Is It Works! A Scam?

You might get interested in “That Crazy Wrap Thing” from It Works, so you came to my blog to know “Is It Works! A Scam?” or is it a good opportunity to invest your time and effort?

Am I correct?

First of all, I am not a distributor of It Works, so you won’t see me promoting any products or requesting you to click a “BUY NOW!” button in this article. What I am sharing today is to reveal my findings from the compensation plan & the income disclosure to evaluate whether I could make money with it or not.

Secondly, I am glad you are doing your researches before signing up with any network marketing companies without being scammed. You deserve a big HUG from me! It’s better we understand everything well before we do our purchase, right?

Let me explain more further down.

Disclaimer: As the owner of Smileaffiliatesuccess.com, I have tracked down special deals for products, tools, and services mentioned herein. When you click my affiliate links on this page to make a purchase, I may get a small commission, and you will definitely get a great bargain. This is a win-win advantage for both of us.

What Is It Works?

-Summary of It Works-

Product Name: It Works
Founders: founded by Mark & Cindy Pentecost in 2001
Product Type: nutrition, beauty and lifestyle MLM
Price: $99 Business Builder Kit + many other recurring costs
Rating: 20 / 100
Recommend: No

Mark Pentecost was a public school math teacher & basketball coach before he sold that crazy wrap thing(AKA Ultimate Body Applicator). He worked for some direct-sales companies and got the idea that the way to get rich was to create his own. In 2001, he and his wife launched the company’s all-time best-seller – Ultimate Body Applicator.

In 2012, It Works was reported $100 million in sales. In 2013, Inc. ranked It Works No. 436 on its 500 list. After almost 20 years, It Works expands the product lines to include more for all distributors to promote and generate sales. It currently runs business operations in 21 countries in the world.

What’s inside It Works?

Besides the ultimate body applicator, It Works has developed to a company that sells many products, but I won’t go through every item. I will only mention some products that I find interesting or I am willing to sell to anyone I know if I become one of It Works distributors.

Product Lines

• Beauty: Ultimate body applicator, all kinds of serum, neck treatment, toner, mask, etc.
• Nutrition: Mineral supplement, immunity enhancement drink, vitamin drink, detoxing drink, etc.
• Weight Control: Keto coffee, coffee pods, keto tea, etc
• Energy & Endurance: Energy stick, electrolyte-charged drink powder, fat burn caplets, anti-stress pills, etc
• Apparel & Accessories: Clothes and accessories with “It Works” logo

For all It Works Products, you can check HERE.

Does It Works Product Work?

Based on my researches on the Internet, the most famous product from It Works – ultimate body applicator didn’t have scientific evidence or proof that it really works, so that’s probably the reason why it receives a lot of complaints.

If you still have no idea what is an ultimate body applicator, you are welcome to check the demonstration video below. You will get a better idea of what it is immediately.

Furthermore, I found this from Federal Trade Commission about the false claims of weight loss:

“Weight loss is an internal metabolic process. Nothing you wear or apply to the skin can cause substantial weight loss.”

I know some It Works defenders might say that it did really work on their weight loss after wrapping an ultimate body applicator around their belly. The truth is cruel, it’s highly possible that you only sweat and lose a bit of water weight.

How Does It Work?

You can make money with It Works in two ways, they are the nature of any MLMs around the globe.

1. Sell It Works products to get retail commissions
2. Recruit people to join the same system to maximize group sales for extra bonuses

Before we jump into the compensation plan, I would like to explain the sign-up process.

Getting Started

You could join under a sponsor or simply visit It Works website & click “Become a Distributor”. Then, you need to purchase the starter kit $99(Business Builder Kit) that includes the below items:

• One box of Ultimate Body Applicator
• 4 mini Defining Gels
• 1 roll of Fab Wrap
• One FREE month of eSuite
• A replicate personal website
• Marketing tools

The remaining process is just to fill in your personal details such as shipping address and payment information. Once done that, you’re all set and ready to go!

The Compensation Plan

The most important part of this article has arrived, and there are three ways to get paid from It Works:

• Retail Commission: You sell your customers with the retail prices but only pay wholesale prices to get the products, so the differential price gap is your earning.
• Loyal Customer Commission: Most people don’t want to pay the retail price, so you get a chance to get them to sign up as Loyal Customers. When you continue to enroll Loyal customers, they will be charged for a 3-month subscription and you get the commissions. If you could get 4 Loyal Customers in your first 30 days, not only you will get $120 PV towards FREE products, but you will also be eligible to start earning your Wrap Rewards for getting wraps at a discounted price.
• Team Commission: This is where multi-level commission comes into play. The more recruit you bring in your team, the more commission and residual income you’ll generate. The more sales you & your team make, the more bonuses you’ll be qualified.

The above are the basics you should know about It Works compensation plan. For more details, you could check the official 22-page document HERE or watch the below YouTube video.

How Much Do You Need to Sell to Stay Active?

As a distributor, In order to be qualified for your commissions, you need to have a $150 Personal Bonus Volume at least or process $80 Bonus Volume from your retail customers.

Most of the time, people are paying $150 to be qualified for their commissions instead of buying products they really love. Meaning you end up spending more money than you could earn in one year.

What I Liked About It Works!

TOP#1 Leverage the Internet

It Works is one of MLMs I’ve reviewed that is very good at leveraging social media. It’s often to see It Works Facebook/Instagram posts about before & after comparison after using that crazy wrap thing(AKA Ultimate Body Applicator).

There are also hundred thousand It Works distributors posting content on both Facebook/Instagram as well.

Besides social media, It Works has its own application for mobile phones that you can easily track your status or your earning progress. It’s like you get an entire It Works office on your palm.

The last, a replicate personal website. You can promote It Works products on your website and your potential customers can order directly, but it needs a $20 monthly maintenance fee on this.

Other MLMs also leverage the power of the Internet include Scentsy, Shaklee, and Mary Kay to name a few.

TOP#2 30-day Money-back Policy

What if you don’t like the products? Don’t worry! It Works offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not happy with the products for any reason.

They want to make all customers satisfied with the orders they place, and It Works wants you to fall in love with the products, the service, and your results.

But, they do have some requirements:

1. All items must be within 30 days after the actual ship date.
2. All the items must be kept in the condition of “unopened” or “new”.
3. The customer should cover the shipping cost.
4. It Works is not responsible for any lost in the return shipment process.

TOP#3 It Works Gives Back Foundation

It Works Gives Back foundation was built in 2014 with the aim to fight cancer, aide homeless, anti-Human Trafficking, Family/Veterans/Community Support. Meaning they are donating money to solve some problems for the next generations.

No matter the scope is, It Works is a good example of the corporate social obligation. It’s better It Works is doing something than nothing.

Ugly Truth About It Works!

TOP#1 Low Income Potential

Let’s read the official income disclosure and do some calculations.

In 2018, the average monthly income of distributors is $47. $223 for an executive. $471 for Ruby-level distributors. $1,084 for Emerald-level distributors. These four-level distributors account for 97% of total members.

Can you quit your job by only selling It Works products? I believe you have the answer in mind.

Can you accept the truth that you might need to work very hard to see the positive results in a 60-month period? Most people failed because they don’t have patience and cannot stand suffering the pain. Ask yourself!

On the other hand, there is around 1.51% of all members who made it to Double Diamond or above could generate a good income every month($4,710-$24,798) So, a few people did a very good job on promoting It Works! We cannot ignore the truth.

TOP#2 No Scientific Evidence or Proof

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, It Works got many complaints because they don’t have any scientific evidence and proof that could support their ultimate body applicator(that crazy wrap thing).

Also, for that crazy wrap thing, people is unlikely to purchase with a higher price while they can buy similar products with much lower prices they easily find in Amazon & Walmart.

TOP#3 Lots of Complaints on BBB

BBB stands for Better Business Bureau that consists of customers’ feedback for many companies. I often tell my parents to check the complaints on BBB first before they buy something.

On It Works page, they only get a C+ rating that is quite low compared to those who get A+. The most complaints are about the cancellation process. You may refer to the below screenshot that I took from BBB.

People are still charged after they cancel the subscription, and it looks like It Works doesn’t tell customers ahead for some additional charges.

Who Is It Works For?

People who have weight-loss issues and would like to share with someone who also has the same problem.

If you are good at presenting, planning, or maybe online marketing skills, I didn’t see any harm to do It Works.

If you were like me, shy & introvert & fit, I would say there are better options to make money online.

Can You Make Money Selling It Works?

Yes, of course. Let’s scroll up a bit to read the income disclosure again!

There are around 1.51% of all members who can make a nice and decent monthly income between $4,710-$24,798.

The questions are:

1. Can you work your butt off to promote It Works products?
2. Can you commit yourself to spend lots of time and effort to achieve your goal?
3. Can you stand the pain for the first few years only getting a monthly income less than $1,000?

Is It Works! A Scam?

Definitely NO! It Works might have products without scientific evidence or proof, but it’s far from a scam or a pyramid scheme.

It Work has products that distributors can make sales to earn commission & bonuses through the compensation plan, so it is a legitimate MLM company.

If you ask me whether I would become one of the distributors, my answer is no. I have a better way to make money online.

My Alternative Way to Make Money Online

My alternative way to make money online is through Affiliate Marketing instead of promoting It Works products in person.

Try to imagine you sell ultimate body applicator(that crazy wrap thing) to your friends, family, or anyone you know, don’t you know it hurts people’s feelings? It’s like you are telling them “it’s time to control your weight!”

Doing affiliate marketing will save you from that!

• You don’t even need to buy any physical or digital products and sell to someone face to face.
• You also don’t need to convince people to join you as you downlines to build a team.
• You are not restricted to only promote Scentsy products. You can promote anything you like!

You only need to create a website or YouTube channel with quality content that makes people trust you then purchase them through your links.

The platform I am using currently is Wealthy Affiliate. The reasons for “Why Wealthy Affiliate?” are for all the training courses, every Friday night LIVE training courses, 24/7 sitesupport, and the most friendly community.

For more details or top secrets about Wealthy Affiliate, you could check my full review in the below link.

>>>Try Wealthy Affiliate Before Bed<<<

Wealthy Affiliate Income Proof

Here are some of the most active members from Wealthy Affiliate. Each of them did succeed in generating a sustainable income to replace their 9-5 jobs. You are more than welcome to check their stories HERE.

• I Made Over $1 Million With Affiliate Marketing.
• Can someone make a full time income promoting WA? You bet they can!
• What Does $1000 Per Day Look Like?$
• 40,000 In One Weekend
• A Very Humbling $12,803.26 Month – August Progress Report
• It’s Getting Better: $500+ in 2 Days
• Newbies Pay Attention! $5,195.20 Affiliate Check for June: Thanks WA!
• Joined the 10K Per Month Club. January Earnings $13,481.39
• New Record: $1,300+ Per DAY! Affiliate Marketing Works & Rocks!
• Made $7,395 in a WEEK: First Black Friday Results!

I hope you enjoy this review and you are more than welcome to share ideas or leave your comments below. I will reply as soon as I can, thanks.