The number one way to spot a scammer guru in the online marketing industry is to see if they are using Click Funnels for their website pages.

“Kush, you can’t be serious with that statement. SO MANY people use Click Funnels.“

I can assure you I haven’t been more serious ever.

But let’s see the logic behind my thinking.

First of all, I have nothing against Click Funnels. I’m sure it’s a great software and I actually really liked Russel Brunson’s (The founder) book called The DotCom Secrets. I even follow his Facebook page even though I find his motivational quotes super cheesy and cringe-worthy.

So I don’t have an issue with Click Funnels.

But I have an issue with HOW and WHY it is used especially by “gurus” who are just new to the internet marketing game.

So here’s my reasoning. And this reasoning will be even more applicable to the “gurus” in India since they pay the Click Funnels fee in dollars, putting them at a disadvantage.

Click Funnels costs $97/month. That’s over Rs.7000/month.

When a person is spending that kind of money on a software which is not even 100% essential (more on this later), what does it say about them?

First of all, it shows they are lazy.

Why? Because Click Funnels doesn’t accomplish anything which you cannot do with using even a free page building plugin like Elementor.

Click Funnels claims it builds the funnels for you. That’s not accurate. What it does is, it quickly builds the pages in your funnels with a few clicks in a pre-designed funnel format.

But how can your funnel be built quickly and how can it be pre-designed?

Your marketing funnel is a series of steps that your prospect has to take in order to convert.

How can you build these series of steps quickly?

YOUR funnel will come out of YOUR way of doing business. It will be unique to you. How can you automate this task and expect it to work for you?

Why would you not want to spend the time and effort to do the trial and error which ultimately results in you understanding what kind of funnel works for your business?

In fact figuring out your marketing funnel is the step that requires a LOT of trial and error.

Your funnel has to be earned, not given.

So the actual advantage of Click Funnels is not in building funnels. It’s just in building the landing pages quickly with a few clicks.

But this approach is definitely not the correct one especially when it costs you so much.

So what is the correct approach?

The correct, cheaper and more sustainable approach is to build your pages in WordPress using a free or cheap page building plugin like Elementor like I show inside Module 2 in Online Course Blueprint.

Create a funnel sequence out of those pages, test it and then make the changes.

Once you find a winning funnel, you are set. The pages are already made by you. You pay Rs.0/month.

But what’s the catch?

The catch is that the pages won’t be made with a single click like in Click Funnels. You will have to create them.

The catch is that you will have to put in the work.

Yes , it may not be as easy as building them in Click Funnels but because these pages don’t change much once you’ve figured out a winning funnel, it’s not really a big deal.

Secondly, such a needless investment makes their marketing very aggressive.

Just observe how such “gurus” do their marketing.

They are all about selling their product or online course.

Such people will hard sell like crazy because they need to continually make back the money that they are spending every month.

These people cannot afford to relax.

Even have a look at the templates Click Funnels offers. They scream of just sales, sales and sales. They look very fake and inauthentic.

How can your landing page copy be fake and pre-designed?

Copy writing has to come from your heart.

The excuse given here is that your professionalism is in proportion to how much you have invested in your online business.

That logic is correct if the money is being invested in something that is crucial.

Click Funnels is not crucial. It’s a luxury.

So Kush, does that mean Click Funnels is to be 100% avoided?

No.

It is only to be avoided if you think twice about paying $97/month.

If you are at a level where $97/month seems absoustely inexpensive to you, then you will be correct in susbcribing for it.

But most people subscribe for it even when $97/month seems like a risk.

If $97/month is a risk, then that simply means your business is not at a level where you can afford to spend that kind of money on a luxury item.

It just shows that currently your margins cannot afford such a subscription.

People are following the opposite mindset. They are thinking that if we invest more in all these fancy software, it will result in a business with more margins. That’s like asking a small shopkeeper to switch to a bigger shop and expect his business to boom just because of that decision. Whereas the correct approach for the shopkeeper should be to first focus on doing business well from his existing shop and then making the move to a bigger shop to expand his business when the time calls for it.

You have to be patient and sometimes learn a harder but ultimately cheaper skill (like designing pages in WordPress using a page builder as opposed to using an expensive software).

In fact even before that, instead of spending crazy money on a fancy software like Click Funnels, the correct thing would be to first learn about marketing funnels.

Because you have to remember that your business has be run in a stress-free and relaxed way. It’s a long race.

If you are relaxed about your fixed expenses, you will also be more relaxed in your marketing approach, which will obviously please your prospects and customers more than if you are always forcing them to buy your products or online courses.

That’s why in Online Course Blueprint, I never make you spend money on anything that is not necessary. Except for the money spent on your website hosting and domain name, almost all the tools I show are free or at least free to start things with.

It’s almost a sin that so many “gurus” recommend expensive software like Click Funnels to their students who are complete beginners.

These gurus usually do this because they are affiliates for Click Funnels and they get a handsome commission in return.

So the next time you see someone using Click Funnels, always do a background check to see if they have been doing this for a long time successfully.

People who use expensive software the correct way usually start doing it because they can now afford to.

But if they come across as freshers, then that’s surely a red flag.

Conclusion

Even though I used Click Funnels as an example here, this approach can be applied to other needless luxury software too.

Remember to use only that is essental.

When you are starting your business, prioritize needs over wants.

Building a proper business is a marathon, not a sprint.

Have your own website. Have your own email list. These are the foundations of your online business.

Don’t be dependent on third parties for these things even though they might make things easier in the short term.

You’ll not only save money, but you’ll be much happier running your business.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.