Written by Matt Zavadil
Updated January 26, 2024
Is Arbonne a pyramid scheme?
If you’re an Arbonne consultant or thinking of becoming an independent consultant with the nutrition and beauty company…
…you may worry about talk that the Arbonne business is lumped in with other MLMs and pyramid schemes.
Is Arbonne a pyramid scheme?
Those dreaded words 🙂
Straight to the point:
No, it’s not a pyramid scheme.
As you “work” your Arbonne business, you’re doing so inside a health and beauty company selling quality products.
You’re offering a legitimate business opportunity as one of its independent consultants.
Oh, by the way:
I’m not involved with Arbonne myself.
I’ve built my own MLM company downline, however, and have experience with the direct selling business model.
Since 1991, I’ve watched many people throw out misconceptions about the MLM model, in general, and Arbonne specifically.
Typically it’s because they don’t understand the difference between MLM and pyramid schemes and they heard something about it from their Uncle Larry or something.
Kinda like that Ferris Bueller quote,
“My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with a girl who saw Ferris pass-out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.”
Yeah, well when you hear folks spewing bitterly about how they or their brother’s mom’s sister’s boyfriend heard about some pyramid thingy thing, there’s usually a reason or two behind the lack of results.
Suffice it to say I’ll break down why Arbonne is not a pyramid scheme.
I’ll also show you why most Arbonne independent consultants don’t make money with this network marketing opportunity and how you can beat those odds after joining Arbonne.
Related Bible Verse: Numbers 6:24 The Lord bless thee and keep thee. Commentary: Translated from the Hebrew text, "bless" in this passage means to transfer prosperity in the sense of the financial, material, and physical. The word "keep" is correctly translated to mean "guard," as in guarding us from straying from the Word after prosperity & abundance become potentially dangerous distractions. Lesson: Pray to God for help with your business and finances. He will answer. Once blessed, remember the Source of your financial abundance and keep walking with Him.
Related Reading: How The Attraction Marketing Formula Will Build Your Arbonne Business My Review Of The Attraction Marketing Formula How To Buy Leads For Your Arbonne Business
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
What’s a Pyramid Scheme?
The Federal Trade Commission FTC describes legitimate multi level marketing companies as those that give representatives the ability to earn revenue by selling products to the public.
As the FTC keeps its all-seeing eye on all things MLM and pyramids, it goes on to say it’s a pyramid scheme if you only make money by recruiting people and selling to them…
…as opposed to selling the products to the general public.
Ponzi Scheme
Then you’ve got your Ponize Scheme.
There’s no product required for this scheme type.
It’s all about recruiting and making money from those below you in the structure (pyramid).
That’s why it’s called an illegal pyramid scheme, or Ponzi scheme.
A Ponzi scheme is an illegal pyramid scheme because eventually there aren’t enough people left.
Everyone already joined under someone else higher up in the pyramid.
So what happens when there’s no one left to recruit?
Well, typically, these things collapse on themselves because they’re unsustainable business models.
They use a flawed pay plan that doesn’t reward for selling products or services.
It’s typically done by an investment promotor who pays the first “level” of investors with the money coming in from the next “level” of investors, again until the entire thing collapses.
Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme?
Like I said, no.
A consultant with Arbonne sells real products.
If you hear someone say Arbonne is a pyramid scheme, tell ’em to go to Google and type in “Arbonne products”.
They’ll see a slew of products available for sale that you, an Arbonne consultant, works hard to sell to the prospects you uncover.
Is Arbonne a pyramid scheme?
No, it’s not.
It’s obvious unless you’re looking for excuses for why you or someone you know didn’t become successful with the company.
Am I saying there isn’t an Arbonne consultant on planet Earth who hasn’t exhibited unethical or improper behavior while attempting to sell products?
Of course not.
Many Arbonne consultants:
- Hop on social media
- Talk about how you can start you own business with an awesome direct sales company
- Push success stories on other women, and
- Try to sell products by doing silly stuff like posting product pics
(by the way, if you’re an Arbonne consultant who genuinely wants to build a solid business selling Arbonne beauty products, never mention Arbonne on social media. I’ll talk more about this below where I show you how to legitimately build your beauty brand w/ Arbonne.)
But no matter how someone might try to spin it, pushy Arbonne representatives don’t equal a “yes” answer to: Is Arbonne a pyramid scheme?
Arbonne’s business ethics standards team (B.E.S.T.) conducts regular training sessions to educate Arbonne consultants about how to market properly.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
When “I Didn’t Get Results” Turns Into Blaming the “Scam”
To discover the problem, know that it’s when some people:
- Join Arbonne
- Interpret the idea of being their own boss as free reign to use illegal practices or unethical behavior
- Acts the opposite to what it takes to run your own successful business
They lose money and complain that it all must be a pyramid scheme!
I’m also a business coach outside the MLM world. I see it all the time. We just “fired” a client last week because:
- A) She said she didn’t want to do any work
- B) Became incredibly angry when we pointed out, “Umm, yes, you do need to work to become successful”
- C) Refused to budge and started blaming us for her failures
And we hadn’t even started yet. We had just built the initial marketing plan. Amazing LOL
Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme Because You Pay $49?
You’ll hear some people claim Arbonne is a scam or pyramid scheme because new Arbonne consultants need to pay $49 for their Welcome Kit.
They’ve “heard” that “paying to play”, so to speak, constitutes “one of them illegal MLM schemes”.
Let’s get real, shall we?
What’s in the Arbonne Welcome Kit?
It’s consists of:
- A consultant ID that you use to shop in the Arbonne online store
- An in-home product presentation book with detailed information about each Arbonne product
- Samples of products so your customers have something to try before ordering
Sound to me like your $49 fee pays for a kit that allows you to start your own Arbonne business.
Heck, even my kid setting up a lemonade stand requires upfront “fees” to get the business started.
Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme Because Of the Preferred Client Program?
Here are the benefits of the Arbonne Preferred Client program.
- A monthly 20%-40% product discount
- Product samples to try before you buy
- Special offers from Arbonne only available to Preferred Clients
- Bonus products to qualify for
- Exclusive rewards only available to Preferred Clients
- 90-day risk-free guarantee
I don’t know about you, but these benefits sound pretty darn good.
Sounds kinda like that other pyramid scheme me and my family belong to: Costco.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
These Pyramid Schemes Charge Too Much For Products
You might see people on social media complaining that direct sales industry products are overpriced.
But, are they really?
How much do you spend on your daily Starbucks coffee? How about that new face cream or skincare product you bought without thinking twice.
Regardless of the price, I bet you’ve never stopped to say: “Wow! This is too expensive!”
You see, it’s not how much something costs; it’s whether someone values it.
When I was younger, my mom used to tell me: “You can’t afford the things you don’t want” (like a beat-up old car with no gas and bad brakes).
Are Arbonne Products Overpriced?
I’ll prove to you right now that your Arbonne products are priced just fine.
My wife shops at Ulta all the time. I did a quick Internet search and found the following results:
- An Arbonne concealer priced at about $20 and an Ulta concealer priced at about $30
- An Arbonne mascara priced at about $20 and an Ulta mascara priced at about $26
- An Arbonne lip gloss at about $25 (on sale for $16) and an Ulta lip gloss at about $24
Now, I’m sure I could get arguments from someone out there that the products I decided to compare are different for some reason.
I have no idea about such stuff LOL
The point I’m making?
I spent 15 minutes going through both the Arbonne website and the Ulta website.
I couldn’t find evidence that Arbonne consultants price gouge their customers.
Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme Because You Make Money From Your Personal Sales?
Now we get to what separates legitimate home-based businesses from pyramid schemes.
It’s called product-based revenue vs. recruiting-based revenue.
Simply put, legitimate MLM companies make money by selling products to the public.
Can you make money when your downline consultants purchase products?
Of course.
But Arbonne isn’t telling you to forego selling products to the public in favor of only recruiting.
You’re doing both and both are legal.
In the case of Arbonne, it offers a product-based business opportunity that allows you to earn part-time and full-time incomes.
You do that by sharing the products with your family and friends.
Or, you learn to use the Internet and social media while building your downline team.
Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme Because You Can’t Find People to Sell To?
This is one of those “lies” people say about network marketing businesses because they don’t know how to find the right people.
Here’s what you need to know about finding customers and making sales:
People actively looking for a home business opportunity are more than happy to talk with you.
This isn’t rocket science. It just takes patience and persistence.
You need to commit the time and energy to learn how to market yourself, your products, or services online.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
How Can You Make Money With Arbonne?
I think I’ve laid out enough information in answering the question, is Arbonne a pyramid scheme?
Why don’t we move beyond this incorrect premise and focus on you, the Arbonne consultant who’s interested in how to make money selling Arbonne products and recruiting a healthy team.
The biggest thing you can do to finally break through and end up as one of the successful Arbonne consultants is by changing your mindset to one that fully embraces online marketing.
Forget about home parties and trying to meet with people. COVID has shifted so much about these things.
However, it’s not just that situation that makes me say that.
I would tell you the same advice, COVID or no COVID.
Why?
Use The Internet to Power Your Arbonne Organization
Because in my experience, Internet marketing is THE best thing that ever happened to the MLM industry.
I mentioned above that I’ve been involved with MLM in some capacity since 1991.
However, around 2004 I swore I’d never do anything with it again.
I’m introverted. I was tired of the offline friends and family approach, going to malls to find people and all that other silly 3-foot rule nonsense.
I then found the Internet.
I learned how to generate traffic of best-fit customers who searched for what I wanted to sell.
So, I jumped back into MLM and built an international 9-levels deep organization with people from America, the United Kingdom, Australia, Estonia, Africa, Canada, and many other countries joining my team.
I got so excited I’ve been teaching MLM reps like you ever since how to build big teams using the Internet, often having people join your business without ever talking to you.
Wouldn’t you love to get your Arbonne organization growing this way?
No more dumb social media product pictures or “I’m getting rich in Arbonne” posts on Facebook either!
Sound good?
Let’s dive in…
How To Use Online Marketing To Build an Arbonne Downline
As an Arbonne representative, you can use the Internet to build your business.
Here are ten ways to use online marketing to build Arbonne:
- Use a blog to share your Arbonne story, introduce people to the products and build an email list.
- Create a Facebook fan page to grow your community of prospects who are interested in skincare or nutritional supplements.
- Build an engagement on Twitter by following potential customers with similar interests as well as other experts in this industry.
- Use YouTube to create free video tips.
- Launch a podcast to attract new prospects interested in learning about nutrition or skincare
- Write articles on LinkedIn that introduce people to the benefits of nutritional supplements and skincare.
- Write articles on other websites to gain new prospects who are looking for people like you, sharing your story online!
- Build a website with an e-commerce store so that customers can order Arbonne products directly from the company instead of going through another representative’s website.
- Create email sequences to introduce people to your business and build relationships.
- Create YouTube videos that introduce prospects to the problems you solve with nutritional supplements or skincare so they can sign up as customers.
I could go on but I think you get my point…the Internet is awesome for building an Arbonne downline because it’s where all the people are!
Let’s discuss these ideas in more detail.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
Use a Blog To Introduce People To The Products
Setting up a blog will help you to build an email list of prospects who want to learn more about nutrition, makeup, and skincare.
Many new reps don’t understand that their first job is not selling but rather attracting the right people to their business.
Use your blog to give tips that get people excited about joining your email list.
Then, invite them onto private calls or simply send them to your Arbonne store after you have a chance to build a relationship where they won’t want to buy from another consultant.
Set Up a Facebook Business Page
Create a Facebook fan page to grow your community of prospects who are interested in skincare or nutritional supplements
It’s an excellent way for you to build up your online presence and attract customers at the same time.
The key is to stick to talking about makeup, nutrition, or makeup, not Arbonne.
If you talk about Arbonne, people can Google the Arbonne name and buy elsewhere.
Instead, provide general tips that get people interested in engaging with you.
For example, you might post a recipe for an Arbonne-friendly smoothie or talk about your favorite collagen supplement.
Get the idea? Create content that draws people in so they can later be converted to customers!
Use Twitter To Build Relationships With Customers
Post Tweets that introduce your business and share helpful tips about nutrition, makeup, or skincare.
Use hashtags to build relationships with people who are interested in the same things you are.
For example, if you’re a vegan consultant, use #vegan when someone is Tweeting about their lifestyle so they can see your Tweets.
This will help you to build a community where people already know, like, and trust you.
Create YouTube Videos That Introduce Prospects To The Problems You Solve
People love to watch videos about makeup, skincare, or nutrition.
This is a great way to educate them on the benefits of what you sell.
Create videos that introduce tips that relate to your products.
For example, create a makeup tutorial or a video about the top five nutrition tips that can help someone lose weight.
Launch a Podcast To Attract New Prospects
Most people love listening to podcasts. You can start one that introduces people to the benefits of nutrition or skincare
Bring on industry guests and interview several experts.
Listeners will love it and see your credibility increase as you demonstrate expertise in the industry.
Write Articles On LinkedIn
Use the article features on LinkedIn to introduce people to the benefits of skincare or nutrition.
You can write articles that teach people valuable information and then invite them to join your newsletter list.
Guest Post On Other Websites To Attract New Prospects
Find other websites in the beauty or health industry and guest post on their sites.
This will help you start a conversation with new prospects who are interested in skincare, makeup, nutrition, or anything else you talk about!
Create Email Sequences To Build Relationships
This is a great way to introduce people to your business.
You can build up relationships with several emails that are sent over time at intervals of one week, two weeks, and so on.
The key to building a list is to create lead magnets. A lead magnet is something of value that you offer to people in exchange for their email.
For example, if your lead magnet is a free guide or ebook about skincare then offer it everywhere.
Offer in from your blog posts, website homepage, YouTube video descriptions, on your podcast, from your Facebook business page, from LinkedIn and guest post articles, and from Twitter.
You want to grow your list as large as possible because you can then make Arbonne sales by simply emailing your growing group of subscribers paying attention to you.
Another way to build your email list is to use popups on your blog. Four main types of email popups exist: exit popup, slide-in (also called a bar), welcome mat, and floating.
An exit popup appears once a user leaves your site.
A slide-in popup appears as a bar at the bottom of the window when someone scrolls down your page, and it stays until they complete an action such as clicking on something or navigating away from your website.
A welcome mat is placed right below any blog post you write to encourage people to sign up.
A floating popup appears as a popup window on your screen that does not go away until the visitor clicks it or closes it, which is usually done by clicking outside of the box.
There are many services available to help you create email sequences and lead magnets for your list-building efforts such as MailChimp, Get Response, Aweber, and Infusion Soft.
Use Facebook Ads to Build Your Email List
Facebook ads are a great way to build your email list.
You can use them to target prospects based on demographics, location, interests, and behaviors.
Use one of your lead magnets to offer via your Facebook ad campaign.
Here are some tips to run a successful Facebook ad campaign.
First, create a custom audience of your subscribers and upload it to Facebook.
Second, use the customized audiences feature on Facebook so you can target new people that have similar interests or demographics as your current list members.
Third, run an ad campaign with quality images along with short but appealing copy to get your audience’s attention.
Fourth, use video ads. Video is a powerful way for you to give prospects tips and lead them into your lead magnets.
Fifth, track your campaigns and results with Facebook’s analytics.
Sixth, reach out to new subscribers that did not open or click on your email sequence by sending them a welcome message via an ad through their news feed.
Select One Niche
You must pick one area to focus on when using any of the above-mentioned marketing techniques.
You can’t build a blog, for example, that talks about makeup, nutrition, and skincare.
Instead, pick one of these three Arbonne areas to focus on and become the expert in that area.
If you try to go too broad, then Google won’t know how to rank your site.
It will ask if you’re trying to find people who want nutrition info or makeup info, and then you won’t get good rankings because Google won’t know which area you’re looking to become an authority in.
Frequently Asked Questions About Arbonne and Pyramid Schemes
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
Do Some Arbonne Consultants Use Deceptive Business Practices?
Yes, it will happen, as when the FTC had to warn Arbonne to halt those reps’ actions.
However, Arbonne has a strict anti-pyramid scheme policy. It forbids the use of deceptive business practices such as posting fake reviews, making deceptive health claims, or lying about earnings potential.
Therefore, those deceptive reps who might cause people to think badly of Arbonne, or think it’s a pyramid scheme, will eventually get rooted out.
Your job as a legit rep is to avoid talking about Arbonne publicly in the first place. As I described above, you provide value first by generally giving tips about makeup, nutrition, or skincare. Then, you can tell prospects about your products in your Arbonne store.
How legit is Arbonne?
Very legit. It is a reputable company that has been around for over 35 years and has thousands of consultants who make great part-time or full-time incomes from their Arbonne opportunities.
If you want to learn more about how to earn money as an Arbonne consultant, check out my Quick Start Guide that gets you on track to use all the Internet marketing strategies I mentioned above.
Is Arbonne a con?
No, definitely not. It is a great company that offers products that help people all over the world.
Is Arbonne considered a pyramid scheme?
Nope. Arbonne isn’t a pyramid scheme any more than the job you might work at or the world’s hierarchy of power, knowledge, and secrecy 🙂
Is Arbonne a gimmick?
Do people really ask these questions? 🙂
No, it is not. It’s a legitimate company that offers many opportunities for its consultants to make money whether they work part-time or full-time hours in their business.
Is Arbonne a Pyramid Scheme or is Arbonne bad?
Bad for who?
For those people who want to make money from it as consultants? Or bad for those people that say it’s a pyramid scheme or a scam.?
Again, Arbonne isn’t a pyramid scheme or “bad”. It’s a business opportunity that you create your own success with.
Why is Arbonne considered an MLM company?
Because its consultants can recruit other consultants and earn commissions on the sales brought in by those recruits. It’s similar to a real estate broker who hires real estate agents and earns a commission on their personal sales.
Is Arbonne a scam?
Arbonne is not a scam.
The company has been around since 1980 and offers many opportunities for its consultants to build their own successful beauty business. The company also helps people in more than 20 countries.
Is Arbonne an MLM?
Yes, it is considered an MLM or multi-level marketing company because its consultants can recruit other consultants and earn commissions on their personal sales.
How much money do Arbonne consultants make?
The answer will vary for each person. There are people who make $100 per month and there are others that earn six figures yearly with their Arbonne business opportunities.
How much money can you make with Arbonne?
It depends on how many hours a day you put into your Arbonne efforts, what marketing strategies you use to promote your business online, how big of a team you build with yourself as the leader, and much more.
But there are people who make hundreds per month all the way up to six figures every year in their Arbonne businesses.
What is a typical day like for an Arbonne consultant?
It will depend on your business, but it can include working on social media to promote the products you love. You could also do things like order more samples for yourself or work with potential customers over the phone or through email correspondence.
Why is Arbonne a pyramid scheme?
It’s not. It is a legitimate business opportunity that offers many different ways to earn money whether you work part-time or full-time hours in your Arbonne efforts.
What are the requirements for becoming a consultant?
You must be 18 years of age, live in one of their available countries where they have consultants, have a desire to help people, and the ability to buy their starter kit in order to get started.
What are Arbonne’s products?
The company offers skincare, cosmetics, and wellness products, including supplements.
Does Arbonne give you a Mercedes?
No, but they give you the chance to get a Mercedes after reaching certain levels in the company.
What is the catch with Arbonne?
There is no catch. The company offers people the opportunity to build their own business while working on building a reputable name in the beauty and health industry worldwide.
Is Arbonne a good company?
Yes, the company is reputable and has been around for many years since 1980.
Does Arbonne actually make you money?
It depends on how much time you put into it, what marketing strategies you use to promote your business online, and if you are willing to be patient enough while learning the system.
Who owns Arbonne company?
Arbonne is a Swiss Company. There are also Arbonne offices in the US and Australia that help with training, marketing strategies, product research, etc.
Is Arbonne worth it?
Yes! It’s always worth it when you put in the work to build your own beauty products business while learning about all of its different products.
Why Arbonne is not a pyramid scheme?
Because it is a legitimate business opportunity that offers many different ways to earn money whether you work part-time or full-time hours in your Arbonne efforts.
Is Arbonne illegal?
No, it is not illegal. It has been around since 1980 and offers many opportunities for its consultants to build their own beauty and nutrition businesses.
Are You Ready Turn Arbonne Into a Success?
Well, I think that about wraps it up. I’m not sure what else to tell you about Arbonne and the fact that it doesn’t fit the requirements necessary to label it as one of those pyramid schemes.
Good news, right?
If you’re a consultant who’s ready to move on from this ridiculous negative talk and get your business ramped up to greater heights, then I encourage you to grab my Arbonne Quick Start Guide.
It will start you on the way to marketing like a professional and help you avoid making mistakes on social media or being seen as a pushy network marketer.
Feature Download (if you’re a struggling Arbonne Independent Consultant): I’ve put together a free “Arbonne Quick-Start Video Guide” that shows you How To Attract 3-7 New Arbonne Customers & Team Members Per Week Without Prospecting A Single Person. In it, I show you how to intimately know the pains & goals of your prospects so that you attract the BEST leads for your Arbonne business. You’ll never have to spam strangers scripted messages OR bug your friends and family ever again… Click here to grab it all.
