LifeVantage Review: By ExpertMLMReview
Founded in 2003, LifeVantage Corporation is a publicly traded (ticker LFVN) network marketing company specializing in scientific anti-aging products utilizing its clinically studied Protandim supplement.
LifeVantage has a very interesting history…
Their stock went through the roof back on 2005 after the release of clinical studies and TV specials by ABC, the Today Show and PBS regarding their Protandim product. This early publicity sent their stock up to over $20 per share but it could not stay there without sales to backup the publicity. At this point Protantim was only available through retail channels and it did not do well on the shelves of nutritional stores.
In May of 2009, after more than 6 months of planning and preparation they turned to network marketing for distribution. Not surprising to those who understand the power of MLM, LifeVantage sales have dramatically increased and in turn their stock price has more than tripled from its low of less than $0.10 in November of 2008. Still a bit too early to say, but it looks like MLM is proving to be a good fit.
As with every review, let’s start off with the easiest place to spot a scam… THE PRODUCT!
Protandim Review – I can’t speak for the product because I’ve not yet tried it. What I can say is I am more inclined to try it than any other nutritional product I’ve seen recently due to the extensive clinical research and peer reviewed studies that have gone into it. Over 20 universities have initiated various self funded medical studies on the product in relationship to its relation on anti-aging and disease. Several have been completed and are posted on www.pubmed.gov under Protandim to view.
Unlike most nutritional products, Protandim is not an antioxidant by way of supplementation but rather a product that stimulates the body’s production of its own natural enzymes which the body uses to destroy free radicals. Clinical studies appear to prove that it is many times more effective than ingesting external antioxidants for this purpose. The LifeVantage corporate website (http://www.lifevantage.com) gives access to all the studies, reports and news videos releases on their product that explains how it works and what it does.
What I like most about this product is the unique marketing angle it has…
Unlike most network marketing companies which must resort to the old “try it out (for 30, 60 or 90 days) and see how you feel” line, LifeVantage distributors are able to honestly say that Protandim is clinically proven to reduce oxidative stress by slowing down the rate of cell aging to the level of a 20 year old.
This alone is not enough to build a business on, but it’s a great ice breaker for distributors. Often the hardest part in building a nutritional MLM business is getting people to try the product and LifeVantage seems to have a bit of an advantage in this area.
As for the price of the product, I was also pleasantly surprised. In an industry where product auto ships are routinely over $100 per month, a one month autoship supply of Protandim for a retail “preferred customer” is only $39! This pricing is far less than the industry norm, thus making it possible to acquire true retail customers.
In addition to the core Protandim product, LifeVantage also has a skin care product called TrueScience which is a skin cream designed with the anti-aging properties of Protandim. What I like about the overall product line is its simplicity; just two core products, with one core selling point, and a price that is actually reasonable.
Ultimately it is going to take more than research and publicity for a product to make it. Protandim will have to make a noticeable impact on the wellbeing of people taking it, whether it be more energy, better sleep, not getting sick as often, etc. There are not too many people who will spend money on a product every month on studies alone. Only time will tell on this, if you are reading this and have tried the product, please feel free to give us your feedback below.
LifeVantage Compensation Plan
I’m not going to even touch the topic of how lucrative the compensation plan is. There is plenty of money available in every compensation plan as long as it’s legal. If you hear somebody going on about how their compensation plan pays the most money in the industry, good chance something is not right.
Technically speaking LifeVantage utilizes a unilevel comp plan paying down 9 dynamically compressed levels with the potential for a matching bonus on the first 4 levels and a coded bonus for Vantage pack qualifiers that allows for bonuses to be earned through unlimited depth. If none of this makes sense to you don’t worry about it.
The most important part about the compensation plan is legal, because it only pays commissions on product sales. LifeVantage has taken an additional step to promote the movement of product that I really like and which does a lot to ensure legality. As with every company, distributors must stay qualified to earn commissions, in LifeVantage this means 200 PV per month in personal volume. The nice part is that the volume generated from personal “preferred customers” reduces personal volume requirements for distributors. This means that as a distributor, if I have enough personal customers consuming product, I can reduce my monthly personal volume requirement down to the minimum of 30 PV.
Behavior rewarded will be duplicated so when you see a company reward the enrollment of true retail “preferred customers” (people buying the product, but not partaking in the business opportunity), you will likely have a high customer to distributor ratio. This ratio is one of the most important things the attorney general and FTC look at when determining if a company is a pyramid scheme or not.
LifeVantage – Company & Leadership
There are a few notable points of interest regarding the company beyond the brief history I’ve already mentioned. LifeVantage is a member of the Direct Selling
Association (http://www.dsa.org/forms/CompanyFormPublicMembers/view?id=44F6200000362) and the BBB (http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-reviews/health-and-diet-products-retail/lifevantage-corporation-in-littleton-co-90014185). They were involved in and settled a lawsuit with Zrii. In this lawsuit, they were alleged to have conspired with former Zrii management/distributors to break contracts and switch to companies. While the lawsuit sought damages of 250 million, it was settled for 400,000. This type of lawsuit is not uncommon in the network marketing industry and in my opinion nothing to be worried about.
As for the leadership behind the company, David Brown, formerly with Metabolife, is the CEO and Dr. Joe McCord, the driving force behind Protandim, is the Director of Science. It is noteworthy that Dr. McCord was the co-discoverer of antioxidant enzymes and their relationship to free radicals in 1968 at Duke University. I also like the fact that LifeVantage has experienced in-house legal counsel with Eric Marchant, who has counseled multi-national hundred million dollar MLMs in the past.
A look at the industry and competition…
It is common knowledge that nutrition is the backbone of network marketing industry and there is zero doubt that the health and wellness industry is growing and will continue to grow. On the other hand I think today you have an excess of companies entering into the industry and it is easy to get lost amid the confusion and clutter unless you have something unique… I think LifeVantage has just that. With a low product price point and the kind of research and publicity behind Protandim, I think they are suited to do very well in the network marketing industry.
The final word…
LifeVantage sells a legitimate product at a price point that real customers can afford and markets through a compensation plan that is in my opinion more legally sound than your average MLM. While there is a lot of research and publicity behind this company you still want to be sure your belief is 100% behind it before getting started. In network marketing, belief sells and no amount of research can replace that. Give it a year or don’t give it a month. Lifevantage will work if you work it.
Yours in Success,
Shawn Cornett
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I just want to give a shout out to Dr. Mcord and all his hard work and effort he put into coming up with this, Well done Dr. Mcord. Also to all the ones that have helped and pulled this together, well done to you all to. I want to say God bless you and all your time and hard work. I truly believe you are doing what you are called to do on this journey in life that God gave you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart…
Yet another scam review provided to the public by way of an individual advertising the company and its product. It can’t get more pathetic than that.
I have been taking Protandim for six months and a distributor for 3months.
I have been more then happy with my personal results by taking the product.
And if not for have such huge results in my health from it I would not have became a distributor. You see i have a medical condition that has tried to take my life several times over the years. I have a handyman business. Most of the time for the past 5year I, would go to work on my death bed just to support my family. I was in the hospital 7 month a year for a week each month. I can say for my self that Protandim has saved and changed my life. Look guys just share your personal story. Go ahead and print out the studies and share those as well. Make no claims. Just give them the company story and your own.Most people are smart enough to figure out the fact or faked. I personally l am very happy with my product and my family business with Life vantage.
To all who are touting this “wonderful product” s praises, let me say a couple of things: 1) a pyramid scheme is illegal no matter what the product or it’s effectiveness. 2) When you were given the product or sold the product…what were you told about it? That it was this “miracle cure” “will make you feel so much younger”….do your research people, that’s exactly the same lines snake oil salesmen used to use! Lastly, 3) I suggest you do some research on the human brain as well, especially something called the “Power of suggestion” and the amazing effectiveness it has on our brains when we really want something to be true. If your body is feeling younger, it’s most likely due to the power of suggestion and NOT this tiny little pill that even the FDA will not approve.
Thank you, Expert MLM Review, for an educated and honest review of Lifevantage and Protandim. Knowledge is Power. I’m sick and tired of seeing all the negative posts that are totally based in greed, ignorance, and laziness! LifeVantage is the “gold standard” of network marketing. It’s redefining MLM for all those who have been scammed by privately owned MLM’s in the past. Dr. McCord is brilliant. David Brown and the entire Lifevantage corporate staff have exemplary integrity. Protandim and True Science are authentic products with unique third party expert scientific validation. For the most part, this company attracts the “cream of the crop” for distributors because of those very reasons. If you’re researching the company, then do legitimate research and get down to the real facts. Find out the truth about the pubmed studies and Dr. McCord. Don’t base your decision on lame comments and lies purported by osadog and lazyman. Who sounds more credible? Osadog and lazyman or Harvard, LSU, and The American Heart Association? By the way, Osadog and lazyman need to get a REAL job and stop living off of other people like a parasite!
I am not a user and I do not sell this product but…I have seen some pretty amazing things. My kid sister had bad acne and has had some health and mental issues. She has been using Protandum for three months. Wow. She is a new person. I hardly recognized her. She use to blink and look up like she was a timid little animal. Her excess oil on her face is gone. Her acne scaring is barely noticable and diminishing, she has a glow about her and she is totally confident and healthy looking. She does not blink like she is looking into bright lights and she is making some pretty serious money too. Another woman I know who has been using the product for over a year is almost unrecognizable. I use to feel sorry for the woman because of her obvious joint and back pain. She looks 20 years younger and If I wasn’t married I would be chasing her! My father who is diabetic is using the product and has balanced his blood sugar and has more energy than he has had in years. I have seen a lot of pros and cons published but I have seen the evidence and it is undeniable.
Wow Seth….(7/31/10) I have NEVER seen a laboratory study that identifies the reference range for cholesterol to be from 140-280. And 245, while a significant improvement from your old number(s), is STILL a significant issue to be addressed further/more aggressively. Good luck
To all of you who have managed to read down far enough in all of this mess, to get to this post, I encourage you to do the research for yourself. Start at http://www.pubmed.gov and go from there. If you google, will you find some ‘it’s a scam’ information? Sure! You’ll find ‘it’s a scam’ information on everything on google. Don’t be freaked out by naysayers with nothing better to do than naysay, like osadog (no real name?) – we don’t know their motivations (competitors? just generally negative about life? chip on their shoulders? who knows!) and it doesn’t matter. Do the real research and decide for yourself. Better yet, for $50 you can try the product yourself and see what we’ve all seen – major differences in our health and well-being. It’s just 5 herbs, safe, inexpensive, and easy to get – why not find out for yourself?
Oh well in a nutshell, while we are all living a long productive life, osadog will be in a nursing home wishing he had taken Protandim when he should of. The last laugh will be on him!
I am going to give the coolaid a try. Should receive it in just over a week. Will keep you all posted. No one is more skeptical than me. I will not knock a product unless I try it. You will get an honest opinion from me.
I was introduced to Protandim three months ago. I am a multi-media commercial artist, doing work I love, but exposing myself to a life-time of bending over this work causing chronic neck and back pain. This persistant neck pain woke me up all through the night, when I stood in the morning I was bent over with back pain. The proof for me is this… I am now pain free and have more energy than I have had in years. I am extremely thankful to the distributor that introduced me to Protandim and LifeVantage.
My husband and I started taking Protandim in June 2012 and I became a distributor in August because we both have more energy, and I have lost those pains in my knees and hip. My husband used to get Gout every month and acid reflux twice a month. He has had neither since July. Just saying
After reading all the negativity from ignorant Morons elsewhere about Protandim & about Dr. Mc Cord, it is refreshing to read what sane people as above are confident about. I am a “preferred customer” who is going to become a Distributor. By the way, if anyone knows of a Product to help IGNORANT MORANS, please let me know. I want to help these I M’s IF THAT IS POSSIBLE.
After taking Protandim my brain fog before my menstrual cycle disappeared. I would feel it every month, and sometimes get debilitating headaches to go with it. After a month on Protandim, those symptoms went away. I still saw a difference after skipping usage of the product for a few months. The symptoms returned slightly, but weren’t as severe. I have now returned to using Protandim, finally getting it monthly. I don’t know if it will make me 16 years younger, but I know it helps me with menstrual issues. and
For the negative people. It wouldn’t matter how many people have great results and how much research has come out. They are just negative and have self-image problems. 40 years of research, Eliot cressen medal, 5 patents, and multiple universities. What else do you need. It’s great to have this paradigm shift in health that has helped out so many in my family. Just became a distributor. Love hearing from people who just love the product.
This is the claim that I have heard about Protandim…”It don’t cure STUPID!!”
I use this and have not seen any improvement YET however I can say that the customer service people in FL are idiots. It’s sad that although the product may work they have people working for them that are just flat out rude. Here’s hoping the product works and makes it worthwhile. I’ve been taking it for 3 months so far and nothing different. It was suggested to take it at least 6 months to determine if it really works
Don’t mind these Ignorant,Negative People.Just remember Human Nature,If someone tells ya,you can’t do it’,Get out there and show everyone different.Thats when True results will come to light. Give Protandim 100% and give God 110%.The results will be AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!. What an GREAT Company and Spectacular Products.
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