by Rick MacKenzie
Who is Rick MacKenzie?
I am a Co-founder and Owner of a traditional business called Mission Wellness Inc., a company that distributes technology and wellness products and services to Health Practitioners.
I entered into Home Business Ownership orginally as a distributor for Univera (nutritional products) before I found ACN.
In 2009 formed Define Destiny with two great friends Jim Scheibel and Sherri Beauchamp. Our mission is to coach people on building their home based business both on and offline with a focus on Leadership, Personal Development and Team Building.
I am passionate about helping people improve their lives by leading them to create financial and time freedom.
Been with ACN: 7 months
Been in the multi-level marketing industry: 2~3 years
Does ACN Let You Use Its Brand Name?
Yes with some restrictions. ACN provides a specific logo that reps must use that refers to them as ACN Independent reps. Also marketing material needs to be submitted to compliance.
Scale of 0~5: 3
What’s the Risk Factor?
ACN has been in business for 18 years and are currently operating in 21 countries and growing. They are the world’s largest direct seller of telecommunications and home essential services. They have excellent leadership and are still privately owned by the four co-founders Greg Provenzano, Robert Stevanovski, Mike Cupisz, and Tony Cupisz. All four men are still very active in the business.
They have posted impressive growth over the years and are currently approaching 1 Billion in annual revenue. They have millions of customers around the world and are debt free.
They are currently ranked in the top 20 MLM companies according to Direct Selling News and have been featured in several national publications including INC., Success, Success From Home, USA Today and Fortune Magazine.
Donald Trump is currently endorsing the company and has featured ACN on his prime time television show “The Celebrity Apprentice.” It was recently announced that they will again be featured on a 2 hour NBC prime time show in January 2011.
Scale of 0~5: 5
How are the Products?
ACN owns and distributes its own telecommunications services including Long Distance Service and a cutting edge Video Phone technology and VOIP network. The Video Phone is a high quality home phone with a 7 inch HD video screen which displays the video in real time if the person on the other end also has a Video Phone.
ACN has built strategic partnerships with 3rd party suppliers to distribute Local Analog Phone, Internet DSL, Wireless, Satellite TV and Home Security services. Most of these partners are the leaders in their market including the top 5 US wireless carriers, the top 2 satellite TV and the number 1 Home Security Supplier.
As Energy is becoming deregulated, ACN has established new partnerships to sell energy (both Gas and Electric). This is available in Canada, Europe and several US states with more opening up every month.
ACN also sells corporate VOIP phone service as well as corporate long distance and satellite TV services. They also are selling corporate Energy in Canada and will be expanding in to the US.
ACN offers all the above products at very competitive rates, in most cases saving its customers money, sometimes very substantially.
Scale of 0~5: 5
What About ACN Comp Plan?
The compensation plan is simple to understand and excellent if you work hard and follow their system. There are three different streams of income including residual income for building a team and acquiring customers, bonuses for acquiring representatives, and quick start bonuses when you sign up.
The residual income is based on a 3 recruits 3, recruits 3 etc system and each representative is required to acquire (or redirect) 20 services in total (over their lifetime in the business) to maximise the compensation plan. What is appealing is the deeper (and wider) your organization gets the higher they pay you. They pay you as far as the 7th level deep as high as 8% on most services and 10% on the video phone services. So if you build the business properly you can have hundreds of reps on the seventh level each acquiring a minimum of 20 services. When you do the math on this, this is serious residual income.
The big incentive is to get promoted to the higher positions of Regional Director, Regional Vice President and Senior Vice President. At these levels they open up your compensation beyond the 7th level and you residual income opportunity is unlimited.
Obviously it will take a while to build this residual income, but the bonuses they pay you to build the residual income by recruiting reps are also very rewarding. At the entry levels there are tiered monthly bonuses available as high as $3,000 per month at the first paid position, $7,000 at the 2nd, $25,000 at the 3rd position and it goes up from there.
Scale of 0~5: 5
And the MLM Training ACN Provides?
ACN provides awesome technical training, product knowledge training and personal development. Training is provided online and at multiple live events including weekly local events, quarterely regional events and large quarterly international conventions across the US and others around the world.
There is also regular conference calls and webinars as well as advanced customized training available for reps at different levels in the business.
Scale of 0~5: 5
How’s the Marketing?
The company is a little behind in their openness to building the business using internet marketing. They heavily promote the old school way of building the business and are just starting to become more flexible with accepting online marketers. All marketing tools developed by independent reps need to be submitted to compliance first.
Scale of 0~5: 3
What Has Your Personal Experience Been Like?
ACN has been rewarding for me financially, but it has also provided great mind set training and personal development.
I really like the fact the ACN sells essential services. In most MLM’s you are increasing your customers monthly spending so there is some salesmanship required to convince customers to change their habits and spend money. In this case you are saving people money on bills they are already paying so the decision is easy. You also only change their service one time but then you get paid every month when they pay their bill. I was in an MLM that sold nutritional products and even though I believed in the products 100% it was hard to convince customers to continually keep their monthly convenience plan of $200 to $500, especially in a bad economy. But even in the worst economy, no one is getting rid of their phone, blackberry, TV or electricity.
It is very important to work with a strong team and to listen to them and follow their success. I also have had success using valuable online methods for generating leads and attracting partners.
Scale of 0~10: 8
Total out of 40: 34
Thanks Rick MacKenzie of Mission Wellness
Whether with ACN or another MLM, our team is happy to support you. Sign up for a FREE 7 day boot camp with secrets on creating wealth and time freedom at http://definedestiny.com/start/
