“Systems Work, People Fail”

I’ve seen that headline on a site that’s making the rounds of traffic exchanges.

The implication is that people can only make money online with the right system, and that with the right system, anyone can do it.

I don’t like the headline, because it’s designed to appeal to people who lack confidence in themselves. The “system” mentioned will invariably turn out to be something that a new member must pay into until they start making a profit. Often the system involves one or more MLM programs.

So you take a person who doesn’t think they can succeed, and ask them to spend money until the “system” gets them into profit.

Well, this post is turning into more of a rant than anything else. But as part of research for the blog, I see so many systems that are thinly disguised ways to make money for the founders of the system. They’re all based on the idea that people can be sucked into the system in ever increasing numbers.

Ultimately, the system fails because people are only getting into it to make money, and it takes longer and longer to get each person into profit (since they’re all based on MLM programs).

How much harder would it be to offer a program that people truly need, and are willing to pay for, and also teach them how to use the program to improve their own Internet marketing efforts? And, as a bonus, help them get into profit faster than they might on their own.

One of these days I’d love to see a headline on a traffic exchange that reads, “Systems Fail, People Empower People”.