Follow every instruction exactly on your first pass. Then keep what works and drop what doesn't. Finally, find people who succeeded with the course and study what they do beyond the curriculum to fill the gaps.
I, like you, have spent plenty of money on things that have, quote, not worked, but I still learned enough from them and oftentimes what not to do that allowed me to then see what to do. The process that I use is do everything they tell you to, to the T, the first time, then take what works and toss the rest. And by the way, if they have a success story, which they usually do because that's how they sold you, you find that person and figure out what they are doing that is lacking in the education that the person who's teaching taught.
