Why Marketing Funnels Don't Work (And What Does)
Jul 21, 2025
A lot of entrepreneurs that I see doing well online are drowning in their own success - by that I mean, the ones with cash in the bank often invest in the wrong things to scale up because of some sexy sales pitch.
A new AI bot system to deal with all your leads and call them on your behalf, and a fancy multi-step funnel to squeeze every last $ out of your webinars - these are just two examples of things being sold by high flying bro-marketers that I have seen people buy and get ZERO return on their investment.
The $37,000 Marketing System That Failed
In April 2025, I spent some time with someone who had "invested" $37,000 on a "complete marketing system" - training and full implementation into High Level. Sold by another well-known marketing guru in their New Year launch.
The blueprint included 19 different email sequences, 5 different offers, and some complex behavioural triggers that would send people down different paths based on every action they took. Everything was installed at the push of a button and the client needed to go through the training in order to understand how to change everything.
After months of trying to implement this system, they were frustrated and overwhelmed. Their team spent more time trying to understand how all the pieces fit together than actually connecting with potential customers.
The Real Cost of Complexity
When we jumped on a Zoom call, we analysed their results and try and see what was working and what wasn't, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with them because clearly they had been ripped off.
In simple terms, they had spent more money buying the "system" and then paying two VA's to make it fit their brand, than they'd made from sending traffic to the funnel.
The few leads that did come through were confused by the multiple offers and constant upsells. I wasn't shocked. Unfortunately, it's just another case of somebody who's built a system or has copied it from somebody else and effectively is just reselling it on because it's easy money yet people think because it's so complicated it will bring home the bacon.
When they showed me one email that they had been sent saying how much the lead hated the automated AI telephone call they received as part of the funnel, I suggested doing something quite radical - scrap the entire thing.
The Simple Solution That Actually Worked
I suggested taking a simple three-step approach and build out a Minimum Viable Funnel (MVF), inside their Kajabi account, which they had been paying for as well as the GHL subscription they were coerced into.
In May 2025, they enrolled 12 new clients - more than they'd converted in the previous months combined. June was 23 and after speaking with them again this morning, July has already surpassed this with a total 38 new clients enrolled into their programme.
After a $37k investment, paying two VA's for four months and spending almost $10k in ads, the guru's blueprint produced 8 sales. They were also out of the 30 day money back guarantee to get any of their investment back.
Within weeks of setting up my MVF in their business, 73 front end sales for a programme priced at $1,997 brought in more than their investment in the first strategy.
The cost of implementation of the MVF was less than $5k and we had it set up within 10 days, plus payment was due after they made their first sale, not in advance.
5 Lessons From Marketing System Failures
The lessons are simple.
- Your customers don't need to navigate a maze to buy from you. They need a clear path from problem to solution.
- Some of these bro marketers are just selling regurgitated systems that they have a license to resell, and have no real results for themselves.
- "Proven" systems don't mean a thing until you've implemented them into your business to prove that they've worked.
- Some of the best marketing service providers believing their strategies and implementation steps more than others and are so confident that you'll get a result, they never ask for the full payment upfront.
- Simplicity wins in a day of automation, AI and lack of human interaction
Complexity often leads to confusion, and confusion kills conversions.
The Simple Truth About Marketing Success
The marketing world is full of people selling you complexity dressed up as sophistication. But here's what actually works - simple systems that connect with real people. When you strip away the 19 email sequences, the AI bots, and the behavioural triggers, what's left? A clear path from problem to solution. That's what your customers want. Not a maze. Not a game. Just clarity.
If you're tired of complex systems that drain your bank account and deliver nothing, it's time to simplify. Because the future belongs to those who do less, but better.
