Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Today we are going to a take look at another MLM Program within the highly popular beauty market with my LimeLife by Alcone MLM Review. The online sale of cosmetics and beauty products can be extremely lucrative with many making a good living selling items via online stores and affiliate marketing. Added to this obviously is the array of beauty based multi level marketing programs that are available. So, what is LimeLife all about? Let's check it out below…
What is MLM?
Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs are the traditional mainstay of the ‘party plan' world of products such as Tupperware, Mary Kay and Amway etc. and of course within the beauty/cosmetics market as well. It is hugely popular within this niche mainly due to the fact that much of the sales and marketing is now being managed online (although today's focus program has not fully adopted this as yet) with more and more companies in this area popping up all the time.
That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU!
You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!
The ‘multi level' aspects of MLM come from its hierarchical nature in which you make commissions based not only on those that you sell to, but also the sales of those whom you ‘sign' into membership arrangements as well.
In short, the process works as follows:
- You join the program, either via referral from another person (known as your up line) or directly through their website.
- You promote the products of the company via parties, workshops or online.
- As you make sales, you offer incentives to your customers to sign up as a member of the program (there are different names for this but they all mean the same thing).
- That new member is then placed ‘underneath' you in a hierarchical arrangement (known as your down line).
- You, and a number of levels of your up line, then gain extra commissions for everything they sell as well.
- If they manage to refer their customers into memberships, they also become a member of your down line allowing you to make up line commissions as well.
The number of levels of your up and down lines will vary depending on the program you have joined. Commission rates will also change as your down line grows or contracts and many will also offer other incentives such as total company sales percentages and/or access to membership prizes as your own business grows.
Who are LimeLife?
LimeLife by Alcone (LimeLife) has grown from a single shop selling stage makeup to starlets in New York City in 1952 to where it is today – a business “committed to quality, nurturing of individuality and driven to help others pursue passions of their own.”
Today, “what began as an informal referral system has grown into a powerful opportunity to help others uncover their own inner confidence and outer radiance” via a community of Beauty Guides. LimeLife is based in New York City, NY in the United States.
What do they Sell?
As mentioned above, LimeLife offer a large range of cosmetics and beauty products with way too much in their lists to include it all here. Their main categories however include:
Skin Care
- Cleansers
- Face Masks
- Moisturizers
- Serums
- Face Oils
- Sun Care
- Men's
- Bath
- Hand And Body
Make Up
- Priming & Setting
- Complexion
- Eyes
- Brows
- Lips
- Body
- Custom Palettes
- Makeup Remover
- Makeup Sets & Collections
- Vegan
Tools
- Accessories
- Brushes & Sets
- Sponges
- Organization
- Lighted Mirrors
- Cleansers & Removers
Item costs appear to fall into the low to medium price range of around $20 to $50 per item making it a little more cost effective than some others such as Monat, Jeunesse and Younique.
MLM program outline
The LimeLife MLM program calls their members ‘Independent Beauty Guides' (IBGs)' who are part of what appears to be a standard MLM looking program with a common retail and downline commission structure and a good number of bonus options included. I couldn't find their compensation plan directly on their website however it did appear with a simple online search so here are the basics as I have found them…
Base Commission rate: 20%
Down line commission rates: 3% to 4 levels (Rank of Beauty Guide and above)
Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions
To qualify for downline commissions, IBGs are required to maintain a status of ‘Active' by meeting PRV targets of at least 300 per month. This can be made of personal or customer sales. Base 20% sales commissions however can be earned without the need to meet or maintain sales targets.
Payment terms: Monthly.
Application required?: Yes, Application form on website.
Purchase requirements to join: Yes
New stylists are required to purchase a Starter kit ranging in price from $99 – $169 as below:
Ongoing collection purchases are not mandatory however due to the fact that LimeLife has chosen to use direct “party plan” selling as its primary marketing method, I am assuming that ongoing stock for display and demonstration purposes will be required. The documentation does also highlight wholesale discounts for the purchase of further products for use in this manner.
IBGs however can sell products for whatever price they choose and sales can be made via online methods as well.
Marketing materials provided: As per starter kit above.
Within most MLM programs, rankings and commissions are determined by the total Personal Retail Value (PRV) generated by the IBG and their down line within a calendar month with points assigned to each product. These point allocations can range from 50 to 100% of the retail price of each product (before tax and shipping) and vary from item to item and currency of sale.
In the case of the Limelight MLM program, it does appear that PRV is calculated at 100% of the USD Suggested Retail Price (SRP) regardless of what the IBG sells the product for. This means that if a product has a SRV of $50 and the IBG manages to sell it for $60 then commissions are calculated on the $50 amount only. If however they sell for the SRV, then commission are 100% of that sale price (minus tax and shipping).
That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU! You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!
How can I get paid?
Ok, so from what I can garner from the compensation plan, there are 9 ways in which IBGs can make money when they promote and sell LimeLife items. These are fairly straight forward and there are a few of the extra bonuses found in many other MLM arrangements.
The 9 payment options for the LimeLife MLM program are outlined as follows:
1. Base Commission
Base commissions are the commissions paid for the day to day sales that IBGs can make via the party plan model, individually or online. New IBGs enter the program as a ‘Beauty Guide-In Training' and earn 20% on their first $1,000 of Personal Retail Value (PRV).
Thereafter, they receive a 20% Base Commission (in the form of either a discount or a commission rebate) on PRV and IBGs do not need to be Active to qualify for these payments.
2. Fast Start Incentives
This is a common bonus option within many MLM programs where IBGs can earn extra bonuses by meeting certain performance benchmarks in your first 100 days. These bonuses include:
- Free products – which can be on-sold
- Marketing materials
- Cash
And as further incentive on account of the sponsor, they will also receive a 100% match on the fast start bonus earned by their newly enrolled IBG.
Performance benchmarks for the Fast Start Bonus are not listed in the compensation plan.
3. Enhanced Commissions
Once an IBG attains ‘Active' status, they then qualify for enhanced commissions. These are paid based on total PRV sales as follows:
To qualify for Enhanced Commissions (and all ongoing commissions and bonuses below) an IBG must maintain a status of ‘Active'. IBGs are considered to be Active when they have generated at least 300 PRV in sales that month.
4. BV Direct Enroller Bonus
Whenever a sponsoring IBG manages to introduce a new member to their downline, they will receive a 5% BV Enroller Bonus on that Beauty Guide’s personal sales, for as long as they remain Active.
5. BV Certified Mentor Bonus
With optional certification training, sponsoring IBGs can qualify to earn an additional 2% BV Certified Mentor Bonus on all the members of their personal group who are “coded” to them as their original Certified Mentor.
6. BV Leadership Bonus:
The BV Leadership Bonus is LimeLife's version of unilevel downline commissions that form the base of most MLM programs. In this case, a standard 3% of downline sales is paid to sponsoring IBGs to 4 levels as follows:
7. BV Leader Generation Bonus
This is the first of a number of bonus options within the LimeLife program aimed at rewarding those who reach the higher ranks within the compensations plan. In this case, IBGs who reach the rank of Lead Director or higher will receive an extra 2% BV Leader Generation Bonus on both their personal sales volume and that of their entire Personal Group or downline.
8. BV Executive Generation Bonuses
BV Executive Generation Bonuses are another common MLM bonus option in that IBGs are paid as a reward for nurturing those within their downline to higher ranks.
In this case, when someone in their downline becomes a Lead Director (LD), they begin their own Leader Generation and their 2% bonus is replaced by a 3% BV 1st Generation LD Bonus on the sales of that person’s entire downline.
When someone in their downline becomes an LD, that person and their entire group becomes the original sponsor's 2nd Generation and they can therefor earn 3% BV on sales made by all the Beauty Guides in up to three Generations as follows:
9. Car/LifeStyle Bonus
Once an IBG reaches the rank of LD or higher, they will begin receiving a monthly “Car/Lifestyle Bonus” that they can use for such options as a luxury car or a bigger home, etc. This is paid on rank as follows:
- Lead Director – $500 per month
- Star Director – $750 per month
- Senior Director – $1000 per month
Ranking structure
LimeLife, as with most MLM programs, uses ranking structures on which to base commission payments and other bonuses upon. Rankings for the LimeLife MLM program are as follows (note personal and team sales qualification targets as well):
Again, as is common with almost all MLM programs, rank progression is determined by both the number of members within the IBGs down line, and the total sales made by those members per month. Ranks can rise and fall based on the ability (or dis-ability) to reach the required member and sales targets.
What is good about it?
So, after a good look around the site and looking at all the options I could find, I do like the following:
- Commission rates for entry level sales are good.
- Program is simple and easy to follow.
- Commissions can be earned without the need to meet sales targets.
What is no so good about it?
There are also some things to be aware of including:
- There are some joining costs.
- Whilst not mandatory, ongoing demonstration purchases are required.
How much can you make?
I have been able to locate an income disclosure statement for the LimeLife MLM program as below:
Based on this information, and as with most MLM programs, the percentage of members making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a living – is very low (usually less than 1%).
FAQ
How much can you make with LimeLife?
According to the income disclosure statement, yearly income earnings start at an average of around $50 per annum up to around $60k for the higher ranks. As per most MLM programs, the percentage of members who reach the highest ranks is less than 1%.
Where are LimeLife products made?
All of LimeLife's products are manufactured in the United States. They are made from natural and vegan ingredients free of parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde.
My final thoughts
Look, MLM is not an easy platform to make money in and there is not much that I have seen here to put this program above the many others I have seen. However, the program is pretty straight forward with common commission arrangements and the ability to make sales online or via the party plan model. So if you are an absolute beauty nut with a large customer list at your disposal and the ability to generate good sales via person to person sales parties, then the 20% base commission rates might just appeal here.
Once you have joined, there are not the usual financial pressures of needing to make minimum personal purchases in order to qualify for commissions as long as you can make them within your downline. Although from what I can see, I think if you are going to succeed within this MLM program, you will need to have a good array of demonstration stock on hand to account for their party plan model. You may also need to bump up your personal purchase quota if customer sales alone are not enough for you to remain ‘Active' and qualify for commissions and/or discounts within a particular month.
I was unable to locate any negative reviews in terms of non-payment etc. although there were some negative comments about the quality of customer service and the MLM program itself – although it was not really anything that is uncommon in regards to MLM programs or products within this niche.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my honest review and appraisal of the LimeLife by Alcone MLM program. I hope it has been of assistance but as usual, if you have any questions or experience with this program please do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below – especially if any of my information is inaccurate.
Are there any other programs you have been looking at but want to know more about? If so, please comment below and I will do my best to get some details for you.
Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own beauty based website?
Are you looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step training, 24/7 support, tools to develop and host your very own website, ongoing assistance with SEO and social media and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate.
Until next time
Have fun
Paul
Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price. This may include sales made via Wealthy Affiliate.