Arbonne Review – Scam Or Legitimate MLM Business?

| May 27, 2011 | 5 Comments

Arbonne Review imageWelcome to my Arbonne Review!

What is Arbonne? Arbonne is a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company that advertises a unique opportunity that can help make anyone’s vision for the future a reality through sales incentives, travel opportunities, a generous compensation plan, and high-quality products.

In this Arbonne Review, I will be providing the facts concerning this company, the products that they distribute, and the MLM Business opportunity that they offer as an Arbonne Independent Consultant.

Does Arbonne offer a legitimate MLM Business opportunity, or is this a scam or pyramid scheme?  This is my unbiased Arbonne Review.

Company Details & History

Arbonne Logo imageFounded in 1975 by Petter Morck, Arbonne International was originally a Switzerland based company, but relocated to California in 1980.

Product Line

With a commitment to quality, safety, value, as well as superior benefits and results, Arbonne International offers an extensive product line related to:

  • Anti-Aging
  • Cosmetics
  • Skin & Body Care
  • Health & Wellness

Arbonne products are distributed around the globe through their vast network of Arbonne Consultants, which will transition us into my review of the Arbonne Home Business opportunity:

MLM Business – How it all works

Arbonne Product Review imageYou can begin your business in one of two ways:

1. Join as a Preferred Client

This includes a $29 Preferred Client Starter Kit.

Preferred Clients are given a 20% discount off of suggested retail prices on all products, which can be used for personal use and consumption, or for retail sales to your customers.

2. Join as an Independent Consultant

This option is for serious entrepreneurs who wish to optimize their earning potential within the Arbonne SuccessPlan (Compensation Plan).

This includes a $109 Consultant Starter Kit.

Consultants are given a 35% discount off of suggested retail prices on all products, which can be used for personal use and consumption, or for retail sales to your customers.

If you submit an initial product order of $250 or more, your $109 Consultant Starter Kit fee will be waived.

Also, if you enroll as a Preferred Client, Arbonne will give you an opportunity to earn Consultant status if you generate at least 150 Personal Retail Volume (PRV), and sponsor two or more Preferred Clients or Consultants who also generate 150 PRV each in their first month.  You must achieve this in two out of three consecutive months.  If accomplished, you will automatically earn Consultant status, and receive your Consultant Starter Kit for free.

Requirements

Every Arbonne Consultant must also submit an Annual Renewal Fee to renew their Arbonne affiliation every anniversary month.  If Consultants fail to renew their Arbonne Business each year, they will lose their rights as a Consultant, including compensation and their entire downline organization.

To maintain your active status and qualification to participate in the Arbonne Compensation Plan, you must generate at least 150 PRV in two out of the three prior calendar months.

Their Autoship Requirement

However, to remain qualified for override commissions for the efforts of others, and to qualify for bonuses and other incentives, you must generate 100 PRV each and every month.

To meet this requirement, Arbonne will highly encourage you to enroll into their monthly Autoship Program.  Through this program, you will select products that you wish to have on hand every month, and Arbonne will automatically ship these products to you, and bill your credit card accordingly.  This program is optional, but will be encouraged to ensure that your active status and qualification for earnings never lapses.

Leadership Positions

As you achieve qualifying milestones in your business, you will progress through the various leadership positions within Arbonne, qualifying you for more earnings on more and more Consultants in your organization.  These include from lowest to highest:

  • Preferred Client
  • Consultant
  • District Manager
  • Executive District Manager
  • Area Manager
  • Executive Area Manager
  • Regional Vice President
  • Executive Regional Vice President
  • National Vice President
  • Executive National Vice President

Consultant Training & Support

Arbonne Consultant Review imageThe majority of Arbonne company-wide sales are achieved through Group Presentations (Home Parties).  Through these Group Presentations, Consultants have the opportunity to share Arbonne with others, and let them experience their botanically based products.

You will schedule these Group Presentations in the homes of your friends, family members, acquaintances, co-workers, etc.  While your friends and family members are having fun learning and shopping for products, you will accept orders and recruit those who express an interest in the business opportunity as a Consultant on your team.

Host Rewards Program

Arbonne offers a Host Rewards Program, which will provide your Host with substantial discounts and free product credit, based upon the sales that are generated by you in their home.

You will offer this incentive as you are contacting your loved ones to schedule your Group Presentations.

Your training as a new Arbonne Consultant will be based upon these traditional methods of Network Marketing.

Arbonne Review Conclusion

In my opinion, Arbonne is a legitimate MLM Business opportunity, and should not be confused as a scam or pyramid scheme.  For more than 35 years, Arbonne has built a solid reputation of distributing quality products, and has become one of the most respected names in the Network Marketing industry.

Food for thought…

While sales can be generated through the means of home parties in the homes of your friends and family members, these methods are not the most effective way to build a long-term Home Business.

If you desire success within Arbonne, you will need to bring a more modern and effective marketing strategy that extends beyond your friends and family members in a home party setting.  This will dramatically decrease your chances of becoming one of the 97% that fail in this Multi-Level Marketing industry.

If you possess a marketing skill-set, I believe that Arbonne offers a very solid business opportunity with great products.  Without it, you will need to have an endless supply of friends and family members.

I hope that you have found my Arbonne Review to be informative and educational!  I wish you the best of luck in your home business search!

Category: MLM Company Reviews

About the Author ()

Dave Fennell is the founder and editor of Marketing Methods Online and BloggerGo. Learn more about him here. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.
  1. Dave Fennell says:

    Dave Fennell wrote this Arbonne Review for those who are researching the Arbonne Business Opportunity. I would love your feedback. If you have any experiences with this company, whether good or bad, please share them here to assist others in their research efforts.

    I greatly appreciate your feedback and expertise, and others will too!

    To Your Success,

    Dave Fennell

  2. Liz says:

    Hi Dave.

    I am just starting out with this business, so i can’t say that it has been either a negative or a positive experience as of yet. I do very much appreciate your review statement. Starting a new business can- IS a frightening experience and there are a lot of Naysayers out there that can be discouraging at times. Seeing a viewpoint that is much more pragmatic that puts the business aspect on the shoulders of the business person, and not on the company itself can be much more refreshing. Especially to an entrepreneur who is researching a new business to invest her time and money into.
    I also want to ask, have you ever had a chance to try the product? Before i decided to begin hosting workshops as a consultant, I was a consumer. I wanted to see if the product worked before i even considered selling to my friends (I’ll admit, the thought of that sounded tacky to me at first.) But, after four months of constant use, my skin looks the way it should… healthy. I had no idea how unhealthy looking my skin was before until i got a glimpse of how beautiful it actually is! I rarely wear make up any more, I have no blemishes to cover up.
    I guess the point is, I’m not worried about selling to my friends anymore- the product sells itself. I’m just a conduit between healthy products and the people who i think would benefit from such healthy products 🙂 . And that’s an important thing to remember when you’re going into ANY kind of business for yourself. If you don’t believe in the product, no one will buy it from you no matter what it is.

    I look forward to finding out for myself if this business opportunity does take off.
    thanks again for your info!

    Sincerely,

    Lizz Anderson, LMT & Arbonne Consultant.

    • Dave Fennell says:

      Hi Liz,

      Thank you for your comments and sharing your views and aspirations.

      To answer your question regarding Arbonne products; no I have not personally tried their products. But I know people that have and I have heard many positive things.

      You have a very positive outlook as far as how the business works. I wish you the best of luck in your new Venture. Again, thank you very much for sharing.

      To your Success,

      Dave F.

  3. Liz says:

    Hi there Dave,

    When you get a chance, take a look at the website and contact me with anything you might be interested in sampling. 🙂

    Lizz Anderson LMT and Arbonne Consultant.

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