, not returning to it the second time around. I thought she’d left midway.
“Are you leaving?” she asks.
“Yes, I am. I need to go to the toilet, anyway.”
“Are you interested in this sort of thing?” she probed as I made my way to the washroom. I try to be as convincing as possible and embody someone who genuinely is interested in earning some big bucks.
We head to the toilet together and as I was saying goodbye she lets on “Let me buy you coffee one weekend. I’ll introduce you to this place I’m already earning money from.” We exchange numbers quickly before parting ways.
“Bless you, dear,” she whispers. I manage a small smile, enter the lift and watch as the door closes. It has been an interesting afternoon of seeing the lengths that people will go to earn a quick buck. The lift door opens. I step out into the light and make my way back.
– Read Part 1 Here –
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