Is Melaleuca a Direct Sales Company?

Written by Matt Zavadil
Updated October 3, 2023

Bonus Material:
Make More Money w/ Melaleuca

Right off the bat, I must say I’m stumped about why it matters whether Melaleuca is a direct sales company or not.

Well, I do get where the question comes from.

There’s plenty of opinions out there about whether it’s good or bad to get involved with anything to do with the following:

• Direct sales
• MLM
• Multi level marketing
• Network marketing
• Affiliate marketing

Some people love these business models.

Some swear there’s something wrong with one or more of them.

First of all, there’s not a ton of difference between MLM, direct sales, or network marketing companies.

They’re all pretty much a form of affiliate marketing, but they give you the chance to recruit others in and earn money when those folks make sales.

OK, let’s dig into all this and see if I can de-mystify the multi level marketing company vs pyramid scheme vs MLM vs direct sales companies vs network marketing vs referral marketing vs…

…oh, Good Lord, let’s just get started LOL

What Exactly Is Melaleuca?

Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot swears that it’s not one of the many MLM companies out there.

He says that when it comes to distribution, the company doesn’t have multiple levels. VanderSloot and Melaleuca say that its reps are marketing executives, not salespeople.

However, Melaleuca marketing executives are incentivized with commissions based on the overall sales of those people they bring into the opportunity, not just their own.

I think it’s pretty much all semantics because everyone involved in direct marketing usually earns commissions as a reward for making other people successful.

Why does it matter what we call the “system”?

Do you enjoy Melaleuca products and sharing them with others?

Do you like earning income when those you recruit make sales of those products?

Sounds to me like you’re operating within a business system employed by many other types of affiliate marketing, multilevel, or network marketing companies.

What is an MLM Company?

Ok, then what exactly is an MLM company?

In an MLM company, people who sign up can earn money by selling the company’s products.

They can earn additional revenue by building teams under them and helping those existing distributors make money by selling the products.

This is called a “network” or “downline.”

Some folks talk negatively about MLM companies because they don’t understand that they’re operating under a perfectly legal structure.

The negativity often comes from the uncomfortable way people “market” themselves after joining an MLM company.

I’ll talk more about that below.

Is Melaleuca a Direct Sales Company?

So, is Melaleuca a direct sales company?

My head hurts reading what Melaleuca, and even direct selling regulators, say as they try to convince us that the company isn’t a direct selling, or MLM company.

I say it is.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

In fact, I’d say it’s a great thing!

Why?

Well, because you can make some pretty good money by being a part of it.

There’s no income ceiling when selling Melaleuca products inside the opportunity provided to you by this long-standing wellness company (in business since 1985).

Is Melaleuca a Pyramid Scheme?

Ahh, now I think we’re at the root of the question about Melaleuca.

Some people refer to companies like Melaleuca as pyramid schemes because they think that the opportunity only works if you constantly bring in more and more people.

This isn’t accurate, but I can see how someone might think this given all of the different names for these types of companies.

In a pyramid scheme, there’s usually just one person at the top making all the money.

In Melaleuca and other MLM or direct sales companies, that’s not the case.

Everyone who sells products and recruits others to do the same can make money.

The only people who don’t make any money in these types of businesses are those who don’t sell anything.

Duh LOL

When you hear anyone say, “Only the people at the top make money in MLM companies”, you’re hearing someone who doesn’t understand the business model at all.

They reveal their ignorance with that statement.

By the way, I’m not involved with Melaleuca as one of their marketing executives. However, I’ve consistently out-earned people “above” me in every MLM company I’ve joined over the years.

Why? Because I know how to market online in a way that attracts real customers as I sell products and go about recruiting people.

I’ve dedicated an entire article to why Melaleuca isn’t a pyramid scheme. You can read that here.

Confused About What To Call Melaleuca Yet?

Are you as confused as ever about whether to call Melaleuca a direct sales company?

LOL

Look, let’s stop worrying about what Melaleuca tries to say it is and just call it what it is:

Melaleuca is a direct sales company.

It’s a member of the Direct Selling Association,

The DSA even gave VanderSloot an award in 2005, for crying out loud.

Once again, why does this matter?

You’re In An MLM Wellness Company

You should be proud to work inside the direct selling industry.

Take pride working inside one of the most respected MLM companies when you’re promoting Melaleuca’s health and wellness products.

Yes, you’re working a multi level marketing opportunity when you refer customers into Melaleuca shopping accounts.

You don’t need to work as one of its many business builders.

You can join Melaleuca and only sell the products.

It’s all semantics, however, to say you’re not in MLM as a Melaleuca marketing executive because the business model includes what characterizes multi level marketing.

Again, so what?

It’s all good.

How Does Melaleuca Work?

You make money with Melaleuca by creating personal sales as you refer customers and/or working its compensation plan in a way that smells exactly like all typical MLM companies.

It’s all perfectly valid, legal, and you can make all your income goals a reality if you market yourself effectively.

Do You Love Melaleuca Products?

All that matters is that you joined Melaleuca because you’re interested in health and wellness.

That’s how you should ask whether you’re proud of your involvement with the wellness company.

All of these business models work:

• Direct sales
• MLM
• Affiliate marketing

The way to choose whether you’re in the correct business for your personal needs is this:

1. Do you love the products?
2. Do you get excited about building an online business sharing those products?

Yes?

Then, I encourage you to worry less about what industry to lump Melaleuca into and get focused on how to make your experience with the MLM company as lucrative as possible.

Related Reading: Is Melaleuca an MLM?

No Melaleuca Review Is Complete w/o Talking Income

OK, so we’ve established that it doesn’t matter what we call Melaleuca.

All that matters is that you’re committed to making enough of your own sales to realize all your income goals with the multi level marketing company.

How The Best Marketing Executives Make Money In Melaleuca

The majority of people in multi level marketing struggle to sell products and work the compensation plan correctly.

The reason?

It’s all because most MLM companies like Melaleuca fail to educate their marketing executives on how to market effectively on the Internet.

You can achieve Executive, National, Corporate, and Presidential Director levels if you learn how to leverage these three areas:

1. Social media
2. Blogging
3. Email marketing

How To Use Social Media Inside The Melaleuca Business Model

The key is to never mention the Melaleuca name on your social profiles.

Really?

Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it?

You’ll never sell products or recruit enough people onto your Melaleuca team if you talk about Melaleuca on social media.

People who see your posts will research online and end up buying from another Melaleuca rep who understands marketing as a professional.

Social media is all about providing health and wellness tips and focusing on your prospect’s needs first.

Sell More Melaleuca Memberships By Providing Value

Selling on social media starts by providing value and solving problems for customers.

Here’s how to use social media properly.

Write informative blog posts that provide value for your readers.

Take the best of what you write and share these articles on social media.

You’ll create a network online where people come to trust you as an authority in the health and wellness industry.

Chances are, they’ll want to know more about Melaleuca’s products and how to become a member.

When they’re ready, you can provide them with the information they need to make an informed decision about joining your team.

Create a Network Marketing Website

I mentioned writing blog posts in the previous section. You can’t do that if you don’t have a website.

Here’s why it’s important to build a website and to start blogging on it:

Your website is the foundation of your online business.

It’s where you’ll share your story, educate people about health and wellness, and provide valuable information.

When you write helpful and informative articles, people will start to see you as an authority in the wellness industry.

As your blog grows, so will your business.

Your website is also a great place to share free resources to encourage visitors to join your email list.

Related Reading: Learn how to start your MLM website

Email Marketing: The Key To Recruiting More Members Into Melaleuca

Building an email list is the #1 way to become successful as you strive to make money with Melaleuca. It’s an alternative strategy overlooked by too many struggling Melaleuca reps.

Here are the benefits of building an email list:

• Builds a relationship with prospects and customers
• Helps to prequalify customers before they join
• Encourages more social sharing
• Stay in touch with prospects until they open their shopping accounts
• Increase your number of existing distributors month-by-month
• Be in charge of your destiny

When you provide valuable content in your emails, people are more likely to read them, share them with their friends, and join your Melaleuca team.

How To Build Your Melaleuca Email List

You can build an email list using several different methods, including:

Build an opt-in page and share it on social media.

Invite your social contacts to provide you with their name and email address in exchange for valuable content related to health and wellness.

Offer people who visit your website the opportunity to sign up for a free report, eBook, or another form of valuable content so they can learn more about wellness.

Send an email series that provides value every day (or every few days) without asking for anything in return from prospects.

Give them tips on health and wellness first!

When you provide value and solve problems for people, they come to trust you.

People buy from people they like and trust.

Eventually, they’ll want to learn more about Melaleuca’s products and how to become a member.

And that’s when you can provide them with the information they need to make an informed decision about joining your team.

Wrapping Up My Melaleuca Review

Multilevel marketing isn’t difficult to excel at.

Commit to learning professional marketing skills that successful reps in multilevel marketing companies employ.

If you combine social media (free posts & advertising campaigns), blogging, and build your own subscriber list, you’re allowing yourself to become the successful Melaleuca member you dream about becoming.

Do you doubt that you can learn these marketing skills?

That’s why I put together this Melaleuca Quick-Start Training.

I’ll take you through the basics of how to get your online presence in place so you can start generating a larger number of Melaleuca leads month by month.

I encourage you to grab this Quick-Start training here.

FAQs About The Melaleuca Marketing Company

Is Melaleuca a direct selling business?

The company will claim differently, but yes, Melaleuca is a direct sales company. It doesn’t matter what you call Melaleuca. Call it a direct selling or multilevel marketing company, or whatever you want. You can become one of Melaleuca’s most successful independent salespeople, build a team of multiple levels, and hit your income goals.

Is Melaleuca part of the DSA?

Yes, Melaleuca is a part of the Direct Selling Association.

How much can you make from Melaleuca?

There’s no limit to what you can earn. It’s like any business in existence. Your income revolves around your ability to find more customers through proper marketing. Focus on building your Melaleuca team and leverage the MLM aspects of the comp plan to continue increasing your income.