Does Juice Plus really work? Problems and complaints seem to plague this network marketing company… but are the complaints founded in fact? This article reveals the truth about claims of a Juice Plus scam.

A Brief Review of National Safety Associates – The Company Behind Juice Plus

Juice Plus is a product sold and distributed by National Safety Associates, a multi-level marketing company founded in 1970 by Jay Martin. Based in Collierville, Tennessee, the company started out retailing fire safety products door-to-door, and later expanded to sell water filtration equipment.

In 1986, the company adopted a multi-level marketing business model. In 1993, NSA began marketing Juice Plus, and later developed other nutritional products in the Juice Plus line.

NSA Juice Plus – An Explanation of the Product

NSA Juice Plus consists of powdered fruit and vegetable extracts that are fortified with vitamins and minerals and sold in an encapsulated form. NSA claims the product offers benefits related to a reduction in anti-oxidant stress and decreased risk of cardiovascular health issues. Their website states:

“The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends we eat 7 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Most people don’t come anywhere close. Clinically proven Juice Plus+ helps you bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat, every day.”

Juice Plus Problems and Complaints

It’s not difficult to find internet posts by dissatisfied customers who claim to have taken Juice Plus. Problems reported most often include skin rashes and eruptions after taking the product. This could be due to a simple food allergy, as consumers may fail to read the fine print on the nutritional supplement label, and may inadvertently ingest the product unaware of whether it contains an ingredient to which they are allergic.

A common counter-claim made by Juice Plus distributors is that the skin rashes are normal, and to be expected when the body is “detoxifying”. While this a possibility (at least in my personal experience with fasting and cleansing regimens), it is doubtful that the product contains sufficient amounts of anti-oxidants and nutrients to cause a massive “toxic flush” of the sort that could result in skin eruptions.

Critics also argue the company makes unfounded claims regarding the health benefits of Juice Plus. Problems critics refer to include that there is no scientific evidence to support the marketing claims that NSA makes regarding the purported health benefits of the Juice Plus products.

Behind the Claims of a Juice Plus Scam

But are the critics’ arguments founded in fact? NSA cites the results of 14 studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals to support company claims regarding the health benefits of taking Juice Plus products. However, of the studies cited, critics claim only one study was actually independently funded; they say the rest were funded by NSA or the supplement manufacturer. While this does not necessarily mean that the studies are invalid, it does raise concerns regarding a conflict of interest among the researchers involved.

In addition, some critics claim that the studies cited used flawed methodologies and research. This points to the problem with citing “scientific” studies in order to support health claims of any nutritional supplement; that is, the general public, being unfamiliar with the scientific and statistical jargon used in such studies, is easily confused by such research. As any research scientist or statistician will tell you, research data and statistics can easily be manipulated to fool the unknowing.

Granted, the Juice Plus products do contain certain beneficial nutrients; however, this is mostly due to the fact that the product is fortified with nutrients during manufacturing. Having taken Juice Plus products myself, I can honestly state that I observed no noticeable difference in my health while taking the supplement.

However, such experiences are purely subjective, and the results one person experiences while taking a nutritional supplement may differ from another person’s experience. Case-in-point, a close relative continues to take the Juice Plus supplement and has related to me that they “feel better” when taking it on a daily basis.

The Juice Plus Business Opportunity

NSA offers a business opportunity promoting the Juice Plus products as an independent distributor using their “virtual franchise” model. Distributors earn money on the difference between wholesale cost and retail profit, in addition to a percentage commission of 6% to 22% based on sales volume.

While the compensation plan is extremely complicated, what it boils down to is that the distributor would need to build an organization of thousands of retail customers consuming the product month after month in order to build any significant income. Unfortunately, history and experience have shown that such compensation plans make it extremely unlikely that the average person will be able to trade their day job for a new career as a network marketing distributor.

In Closing

While NSA is proven to be a strong network marketing company, there are certain questions regarding their marketing practices and product claims that should be answered by anyone looking at the company. Any decision to join NSA or any other multi-level marketing company is obviously a very personal one, and should be made on the basis of the individual’s own research and due diligence.

Having said that, I would personally encourage anyone who is thinking of joining a traditional MLM company such as NSA to stop first and take a look at a direct selling business that follows the G.P.T. model. If you would like more information on the business I chose, feel free to contact me at my website listed below.

About the Author:

The Network Marketing Maverick helps average networkers build above average incomes through savvy business training and advice that flies in the face of conventional industry wisdom.

Want to know more? Fill out the response form on the home page for a FREE 7-Day Crash Course on how to succeed in networking, the Maverick Way.

Sincerely,

Success Solutions for Network Marketers:

• Strategy
• Marketing
• Training

Free Life International – A Brief Review of the Company and Products

FreeLife International is a network marketing company founded in 1995 by Ray Faltinsky and Kevin Fournier. The company initially launched with a focus on vitamins and nutritional supplements, but has since switched it’s focus to marketing products containing juice from the Chinese wolfberry, also known as the goji berry.

The latin name for the wolfberry is “Lycium barbarum”, and the plant is a member of the family Solanaceae, which includes plants in the deadly nightshade family (potato, tomato, eggplant, deadly nightshade, chili pepper, and tobacco). Wolfberries have been traditionally used in Chinese herbal medicine for nearly 2,000 years, and are considered to be a safe food substance.

Although the wolfberries themselves contain polysaccharides and carotenoid antioxidant compounds which are shown to have beneficial properties in vitro, as yet there are no substantiated studies that prove the various wild claims that have been made regarding the medicinal and anti-cancer properties that Chinese wolfberries are purported to possess.

However, a recent study did conclude that consumption of Goji berry juice produced subjective feelings of increased well-being in the test subjects. Even so, the researchers conducting the study stated that further research and data would be necessary since no physiological changes could be detected in the test subjects.

The FreeLife Business Opportunity Selling GoChi Juice

As a multi-level marketing company, FreeLife International offers a home business opportunity that centers around selling their products to retail end-users, who are encouraged to purchase the products on a monthly “autoship” subscription basis. Autoship programs are prevalent in network marketing companies that sell consumables, as it tends to stabilize distributor sales volume and income.

Unfortunately, industry statistics show that the average customer only stays on an autoship subscription approximately three months. This indicates that a FreeLife distributor would have to build an organization by recruiting mostly other distributors, who would then have a vested interest in continuing to use the products and would therefore be more likely to retain their monthly product subscription.

Although it is possible to build a substantial income with a company that adheres to this business model, for the average person this is a highly improbable outcome. Unfortunately, only a very small percentage of network marketing distributors are able to succeed at these types of business models.

Having said that, the cost of entry to become a FreeLife distributor is quite low at around $40, and the company clearly states that distributors “can earn anywhere from a few dollars to a five-figure monthly income.” According to the 2007 annual income statistics posted to the FreeLife International website, the average entry-level distributor earned $104.48 in 2007, and only the top 3.5% of distributors in the company earned any substantial income (upwards of $60,203.12 annually).

In Conclusion

That FreeLife International sells nutritional supplements that are as good as any on the market is without question. However, the verdict is still out on the health benefits of their flagship product, “GoChi Juice”.

With regards to their business opportunity, FreeLife is similar to most other multi-level marketing companies in that they follow a business model that favors the small percentage of distributors who are highly skilled marketers and sales persons, who are able to build huge downline organizations. Unfortunately, most distributors in these companies will fail to make any significant income at all, despite their efforts.

It is for that reason that this author left the traditional network marketing business model behind and instead chose a business model that allows even the average person to create an above-average income.

If you’d like more information on which company I personally recommend, feel free to contact me at my website listed below.

About the Author:

The Network Marketing Maverick helps average networkers build above average incomes through savvy business training and advice that flies in the face of conventional industry wisdom.

Want to know more? Fill out the response form on the home page for a FREE 7-Day Crash Course on how to succeed in networking, the Maverick Way.

Success Solutions for Network Marketers:

• Strategy
• Marketing
• Training

ACN scam discussions are easy to find on the internet, but is ACN a fraud? This article examines the company and opportunity with an unbiased and thorough examination of ACN Telecommunications.

Is ACN A Scam? A Quick Review of The Company and Products

At the time of this writing, ACN is the world’s largest direct selling telecommunications company. They operate in over 20 countries spanning 3 continents, and boast of operations in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

A privately-held corporation, ACN Telecommunications was founded in 1992 by Robert Stevanovski, Greg Provenzano, Tony Cupisz, and Mike Cupisz. ACN started out as a long distance phone service reseller for LCI Communications, and later began offering:

* Local and long distance phone service bundles -

* Wireless phone service (as a reseller for major carriers such as Sprint and AT&T) -

* Home security (as a reseller for ADT) -

* Dial-up and high-speed internet service -

* Satellite TV services (as a reseller for Dish Network and Direct TV) -

* And ACN video phone equipment that operates on its digital phone service.

The ACN Business Opportunity

ACN offers an opportunity to earn income as an independent ACN representative through signing up retail customers who use ACN products and services. Entry-level start-up fees are approximately $100 to $500 at the time of this writing; in order to qualify to earn commissions, representatives must acquire 6 to 8 retail customer accounts.

In the ACN compensation plan, you may recruit as wide as you like, and the plan pays between 2% and 6% commission, seven levels deep. However, at each compensation level the representative must meet certain qualifications in order to be compensated at that level, which generally revolve around recruitment and volume requirements that are typical of many multi-level marketing opportunities.

Is ACN A Fraud?

Interestingly, Donald Trump invited ACN to showcase its signature ACN video phone product on and episode of The Celebrity Apprentice that aired on March 22, 2009. It seems highly doubtful that Donald Trump would lend his reputation and credibility to a company that operated using fraudulent or deceptive trade practices. One could conclude from the inferred credibility that ACN, at least from a company reputation standpoint, is not a scam.

In addition, one of the hallmarks or a reputable network marketing or multi-level marketing company is an emphasis on retailing products to end consumers. Since ACN places it’s initial emphasis on acquiring retail customers, it apparently fulfills the retail requirement that separates an illegal pyramid scheme from a legitimate network marketing company.

Chief Drawbacks to The ACN Opportunity

The chief drawback to the ACN opportunity has little to do with the company’s legitimacy, as the company has been proven to be a stable and legitimate leader in the network marketing industry over its 15 year history.

Legitimacy not being an issue, the chief drawback to the company’s opportunity is that it follows the old traditional compensation plan structures that previous companies, such as Amway and Herbalife, have been following for years. These compensation plans tend to favor “rockstar” distributors who are able to recruit huge downlines and build massive organizations, while average distributors receive meager, if any, compensation.

While it is possible that anyone can build a large organization in a company such as ACN Inc., history and experience have shown that it is highly unlikely that all but a small percentage of distributors in such companies ever achieve any real substantial income from their efforts.

It is for this reason that this author recommends the reader’s time is better spent building a career with a direct sales company, preferably one that offers higher upfront commissions on retail sales as well as residual commissions based on their organization’s volume.

If you’d like more information on which company I personally recommend, feel free to contact me at my website listed below.

About the Author:

The Network Marketing Maverick helps average networkers build above average incomes through savvy business training and advice that flies in the face of conventional industry wisdom.

Want to know more? Fill out the response form on the home page for a FREE 7-Day Crash Course on how to succeed in networking, the Maverick Way.

Success Solutions for Network Marketers:

• Strategy
• Marketing
• Training

iLearningGlobal – A Brief Review of The Company and Products

iLearningGlobal is an online network marketing company that offers a business opportunity marketing their web-based digital education content. The company concept is to deliver high-quality, digitally delivered content using various media platforms, including:

• Audio
• Video
• Ebooks
• Webcasts
• And blogs

The company claims to be able to offer high-definition video content via the internet using their “iLG Signature Video Theater”, free of load times and buffering. The content of the educational programs iLearningGlobal delivers centers around a few central themes:

• Motivation
• Personal Development
• Self-help
• Business and Management Topics
• Marketing and Advertising
• Multi-Level Marketing and Network Marketing

iLearningGlobal As A Business Opportunity

iLearningGlobal offers a business opportunity and compensation plan that is quite similar to that offered in other network marketing companies such as Amway, Melaleuca, and Herbalife. The compensation plan is based around the purchase of a monthly access membership to the educational content provided on the company website. Distributors, known as “Mastermind Marketers”, make money by recruiting others to join the company in order to have access to the same educational content and services.

The iLearningGlobal compensation plan pays from 3% to 7% commissions seven levels deep, so long as the distributor meets the business volume qualifications for payment at each particular level. The entire payment plan is based around the “monthly autoship” premise, which is no different from similar plans being offered by more traditional companies that sell skincare or nutritional products.

iLearningGlobal Pros and Cons

There are some definite positives regarding the iLearningGlobal opportunity.

iLearningGlobal Business Opportunity Pros

1. iLearningGlobal Is A Completely Digital Company. As such, all products are delivered with a minimal amount of overhead, which allows the company to pay out more in its compensation plan to its distributors. In addition, since there is no physical product to deliver, the only distribution concerns the company will have are with regards to signal bandwidth on their website servers. Companies such as YouTube and Google have clearly demonstrated that delivering millions of video views per day online is possible with today’s high-speed internet technology and servers. So, this should not be an issue for the company.

2. iLearningGlobal Sells An “In Demand” Product, in the sense that self-help, business, and motivation topics have been and will continue to be popular products in the consumer market.

3. iLearningGlobal Is Offering Quality Content From “Name” Authors and Speakers. Some notable names in their lineup include Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, and John Gray, just to name a few.

Cons and Drawbacks to the iLearningGlobal Business Opportunity

4. iLearningGlobal’s Content Delivery is Based On Streaming Content. While in the long-term, streaming content will be readily accessible using mobile broadband technology, it remains to be seen how quickly that technology will be widely available to the masses. Currently, with high cost of mobile broadband devices and access, such technologies remain out of reach and impractical for the average consumer. This in turn limits access to the content iLearningGlobal provides to the user’s home or office computer.

It is a fact that in today’s busy world, most consumers prefer to take their entertainment with them, listening to MP3s in their car or while working out. It is doubtful that iLearningGlobal will offer downloads of their content to their users, since allowing downloadable content would cut into the retail sales their authors and contributors rely on for the majority of their income. Thus, this limits the access users will have to their content, which could result in high attrition and poor retention. With retention being a necessity for autoship based compensation plans, it could make it difficult for distributors to build strong and solid downlines in their organizations.

5. iLearningGlobal Requires You To Build A Large Downline To Make A Significant Income. In order to make any sort of significant income with iLearningGlobal, a distributor would have to build an organization of many first level distributors, who then in turn build their organizations many levels deep.

Past history with companies such as Amway and Herbalife has proven that this is possible, but not probable, for the average distributor. Generally speaking, it takes many years to build such an organization, if the distributor is in fact ever able to do so.

The Truth About iLearningGlobal

While iLearningGlobal does look to become a player in the network marketing industry, it still follows an outdated business model that makes success extremely unlikely for the average distributor. Considering the fact that there are much better alternatives, such as the G.P.T. model, it would be advisable for all but the most experienced and skilled network marketers to steer clear of this opportunity.

If you’d like more information on what I believe to be a solid alternative to the traditional network marketing model – one that the average person can do well at – feel free to contact me using the contact information below.

About the Author:

The Network Marketing Maverick helps average networkers build above average incomes through savvy business training and advice that flies in the face of conventional industry wisdom.

Want to know more? Fill out the response form on the home page for a FREE 7-Day Crash Course on how to succeed in networking, the Maverick Way.

Success Solutions for Network Marketers:

• Strategy
• Marketing
• Training