There’s a whole lot of whoo-haa fluttering around the net concerning Empower Network and if it might be a scam.
Empower Network Review: What Exactly Is It?
“Empower Network” is the name given to a recent launch of a new networking and affiliate marketing membership program fronted by Dave Wood.
When I first entered the words ‘Empower Network’ into my Google search box the most popular search term, after empower network, was “empower network scam”.
So here at Work From Home Watchdog, we decided that it was a ‘must-do investigation’ for you guys looking for answers to the Empower scam question.
The first thing I noticed when researching Empower Network was that a few of the sites promoting it had the same sales copy from the actual Empower Network website.
Product owners (such as Dave Wood) often send out promo articles during a product launch, however, to see the same article appear on the front page of Google was just weird. Where are all the real reviews from people who have tried the product?
I read through a few of the reviews and most said basically the same thing: “Empower Network is great and you should try it”.
I decided to head over to the main Empower Network website to take a look at what was happening and I was met with a video of Dave, where his goal is to “connect” with his members.
The video on the Empower Network site is just over 49 mins long, so if you have never heard a pitch with a BIG sell, watch this video and you can tick it off your list.
You get to learn that Dave has been into network marketing for years, and he often refers to being at Amway meetings back in 2002.
He pushes the ‘poor homeless man does good’ message on his site and that immediately makes me think he’s certainly focused on the “new to online marketing market” customer.
The opening line to the Empower Network site today is:
Hey everyone, I wanted to get this message out about 4 hours earlier, and be sleeping right now…
Just so you know, I’m dedicated to your success – regardless of the random monkey that attacks my Internet in Costa Rica.
Have I told you that you’re awesome lately?
Anyways, enough said. Watch the video and just do what it says, and let’s make some money, ok?
Most certainly a message to motivate his members, and now I see why so many of the same articles were appearing in Google with the Empower Network daily swipe and – ‘copy, paste, and send’ approach they promote.
I got the impression listening and watching the video that top-level support is only available for high-performing members, yet I find that kind of back to front.
Surely the new members whom the program targets should be receiving the majority of the help?
The Empower Network…Scam or System?
So I want to write a few paragraphs detailing exactly what Empower Network is all about and answer the all-important question about if it is a real scam or not.
The sales process has various up-sells that produce 2 main price points to the membership site:
- $25 per month (standard)
- $100 per month (inner circle)
To give you the raw details, the whole Empower Network system is based around a pre-installed WordPress blog with graphics and banners chosen for you that promotes various related products.
On the back end of the products and opt-in forms is a sales funnel set up by Dave Wood.
Your job is to blog daily, which in turn will drive traffic to Dave’s sales pages, and that (apparently) will convert your leads into sales (for which you get a commission).
So…why is it being called a scam?
Maybe because Empower Network states that you get 100% of the sales profit, and promises like that always get folks sniffing around and looking for the catch.
But here is the truth about how it actually pans out…
Refer others and get $25 or $100 per month, depending on which pricing level your referrals join on.
Some of the new referrals get passed up to your sponsor, yep everyone has a sponsor.
Your 2nd, 4th, 6th referrals get passed up, then every 5th referral.
So it goes 2, 4,6,11, 16, 21, 26, 31… and so on.
MLM business pyramid? It certainly seems that way.
It’s not ethically correct for me at this point to call Empower Network out as being scam-worthy.
However, it is a fair statement to say that Empower Network is a very aggressive affiliate marketing membership program where everyone has the task of driving traffic through to Dave Woods offers.
Any readers that don’t buy are continually marketed to in an attempt to increase the chances of you making a sale or referral.
Is this a great and ethical way to work from home? Definitely not. And on so many levels.
But funnily enough… Empower Network does have its successes dotted about the net, even if they are disguised as Empower Network scam stories.
This is something that we are not doing with our review of the program here at Work From Home Watchdog.
Unfortunately, I can’t show you the style and quality of the sites on the Empower Network system as they are “down for maintenance” at the time of writing this review, so that’s a few thousand folks who are not getting their content seen across the internet.
In fact, the comments left on the website are proof already that there is evidence to suggest that maybe Dave Wood’s Empower Network is not the amazing opportunity that the website suggests.
Work From Home Watchdog suggests that you avoid this program unless you are happy with some fairly unethical forms of marketing.
If you have any experience with Empower Network, let us know by leaving your comments below.
Tony – WFHW
From what I’ve read about EN here and elsewhere, it looks like there are no real products being sold. The so-called “products” they have (such as blogs and training) are for the sole purpose of recruiting others to join EN…
Two quotes from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) site on Multilevel Marketing (aka Network Marketing):
1. “If the money you make is based on your sales to the public, it may be a legitimate multilevel marketing plan. If the money you make is based on the number of people you recruit and your sales to them, it’s not. It’s a pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes are illegal, and the vast majority of participants lose money.”
2. “One sign of a pyramid scheme is if distributors sell more product to other distributors than to the public — or if they make more money from recruiting than they do from selling.”
So, going by what I’ve read online about EN and the FTC quotes above, all I have to say is, “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”
Keep up the good work, WFHW Team!
Hi Terry
A big thank you for dropping by and sharing those 2 very important points.
This one especially – “One sign of a pyramid scheme is if distributors sell more product to other distributors than to the public — or if they make more money from recruiting than they do from selling.”
I was reviewing another marketing channel last week and their “top” affiliate was also promoting EN. I thought .. “did I miss something is it really not that bad?”
Can you believe it ME questioning my own judgement just because a big shot marketer says they are OK .. so I did a little more digging into EN – Oh my days … It’s a massive Pyramid and I should always trust my judgement! No matter who gives a program the thumbs up – theres no better yardstick than common sense eh!
Great comments Terry & I hope to see more from you.
Tony
WFHW Team
Thank you for this review Tony.
I’d google “Empower Network scam” and get a ton of blog links which all have an underlying message about why Empower Network isn’t a scam!
My husband is an affiliate and spends ALL his spare time writing blogs, amending them, reviewing traffic and supporting affiliates who he introduced! He still has to maintain his day job because while people may click on blog links, they don’t necessarily opt-in, much less become an affiliate. As a result, he has two full time jobs, one which pays him and one which he pays a monthly subscription plus donates hours of goodwill too – yes Empower Network!
The pressure is then on to come in at the most expensive affiliate rate so that you don’t miss the pass up…it’s ridiculous because he cannot forecast a baseline cashflow but calls it a business “with maximum earning potential”! He too was in Amway and Mannatech and so when Empower Network came along…I could smell the underpinning MLM a mile-off, but the sophisticated design of the structure and empowerment tools paint a facade that this type of business is OK.
Kind regards,
Mrs Atmywitsend
Hi there and cheers for sharing with us… I can totally relate to how you and your hubby must be feeling. The issue with Empower is that they are pro internet marketers so they’ve instructed their members to write a review based around the keyword “empower scam” – That would certainly get my alarm bells ringing.
There is NO NEED to shell out any more cash looking to learn, All of us writing on WFHW are all members of an online training forum where it’s free .. as in an “open education”.
Atyourwitsend no more I hope.. Seems like you may have a nose for online marketing yourself!
Cheers again for your comments.
Tony.B
WFHW Team