Does Niche Profit Classroom Work?
Apparently there's a formula for creating niche websites that generate hundreds of dollars per day. Adam Short discovered it back in 2009, then spent tens of thousands of dollars writing software to automate the process. This is your product, and there's an affiliate program for it too. But first things first…
What's the Product?
Mr. Short claims the sites his system generates are quality sites loved by Google. He also claims customer satisfaction of over 99%, with over 3,000 customers.
There are 3 components to the NPC:
- Training. 9 modules of video classroom show you how to make info product sites.
- Tools. Their software suite contains: website creator, keyword research tool, hot market tool, email campaign creator, sales page creator, opt-in page creator, content generator
- Coaching & support. bi monthly interactive webinars- 2-3 hours private webinar for new techniques & news. Video Q&A calls. Forum. Fast response help desk for private questions.
Plus, the following “extras”:
- Monthly nichepacks. Ready-to-go money maker: e-book, sales letter, optin page, graphics package, 10-day email mini course, SEO optimized articles.
- Free web hosting for up to 15 sites.
In a convincing, to-the-point video, Mr. Short earnestly explains all this and the adds that membership $1, then $67 per month. Totally refundable for the first 60 days.
Pretty enticing product, with a relatively modest price. Let's look at Mr. Short's credentials….
Who Is Adam Short?
Without divulging any specifics, Mr. Short explains how his early childhood showed signs of his impending greatness as an entrepreneur. It's a typical formula for business founders' stories, only most give actual specifics (e.g. selling sheep through county fairs to raise money for college, or the proverbial lemonade stand).
He worked at Overture, a pay-per-click company which alas, could not contain Mr. Short's bursting entrepreneurial spirit. Therefore, he set out on his own and taught himself how to make websites, rank them, and make money from them.
There's the required “this is not a get-rich-quick scheme” phraseology, inserted deftly amidst lines of the bio:
Now, I'm not going to say that I became a millionaire overnight, because that's not what happened.
Starting to feel a little formulaic! That's OK, since according to him, formulas work and that's what he's selling.
However, it sure would be nice to know Mr. Short had a little more business experience. Why? Because that's what ultimately keeps a business going. No matter how great the product, there should be a real CEO at the helm to steer the company in the right direction.
The NPC Affiliate Program
The NPC affiliate program is run through ClickBank® or Infusionsoft (NPC's own program). Here's the important part:
- up to $185 commission per initial sale
- $33.50 per month per referral (that's 50%)
- upsell commission is also 50% (up to $185)
- performance incentives
To assist you in selling the NPC, they offer:
- promo stuff like banners, emails etc
- tutorials to teach basic marketing skills
- customer service
The Bottom Line
“Training” is always hard to evaluate because it's a highly personal experience. As Mr. Short admits himself, it's what you put into it which determines what you get out of it. Of course, that's simply another FCC-required statement he has to sneak in there somewhere, but it's also true if the coaching/mentoring and even the therapy world.
Your outcome is, mostly, a result of your attitude.
That leaves us with the “software suite” portion of NPC. Each component is available right now, sold separately through various companies. The e-mail campaign creator is something offered by MailChimp, for free. MSN offers a free keyword tool. As for the hot market tool, this may be something that runs off Amazon sales, finding the best-selling products? Just guessing here.
Finally, the sales page creator, optin page creator and web content creator do not sound like wonderful ideas. Any website in the post-Panda world should not be using any sort of content generator whatsoever. This part of NPC's software suite is troubling.
Therefore, in what might otherwise be a perfectly helpful product, the weak software suite is simply too thin to really be enticing to anyone who knows just a little bit about website development. If you feel comfortable marketing this to folks unaware of these issues, then perhaps you can make a go of it with the affiliate program. Otherwise, tread carefully
