If you ran a tout site ...

[Beyond the Bets]

Read this from the main page (or don't), and then provide your thoughts on what YOU would do if you were to start a tout site. I've got plenty of other ideas (maybe 15 in all), on things that I would do to "clean up" the industry.

But I'm interested in knowing what you all would do? What do tout sites currently do that you think is ridiculous, absurd, etc.?

[JSpauny]

I agreed completely with every idea you posted so far, but the one I liked the most was:
4. HOLD HANDICAPPERS ACCOUNTABLE

Nothing infuriates me more than seeing a tout enjoy a career despite losing year after year after year. Where is the accountability? If one of my handicappers has a losing year, he’ll be placed on probation. I don’t care who it is or how close the handicapper was to having a profitable season. If the handicapper follows up his losing year with another losing year, he’s gone. We part ways and it’s over. No questions asked.

Too many handicappers talk a big game but lack the results to back it up. I know this much: If my handicapper doesn’t win, then my customer didn’t win either. And ultimately, I have to stand up for my customers. If I don’t, then who will?

My customers need to know that I’m not emotionally attached to any of my employees. Only winning handicappers will be at my site. The losers can go lose elsewhere. The mutual trust and respect that I develop with my customers will not allow second-guessers to attack my credibility and to undermine what I’m trying to do.

I think that's the one thing that almost every tout site I've ever been to fails at miserably. They will continue to let their cappers falter year after year as long they bring money into the site, and as long as their records aren't easily displayed or displayed in a selective way, people will buy their picks.

I agree 100% with your transparency and documentation ideas as well. That should be a given. Records should not be manipulated so that 60% in L/30 plays is the headline under record. It should be a yearly/lifetime record.

I like Pregame. I think there is a lot of good information there, but their tout selling page is almost completely "70% L/10" or "90% L/10 3rd Wednesday of the month superlocks." That shit is so annoying. Not that I would buy picks, but that sort of stuff turns me off immediately. I want to know what their record is for their lifetime on the site, not some bullshit 10-20 pick sample. I know they do it to sell picks, but they clearly don't care if their customers get screwed over because of this.

Which leads me to the main difference b/w your site and the others: you would care about the customers first. The other sites care about the money. Of course they have to make it, but making the customers a secondary concern is ridiculous and stupid. It's a business so it has to make money, but the focus should be on helping the customers.

I'm all for your tout site BTB. Sounds like the heaven of interweb tout sites.

[Beyond the Bets]

Good post, JS. And for the record, I won't be selling picks anytime soon, believe me. My belief, and I guess this is my approach to any business, is that if you care about the customer first — the results are far more likely to follow. And good results, at that.

If touts spent more time focusing on what they're allegedly good at — picking — rather than doing what they're not good at — selling — then I think they'd have a much better product.

Unfortunately, they are actually better at selling than picking, which is why they are what they are. TOUTS!

[itg_sports]

If I ran a tout site I would focus my efforts on creating an amazing website and a personable and interactive twitter account.

I would also try hard to interact in a positive way with great gambling websites such as BTB, Wagerminds, & Covers.

I would blog frequently in an effort to offer more than just picks but also knowledge.

As far as actually making picks...I would just tail all of So Money Sport's plays.