Immunotec Review - Scheme or Legitimate Opportunity?

If you have been "kicking the tires" out there of the various companies selling nutritional products through multi level marketing, it's likely you have come across Immunotec, Inc. Originally formed as Immunotec Research in 1996, they are now incorporated and are a publicly traded, debt-free company on the Canadian Stock Exchange (IMM). Are they just another marketing scheme, or are they legitimate?

Immunotec provides nutritional supplements in the health and wellness industry, developing nutritional products based on science to help the human body to function in optimal health. Their original product, Immunocal, is the subject of numerous studies and patents, and appears to be backed by sound science. It is formulated to raise and sustain a beneficial protein in your body called glutathione.

Their second product, Immunocal Platinum, is specifically for Baby Boomers, and addresses additional concerns related to aging, acid/alkaline balance, inflammation, insulin metabolism, and autoimmune modulation. These are two of the three products they sell that have pharmaceutical patents on them, even though they are not technically drugs. They are called nutraceuticals, or medicinal foods. Immunotec's specialty is nutraceuticals. It is where medicine backed by science meets marketing, and this field is growing in popularity today.

It is said the Wellness Industry will be a $1 Trillion business within the next few years, and Immunotec is set on their piece of the pie.

All of the products Immunotec carries relate to the central theme - "Optimizing Your Immunity, Wellbeing, and Wealth." The other products they carry either directly or indirectly enhance immunity, and include a patented anti-anxiety supplement made from milk, a multivitamin and mineral, milk calcium, Omega-3 with turmeric, meal replacement, metabolism booster for weight loss, tart cherry concentrate, saw palmetto tonic for male health, probiotic, energy tonic, face cream, and toothpaste. By far, the bulk of the sales are comprised of their flagship product, Immunocal. It is their claim to fame.

As a business, their compensation plan is fairly standard. It is considered a hybrid, with more than one element of other plans built into it. You can sponsor as many frontline consultants as you want, and need at least three evenly built "legs" to move up in the plan, 4 at the higher levels. The plan pays out at 47% with full compression, and pays down 8 levels of compensation.

How can you make money with the Immunotec business opportunity? There are six ways to earn money: through retail sales, autoship customers, business builder bonus, rank advancement and residual commissions, moving up bonus and accelerated moving up bonus, and upline moving up bonus. The company prohibits inventory loading and requires you to purchase the equivalent of two boxes of Immunocal a month to earn your monthly commissions. Most consultants have no problem consuming this personally. Compared to other multi level marketing companies, this plan is fairly standard.

Who make up Immunotec’s Corporate Team? The President and CEO of Immunotec is James Northrop, who has given the company new focus for recruiting consultants since he took office in November 2007. Prior to that, the company had been in business for 11 years with slow steady growth, and had mainly been focused on its customer base. Mr. Northrop's vision to expand Immunotec through increased recruiting has caused it to be one of the fastest growing companies in the nutritional multi level marketing business of late. The company earned revenues of approximately $36 Million in the fiscal year ending October 31,2008. For the 2nd quarter ending April 30, 2009, net sales were up 38.2% over the same period one year ago.

Immunotec is a member in good standing of the Direct Selling Association, where Mr. Northrop currently serves as Director and Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee. Mr. Dan Murphy, who is also on the Board of Directors at Immunotec, is currently the Treasurer at the DSA. Dr. Wulf Droge , PH.D., who formulated Immunocal Platinum, is the Senior Vice-President of Research and Development, and is a world-renowned scientist with more than 40 years in basic and clinical research to his name in over 280 publications.

Dr. Jimmy Gutman, the world's most published author on the subject of glutathione, also regularly travels and gives educational seminars on the benefits of Immunocal for glutathione enhancement. Patrick Montpetit is Vice-President and CFO with over 15 years of experience in senior financial management positions. Since they are publicly traded, Immunotec must issue regular earnings reports, and so by definition are a transparent company. They have been established now for 13 years, and still have very little market penetration, and no territory restrictions within the countries they do business in. Consultants in the United States, Canada, Ireland and the UK may do business seamlessly with anyone living in these countries, and the company is currently expanding internationally.

So is the Immunotec business opportunity an Immunotec scam, or a legitimate opportunity? If you want to represent nutritional products with a heavy background in science and research, this might be a good opportunity for you. Immunocal is touted as the "Authentic Leader in Immune System Optimization", so it looks to be a solid established company with high quality unique supplements and products with a good track record thus far.

I am often asked how to decide if an opportunity is a good one. Once you have established the reputation and credibility of the company, the rest depends on you and how you will market and distribute the products and recruit new consultants. You can have the best products, but without an effective lead generation system, marketing, and distribution methods, none of this really matters. The other part of the equation is YOU. Are you cut out for network marketing? There are skill sets with this type of job just like any other job. It's not for everyone.

If you are already in the Immunotec business, and want to succeed, you will need to learn how to market effectively both offline and online. By far, the largest amounts of money are being made in multi level marketing by those who know how to market effectively online today. There is a system that you need to learn, and I can coach you to make the best choice. You need to learn the basics of attraction marketing, online lead generation, and automation. You need to learn how to have prospects come looking for you instead of you chasing them down, as well as who to turn down for your opportunity. You need to learn how to interview prospective consultants, and determine if they are worth the time you will be investing in them. It's much more effective, and also much more fun!

So what is the most important factor for success that is not included in Immunotec's starter kit? YOU! Much depends on you, and what methods you learn and use to market effectively with the most successful proven techniques available today. You should also ask your potential sponsor the hard questions, and find out why you should join them and their team. How will they lead you to success? What marketing and lead generation methods do they use? A sponsor worth joining will have specific meaningful answers for you. If they don’t, you should find someone who has those answers. After all, you want to be successful, right?

Use these methods for success with your chosen opportunity, whether it is with Immunotec or another company, and you will be successful. See you at the top!