ACN Review: 2 Big Problems (And The Solution)

ACN review

Imagine the freedom to work from anywhere, set your schedule, and build a career on your terms.  ACN claims to have the formula to make that a real possibility for you. Founded in the early '90s, ACN offers a special mix of essential services through a business model known as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). 

This strategy has gained popularity over the years, attracting many as a possible way to financial independence. ACN allows people to earn from their sales and from the sales of the network they build, offering a potentially lucrative option for income. 

But, earning money is as easy as they claim? In this post, we’ll look closely at ACN to understand what products you can sell, how to join, how their compensation plan works, its pros and cons, and tips for making money as an ACN Independent Representative.

What is ACN?

ACN, or American Communications Network Inc., is a company from the United States that uses Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) to sell various services. It started in 1993 and has grown to provide telecommunication, energy, and home services in many countries. 

ACN works with big companies like DirecTV, AT&T, and Oracle to offer its services. This means ACN customers can get a lot of different services through ACN because of its partnerships with these companies.

ACN has partnered up with several well-known companies to offer a wide range of services. These partners include:

• AT&T

• Dish Network

• Oracle

• Frontier Communications

• DirecTV

• SKY

• Sprint

What is MLM?

MLM, or Multi-Level Marketing or network marketing, is a way for companies to sell their products or services. It's a legit business model as long as it's implemented correctly.

Instead of selling products in stores, MLM companies use people (called Independent Representatives) to sell their products directly to others. 

These representatives also try to get more people to sell the company’s products. They make money from their sales and from the sales of the people they recruit. MLM is different from regular jobs because it lets people run their small businesses by selling the company’s products and building a team to do the same.

What Kind of Products or Services Does ACN Sell?

ACN offers a variety of products and services focused to meet the needs of both residential customers and businesses. 

1-Residential Services

For homeowners, ACN provides a wide range of services designed to keep them connected and secure. The offerings include:

• High-Speed Internet: ACN partners with leading providers such as AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, and Verizon to offer high-speed internet services across various territories. Prices vary based on the service provider and the package chosen.

• Wireless Service Plans (Flash Wireless): ACN offers wireless service plans that can come with or without contracts, including family plans. The plans are categorized into purple, green, and yellow, with prices varying based on the features selected. 

• Home Phone Services: ACN allows customers to make calls using their high-speed internet connection along with their existing home phone setup. This service offers unlimited calling to over 80 landline and mobile destinations worldwide.

• Home Security and Automation: ACN collaborates with Vivint to offer smart home control, wireless security, and surveillance services, including 24/7 continuous video recording.

• XOOM Energy: Through XOOM Energy, ACN provides natural gas and electricity services with two plan options – fixed (SureLock) and variable (SimpleFlex). The SureLock plan offers a fixed price for the term of the service, while the SimpleFlex plan's rates can fluctuate but allow for flexibility in changing or stopping service.

• Television: Customers can choose from various providers like Dish, DirecTV, Spectrum, and DirecTV Stream for their television needs.

2-Business Services

For businesses, ACN expands its offerings to include solutions like Anovia payment and processing. Anovia provides a comprehensive payment processing service capable of handling all payment types, including credit, debit, gift cards, e-checks, and e-commerce transactions. 

This service is designed to serve businesses of all sizes, offering them a reliable and efficient way to process payments.

How much does it cost to join ACN?

To become an ACN Independent Business Owner (IBO), you need to go through a specific process and pay certain fees. Initially, there's a $299 application fee. This fee covers the costs associated with setting up and servicing your business, allowing you to operate in any country where ACN is present. 

After that, there's a monthly Business Support Fee of $25. This fee keeps your business active with ACN and gives you access to a range of support services.

ACN supports its Independent Business Owners (IBOs) with a wide range of resources for business growth.

IBO Support

• ACN offers a Recognition Program, Product Reports, a Bonus Program, and Incentive-Based Trips to support its Independent Business Owners (IBOs).
• Benefits include access to Product Development and Market Analysis.
• IBOs receive a Personal Online Storefront for customer education and sign-ups.
• A Personal Development Center for continuous learning and growth.
• Services for Conference Calling and Video Web Conferencing.
• A Business Tracking & Reporting System to monitor progress.
• Training Materials and Marketing Tools to enhance business strategies.
• Access to ACN Social Networking Sites for wider engagement.
• A Personal Website for sharing the business opportunity.
• IBO Alerts and SMS Services for timely updates and notifications.

Customer Support

• Services include Customer Provisioning, Activation, and Billing Maintenance.
• Customer Incentive & Retention Programs to enhance loyalty.
• Multilingual Customer Care for broader support.
• Product Development, Information, Support, and FAQs to assist customers.
• Online Account Access for customer convenience and management.

ACN Compensation Plan

ACN's compensation plan includes several key components that offer multiple ways for Independent Business Owners (IBOs) to earn income. These components are designed to reward both the acquisition of customers and the expansion of an IBO's team. Here are the details:

1-Monthly Residual Commissions

IBOs earn a portion of the monthly billings of the customers they sign up. This creates a recurring income source, encouraging IBOs to maintain their customer base and ensure high levels of service and satisfaction.

2-Personal Commissions

This component rewards IBOs for directly earning customers. The residual commission rate on the monthly commissionable revenue from these customers ranges from 3% to 20%, depending on the number of Personal Customer Points an IBO accumulates. The specific percentages are as follows:

• 1-39 Personal Customer Points = 3%

• 40-59 Personal Customer Points = 5%

• 60-99 Personal Customer Points = 10%

• 100-149 Personal Customer Points = 14%

• 150-199 Personal Customer Points = 17%

• 200+ Personal Customer Points = 20%

3-Monthly Customer Bonuses

ACN provides additional bonuses to IBOs who achieve certain customer acquisition objectives within a month. This structure encourages new and existing IBOs to actively and consistently acquire new customers.

4-Customer Acquisition Bonuses (CABs)

These bonuses are awarded to IBOs who recruit new members into their team, and those new members qualify by acquiring customers quickly after joining. CABs are designed to motivate IBOs to build and support their teams, promoting a collaborative and growth-oriented community.

Tips To Make Money as an ACN Independent Representative

Maximizing your earnings as an ACN Independent Representative requires smart strategies and a proactive approach. These strategies will help you effectively promote ACN services and increase your income.

• Use Social Media: Use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to showcase the benefits of ACN services. Regularly post engaging content that highlights how these services can solve common problems. Use hashtags, join relevant groups, and engage with your audience to increase visibility.

• Pay for Advertising: Invest in paid ads on Google and social media platforms to target potential customers based on interests, behaviors, and search questions related to ACN’s offerings. Use compelling ad copy and attractive visuals to grab attention and direct traffic to your blog or social media profiles.

• Create a Blog: Share detailed posts about your personal experiences with ACN, how the services have benefited you or others, and tips on using them effectively. SEO-optimize your content to rank higher in search engine results, attracting organic traffic interested in telecommunications and utility services.

ACN Pros and Cons

Pros

• Long-standing History: ACN has been in operation since 1993, demonstrating stability and reliability in the telecommunications and utilities industry. This long history suggests a proven track record of business operations and customer service.
• Wide Range of Services: ACN offers a diverse portfolio of essential services, including telecommunications, energy, and home security. This variety enables Independent Business Owners (IBOs) to appeal to a broad customer base with different needs.

Cons

• Personal Sales Requirement: Success in ACN, like in any MLM, depends heavily on an individual’s ability to sell products and services personally. This can be challenging for those who are not naturally inclined towards sales or do not have a large network to tap into. I do have a solution for this though. 
• Pressure on Personal Relationships: MLM by its nature involves reaching out to friends and family to sell products or invite them to join your business, which can strain relationships. Myself being an introvert, didn't enjoy that, so I found other ways to build my business. 
• Inventory Purchases: There's usually a requirement to buy a certain amount of product either for personal use or for sale, which can be financially burdensome and lead to unsold inventory. As far as I can see, this isn't the case for ACN, as their offerings -- in the USA anyway -- are mostly service based. 
• Passion: a lot of times when people discover network marketing, they're excited about how it can help them start their own business and live life on their own terms, but they may be less interested in the actual products being sold. You'll obviously have to decide whether this is an issue for you or not. 

My Personal Experience with ACN

I've tried multi-level marketing (MLM) with various companies in the past and actually did pretty well, especially with ACN. I was really into their telecom and utility stuff. But when ACN started adding personal care and diet products to their lineup (I think this was just an ACN Europe thing, not USA), I figured it was time to look for something else that stuck closer to my original interests.

Conclusion

ACN can be a good option for those wanting to make extra income through selling telecommunications and utility services. Before joining, think about whether ACN fits your financial goals and lifestyle. Success in MLM like ACN requires dedication and smart strategies. 

You need to be committed to selling products and recruiting others. Using online marketing and staying active in your community helps. To do well, keep learning and applying what you learn. Success comes from hard work and the right approach.hotos via Pexels