Of Faustian Deals and Spider Monkeys

Quick post today.

Back when the future Mrs. Seibert and I were engaged, my then-fiancée – no not her – told me she wanted a house, kids, and a dog. I told her I wanted a spider monkey. She tried to laugh it off, but eventually caved. Perhaps she thought I could never complete the trifecta. (Weird – Word doesn’t recognize “trifecta” – apparently Bill Gates doesn’t employ enough degenerate gamblers.)

Well, this Friday, we’re getting a golden retriever. So now it’s time to pay up. I don’t care if my wife’s right and Mr. Giggles does throw his own leftovers. Now I just have to find an importer. If any one knows where I can get a spider monkey, please email me. I will keep your information confidential as having them for pets may be illegal or at least against my neighborhood covenant. We will welcome the spider monkey into a warm and loving home. Believe me when I tell you there will be absolutely no harming of mammals in my household.

It’s not my fault my wife now regrets the deal. I’m sure the Pittsburgh Pirates regretted signing Derek “Operation Shutdown” Bell, but tough noogies.

The point is that it’s a lot harder to renegotiate or get out of a contract than making changes up front or not entering into one at all. Be sure that you can live up to your end of the bargain and are willing to work for or accept payment for the terms outlined.

Also, basic advice I know, it’s always preferable to have legal look it over for you first. Although the best lawyers usually can find work, if you’re in a tough monetary position, keep in mind that there’s a pretty big glut of attorneys in the U.S. Maybe you can find a competent one (make sure they have a background in contract law) to give you advice on the cheap or even do a little quid pro quo as your Roman friends would say. But that’s only if you’re in a really tough financial spot – you usually do get what you pay for.

And if you’re entering into a contract with an internet marketing company, make sure you know exactly what you’ll be getting. Do they just send you traffic, or will they help you convert it? Where is the traffic coming from? Are they sending you people that have already been contacted by your competitors?

For Web site design work, what happens if you need changes in the future? Will you have to pay for it? Are there ongoing fees for “maintenance”? Is search engine optimization a part of their work?

For email campaigns, are you going to get blacklisted as spam? Where do the lists come from? For search engine optimization, will you get blacklisted as “black hat” SEO? What techniques will they use and are there any potential conflicts now or in the future with the search engines?

Be sure you know all this before you sign the dotted line. Remember, “knowing is half the battle”.

If you’d like a Free Quote and Consultation from your Real American Online Marketing Heroes, give us a call at 1-800-979-3177.