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Look Out! In-Depth Amazing Selling Machine review Below!

Amazing Seller

Look I get it. You’re thinking of starting an Amazon FBA business, and you’re looking for a decent course to show you the ropes right?

Now you wanna find out how the latest version of the Amazing Selling Machine course (ASM12) stacks up, and if it’s still the real deal.

Cool, but before I jump in and share my thoughts on the course, I wanna be totally upfront and honest with you…

I'm a successful Amazon seller myself, but these days I hardly pay any attention to my Amazon business at all.

I mean yea, I still sell on Amazon and I do well out of it, but most of my focus now goes into my lead generation business, which is making me a solid $30K a month.

That said, I do still have some skin in the Amazon FBA game, and I’m always looking for new golden nuggets that I can drop into my business.

So with that in mind, I put together this killer Amazing Selling Machine review.

In this Amazing Selling Machine review, I'm gonna take you through everything you need to know about the course, as well as let you know if you should even still start an Amazon FBA business at all!

Here’s what we’re gonna cover…

Ok, let’s get started...


1. THE COURSE: What is the Amazing Selling Machine?

The Amazing Selling Machine (a.k.a ASM12) is the self proclaimed, most popular Amazon FBA training course on the market.

It’s made up of 9 online training modules which make up over 50 hours of course content packed into 160+ videos.

Yea...it’s gonna take you a while to get through this gold mine of information.

Along with the training module content, you’re also gonna get access to a few other cool features.

What's in ASM12

  • 9 Training Modules
  • The ASM Mentor Program
  • The Private ASM community
  • The Private Resource Vault 
  • The New Ultimate Software Tool Suite.

The cool thing is that the latest version of the ASM course has been totally rebuilt with new content which contains new and improved tactics tailored towards selling on Amazon in 2021.

2. COURSE CREATORS: Who are Matt Clark and Jason Katzenback?

The ASM course was first founded back in 2012, right around the start of the Amazon FBA BOOM!

Matt Clark and Jason Katzenback were quick to jump on this trend, and created what is now considered one of the leading Amazon courses on the market today.

Matt Clark and Jason Katzenback

Both men are extremely well accomplished entrepreneurs, and have both built several 7 and 8 figure online companies over the last few years.

So yea, I guess you could say that these guys are legit.

What’s interesting about ASM12 though is that Matt and Jason don’t really feature much in it, with the course being taught by Mike McClary, Dan Ashburn and Rich Henderson.

ASM Course Instructors

What’s super cool about this is that Mike, Dan and Rich are all past students of the ASM course, and have built their own million dollar businesses, just by following the course content.

They have now been recruited by Matt and Jason to guide the students through the course.

I love this idea and found it super inspiring to see past students who have had success now leading the course.

3. WHAT IS AMAZON FBA - How Does it Work?

Amazon FBA is a pretty sweet business model.

At the highest level, it involves selling your product on pretty much the biggest online shopping platform on the planet (Amazon of course).

Sell on Amazon

The FBA stands for ‘Fulfilled by Amazon', meaning that they handle the entire fulfilment process for you. This includes storing your product in their warehouses, handling the order and payment process, and then shipping your product (usually within 24 hours) to the buyers front door.

Here’s a quick overview of the process from start to finish.


The Amazon FBA Process

  • Decide what product you want to sell.
  • Find a supplier to create and produce it for you.
  • Ship your product into Amazon's warehouses.
  • List your product on Amazon's shopping platform.
  • Amazon shoppers find your product and buy it (hopefully)
  • Amazon handle the fulfillment and payment process.
  • Amazon take a fee for each sale, and pay you the rest every 2 weeks.

So on the surface, it looks like a pretty simple business model.

I mean, hey - who wouldn’t want to make some money selling on Amazon right?

Amazon FBA Process

Well as an experienced seller myself, and one that’s had a fair amount of success, I can tell you that there’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to being successful at this game.

We’ll dive into that a little later though...

4. COST: How Much Does the Amazing Selling Machine (ASM 12) Cost?

Hold tight, cos the ASM12 course ain’t cheap.

With an upfront cost of $4,997 or 6 monthly payments of $997, we’re definitely not talking about your average $97 internet course here.

Click to Pay

So is it worth the cost?

Honestly, yea I think so, and here’s why...

For the last 3-5 years I’ve been a huge believer in investing in myself, so that I learn new skills that are going to make me money.

Invest

In this time, I’ve literally been through dozens and dozens of different online courses, some good, some bad!

The biggest take away though is that while some of the courses I paid for were a waste of time, a lot of them gave me a new skill I didn’t have before.

In-fact one of them taught me how to build a business that now makes $30K a month...so you can be sure that I’m glad I signed up for that one!

When it comes to the Amazing Selling Machine course, the skills you learn by going through it will almost certainly get you a return on your money (and hopefully a lot more).

I don’t know about you, but I’ll drop $5K on a course all day if it’s gonna make me more money back. 

So yea, if you are committed to making Amazon FBA work for you, then this course could definitely be the vehicle that gets you there.

The big question is, should you be starting an Amazon FBA business?...Keep reading to get my thoughts on this.

5. COURSE OVERVIEW: What Does the Amazing Selling Machine Cover?

When you start trawling through the hours and hours of content that the ASM course dishes up, you’re soon gonna realize that these guys have left no stone un-turned here.

ASM Overview

Here’s a high level overview of what you can expect...get ready to go deep!

ASM12 Course Overview

Welcome Module:

  • Navigating the community.
  • Picking a marketplace to start with.
  • Setting up your Seller account.
  • How to grow your business for a big exit.
  • Outline of your 16 week plan.

Module 1:

  • Brand building and why it’s critical.
  • What to look for in a solid product.
  • Products to stay away from.
  • Getting your product choice down to your top 3.

Module 2:

  • Amazon fees explained.
  • Product tuning.
  • Product sourcing overview.
  • Working out product costs.
  • Ordering samples the right way.
  • Picking your first product.

Module 3:

  • Evaluating your samples and suppliers.
  • Selecting a brand name.
  • Creating your brand logo.
  • Designing packaging and insert materials.
  • Using a freight forwarder.
  • Placing your first order.

Module 4:

  • Building a solid foundation to set you up for success.
  • Creating your brand website.
  • Protecting your brand name.
  • Setting up social media for your brand.

Module 5:

  • Keyword research.
  • Setting up titles that convert well.
  • Creating bullet points.
  • Creating a great description.
  • Creating killer images that look professional.
  • Pricing strategy.

Module 6:

  • Working with Amazon’s algorithm.
  • Setting up advertising campaigns.
  • Sales velocity explained.
  • Getting Quality Reviews.
  • Improving your ranking and maintaining it.
  • Handling stock issues.

Module 7:

  • Amazon advertising overview (PPC).
  • Keyword types.
  • Bidding strategy.
  • Launch strategy using PPC.
  • Optimizing ads.
  • Overview of PPC campaign manager.

Module 8:

  • Promoting your product.
  • Brand registry benefits.
  • Using brand analytics.
  • Split testing tips and tricks.
  • Using coupons and lightning deals.
  • Handling hijackers (super important.)
  • How to grow your business.

Module 9:

  • Mindset and growth.
  • Using Facebook ads to promote your product.
  • Facebook messenger sponsored ads.
  • Using Google PPC to get more sales.
  • Working with influencers to drive sales.

As you can see, these guys go deep on content, and there's pretty much no topic that they don't cover when it comes to building a kick-ass Amazon brand.

6. SCAM ALERT: Is the Amazing Selling Machine a Scam?

I know when I buy a course, a small part of me always wonders if the course is legit or if its a scam.

9 times out of 10, you’ll find that the course you buy is the real deal, although a lot of them do still contain generic low quality content.

When this happens, it’s obvious that the seller is only out to make a few bucks rather than add any value.

Scam Alerty

With the Amazing Selling Machine, this was certainly not the case.

In-fact I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this is probably the least scam like course you’re ever gonna see.

From start to finish it over delivers on almost everything.

From course layout, to the actual content, this course is the real deal.

The bottom line is that if you are committed to making Amazon FBA work for you, then there is no reason why you won’t be able to do so if you follow the ASM12 process completely.

The biggest thing I look for when it comes to a course like this is are students actually making money by using the content that it teaches.

When it comes to ASM12, the answer is a resounding “YES!” (proof later in this article)

PROS OF THE AMAZING SELLING MACHINE

7. CONTENT: All Killer No Filler

If there’s one thing you can be absolutely sure of when it comes to this course, it's that there is absolutely no filler content or fluff.

Every single module is relevant and jam packed full of information and content that will help you start your Amazon business, and then take it to the next level.

ASM Content

I’ve been through dozens of online courses which have about 50% useful content and the rest is made up of general filler information.

This ain’t the case here - you’re in for a real treat when you start working through all the info that the ASM team have put together for you.

Trust me when I tell you, this is all the training you need to run a successful FBA business.

8. COMMUNITY: Platinum Lifetime Access to the Private ASM Community

Ok listen up, cos I’m about to drop some knowledge here.

Hands down, one of the best things about the Amazing Selling Machine course is that you get lifetime access to their private community.

ASM Community Forum

Why is this so cool?

Well because this means that no matter what issues you might be facing with your Amazon business, you’ll be able to find someone in the community that has had the problem before. 

This means you don’t have to worry about building your business and facing these kinds of challenges alone. 

You’ll also be hanging out with other students that have already cracked the Amazon game, and will keep you motivated along the way.

One of the really cool aspects of the community forums was the badge system.

ASM Badges

As you progress through the training, you earn your badge along the way.

For example, once you receive samples, you get your samples badge.

Once you find a supplier, you receive your supplier badge.

There are badges for each step of the course, including watching all the videos of each module, and even as you hit various revenue milestones such as $10,000 and $20,000 a month.

For me, the badge system served two functions.

Firstly it motivated me to keep going and moving forward (I'm a competitive animal).

Secondly, when I asked a question in the community, I could immediately tell how experienced the person answering was.

I guess in a way it's kind of a ranking system, so you can rate each person in the community.

ASM Scoreboard

In my opinion, the community area is pretty much worth the price of the course alone, as the value you’ll get out of being in a group like this is literally priceless.

I understand the power of this completely and have been lucky enough to experience it in the lead generation community group I’m in. 

This community group has been one of the biggest factors in my success.

Whenever I thought about quitting when times were tough in the beginning, the group kept on inspiring me to continue and the other successful students showed me what was possible.

9. THE ASM MENTOR PROGRAM: High Quality Support From The Best of the Best

So this feature was something you don’t often see with many courses.

The ASM Mentor Program is made up of 21 high quality, elite Amazon sellers, that have all been through the ASM course and are now running successful online businesses.

ASM Mentor Program

Supposedly they collectively have over 50 years worth of selling experience, and have sold over $25M worth of products on the Amazon platform.

Here’s what makes it cool though...

As a course member, you get full access to this panel of experts, and they’ll be there to assist you with any questions and problems you may be having with your business.

Best of all, this team knows their stuff, so when you get help and advice from them you can be sure that it’s the real deal.

10. PRIVATE RESOURCE VAULT: Packed Full of Value

The Private Resource Vault is another sweet aspect that makes up the ASM course, and once again sets it apart from the average FBA course out there.

It’s a collection of the very best tools and resources that the course founders, teachers and top students use themselves in running their day to day businesses.

ASM Vault

Resources such as product evaluation templates, product management templates, accounting tools, access to various tools and software for discounted prices, and a range of additional cool features that the best Amazon sellers are using.

The resource vault is constantly updated with new tools, so it’s always evolving and improving alongside the Amazon platform changes each year.

As an experienced seller, I still managed to get a ton of value out of the vault, and while a lot of the content is perfect for new sellers who are just starting out, the range of different tools and resources available was impressive, even to someone that's been selling on Amazon for a while.

11. ULTIMATE SOFTWARE TOOL SUITE: More Software to Help You Dominate

This is one of the new features that was only launched with ASM12.

The suite is made up of four plugins for your browser which will help you carry out product sourcing and analysis tasks.

When you jump into the ASM course, you’ll get access to these tools for free for up to a year, and after that it will only cost you a monthly fee of $50 for everything. 

12. LIVE COACHING CALLS: Exclusive Access

Enrolling in ASM12, will get you access to one live coaching call each week. 

This is an opportunity to jump on a live call with real ASM coaches and ask them questions, or simply listen in on the conversation.

ASM Coaching

Once again, the best online courses I've done are the ones that offer on-going training and coaching, and ASM over delivers in this area.

The ability to get in contact with a real human, that's building the same type of business as you, can be a total game changer, and really help you through any challenges.

13. SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES: Thousands of Successful Students

Let's be honest.

All you really care about is whether or not the ASM course is going to make you money right?

I mean, sure, you can have a course that is perfectly laid out and packed full of content, but if it doesn't actually make you money then it's worthless!

ASM Success

The good news is that the Amazing Selling Machine course literally has thousands of successful students, who have all gone through the course and are now crushing it!

They've all followed the blueprint, jumped on the live coaching calls, and are now running their own successful Amazon FBA businesses.

Sure, not everyone that signs up for the course hits the big time, but there are enough success stories out there to make this one of the most legit courses on the market.

ASM Success

14. REFUND POLICY: It Makes Buying the Course a No Brainer

So as someone that’s bought a ton of online courses over the last few years, I’m always interested to find out what the refund policy is before I buy it.

Refund

I do this not because I want to try and get my money back, but because it tells me how the course creators feel about their own content.

If a course creator believes in the product they are selling, then they wouldn’t be worried about people requesting refunds.

What I’ve noticed a lot recently though is that a number of Amazon FBA courses seem to have ridiculous refund policies. 

I’m talking about requirements such as only having 14 days to request a refund, and in that time having to contact at least 50 different suppliers and then submit proof, before you qualify for the refund.

Anyone else feel like they’re back in school again?

With the Amazing Selling Machine this isn’t the case.

In-fact, ASM has one of the best refund policies I’ve ever seen online.

ASM Refund Policy

Not only do they offer you a full blown “no questions asked” refund up to 30 days after purchasing the course, but they also offer one of the best guarantees you’re gonna find anywhere.

This is known as their 6 Month Success Promise, and it's new to the latest version of the course.

It states that if you work through the entire course and then actually launch your own product in accordance with their training, they will actually refund you the price of the course, and buy back up to $7,500 worth of inventory if you are not happy.

I don’t know about you, but from where I’m sitting you have nothing to lose by giving it a go!

First up, this tells me that Matt and Jason clearly believe in their product, enough to offer probably the best guarantee you’ll see anywhere.

Second of all, if you actually follow their training, the fact that they will buy back your inventory from you means you have nothing to lose in launching a product.

Of course, there are other hidden costs that come with running an Amazon business, which I’m gonna clear up for you later, but as far as dropping $5K on a course goes, this is about as safe as it gets!

CONS OF THE AMAZING SELLING MACHINE COURSE

15. AVAILABILITY: The Course is Often Closed to New Members.

One of the negatives of the ASM course is that it usually limits the amount of members it accepts at any given time.

No one actually knows what that number is, but if you visit their homepage to sign up, there’s a good chance the course is closed and not accepting any new members.

Closed

I felt this pain firsthand and waited a good few months to get in.

While this is kind of a bummer, I actually think it’s a pretty clever marketing trick. 

Combined with the hefty price tag of $5K, it creates an air of exclusivity, and a perception that the course is high value.

Then throw in all the testimonials and success cases, and BOOM! 

You’ve got a product that people want, but can’t have.

All this does is make them want it more.

So yea, some sneaky marketing tactics there from the ASM team, but it works for them so I’ll give them credit where credit’s due.

16. PRICE: It's One of the Most Expensive FBA Courses Around

There’s no getting around the fact that the Amazing Selling Machine is expensive.

You can spin it whichever way you want, but at the end of the day, this is one of the most expensive Amazon FBA courses out there.

If you want in, then you’re gonna have to drop at least $5K to get through the front door, and that’s before you’ve even started looking for suppliers.

I’ve already covered how I think the money is worth it and that I’m a big fan of investing in yourself by spending money on courses that will teach you how to make 10X+ more back.

That doesn’t get away from the fact that you need some serious cash to buy this course, and dropping that kind of money may not be everyone’s idea of a good time!

I know the first time I dropped $5K on a course a few years ago, I could hardly breathe. 

As it turns out, it was both one of the best and scariest things I've ever done!

17. CONTENT VOLUME: There is a Lot to Go Through and Learn

Another downside to this course is that there is a ton of content to get through.

Don’t get me wrong - I love the fact that the content covers everything you need to master the FBA game, but that still means you need to set aside some serious study time to get through all of it.

ASM content

At the end of the day, it’s no different to studying a University degree.

If you want to up-skill yourself and learn a new subject, then you have to put in the hours.

Learning how to sell on Amazon is no different.

18. TRUTH BOMB: The Dirty Secret About What it Costs to Run an Amazon FBA Business

As a successful Amazon FBA seller, I kinda feel like I have an obligation to be upfront and honest with you about what it really takes to sell on Amazon.

Truth Bomb

Ok, so we all know your main cost when starting an Amazon business is the initial outlay of inventory.

Let’s say you purchase 500 units of your product at a cost price of $5 a unit. That’s only $2,500...no big deal, right?

Maybe not, but here’s what most Amazon FBA newbies don’t know…

The end to end process from ordering new stock, to having it shipped into Amazon’s warehouses will usually take no less than 90 days.

Why is that a big deal?

Well think of it this way. If your new stock arrives in Amazon’s warehouse and you start selling it, that means that even if you place a new order with your supplier that day, you’re still another 90 days away from having new stock.

That means that assuming your first order was 500 units, unless you sell less than 6 units a day, you’re going to run out of stock before the 90 days is up. 

Supply Chain

Of course you can run out of stock if you want to, but in my experience this is a cardinal sin when selling on Amazon.

Not only do you stop making money, but you lose your ranking and sales momentum, meaning that you basically have to start from scratch again.

Now I don’t know about you, but I didn’t get into the Amazon game to only sell 6 units a day.

I’m more of a 75-100 unit a day kind of guy.

Amazon Sales

So what this means is that the reality is that not only will you need to place your 1st order with your supplier for $2,500, but you’ll also need to chase that order a week or two later with another one...and possibly even a 3rd order, all before your 1st order even arrives at Amazon.

So now we’re looking at $7K to get 3 orders placed with your supplier to make sure you’re not gonna run out of stock. 

Then factor in shipping costs, probably at least $1,000 per order, and now we’re looking at needing over $10K to get your business started.

Add in warehouse fees, PPC advertising costs, returns and the reality is that you need anywhere between $12K - $15K.

And guess what...you don’t even know if your product is going to sell yet!

Scary right?

MY #1 ONLINE BUSINESS MODEL

19. I’VE FOUND A BETTER WAY: Lead Generation Always Wins

The good news is that while I have had some success selling on Amazon over the last few years, I’ve found a better way to build a solid business online, and I’m going all in on it this year.

This model is lead generation, and for me it’s hands down the best online business model on the planet.

With lead gen, you’re building websites about local services such as carpet cleaning, tree services, or any other service based business. 

You then rank them in Google, and when the sites start getting phone calls from people looking for the service, you direct those calls to a local business owner that offers the service.

The business owners are so grateful for the leads you’re sending them, they’ll either pay you per lead, a fixed fee per month for the leads (say $750), or a commission on each deal they close (say 10%). 

Lead Generation

Either way, you’re taking a sliver to deliver, and getting your share of the market.

Lead Generation Always Wins...

Amazon FBA

  • Capital - Need at least $12K - $15K to get started.
  • Lots of Risk - Need to order inventory you don't know will sell.
  • Hidden costs no one tells you about.
  • Limited control over your business. Amazon has full control.
  • Extremely competitive and saturated.
  • Price wars - It's a race to the bottom.
  • Low profit margins (20% - 25%)

Lead Generation

  • Limited Capital - Can get started for only a few hundred dollars.
  • Zero Risk - No inventory to order.
  • No hidden costs.
  • 100% control over your business at all times. You own the asset.
  • Almost no competition. The sky is the limit.
  • You control the price at all times.
  • Insane profit margins (90% - 95%)

How Does Amazon FBA Stand up to Lead Generation?

One of my favorite things to do as an entrepreneur is to take a deep dive into different business models and compare how they stack up against each other. 

I've found this really helps prioritize where my focus should be if I'm going to add as much value as possible to the planet.

20. ENTRY: Amazon FBA v Lead Generation

When it comes to entry, there's really no comparison between the two business models.

As I've already pointed out, many people don't realize you'll need anywhere from $10-$15K to get your Amazon business started, and even then you'll still face unexpected costs. 

Entry

With lead generation, you can get your business going for a few hundred bucks. The websites I built cost around $15 a month, which means the sky is the limit to how many I build.

Other than that, your costs are extremely low, which is the main reason that you can expect a profit margin of between 90% - 95% in this business.

21. SCALE: Amazon FBA v Lead Generation

Another huge factor to be aware of when it comes to Amazon FBA, is that it can be tricky to scale your business.

You may think you can reinvest the profits into new inventory, which makes sense in theory, however with the long lead times that come with shipping a product across the world, this may not be as simple as you think.

Scale your business

I've found that investing profits back into the business works well, but as your business grows you need to order more and more stock, often at a rate that exceeds your profits. 

With smaller profit margins of around 20%, you'll find that placing an extra order for $6,000, will mean that you'll need to be doing an extra $30,000 a month in revenue, to get that extra $6,000 profit to reinvest.

Of course, it will be difficult to do an extra $30,000 if you don't have the extra inventory.


Talk about a chicken and egg scenario.

With lead generation though, scaling quickly is not a problem due to the low cost of running the business.

Building an extra 10 websites a month will only cost you an additional $150, and when you have the potential to make up to $1,000 from a single website, you can imagine how quickly it is possible to scale.

CONCLUSION

Let's be clear.

In my opinion, the Amazing Selling Machine is the best Amazon FBA course out there. 
If you're really serious about starting an FBA business, then this is the course you're gonna want to buy!

But I gotta ask you...do you really want all the hassle and risk that comes with starting an Amazon business?

As I said at the start of this review, I'm all in on lead generation these days.

With lead generation, you are always in total control of your business. 

Unlike with Amazon, you have full control over the price you charge your customers, and there’s no inventory to purchase which means there is very little capital outlay or risk.

Heck, I started my lead generation business for a few hundred dollars, and built out my first 10 websites for less than $150 a month.

That’s way better than risking $15K on Amazon inventory that you don’t even know will sell.

You also get to control what you charge your clients, and there is almost zero competition.
With Amazon, there are thousands of new sellers joining the platform every single day, meaning you are constantly forced to lower your prices to compete with the bottom feeders.

Once the sites rank and start generating leads, they are almost totally hands off from that point onwards.

This means that the assets you’ve built (your websites) will keep paying you passively for years to come. 

I like to think of it as building virtual real estate.

Each website I built is like a small apartment that I can rent out for many years to come...

MARKET SATURATION & COMPETITION

You're going head to head with literally millions of sellers covering over 6000 different product niches. Breaking into an established niche is next to impossible - and finding untapped niches are becoming increasingly rare.

MASSIVE START UP COSTS

Start up costs require roughly $5000 in initial inventory, $10,000 in advertising, and $3000 in listing optimization, packaging, and branding. All in all, if you want to have a chance at success, you'll need to spend roughly $15,000 to $20,000 just as an initial investment.

AMAZON BASICS & CHINESE COPYCATS

Nearly all successful products are copied and resold by either Amazon or Chinese manufacturers who then undercut their competition at margins that only billion dollar companies can afford. Every time you see an Amazon Basics or Essentials product at the top ranked listing, it's likely that dozens of independent sellers went out of business.

NO LONG-TERM ASSETS

The key to long term wealth is in building and owning valuable assets, but with Amazon FBA, you own nothing. You're an enslaved middleman to Amazon, who care only about market domination and making a profit. Remember, you're there to make them money - and your use of Amazon is a privilege they grant you; a privilege they can revoke at any time.

LONG START UP TIME

Between identifying products and suppliers, passing quality assurance, securing inventory, and then product ranking, you're looking at over a year before you even have a chance at seeing a net positive income.

LOW PROFIT MARGINS

Profit margins are extremely low, meaning the only real way to make money is through mass ordering. Successful Amazon sellers often make less than 10% profit off of their sales.

ACCOUNT DEACTIVATIONS

Amazon's terms of service are fickle and ever changing. Bans are frequent and can spell disaster for FBA startups and established businesses alike.

Local Lead Generation

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