ACN Review – Scam Or Legitimate MLM Business?

| June 6, 2011 | 8 Comments

ACN Review imageWelcome to my ACN Review!

What is ACN? ACN or American Communication Network is the world’s largest telecommunications company in the Direct Selling industry.

In this ACN Review, I will be examining this company, and the products and services that they provide.  However, my emphasis in this ACN Review will be on the MLM Business Opportunity that they offer as an ACN Independent Representative to answer the obvious question:  Is ACN a scam, pyramid scheme, or do they offer a legitimate work at home, money making opportunity?  This is my unbiased ACN Review!

Company Details & History

ACN Logo imageFounded in 1993 by Greg Provenzano, Robert Stevanovski, Mike Cupisz, and Tony Cupisz, ACN is a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company that offers products and services related to:

  • Local & Long Distance Phone Service
  • Internet
  • WiMax
  • Wireless
  • ACN Mobile World
  • Satellite TV
  • Computer Support
  • Home Security

As well as Energy Services such as Natural Gas and Electricity in select areas of the U.S. and Canada.

Their Flagship Product

ACN is growing most popular for their IRIS V Video Phone, a feature packed phone that provides the capability to turn a simple phone call into a face-to-face conversation.

MLM Business – How their opportunity works…

ACN Review - IRIS V Video Phone imageThe cost to begin an ACN Home Business as an Independent Representative is the price of their Team Trainer Start Kit.  This kit will cost $499.

ACN will provide you with a replicated website to assist you in building and running your business.  This website will cost approximately $30 per month.

ACN also requires a $149 Annual Renewal Fee.  This fee will be required no later than 30 days after each anniversary date.

Their focus is on product sales!

It is important to note that Representatives do not receive compensation of any kind for sponsoring and recruiting others.  Their $499 Start Kit is non-commissionable.

Representatives are awarded compensation soley for the efforts of acquiring customers, and helping team members to do the same, which defutes any claims that ACN is a pyramid scheme.

Compensation – Ways to earn

As an ACN Representative, you will earn money in two ways:

1. You will earn weekly and monthly bonuses that are based upon customer acquisition and products sold.

2. You will generate a residual income as your customers pay their monthly bills for products and services purchased.

The ACN Compensation Plan is primarily based upon a point system.  Every product and service sold represents a corresponding point value.  As you acquire more customer points, your residual income, as well as bonus opportunities will increase.

As a new ACN Representative, your initial goal will be to acquire and maintain 50 customer points (approximately 25 customers paying $40 per month for services).  50 customer points will qualify you for the maximum bonus and commission percentages within the ACN Compensation Plan.

To give you an idea of your earning potential, 50 customer points (25 customers) will pay you a monthly residual income of $100 for as long as those customers continue to pay their bills.

Leadership Positions

As you acquire customers and enroll new Representatives into your organization, you will begin to progress through the various Leadership Positions within the ACN Compensation Plan.  These include:

  • Qualified Team Trainer (QTT)
  • Executive Team Trainer (ETT)
  • Executive Team Leader (ETL)
  • Team Coordinator (TC)
  • Regional Director (RD)
  • Regional Vice President (RVP)
  • Senior Vice President (SVP)

Representative Training & Support

ACN Review - MLM Business imageACN is a company that is based solely on Relationship Marketing, or commonly referred to as Warm Marketing.

In other words, as you are building your business, you will be trained and encouraged to share ACN products and services, as well as their business opportunity with your network of friends, family members, acquaintances, co-workers etc.

Forbidden Practises

ACN Representatives are prohibited from practicing any sort of Cold Marketing techniques to acquire customers.  These include:

  • Mass Advertising
  • Purchasing Leads
  • Trade Show Participation
  • Door-to-Door Selling
  • Telemarketing
  • Pamphlet Distribution

Representatives can however use these methods to recruit new Representatives.  Again, ACN highly discourages these practices, but they are allowed if you lead with the business opportunity, and not the products.

Building the business

The idea behind building an ACN Business is relatively simple (notice I said simple, not easy).  ACN offers products and services that the average household already utilizes and pays for.

Your mission as an ACN Representative will be to convince those around you to simply purchase these same products and services at more competitive prices through your business.

ACN Review Conclusion

In my opinion, ACN is a legitimate business opportunity.  For nearly 20 years, ACN has been offering every day, high-demand products, and has grown to be the largest and most successful among their competitors.  This in itself proves that ACN is not a scam.

However, to be successful within ACN, you will either need to possess a gigantic warm market of friends or loved ones, or be prepared to bring a more modern and effective marketing strategy to your new business venture.

Food for thought…

Based upon the figures that I quoted above, 25 customers will pay you a monthly residual income of $100 per month.  According to these figures, 250 paying customers would pay you a residual income of $1,000 per month.

Depending upon your financial goals, you have a lot of selling ahead of you.

For those who possess the ability to truly MARKET this business, these goals are achievable.

For those who are limited to a small network of friends and relatives, with no other means to grow their business, the majority will not succeed.  Very few people possess a large enough network of contacts to keep them in business for any length of time, let alone acquire the amount of customers that would be required to build a profitable ACN Business.

All in all, I believe that ACN offers a solid opportunity.  They offer great products!  I just don’t agree that Warm Marketing methods are the most effective way to build a Home Business in today’s modern world.

I hope that you have found my ACN Review to be informative and educational!  I wish you the best of luck in your home business research!

Category: MLM Company Reviews

About the Author ()

Dave Fennell is the founder and editor of Marketing Methods Online and BloggerGo. Learn more about him here. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.
  1. Dave Fennell says:

    Dave Fennell wrote this ACN Review for those who are researching the ACN Business Opportunity. I would love your feedback. If you have any experiences with this company, whether good or bad, please share them here to assist others in their research efforts.

    I greatly appreciate your feedback and expertise, and others will too!

    To Your Success,

    Dave Fennell

  2. Web development Moldova says:

    Thanks for the interesting information. Subscribe to rss

  3. buy synthroid online says:

    Really interesting blog, keep up the good work!

  4. buy seroquel online says:

    Thanks for this interesting information! I found it very useful =)

  5. Ms. Campbell says:

    I’ve been approached by two friends to purchase one of their products and declined each. So I found your information helpful in determining whether their products can be trusted and if it was a business opportunity that would suit my needs and personality. I’ve decided not to do either. It’s not worth it. It is another business that most likely promises the world, individuals are excited to begin something new and then in a couple months they have quit because they’re not making the fast easy money they thought it would be. No thank you.

  6. Leslie Grogan says:

    I went to a recruiting event last night, and I was sort of sold on the idea. The downfall–I have been in sales for the last 18 years, working in the corporate hotel field and most recent Time Warner Cable. The idea to sell to only friends and family seems odd, and in turn closes alot of doors that i would prefer to open. The money is there to make, it is a achievable. Cold selling, or Brand Recognition events may be something they would like to consider, there is a big difference in soliciting and in actually educating a customer to make an informative decisions. I don’t think at this point it’s an opportunity I want to take.

Leave a Reply