doTerra MLM Review - Make Money Selling Essential Oils?

More and more people are turning to using more natural products and that would also include products like essential oils. doTerra has a very successful business with essential oils and other products. You've probably heard of doTerra before. Maybe you've even bought some products in the past. But in this doTerra MLM review, we'll take a look to see if you can actually make money selling these products.

What is doTerra MLM?

doTerra MLM was founded in 2008 by David Stirling, Gregory Cook, Robert Young, Mark Wolfert, David Hill, and Emily Wright. The company is headquartered in Utah and sell essential oils, personal care products, and supplements through multi-level marketing. Three of the founders previously worked for Young Living, another multi-level marking company. doTerra was sued by Young Living alleging that the former employees stole trade secrets.  The issue was resolved in 2014.

The company has continued to grow over the years. As of 2017, there were over 3 million Wellness Advocates working in over 100 countries.

Are doTerra Products Worth Their Price?

The doTerra products, especially the essential oils, are pretty expensive when compared to their counterparts. But the essential oils go through a rigorous testing process to ensure their purity before they hit the market. Take the doTerra Tea Tree Essential Oils below, for instance. This is a 15 ml bottle that retails for $28. The wholesale price is $21.

I found a comparable product on the Walmart website. This product is the same size, 15 ml. It retails for $10.95 and is certified organic. So in this case, there's a pretty big price difference. The Walmart product is almost one third of the price compared to the full retail price of the doTerra Tea Tree Oil. Even if you pay the wholesale price, the price is still double that of the Walmart product. So from a customer's point of view, you will have to be able to answer the question: what makes the doTerra product better?

The doTerra MLM Opportunity

Now that you know a little bit about the company and their products, let's take a look at the actual opportunity. Unlike other MLMs, doTerra do not require you to be sponsored by a Wellness Advocate. You can sign up online, pay the membership fee and buy a kit.

As a Wellness Advocate, you can participate in monthly training and social events to keep up to date with the company.

How Much Does It Cost to Join doTerra?

You can sign up online and pay the non-refundable $35 fee. This fee will renew each year on your anniversary date. The subsequent renewal fee is $25. It will also be necessary for you to buy a kit to get started.

It's recommended that you take the doTerra Essential Oil Specialist Certification program in order to sell these products. The training costs $119.31 and teaches you all about how the oils are produced, what is in the oils and how they can benefit certain ailments.

The program is to help you succeed in promoting the products. It's also to help ensure that you do not give the wrong advice about any particular product and to boost your confidence when discussing them.

As an independent contractor, you will be responsible for paying all your own expenses. Phone calls, gas to/from customers, etc. are not reimbursable expenses.

Can You Make Money with doTerra?

There are a number of  ways Wellness Advocates make money with doTerra products. The easiest way is by sharing the products in natural or spontaneous settings. You can carry the products in your pocket and strike up conversations in social settings. Whether you're at a party, grocery shopping or even the dentist, you can start talking about the products and allow people to try them. So carrying products with you is encouraged.

You can share and promote the products online. You don't get your own doTerra webspace so you'll have to use your own social media accounts or create a blog.

Wellness Advocates earn 25% on all purchases made by retail customers.

Customers can earn of 10% to 30% in reward points when they join  the Loyalty Rewards Program. The points can be used toward future purchases which is another way to motivate potential customers. Wholesale customers can also earn points through the Shipping Rewards Program.

But let's not forget about recruitment. Like most MLMs, recruitment still plays a pivotal role in your success here. By recruiting others to join you, they become part of your down line and you'll earn residual income on all sales made by your team.

As you sell products and develop your team, you'll earn bonuses through a variety of different point systems. Eventually, you'll rank higher positions earning you even more money.

Pros:

doTerra Name Recognition

doTerra has been around for many years and seem to have happy customers according to the BBB (Better Business Bureau).

Compact Products

These products are very compact making it easy for you to carry around with you and strike up conversations naturally. Promoting products in this way means that just about anyone is a potential customer.

Essential Oils Certification Training

doTerra have an Essential Oils Training course where you will receive a certification once completed. Yes, there's an additional charge for this but at least you will come away knowing what you are talking about.

CPTG Certified

All doTerra essential oils is put through their CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) process. This process was created by doTerra to fill the void for essential oil purity. This process ensures that all doTerra essential oils have no contaminants or synthetic fillers.

Cons:

Therapeutic Grade vs. Organic

According to doTerra, the essential oils are "therapeutic grade." But that doesn't mean that the products are organic. Organic means free from pesticide residues and genetic modification. According to my research, doTerra cannot make that claim.

You've Been Demoted?

As a Wellness Advocate, your membership renews each year on your anniversary date. If you have not added any recruits to your team by your anniversary date, you could be demoted to a Wholesale Customer instead. This seems to be discretionary and there's no criteria available but I think this is worth noting.

Product Misrepresentation

In 2014, doTerra Advocates have come under fire for misrepresenting products as possible cures for cancer and other conditions. Even after an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) warning, some Wellness Advocates continued to claim that products could be beneficial in the treatment of the flu and autism. Some even used testimonials as proof despite the fact that there was no scientific evidence to support them.

Is doTerra a Scam?

MLMs have their good points and their bad points. It usually comes down to the value of the product and how easy or difficult it is to make sales. doTerra have a decent reputation as far as I can tell but in the end, you only make money if you can make sales and recruit people.

Final Thoughts

If you've been working a 9-5 job dreaming of having your own business, MLMs can be tempting. But if you treated it like a job with an hourly wage, you'd probably be disappointed when you calculate the time spent versus the commission checks.

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