Herbalife is one of the most popular multilevel marketing companies in the world. If you are wondering if you can make money selling Herbalife, this post may help clarify whether it is worth investing in.
I’ll talk about what this company offers in terms of products and their business opportunity.
What is Herbalife?
There is a good chance that you are already familiar with Herbalife and its products. It is a global nutrition company that has been around since 1980.
They have a wide-range of products with their meal replacement shake being one of their most popular.
Customers can buy Herbalife products exclusively through their independent distributors.
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Types of Herbalife Products Available
There is no shortage of products in the Herbalife product line. They have their products falling into several categories to include:
- Core products – nutrition products that make up your core program
- Healthy Weight – meal replacement shakes, protein, etc.
- Specialized Nutrition – digestive, immune, heart, aging, etc.
- Energy & Fitness
- Skin & Hair Care
They do not have any pricing listed on the website nor can you buy products from the website.
If you don’t already know of an Herbalife independent distributor, there is a link on the products page that can connect you to a distributor’s online shop.
Once you reach a distributor’s online store page, the prices are listed and you can buy products.
What is an Herbalife Independent Distributor?
Herbalife is an MLM (multilevel marketing company.) MLMs make money through the sales of their independent distributors.
As an independent distributor, you can create a business for yourself by selling the Herbalife products as well as building your own network of distributors under you (your downline.)
Often times, selling products in an MLM is not lucrative enough for most people. Therefore, many independent distributors choose to build their downline.
Your downline enables you to earn a percentage of all the sales earned from the distributors who have signed up under you.
How Independent Distributors Make Money
One thing that most people don’t realize about MLMs is that it involves selling. In order to make money, you have to sell the products of the company.
You get a discount on the products that you sell. Another way to earn with Herbalife is to sponsor other independent distributors under you.
As your downline grows, you have more opportunities to earn from their sales. Many multilevel marketers are able to grow their downlines enough that they no longer have to sell the company’s products unless they want to.
Is Herbalife a Scam?
It is not uncommon to hear or read about an MLM company being a scam. For the most part, an MLM is not a scam.
However, there are some former MLMs that are no longer in business due to the founders doing shady things.
Another reason you may think Herbalife is a scam is because of MLMs being referred to as pyramid schemes.
They are often referred to as pyramid schemes because the downline portion of the business is shaped like a pyramid when viewed graphically.
In many cases, an average independent distributor does not earn enough to make it worth their while.
Only a small percentage of distributors actually make it to the highest level in their upline.
You can view Herbalife’s Statement of Average Gross Compensation here.
Here is a screen capture of independent distributor earnings in 2019:
About 50% of first-year distributors earn more than $175 in a month. The top 10% earned more than $1,030 in a month. The top 1% of first-year distributors earned more than $4,740 in a month.
For all other distributors, 50% earned more than $265 in a month. The top 10% earned more than $3,335 in a month. The top 1% earned more than $14,755 in a month.
Keep in mind that the top 1% is about 460 distributors out of about 46,000.
It isn’t easy to reach the top 1% in any MLM. You could find yourself paying more per month to the company than you actually earn.
That is due to ordering products in order to accumulate volume points. Each Herbalife product is assigned a specific number of volume points.
The volume points that you earn each month qualify you to move up to the next level in their sales & marketing plan as well as get larger product discounts.
There are so many personal volume points you must accumulate within a set number of months in order to reach certain levels within Herbalife.
Why it is Difficult To Make Money with an MLM
There are a combination of reasons why it is difficult to make good money with an MLM.
Most multilevel marketing company products are quite expensive. For example, I recently wrote a blog post covering the Pampered Chef.
One non-stick skillet on that company’s website was priced at $210!
Herbalife products range in price. Their shakes average between $40 and $80 which isn’t too bad.
Another reason is that in order to earn well with an MLM, you’ll need to do a lot of selling. You’ll need to sell the products as well as sell others on the business opportunity.
Building a downline of independent distributors under you is a trying task. Many people that you recruit will not stick with it.
Therefore, retention rates are often low. It is also difficult to reach out to people in order to introduce them to Herbalife’s business opportunity.
Most people are aware of MLMs and prefer not to be pitched to about them.
When you’ve exhausted your options with reaching out to family and friends, you’re left to reaching out to strangers.
If you are not comfortable speaking to people on a regular basis and then selling on top of that, an MLM may not be the best fit for you.
It is a good idea to have the right mindset and develop speaking and sales skills before you start.
Pros and Cons of Becoming an Herbalife Independent Distributor
There are some pros and cons of joining an MLM like Herbalife and becoming an independent distributor. Here are some to consider:
Pros
- The company has been in business since 1980
- There is a large number of products to sell
- Start your own business part-time
Cons
- Difficult to sell products to others
- Challenging to build your own network of independent distributors
- You may pay more into the company than what you earn
Closing Thoughts On Making Money Selling Herbalife
Herbalife is a well-known brand and has been in business for a long time. They have a wide range of health products.
As an independent distributor of the company, you have an opportunity to sell these products as well as develop your own network of independent distributors under you.
Earning income with an MLM has its challenges and it is not uncommon to pay more into a company than you make.
My preferred method of making money online is through affiliate marketing. You don’t need your own products, there is no direct selling, and no upline or downline.
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