Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Today we are going to a take look into another program based within the beauty and cosmetics niche with my Oriflame MLM Review. The online sale of these products is an extremely lucrative area to be involved in with many making a good living selling items via online stores and affiliate marketing.
Added to this obviously is the array of multi level marketing programs that are available here as well. So, what is the Oriflame MLM program all about? Let's have a look and see…
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 markets. These work well due to the constant replenishment needs of the these products and as MLMs have become more popular in recent times – mainly due to the fact that much of the sales and marketing is now being managed online – more and more are starting to get in on the action.
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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 Oriflame?
For over 50 years, Oriflame has “enabled people from all over the world to celebrate their personal beauty and fulfill their dreams”. Founded in in 1967 by two brothers, Jonas and Robert Jochnick, and their friend, Bengt Hellsten, Oriflame has focused its sales processes on catalogue and one-to-one sales rather than the traditional party plan model.
Oriflame is based in Stockholm, Sweden with offices in the U.K. as well.
What do they sell?
As above, Oriflame offer a larger range of products within the beauty and cosmetics markets including:
Skincare
- Masks
- Cleansers
- Moisturisers
- Serums and treatments
- NovAge sets
- Eye and Lip care
- Sun care
Makeup
- Face
- Eyes
- Lips
- Nails
- Tools
Bath and Body
- Shower gels
- Soaps
- Deodorant
- Oral care
Hair
- Shampoos
- Conditioners
- Styling products
- Treatments
- Hair tools
They also offer a range of fragrances and as is common with many companies such as this, there is a good range of nutrition supplements as well.
Item costs appear to fall into the low to medium price range of around $10 to $15 per piece.
MLM Program outline
The Oriflame MLM program calls their members ‘Brand Partners' (BPs) who are part of what appears to be a simple program with a common retail and downline commission structure and a good number of bonus options included. I couldn't find their compensation plan on the website however it did appear on a basic web search so here are the basics as I have found them…
Base Commission rate: 20% to 30% – based on discount rates of recommended retail price
Down line commission rates: 1 – 12% to 5 levels (level 1 down line is 8% – rank Beauty Consultant Bronze and above)
Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions
To qualify for downline commissions, BPs are required to meet monthly PBP targets of at least 100 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 BP costs include a $19 joining fee (annual membership renewal fee – $10) that provides for their own online Personal Beauty Store as well as access to a host of events and trainings in beauty and business.
They can also choose to upgrade the start of your membership by purchasing our Premium Business Starter Kit for an additional $20.
Marketing materials provided: As per starter kit above.
Within most MLM programs, rankings and commissions are determined by the total personal volume points generated by the member 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 Oriflame MLM program, Personal Bonus Points (PBP) are assigned to every individual item based on its catalogue price. Higher priced products and sets have more BPs. From what I can see within the compensation plan, points site at around 90 – 95% of the retail price (not including tax and shipping).
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How can I get paid?
Ok, so from what I can garner from the compensation plan, there are 4 ways in which BPs can make money when they promote and sell Oriflame products. These are fairly straight forward and are outlined as follows:
1. Personal Sales Commission
These are the base commissions earned by the general day to day retail sales that BPs can generate via parties, popups, social media or online via their personalized website. There are two tiers of personal commissions based on sale volume as follows:
- 20% – 0 – 99.5 PBP
- 30% – 100 PBP and above.
These commissions are based on the difference between the BP discount and the recommended retail price assigned to each product.
2. Unilevel Bonuses
Unilevel Bonuses are Oriflame's version of the traditional unilevel commission structures prevalent within many MLM programs. Within the Oriflame MLM program, commissions are paid to 5 levels based on the rank of the BP as follows:
BPs must be at rank of Beauty Consultant Bronze and above to qualify for Unilevel Bonuses.
3. Generation Bonuses
Generation Bonuses are paid to BPs who are able to assist those within their down lines reach the rank of Director or higher. For BPs at rank of Director or higher, a commission based on the volume of the sales of entire generations that develop within their down lines are paid as follows:
A Generation is created when a BP anywhere within the sponsor's downline reaches a rank of Director or higher and includes their entire group, down to but not including the next Director or higher.
4. Cash Award
The Cash Award is another common MLM bonus option that pays BPs upon the attainment of a higher rank. Cash awards are paid as follows:
Ranking structure
Oriflame, as with most MLM programs, uses ranking structures on which to base commission payments and other bonuses upon. Rankings for the Oriflame 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 BP's downline, 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.
- 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.
- There are not as many bonus options as others within this niche
How much can you make?
Oriflame does not provide an income disclosure statement on its website however as with most MLM programs, it has to be assumed from the compensation plan that the percentage of members making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a living – is very low (usually less than 1%).
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. So if you are passionate about these products with a large customer list at your disposal and the ability to generate good sales via online processes, then the 20 – 30% 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 down line. 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. You may also need to bump up your personal purchase quota if customer sales alone are not enough for you to remain ‘at rank' 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 (not as many as most others however) 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 Oriflame 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?
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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.
Yeah, it is common unfortunately for MLMs to pick and choose the countries they operate in. Some actually ban them altogether as well. I wish you luck in finding one that suits you. Paul