Why I canceled Site Build It but I still recommend it

[invisiblehouses]

I agree with the general flavor of a lot of comments here...I signed up for SBI! during the twofer sale. I haven't launched my site yet because it's a lot of hard freakin' work and it's taking longer than I thought it would. Plus, I had to backtrack and start over because my skull is apparently slightly thicker than I originally thought.

Once you've done an SBI site, though, I can see how you could apply the principles outside of the SBI framework. What I've learned about search terms and keywords and (say it with me, SBI people...) keyword-focused content pages has already been worth the three hundred bones. Whether through SBI or not (probably with SBI...it does simplify the tech stuff) I will be able to use this knowledge for every website I ever build.

[accelertor]

Originally Posted by invisiblehouses

(This space reserved for high-traffic, money-generating website, currently in the Tedious Slog Phase. That URL's gonna look totally sweet, though.)

We're in agreement about SBI.

One thing I also remember was that the monetisation plan should start to emerge during the process and should fairly well defined before the site is launched.

So if, for example you already have affiliate links, what's to stop you using them now? before the site is complete. Perhaps in your signature block or in emails to friends.

Just my two cents.

Cheers

Rob

[neilward2]

I also use SBI and I like it... however, I do think that once you get quite advanced in site building and online business building - that you don't really need it anymore. I rarely use the tools on SBI these days...

Things I dislike about SBI:

- When you upload a new HTML page, if the page doesn't pass analyse it, you have to go back to the home page and upload all over again - so frustarting if you make a lot of tweaks like I usually do.

- The email system is terrible - people have been complaining about it for years but I have never seen anything be done about it.

- The forums are Ken's way of not putting a proper customer service team in place (increasing profits) - in fact, you pay extra for this service via coaching, even for some of the most simple problems. Only a very small percentage of people on the forums are willing to help, the rest of the people are all just take take take or just make the most pointless posts imaginable. I often struggle when I have an SBi based problem because the people on the forums just don't get it, and to contact support is a nightmare, Ken want's you to 'pay' for support. - Please correct me if I'm wrong in what I post...

- Also on the forums, if you don't have 'X' amount of posts (even if you have been a member for a couple of years), you can't make recommendations for outside products or services... I think this rule is rediculous! Who even came up with this?!

- Also on the forums: people are so tunnel visioned - I made so many threads this year that got locked due to the fierce opposition to using outside services like Facebook, etc to get traffic and make money. (Ok, I lost my cool with some of the attacks towards me and my ideas which only heated the threads more so I'll take the heat for that mistake - lesson learnt! Don't retaliate to attacks on your ideas, they're not personal...)

If I followed the SBI model exactly, I would not have a huge list, my own products under development, high ranking keywords (through SEO which is fiercely opposed by SBI) and making the money I make now through other means like coaching on my SBI website and selling products on my other sites.

So just to summarise:

I do actually like SBI - I do. I think it's great and definitely the best thing a newbie to online business can purchase. The Action Guide is great - but it will only take you so far if you want to go beyone Adsense (which look's terribly unprofessional on any website)

I'd like to see them upgrade the problem areas by sending out surveys to their customers - I've never had 1 and I'd certainly like to give feedback! They also need some new moderators and rules on the forums as the current system is so draconian, my philosophy is to move with the times and listen to people who are doing something well - not attack them and force them off the forums by giving them abuse day in and day out (because they are actually making money!)

Ken actually did look like he was going to listen to me about my new age ideas - he got 1 of his staff to contact me about my posts but the fact was that he missed the biggest point in business: WIIFM? (What's In It For Me) - Ken's guy sent me an email saying that he was contacting me to back up all my claims on the forum - I just thought 'What?' - And the craziest thing was that he wanted access to my Aweber list to back up my list stats, I don't know anyone that would give out their Aweber username and password to a complete stranger... especially when the guy made no attempt to get rapport with me or establish a friendship.

Anyway, I've said my bit. I do like SBI though

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by neilward2

- Also on the forums: people are so tunnel visioned - I made so many threads this year that got locked due to the fierce opposition to using outside services like Facebook, etc to get traffic and make money. (Ok, I lost my cool with some of the attacks towards me and my ideas which only heated the threads more so I'll take the heat for that mistake - lesson learnt! Don't retaliate to attacks on your ideas, they're not personal...)

This is my main problem with the SBI forums. Most SBI owners are just SBI owners, not really business-minded people.

[Agota]

I believe SBI! is a great tool for someone who is not very tech savvy and wants to create an additional stream of income. It provides you with tools to create a legitimate online business. However, SBI! is a tool, not a magic fairy who will create a business for you while you sit back and watch the money roll in. It takes a lot of work to create an online business and SBI! tutorials are emphasising this - you have to put in a lot of work for your website to take off. I guess most people who drop SBI! are simply not willing to do the work.

People are often arguing about SBI! vs WP, but I think they're too different to be compared. SBI! is a tool for creating an online business and it focuses on creating website with structured content. WP is a tool for blogging and it's up to you if you want to monetize your blog. I believe people who want blogs shouldn't choose SBI!, since it can't compare to WP in that aspect. However, people who want to create a niche websites which generate income should definately consider giving SBI! a go.

What I don't like about SBI is that certain things seemed very complicated fior me (I had SBI! for a while and got a refund). I know only very basic HTML and I found it very hard to customize SBI! site. Well, maybe that's just me.

I also think SBI! would attract more people if they would start offering pretty templates (learn form WP!) - I mean, seriously, most SBI! templates look like they're from 1995. Maybe things have changed by now, I'm not sure.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by Agota

What I don't like about SBI is that certain things seemed very complicated fior me (I had SBI! for a while and got a refund). I know only very basic HTML and I found it very hard to customize SBI! site. Well, maybe that's just me.

I also think SBI! would attract more people if they would start offering pretty templates (learn form WP!) - I mean, seriously, most SBI! templates look like they're from 1995. Maybe things have changed by now, I'm not sure.

They are supposed to be adding a powerful new template builder sometime this summer. Ken has said that it will easily compete with other website builders, although he tends to say a lot of things that are through rose-colored glasses in favor of SBI.

[neilward2]

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

They are supposed to be adding a powerful new template builder sometime this summer. Ken has said that it will easily compete with other website builders, although he tends to say a lot of things that are through rose-colored glasses in favor of SBI.

Agreed!

I believe that ken is an integral man, but I do think that sometimes his motives are more profit driven than value to customers driven. I mean, he must turn over millions of $ each year for SBI, yet - I don't see a lot of that money going back in to the business - which to me is 'building a business 101' - always invest your profits back in to the business to grow the business and deliver even more value to customers.

Your thoughts?

[newmark]

Originally Posted by neilward2

The forums are Ken's way of not putting a proper customer service team in place (increasing profits) - in fact, you pay extra for this service via coaching, even for some of the most simple problems. Only a very small percentage of people on the forums are willing to help, the rest of the people are all just take take take or just make the most pointless posts imaginable. I often struggle when I have an SBi based problem because the people on the forums just don't get it, and to contact support is a nightmare, Ken want's you to 'pay' for support. - Please correct me if I'm wrong in what I post...


If I followed the SBI model exactly, I would not have a huge list, my own products under development, high ranking keywords (through SEO which is fiercely opposed by SBI) and making the money I make now through other means like coaching on my SBI website and selling products on my other sites.

I've found the SBI forums pretty helpful - and I've used support, without paying anything. They dealt with my problems quickly.

Why would following the SBI model cause the problems you mention? I thought that these were exactly the things that SBI dealt with.

[KenEvoy]

Hi to all,

Every now and then this thread shows up on one of my feeds. Each time I catch up on it, it's like "deja vu all over again"...

I don't understand how some folks continue to post urban myths about SBI! which are either no long true, or never were...

The SBI! Urban Myths

It's also hard to understand how people keep posting erroneous information about SBI! after I've covered many of those specific points earlier in this thread...

Why I canceled Site Build It but I still recommend it

Why I canceled Site Build It but I still recommend it

--

I have, however, noticed that none of the critics have risen to the challenge of showing me any other product that delivers documented, proven success at the rates and levels that SBI! does.

Instead, comments are at the level of "Kenny, you are posting on a site that uses wordpress. Yahoo uses (or used) it. Lifehacks, Tim ferris, all use it."

That's fine, but I can't teach folks to be Tim Ferris nor Steve Pavlina. Teaching folks to be extraordinary is not reproducible.

SBI! does, though, reproducibly enable anyone with some knowledge/passion about a subject, with a positive attitude and with motivation to build a strongly profitable e-business.

Wordpress does NOT do that.

--

To those who want to see a better SiteBuilder within SBI! (good news, James!), I've just reviewed alpha4 of BlockBuilder 2 and it's a generation ahead of what any other sitebuilder out there is doing, without losing the built-in SBI! training and education during the page-and-site-building process. ETA July.

James, you're going to be beyond happy with this total re-write.

Meanwhile, of course, SBI! also has so much more than just a CMS system...

SBI! - All the Tools

--

Now, c'mon...

Instead of repeating urban myths or nitpicking on small stuff, show me any other system that publishes verifiable proof of success the way that SBI! does. THAT is "the big stuff." On that note, here's one final stat...

Since Google's Farmer release Feb 24, overall traffic of SBI! sites are up by 8% across 40,000+ sites. (Google even helped us unmask some large sites that were, in fact, farms and abusing our system!)

SBI! has the highest concentration of quality sites in the world. Not all sites succeed, of course. For example, a very small percentage have even been hit by Farmer. Some still make mistakes -- we show them what they need to do to correct them.

When you look at the big picture, SBI! enables folks to succeed at rates not matched by any other product. That comes from...

1) following the CTPM process

2) using the suite of tools that would cost much more when bought separately (and some, including work that SBI! does behind the scenes, are not available at any price)

3) seeking help when needed from the best e-business set of forums in the world, and

4) by not having to read the constant firehose of information about Net marketing (we do that for SBIers and boil it down to what folks need to know) -- SBIers focus on their business, not "keeping up" with online marketing.

I understand that some folks "like" Wordpress. Even without BlockBuilder2, though, SBI! is the best way to succeed. With the upcoming BlockBuilder 2, I expect SBIers to really go nuts. :-)

It will, though, even with BB2, be "harder" than WP. Why? Because with SBI! you are doing much more than you are with WP... you are building a business, systematically from the ground up.

All the best,
Ken

P.S. We contrast SBI! to Wordpress for a very simple reason. Many people migrate to it like lemmings, thinking they can make a blog that makes money. They can't...

- not without reading a heck of a lot more than the Action Guide, picking up bits and pieces here and there and hoping they're using the right information

- not without finding and using a whole bunch of paid and free tools

- not without figuring things out on their own or at a variety of forums where folks have a variety of unknowable agendas, and

- not without staying up with what's happening in the world of Net marketing and e-business building.

It's simply beyond most people to be able to master all that.

And yes, they COULD take all that training and then go to "regular" hosting at $10/month, but that leaves $20/month to cover all the other tools they'll be needing (Brainstorm It! alone is worth more than that -- and to those SBIers who are here, wait until you see the upcoming v3.4 and 3.5). :-)

Heck, I know that many could succeed with their sites without SBI! once they've learned the process. But with all that SBI! offers, including hundreds (even thousands) of quality pages written by visitors to their sites for free thanks to C2, and with the constant updating of SBI! alleviating the need to "keep up," and with new tools being added as needed (ex., the upcoming Face It!), most never feel that need.

--

It's all been said before. Like I said... "Deja Vu All Over Again." But it's the truth... SBI! is the best product out there for anyone who wants to build a profitable online business, but has yet to do so.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by neilward2

Agreed!

I believe that ken is an integral man, but I do think that sometimes his motives are more profit driven than value to customers driven. I mean, he must turn over millions of $ each year for SBI, yet - I don't see a lot of that money going back in to the business - which to me is 'building a business 101' - always invest your profits back in to the business to grow the business and deliver even more value to customers.

Your thoughts?

Well I think they do a great job of doing what they do. But as you mentioned the average SBI customer is very narrow-minded.

I also find it strange that Ken is such a successful businessman, but he too seems to be a bit narrow-minded in his assertions, such as saying that you will never find a great content writer for $20 per article, or that you shouldn't bother with most other business models or opportunities.

It is true that most people need to narrow their focus and JUST do one business model and one thing (C-T-P-M), but it annoys me that he and everyone else in SBI tend to not even consider the idea that other models could be used to supplement SBI and make it better.



To be fair though, SBI is probably the best business model available for making passive income, which I suppose is what most people want when they think of doing business online. All the other business models such as running PPC ads requires daily or weekly management, whereas with SBI you can just set it up and let it coast.

[Agota]

Originally Posted by KenEvoy

P.S. We contrast SBI! to Wordpress for a very simple reason. Many people migrate to it like lemmings, thinking they can make a blog that makes money. They can't...

- not without reading a heck of a lot more than the Action Guide, picking up bits and pieces here and there and hoping they're using the right information

- not without finding and using a whole bunch of paid and free tools

- not without figuring things out on their own or at a variety of forums where folks have a variety of unknowable agendas, and

- not without staying up with what's happening in the world of Net marketing and e-business building.

It's simply beyond most people to be able to master all that.

And yes, they COULD take all that training and then go to "regular" hosting at $10/month, but that leaves $20/month to cover all the other tools they'll be needing (Brainstorm It! alone is worth more than that -- and to those SBIers who are here, wait until you see the upcoming v3.4 and 3.5). :-)

Heck, I know that many could succeed with their sites without SBI! once they've learned the process. But with all that SBI! offers, including hundreds (even thousands) of quality pages written by visitors to their sites for free thanks to C2, and with the constant updating of SBI! alleviating the need to "keep up," and with new tools being added as needed (ex., the upcoming Face It!), most never feel that need.

I love Wordpress, but all that is true - people who want to suceed with their wordpress blogs have to do a lot of research and learn how online businesses works on their own. This approach is great for people who have grand plans (like I do ), but to folks who only want to earn 1000$ or so on the side, it's much better to go with SBI! since they have learning programme which will save people loads of time and efforts.

[mikethedrummer44]

Welp, there you have it! Argument solved.

If you want to be extraordinary, use wordpress.

If you want to make a few bucks online, SBI! is for you.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by mikethedrummer44

Welp, there you have it! Argument solved.

If you want to be extraordinary, use wordpress.

If you want to make a few bucks online, SBI! is for you.

Extraordinarily average, just like all the other millions of users of Wordpress?