Part of the guide: Network Marketing Lead Generation
Editor notes: This post was published in 2011, so the information and links it may have may be out of date, or this post was made to try to predict an outcome that no longer the reality; please view at your own discretion.
Since 1992, USANA has been manufacturing and distributing products all over the world.
It’s always interesting to me when I get questions from people who are asking whether or not an MLM company is a scam.
With USANA, the answer is definitely no, but before I continue in this article, I just wanted to give you a quick disclaimer. I’m not affiliated with USANA in any way, I don’t use their products, and I don’t sponsor people into a USANA downline. However, I’ve been involved with the MLM profession for the last seven years, and I can tell you from experience some things that you wouldn’t be able to see on the surface.
To people who are at all familiar with Network Marketing laws that have been established in the USA for more than 30 years, it becomes obvious quite quickly that USANA is not only an excellent Network Marketing company, but that they fall within all of the legal requirements of a legitimate home-based business in every established economy in the world.
Not only does USANA meet with strict FTC guidelines, but they have won several international awards for their compensation plan, products, and how they treat their sales force. Quite frankly, USANA is a positive force in the MLM profession worldwide, and many companies would do well to envy the work that they’ve done over the last 17 years.
This question generally stems from a lack of understanding of the legal parameters for MLM businesses in the United States, and mistaking a legitimate Multi-Level Marketing opportunity with a Pyramid Scam. Most people who don’t understand the law haven’t taken the time to study the background behind the cases that took place in the early 1970s in the USA. You just have to look at a few aspects of USANA to know that they provide legitimate value to the marketplace.
First of all, they have an excellent science-based product. This is one aspect of USANA that no one can touch. There are more scientific articles written about USANA’s nutritional products than almost any other vitamin company on Earth. I don’t even use their products (although I’m thinking about it), and I can’t deny this.
Second, their compensation plan has one of the most balanced payouts in the MLM industry. While I don’t particularly like binary compensation plans (they’re just not my preference), they have been proven to work with excellent results in the MLM industry over the last 10 years, and USANA has a pay plan with higher average earnings than almost any company that exists. This compensation plan has been tested against all international regulations and stands on its own.
Third, look at what the actual distributors who have been with the company for a long time are saying about it. It’s a pretty rare phenomenon to run into a company with such raving reviews from even the people who aren’t earning the big checks. The verdict is simple – USANA is NOT a scam. So it might be best not to refer to this as the Usana scam.
If you’re going to become involved in the USANA business, rather than wasting your time wondering whether or not this business model is a scam, it would greatly benefit you to learn instead the critical skills that you need to understand to take your USANA business to the next level and recruit your first distributors.
Comments
ImGOODyeah
USANA is the perfect business for a lifetime opportunity. If you’re broke for a moment OR a long time, this business can help you most of the way. Just be patient and positive. These “negative idiots” on this page are “sore losers”.
Abegail Ugaldo
Hahahaha just go in the office and see! Be trained and watch all the presentations for free. Then decide…
Lee Zimmer
There are good MLM’s and bad ones. I happened to be involved with It Works Global, which has the hottest Body Wrap on the market today…
Jomar F. Ramirez
A USANA business is both a direct selling and network marketing business. You could still earn from direct selling, but in network marketing, it’s about growing your organization that moves the products directly…
Shahril Royza
A product which claims to be extremely above and beyond its competitors shouldn’t have a problem selling itself, right? A question with no straight answers..
Kevin Van Nguyen
You forgot about what the recruits have to do to get started. YOU HAVE TO PAY UP TO $380 at least to start getting paid. To some people, that’s a lot…
Anna
You have been paid late before
You have watched the number on the dashboard not match the number in your account. What is different now is simple: it settles on a public contract you can check yourself, not a dashboard I control.
Read the contract →Most participants earn little to nothing. No income is guaranteed. You can verify every payout on the public smart contract.
I have a friend who took Usana Essentials and after 3 days suffered nausea and vomiting. She asked if she could return the product since she cannot tolerate it, and the distributor advised her to increase the dosage?
Thanatos
Ok if USANA makes millionaires and works, why doesn’t everyone join and quit their jobs? From what I’ve seen, it’s a cult…
Kai Alvarez
I absolutely loved this post! It’s great to see someone finally breaking down the misconceptions about MLMs like USANA. The business model is legitimate and offers real value if you put in the effort. Keep up the great work!
Lena Farrow
Are you sure about these claims? I’ve heard so many mixed reviews about USANA, and it’s hard to know what to believe. Do you have any evidence or testimonials from real users who have benefited from the products?
Oliver Takahashi
This article really got me thinking about my current approach to MLM. Could you explain a bit more about how USANA’s compensation plan compares to other MLM companies? I’m curious to see if it might be a better fit for me.
Sophia Martinez
I appreciate your perspective on USANA, but I have to disagree on a few points. Binary compensation plans have their flaws, and while USANA may work for some, it’s not for everyone. That said, I respect your view!
Jayden Miles
Hey, long time no see! I loved reading this post and seeing how passionate you are about the MLM world. Let’s catch up sometime and chat more about this. Maybe over coffee? It’s been too long!
Marina Afolabi
I can totally relate to the challenges of finding a good MLM company. I’ve been in a similar position before, struggling to find one that suits me. It’s refreshing to read your detailed breakdown of USANA’s business model.
Reyna Holt
For anyone interested in exploring MLM further, you might want to check out other companies like Amway, Herbalife, and Mary Kay as well. These companies offer similar products and opportunities, so it’s worth comparing before making a decision.
Emmett O’Connell
Thanks for this insightful post! I’ve learned a lot about the structure of MLMs and how to approach them with a realistic mindset. It’s clear that USANA is a strong contender in the industry, and I’ll definitely consider joining after this.
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Get paid 100%, on-chain, the second the sale clears
Most affiliates earn little, and that is disclosed up front. The difference here is not a promise about what you will make. It is that you can verify every payout yourself, on a public contract, in about twelve seconds.
See how the payout works →Most participants earn little to nothing. No income is guaranteed. You can verify every payout on the public smart contract.
At sixty-one, what I wanted from an article titled ‘is it a scam’ was a plain answer to whether someone starting late, as I am, could realistically expect the binary plan described here to work without years already invested. The legal defense is thorough. That particular question goes unanswered.
Not a scam and good opportunity are two different verdicts. The post only defends the first one.
Roy’s distinction matters morally too, not just legally. Clearing every FTC requirement doesn’t mean it’s honest to ask friends and family for money against an outcome most of them won’t reach.
That matches what I saw building my own thing, different company. The paperwork was clean and the binary structure was explained clearly enough on paper. It still took about four months of actually doing the work before I understood what building out the second leg really required week to week. Clearly explained and easy to execute turned out to be two very different things.
Binary plans get this same is-it-a-scam post written about them every few years, different company, same defense: legal, science-backed, award-winning. I’ve read versions of this going back to the 90s almost verbatim.