Shaklee Review – Scam Or Legitimate MLM Business?

| August 31, 2011 | 3 Comments

Shaklee Review imageWelcome to my Shaklee Review!

Shaklee is a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company on a mission to provide a healthier life for everyone, at the same time as provide a better life for anyone who is willing to join them.

In this Shaklee Review, I will be reviewing their company, the products that they offer, and more importantly, the MLM Business opportunity that they offer as a Shaklee Distributor.

This Shaklee Review will be answering one important question:  Is Shaklee a scam, pyramid scheme, or do they offer a legitimate MLM Business opportunity?  This is my unbiased Shaklee Review!

Company Details & History

Shaklee Logo imageFounded in 1956 by Forrest C. Shaklee, Shaklee is a company that has helped to pioneer the nutritional supplement industry, and has grown to be the number one natural nutrition company in the U.S. today.

Their commitment to quality!

Shaklee advertises that every product is manufactured with only the purest natural ingredients, lacking any form of pesticides, contaminants, and other harmful chemicals.

Shaklee repeatedly emphasizes their environmental responsibility to our planet, and prides themselves as being the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral certification.  In other words, if it’s not green, they do not manufacture it!

Over the years, this company has invested more than $250 Million in clinical testing, research, and product development to insure that their products meet three goals:

  • They are always safe
  • They always work
  • They are always green

Popular Products

Shaklee offers a vast line Health & Wellness products, as well as a line of biodegradable household cleaning products.  In fact, they offer too many products to list here in this Shaklee Review!  Although, customers will have the ability to shop among four product categories:

  • Healthy Nutrition
  • Healthy Weight
  • Healthy Home
  • Healthy Beauty

Available markets

Their products are promoted by more than 750,000 Distributors throughout 7 international markets, including:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • Japan
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Taiwan
  • China

MLM Business – How it all works…

Shaklee Review - Products imageTo become a Shaklee Distributor, you’ll have three options at your disposal.

  • Purchase a New Distributor Welcome Kit for $39.95.

This will be the minimum requirement for starting your business.  However, keep in mind that minimum requirements will usually equal minimum earning potential!

Reading the fine print

According to Shaklee, the recommended way to join is to become a Gold Ambassador.  There are two packs to choose from:

  • $299 Gold Mission Pak
  • $750 Super Gold Mission Pak

It is important to note that purchasing the $750 pack will be required in order to maximize your earning potential and unlock all of the commission and bonus opportunities within the Shaklee Compensation Plan.

Their Autoship Requirement

Next, you will be required to set up your monthly Autoship order.  This will automatically ship products to your home every month, and bill your credit card accordingly.

Questions to ask!

Since Shaklee provides very little information regarding their compensation plan and requirements for earnings, I was unable to determine the dollar amount of products that must be purchased on Autoship every month.  You’ll need to get in contact with the Distributor who has introduced you to this company to learn more!

Distributor Training & Support

Shaklee Review - Distributor Training imageShaklee advertises many times on their website how you’ll have the opportunity to build a profitable business simply by sharing the products that you enjoy with your loved ones.

According to their website, you’ll be on your way to building a rewarding business by simply following three easy steps:

  • Utilize their products to make yourself healthier.
  • Share their products with others.
  • Mentor others to duplicate your efforts.

In other words, you’ll be trained to approach your network of friends, family members, acquaintances, neighbors, and anyone else who you know personally to sell products.

You will then recruit anyone who expresses an interest in becoming a Distributor in your organization.

Lastly, you will train and mentor your new Distributors, and assist them in building their businesses by following these same steps.

Immediately following your enrollment as a new Distributor, you will be paired with your sponsor who will be your direct line for mentoring and support.

However, with all of the support and training resources that Shaklee provides, these Warm Marketing methods will be the basis of your training!

Shaklee Review Conclusion

In my opinion, Shaklee is a legitimate MLM Business.  They have been offering high-quality and environmentally safe products for more than 50 years, proving that their company, as well as their opportunity is not a scam or pyramid scheme.

Food for thought…

However, where I disagree with Shaklee is in regards to their training and support.  It is a proven statistic that 97% of those who attempt to build a MLM Business do not succeed!  Even with this well-known fact, companies like Shaklee insist on training these Warm Marketing methods…Strategies that have proven not to work for the vast majority.

This baffles me!  If a marketing strategy has proven to be ineffective, why do so many companies insist on training them?  I really don’t have an answer for this question!

Depending on your goals, building a profitable Shaklee business is going to require your ability to build and train an organization of hundreds, if not thousands of distributors and loyal customers!

With this in mind, we as individuals simply do not possess a large enough list of contacts to build and sustain a business of this nature.

What happens when your list of friends and family members dries up?  It will then be up to you to research and learn a new way to generate more leads and spread the word about your products and opportunity?  Unfortunately, this will fall outside of the support and training that Shaklee can provide.

All in all, I do believe that Shaklee is a fabulous company, and they do offer a legitimate business opportunity.  But only for those who can bring a more modern and effective marketing strategy to their business!

This concludes my Shaklee Review!  If you have found this Shaklee Review to be helpful, or if you have anything to add, please provide your feedback below!

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 Shaklee Review for those who are researching the Shaklee 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. Ben says:

    People, listen loud and clear…go start your own legitimate business. A real business ran by you, not some MLM marketing scheme company.

  3. Direct Sales says:

    don’t mean to pick on a specific industry, but I need to show an example of a one-time sale product.
    The only way Thirty One can achieve that is through an independent Consultants personal contact.
    The health food and wellness market is a multi-million
    dollar industry that has grown at a quick pace on the backs of the health and fitness awareness phenomenon.

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