The Ambit Energy scam? I saw this online the other day when I was doing some MLM company research. I had run into Ambit in the past and Ambit Energy seemed to be a pretty strong MLM in a unique billion dollar market that seemed pretty squeaky clean but there it was, someone referring to it as the Ambit Energy scam. So what's up with that?
That of course is the question of the hour and why I sat down to do an in depth critical review of this new network marketing company that is taking a run at the energy deregulation market in the US, but as with any successful network marketing company they are starting to get some heat (no pun intended) and are generating a few Ambit Energy Scam Complaints.
You know there is so much negativity floating around our world on a daily basis that I work to keep my head straight by trying to only focus on the positive, however over the last few years I had run across a few newbies to the world of MLM that were either totally excited about Ambit or they were angrily calling it the Ambit Energy scam.
Now as you can probably imagine, there are so many new MLM companies that enter the market each year, and there are so many that die off so quickly that I usually hold off at least 20 minutes or so before I take to time to do an in-depth critical review, but since Ambit Energy has been around since 2006 I knew it was time.
First let’s get the get the details out of the way so we can dig into the really interesting stuff like “business model” product viability.
Ambit Energy
Ambit Energy is based in Dallas, Texas and is the brainchild of the founders, Jere Thompson and Chris Chambless and according to the company website, …”Ambit Energy was founded in early 2006 at a Potbelly’s restaurant in Addison, Texas over a couple of turkey sandwiches”.
Now since Ambit Energy was doing something over $325 million in revenue only 3 years later, I now know exactly where to go when I am going to start my next company “Potbelly’s Restaurant”, it must be good luck.
Ambit Products
Ambit has decided to target a slightly tricky market that several other MLM companies have not done too well with, energy deregulation.
Ambit's products are pretty simple actually, electricity and natural gas.
The company’s marketing concept is also pretty straight forward, you are already spending money for basic utilities, why not just buy them from us and save money?
Seems pretty simple so why not?
I theory it’s a good concept so it seems like is should work like gangbusters right? Well it’s that simple business model that has attracted droves of distributors over the last few years but as many MLM hopefuls soon learn, what seems simple in concept can me a little more difficult in actual practice.
I can see how a new distributor can think it’s going to be a pretty easy process to get all their friends and neighbors to switch their utilities but when it turns out not to be quite that easy then the want to brand Ambit Energy as a scam.
So why wouldn’t everybody just switch? Well, probably 2 reasons, resistance to change and not a big enough savings to make it a priority.
It’s kind of like when phone service was deregulated years ago, it was exciting for a while but then you got so tired of dozens of companies pitching you on it, it was overload and you no longer wanted to hear about it anymore no matter what the savings.
Now it looks as if Ambit Energy is trying to overcome some of this customer reluctance by offering new customers a bonus giveaway. The currently offer a travel voucher good for a FREE 3-Day/2-Night stay for two at a 3-Star hotel at one of 25 exciting destinations nationwide.
Wow, change your utilities and go on vacation!
Now I see this as a good marketing move, paying or bribing your customers actually works if the offer is strong enough. Cell phone companies have been doing this for years with free or discounted cell phone giveaways and I have even recently seen banks actually offering to pay you $100+ in cash to open a new account.
The Ambit Energy Scam??
Now since some people found that its a little harder than they thought to sign up customers and build the business, and this is probably where the company negativity chimes in with people angrily calling it the Ambit Energy scam.
Look any business requires work and diligence but even with a good product its not a cakewalk, you just have to learn the best ways to do it.
One limitation on the Ambit product side you should be aware of is that Ambit’s market is limited to just a few states. They currently can only offer service in Texas, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Now of course you can sign up if you are in other states but it’s going to be kind of hard to get your required customer base so that you can collect commissions.
Ambit Energy Compensation Plan
The company uses a type of MLM unilevel compensation program that pays a Fast Start bonus when you sign someone up for the basic $429 new distributor package, and the also pays bonuses on two other types of production, new distributor signups in your group and customer product usage over-rides.
The company compensation plan literature shows that you are paid as deep as the legs go once you reach a certain rank or level of success.
Now to qualify for commissions you pretty much have to get customers which of course is good for the company but can be annoying for distributors.
If you are a major business builder in the network marketing industry you pretty much know it’s not about selling the product, it’s about selling the opportunity and building a team. I have seen this acquire customers tactic before in MLM companies who market products where they pretty much have to get customers to power the long term company cash flow such as telecom or technology. Big Planet, a MLM technology division of NuSkin used this same approach. However this focus on customer acquisition I am sure has kept some big players away, who just are not into being retailers.
So should you be swayed by Ambit Energy scam complaints or is Ambit Energy just a squeaky clean MLM with a unique product?
Well form my research, there is no Ambit energy scam and from all appearances looks to be a very good company. They are also a member of the Direct Selling Association or DSA and it takes at least 2 years and a company review by the DSA before they will even let you join.
So it looks like they pass the test, so why are angry distributors referring to it as the Ambit Energy scam?
Well many times the wealth building aspects of the network marketing business is just a tiny bit oversold.
Did I say “tiny bit”?
Well let’s be honest, the get rich quick angle has always been there in MLM. Some people just oversell how quickly you can achieve success and the $10,000 checks.
So when people enter the MLM business and figure they are going to be rich and famous in 60 days and then suddenly there realize how its really work, and its going to take time, all of a sudden its no longer the greatest deal in the universe, its a scam, and that's probably where the Ambit Energy scam came from.
Now the distributors are not the only ones who over inflate how easy the business is, MLM companies are also at fault since they always showcase examples of MLM success from within the ranks and usually pick people who have had rapid success in just a few months.
Keep in mind that in a Standard MLM business model, success takes time, and the average time to build a $10,000 a month income stream is probably 12 to 18 months or more.
Now of course there are other business models that get you to the money quicker such as Top Tier MLM but keep in mind, “there is no free lunch” (that’s what they taught me in economics in college). MLM is a business and a very high paying one so it’s worth the time to master it an build it.
Now even though most MLM’s today still teach some variation on old school MLM marketing approaches such as making a list of friends and family or chasing people down in grocery stores, I have always found success comes much quicker and with less aggravation if you learn some simple marketing approaches and build your lead flow up so you are not constantly chasing luke warm prospects around.
Now since Ambit’s services are just in a few states it’s even more important to use approaches such as online marketing to be able to specifically target just the market you are after.
So if you are ready to take your business and income to the next level you need to learn how to use the internet to leverage your business. Today there are hundreds of millions of people online and many are probably looking for a business just like yours, imagine for a moment just being able to reach out an tap just the smallest fraction of that huge traffic and bring it to your business.
Exciting thought isn't it?
The good news is that you can learn how to use the internet as a tool and generate tons of leads to power your business by using powerful Online Marketing Systems that will teach you how to use the internet as a powerful resource for your business.
When I first started using online marketing systems I generated over 3000 leads, sponsored over 50 new reps and generated over $30,000 in affiliate commissions in just a few months. For a inside look at some of these powerful marketing strategies check out my free Video Training Bootcamp "
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