Hey there sea changers, and welcome back to my series of MLM reviews. Today we checkout a relatively new and interesting MLM program with my Vida Divina MLM Review. Health and wellness is a massive industry with great opportunities for the generation of online sales. And within Vida Divina's sub niche based around supplements and coffee, this is especially relevant due to the fact that people do not need to touch and feel them prior to purchase. So is Vida Divina a MLM program worth joining? Let's check it out…
What is MLM?
Multi-level marketing (MLM) programs are the mainstay of the ‘party plan' world of products such as Tupperware, Mary Kay and Amway etc. and, recently, becoming more and more prevalent within the supplements market. One of the reasons for this is that much of the sales and marketing for MLMs is now being managed online – alleviating the need to run parties – and, more importantly, not hassle everybody you know to join (you can of course, but you don't have to).
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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 Vida Divina?
Vida Divida was founded in 2016 by Armand Puyolt and Esther Romos who, with extensive backgrounds and success within Network Marketing companies, wanted to “provide a solid vehicle for home-based entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams”. The company is based in Ontario, California and runs with the motto #LeadWithLove.
Vida Divina runs on a mission to give “real people a real chance at creating a better life” with the following core values:
- We invest in people before asking them to invest in us.
- We put customers at the heart of everything we do.
- We believe in developing a family first atmosphere with our Affiliates.
- We believe in Self-development: to keep growing, advancing, or improving in knowledge, skills, character, or life experience.
- We believe in providing a fair and friendly opportunity, where anyone can achieve greatness.
What do they Sell?
Vida Divina offers a small to medium range of products aimed mainly at the detox and weightloss markets as well as a couple of cosmetics options as well. Their offerings are as follows:
- TeDivina® – Detox Tea
- Café Divina® – Premium Coffee with a range of flavour mixes
- Weight Loss Meal Replacement Shakes – Three flavours
- Dietary Supplements
- Vida Essentials – Skin Oil, Foundation and lipstick
They also offer a small range of merchandise and custom printing options (business cards etc.) as well. Pricing and/or a shopping cart does not appear to be available on their website which is often the case when a company is geared almost exclusively towards its Network Marketing arrangements.
MLM Program outline
Members of the Vida Divina MLM program are called Affiliates and form part of a relatively modern MLM program with an extensive range of commission and bonus options. Their compensation plan is available via a graphical display on their website (I also found a more comprehensive version via one of their Affiliate's Linkedin page) with base information and benefits as follows:
Base Commission rate: 50%
Down line commission rates: up to 20% to 7 levels (1st generation (down line level 1) rates 50%) – Silver rank and higher.
Minimum monthly spend to qualify for commissions
- Affiliates are required to maintain an ‘Active' status by generating 120 Personal Volume (PV) per month to qualify for base retail commissions – approx $USD135 wholesale or $195 retail.
- To qualify for Binary commissions, Affiliates must be Active as per above AND maintain at least one active Affiliate within both their left and right down line legs (i.e. at least one Affiliate in both legs needs to also generate at least 120 PV within the calendar month).
Payment terms: Weekly and monthly.
Application required?: Yes, application form on website
Purchase requirements to join: Yes – one of the following must be purchased:
Marketing materials provided: Personalised website, Vida Divina App, Extensive training
As with the bigger programs, downline commissions and rankings are determined in part by the total Personal Volume (PV) that Affiliates and their down line generate in a calendar month. Most MLM programs manage it this way in that commissions are paid on the points assigned to a product rather than the entire sales total.
Vida Divina appears to calculate its points allocations at just under 90% of the USD wholesale price. So if we use the example outlined on the website – if a product retails for $65 with a wholesale price of $45, it will earn roughly 40 points rating (these generally vary from product to product and are adjusted based on the currency that the purchase is made in). The commission is then calculated on $40 of the sales price based on the points assigned.
How can I get paid?
To be honest, this is one of the most extensive options I have seen in a MLM program with the compensation plan outlining 12 ways in which Affiliates can be paid (including car and free product bonuses). Most are quite standard for a MLM program of this nature whilst there are a few others that allow for bonuses to be earned simply for signing people up. Let's check them all out below…
Retail Sales Commission
Retail Sales Commissions are the base profits earned by the general day to day retail sales that Affiliates generate via their personalised website. There are two main ways here:
- Earn a commission of up to 50% of the purchase value if done so at retail prices and sold via the Affiliate's personal website.
- Purchase products at the discounted rate and on sell them at retail prices within a shop front, market stall or kiosk – or even the traditional party plan method.
Note: Affiliates need to maintain Active status to earn retail sale commissions/payments (120PV per month).
Fast Track Bonus
With the Fast Track Bonus, Affiliates earn direct bonuses based on the starter packs purchased by new members that they introduce to the program. These payments are a flat rate based on 50% of the PV value (higher ranks can earn up to 70%).
At base level, payments are as follows:
- Basic Pack – $50
- Business Builder Pack – $150
- Retailer Pack – $300
- Retailer Pack Pro – $600
Percentages increase as follows:
Roll Up Fast Track Bonus
As per the table above, Affiliates who are at the rank of Platinum and higher are paid a greater commission rate for any starter pack purchases that are made by new members that they introduce. Once they achieve these higher ranks, they also then become eligible for the Roll Up Fast Track Bonus.
This works by paying the difference between the Fast Track Bonus that they would get and those earned by their down line upon the sale of a starter kit. So, if an Affiliate has reached the rank of Sapphire and a member of their down line at rank Gold or under generates a starter kit sale, then that member would get the 50% Fast Track Bonus payment. However, as the sponsoring affiliate's rank is worthy of a 60% payment, they get the roll up difference of 10% (the difference between their own and their down line Fast Track Bonus rates).
Presenter Bonus
The aim behind the Presenter Bonus is to ensure that ALL Affiliates within the program are assisting other regardless of whether they fall within their downline or not. In this case, if an Affiliate assists another not within their downline (i.e. becomes a presenter) in signing up another member who purchases a starter kit, then the Fast Track bonus for that sale is split at 20% for the Presenter and 30% for the sponsor.
A commonly used example of this would be when a new affiliate requests that a more experienced or higher ranking member runs their presentation for them as a means of learning and converting more sales.
Team Commissions
Team Commissions are the Vida Divina’s version of the stock standard Unilevel commission arrangements common to most MLM programs. I could not actually find a payment table for Team Commissions however the compensation plan states that affiliates can earn up to 20% of all sales generated. This appears to pay commissions to 7 levels within their downline based on rank.
Team Commissions are binary commissions meaning that Affiliates must be Active and maintain at least one active Affiliate within both their left and right down line legs (i.e. at least one Affiliate in both legs needs to also generate at least 120 PV within the calendar month).
Accelerated Team Commissions
To earn Accelerated Team Commissions of an extra 5%, Affiliates simply need to meet their personal monthly PV targets by the 7th of each month. From there, commission rates drop for each extra week it takes to meet the required goals as follows:
Check Match Bonus
The Check Match Bonus works as per Team Commissions except payments are made based on personally sponsored downline members only. The Check Match Bonus can generate up to 120% through 7 generations as below:
Mercedes Benz Bonus
The Mercedes Benz Bonus is another common payment option within many MLM programs for those who reach the upper ranks in that they can qualify for payments towards a Mercedes Benz. Affiliates must be Active and work within the following criteria:
- Qualify at Jade rank or higher for 3 consecutive months (30,000 Pay Leg Volume).
- Once fully Qualified, maintain Jade rank or higher on a monthly basis.
- Purchase or lease a Mercedes Benz that is within 3 years of the current model year.
- Must be Cardinal Red Metallic.
Star Coins
Every time a sale is made via the Affiliate's personal website or back office, they receive 40PV in Star Coins. These can then be redeemed in the purchase of TeDivina® Tea.
Rank Advancement Award
The Rank Advancement award is another common MLM bonus option where Affiliates are paid a once off reward every time they manage to increase their rank. The Vida Divina MLM Program rank advancement awards are however paid in Star Coins (and not cash) as follows:
Exotic Trips Reward
Each year, Affiliates can earn one-of-a-kind vacations to exotic locations around the world including cruises, resorts and conferences.
Extra Business Center
Once an Affiliate reaches the rank of Diamond, Double Diamond, Triple Diamond and Crown Diamond, they receive one extra Business Center for each Rank they achieve. This allows them to potentially earn an additional $80,000 in Team Commissions per Business Center earned.
A business Center is effectively an extra leg added to their downline as follows:
Ranking structure
As you have probably noticed, the commissions and bonuses paid out above are reliant upon the ‘rank' that affiliates are assigned within the Vida Divina affiliate program. This ranking structure is in line with most other programs with commission qualifications rising based on total monthly PV, the number of underlings within a down line and of course, how much they sell/purchase in a calendar month (measured in PV). Rank requirements are as follows:
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:
- Base commission rates are excellent.
- You can earn money from the outset if you can sign members up with you.
- There are a lot of bonus options for all levels.
What is no so good about it?
There are also some things to be aware of including:
- PV calculation is a little higher than other programs – most run at $1 retail per PV or BV point – Vida Divina is around USD$1.5.
- Costs to enter are potentially quite high.
- The compensation plan on the website itself is light on for information.
- Product prices are not shown on the websites.
- The website appears focused on the MLM rather than the product.
How much can you make?
Vida Divina does not provide income earnings estimates – although in their defence the fact that they are so new may mean that average data cannot yet be calculated. They do however specify that “the average participant in the business earns between $500 and $2000 per year”. Based on these figures it has to be assumed that as with most MLM programs, the percentage of members (usually under 1%) making the upper rank levels – and hence earning a living from the program – is very low.
My final thoughts
Look, MLM is not an easy platform to make money in and based on the figures above, the Vida Divina MLM Programs is no different in that regard. The bonus structure – covering a few more options than many others does however appear to give ample opportunity to earn if you can attract and nurture a down line. There is also the added bonus of being able to earn money simply by signing others up to the program – albeit via the more expensive starter kit option. The advantage here is that with most MLM programs, getting others (such as family members) to sign up is usually much easier than convincing them to continue to purchase monthly.
To earn commissions you need to maintain 120 PV per month which is standard operating procedure for most MLM platforms so in general, you can expect to run at a loss for the first few months unless you are able to move quickly to attract down line members. I would also say that to be successful in any sales undertaking that you should be familiar with the products you are selling so it is probably to be accepted that some personal purchases will be necessary – especially if you are unable to meet your monthly 120PV target from customer sales alone.
I was unable to locate any negative reviews in terms of non-payment etc. however there was some negative comments about the quality of products and the MLM program itself – although it was not really anything that is uncommon in regards to MLM programs or products within this niche. They have also had some issues in regards to the legality of some of their ingredients in different countries and jurisdictions (such as the U.K) so if you are planning to sell outside of the U.S, then I would suggest some more research be undertaken there.
So, is Vida Divina worth joining? Look, there is nothing here that would make me tell you to avoid it completely as long as you go in with your eyes open to the fact that success in MLM is not easy and takes a good amount of time, patience and often, financial commitments as well. Just remember, regardless of the company, MLMs take solid, consistent work with some hard core selling to become successful – not to mention the monthly out-of-pocket expenses. For this reason, you may even want to start by looking into affiliate marketing rather than committing to an MLM program in short term.
Conclusion
So there you have it, my honest review and appraisal of the Vida Divina 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 health and wellness or MLM 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.
Vida Divina
135.00 ++Pros
- Base commission rates are excellent.
- You can earn money from the outset if you can sign members up with you.
- There are a lot of bonus options for all levels.
Cons
- PV calculation is a little higher than other programs.
- Costs to enter are potentially quite high.
- Product prices are not shown on the websites.
- The compensation plan on the website itself is light on for information.
- The website appears focused on the MLM rather than the product.