For Melaleuca founder and CEO, Frank Vandersloot, marketing and selling wellness products has been an extremely lucrative business. In fact, his net worth was recently reported at $3.6 billion, making him the richest man in his home state of Idaho.
The question is, does his business model work for everyone involved? Is Melaleuca a true MLM or is it a scam that builds profits on the backs of its affiliate marketers?
We're going to answer these questions and more in this comprehensive Melaleuca review. We think that it's important to make sure that all online entrepreneurs understand what they're signing up for and how to make it work for them.
Read on to learn more about Melaleuca Inc. and decide whether or not it's the right way for you to build your online business.
How Does Melaleuca Work?
Melaleuca is a company that sells branded wellness items including natural cleaning supplies, skin care products, and even food products. The company claims that its primary objective is to help consumers achieve their wellness goals and live the life they want to live.
The difference between Melaleuca and a brick and mortar wellness shop is that Melaleuca relies on its team of affiliate marketers, aka direct salespeople or independent business owners, to sell their products. As a Melaleuca affiliate, you can receive discounts on their products and make a commission off of any products you are responsible for selling.
However, this is not the only way to make money with a company like Melaleuca. Companies that rely on direct sales need an ever-growing sales force, which is why they incentive bringing on new members to the team. Melaleuca affiliates receive a commission, amongst other rewards, for the sales made by anyone they've personally introduced to the company–this is called a downstream.
Oh, and the best part is that you can do all of this on your own time. You may be selling Melaleuca's products and membership, but you're not working for anyone but yourself.
Is Melaleuca a Scam or an MLM?
That all sounds great, but we all know that there are some serious drawbacks to joining an MLM without all of the information. In fact, it's pretty easy to set up a total scam and call it an MLM. So, which one is Melaleuca and how can you tell?
Melaleuca is a bonafide MLM–and one that has been around for a long time. As it exists today, Melaleuca was founded in 1985 and has continued to grow in worth, products, and membership to this day. This may be due to the fact that joining Melaleuca is fairly low-stakes, especially compared to some similar endeavors.
One way to determine that Melaleuca is not a scam is to look at who is buying their products. According to Melaleuca's income statistics from 2019, about 81% of their products sold to consumers who do not also sell Melaleuca products. Seeing a number like that can reassure you that the products really are the selling point and that the company isn't thriving off of its own sales force.
Another positive sign is that Melaleuca doesn't make you pay hefty fees to join or sell their products. To become a Melaleuca member, you are required to pay an annual $19 fee. That being said, you do have to place a monthly order to remain active, and you're going to want to be able to sell those products to keep up a decent return on investment.
As you've probably guessed, making a decent income off of a company like Melaleuca isn't quite as simple as it may sound. No matter how good the product is or how honest the company is about its business model, you're not going to see that decent return on investment without the right skills.
How Can You Maximize Your Experience With Melaleuca?
If all you're looking for is a discount on your favorite Melaleuca products, then you don't need to worry about this next part. However, if you want to start making money as an affiliate marketer for Melaleuca or any of the other big MLMs out there, it's going to take some serious effort.
Tapping into a consumer market and building your downstream requires marketing expertise. Some of these MLMs suggest starting with a list of family members and friends who may want to hop on this opportunity. However, any MLM member will quickly discover that this is an extremely limited pool of people–and not your best bet.
Instead, you're going to need to know how to build up a major online presence. Our blog offers tons of valuable resources and interviews delving into the ins and outs of establishing that web presence and marketing your business successfully. Perhaps the most important part of online marketing is your ability to tell a story and build a sense of trust between you and your audience.
Establishing yourself as a trusted and reliable source takes dedication. The competition is steep, which means that you want to come out of the gate prepared to make it to the top. How can you skip the trial and error process and become an expert marketer from the get-go?
Go Beyond Our Melaleuca Review and Become an Expert Marketer
We hope that our Melaleuca review has told you what you need to know about Melaleuca and how to spot a legitimate MLM. Now, it's time to take that learning process a step further and become an expert marketer so that you can excel at all of your online entrepreneurial endeavors.
If you're ready to become the best affiliate marketer in the wellness industry, check out this 15 Day Online Business Builder Challenge. In just 15 days, you can learn about the #1 High-Ticket Business Model to Launch Online, Why Low-Ticket Business Models are Keeping You Broke, and more.
