Are you searching for information about the SFI program? With so many online scams, it’s natural to be skeptical about opportunities like SFI Affiliate Center. In this review, we’ll uncover the truth and determine whether SFI is a scam or a legitimate business opportunity.
As a disclaimer, I am a former member of SFI, and this review is based on my genuine experience.
Table of Contents
- What is SFI Affiliate Center?
- First Impressions: Legitimate or Confusing?
- Ownership of SFI Affiliate Center
- Free to Join, but Rising Costs
- Understanding the Mechanics of SFI Affiliate Center
- SFI Affiliate Center’s Alternative Solution: TripleClicks
- Training and Tools
- Earning Potential with SFI Affiliate Center
- SFI Affiliate Center’s Target Audience
- The Pros and Cons
- Is SFI Affiliate Center a Scam or Legit?
- Final Thoughts
- Is There A Better Alternative?
What is SFI Affiliate Center?
SFI Affiliate Center is an online business opportunity that promises a passive income. It operates as a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme, where participants are trained to promote the same company to others. According to SFI, they have been in business for 18 years and have helped thousands of people across more than 200 countries to create passive income streams.
While there are numerous positive reviews confirming SFI’s credibility, there are also a handful of negative ones. This leaves us wondering whom to trust. To provide an unbiased review, I decided to join the platform and share my firsthand experience with you.
First Impressions: Legitimate or Confusing?
Initially, SFI Affiliate Center seems like a legitimate opportunity. However, after conducting a few hours of research, I discovered that the claims about easy and mammoth commissions were not entirely accurate.
In my experience, SFI Affiliate Center is at least confusing, and you may find yourself wondering what exactly is going on. The platform’s main concept revolves around recruiting affiliates to promote a range of products under the same business group.
Ownership of SFI Affiliate Center
The SFI Marketing Group, which includes TripleClicks.com and other Zing Network sites, is owned by the Carson Group. The company’s owner is Gery Carson. BBB (Better Business Bureau) reports that SFI has been in business for 34 years and received BBB accreditation in 2000, maintaining an A+ rating.
Free to Join, but Rising Costs
Joining SFI Affiliate Center is free, with no initial fees. However, once you’re inside, costs start to accumulate quickly. It’s the rising expenses associated with the scheme that lead many people to label SFI Affiliate Center as a scam.
To form our own opinion, let’s explore the platform further and delve into how it works.
Understanding the Mechanics of SFI Affiliate Center
Many individuals, including myself, found SFI Affiliate Center to be confusing. Navigating the platform can be tricky, and it takes time to familiarize yourself with its features.
After spending a few hours figuring things out, I realized that SFI Affiliate Center operates on the principles of MLM. The platform focuses on teaching participants how to earn money by recruiting others into the scheme.
In theory, MLMs seem straightforward—share your links with interested individuals, and you’ll effortlessly earn substantial income. However, the reality is quite different. To succeed in MLMs like SFI Affiliate Center, you’ll need to invest a significant amount of time and money into mastering the proper techniques.
Achieving success in MLMs typically requires a minimum of 1-2 years of effort. Even then, the success rate is extremely low, ranging from 2% to 5%. Many individuals end up quitting before seeing any significant returns.
- Learn more about multi-level marketing.
SFI Affiliate Center’s Alternative Solution: TripleClicks
While SFI Affiliate Center primarily operates as an MLM, it also provides an alternative method to earn money faster. This approach involves utilizing TripleClicks.com, a sub-company within the scheme. TripleClicks acts as a shopping platform where participants can buy and sell products to generate additional revenue.
It appears that the main objective of SFI Affiliate Center is to teach participants how to spend money on TripleClicks. Numerous negative reviews from users confirm this suspicion.
Training and Tools
It’s worth noting that SFI Affiliate Center offers a training section that explains how the entire system works. They provide tools and resources to help you get started. The structure of SFI Affiliate Group resembles other MLM schemes, such as Power Lead System and Profit Passport.
To make money with SFI Affiliate Center, you need to learn how to promote your affiliate link to individuals interested in making money online. This involves acquiring skills in building funnels, growing email lists, mastering marketing techniques, and generating traffic.
Earning Potential with SFI Affiliate Center
Let’s dive into the crucial aspect of this review: how and how much you can earn through SFI Affiliate Center. The official website outlines several ways to make money with the program:
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Accumulating Versa Points (VP): As you complete tasks from the provided To-Do list, you earn Versa Points. Once you accumulate enough points (minimum 1500 per month), you can exchange them for cash.
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Generating TripleClick sales: By referring others to SFI Affiliate Center, you earn commissions on their purchases from TripleClicks.
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Referring others to SFI: SFI Affiliate Center offers commissions for referring new members to the program.
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Vendor Referrals: You can refer E-Commerce Associates (ECAs) to TripleClicks and earn Versa Points and royalties on their sales.
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Executive Pool: SFI’s Executive Pool allows all affiliates to tap into a shared income pool. The total CV (Commission Volume) from sales across the Zing Network properties determines the distribution of funds.
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T-Credit Bonuses: Participants can earn T-Credits based on their rank, which can be used within TripleClicks for various purposes.
Learn more:
SFI Affiliate Center’s Target Audience
In my opinion, SFI Affiliate Center is best suited for individuals at the top of the scheme. Based on my experience with MLMs, only a small percentage—around 2% to 5%—of participants achieve profitability. Furthermore, less than 2% earn more than $25,000 annually.
This scheme is not recommended for beginners seeking a straightforward and understandable way to make money online. Advanced marketers may find some success, but they should consider alternative, cost-effective opportunities.
The Pros and Cons
Like any business opportunity, SFI Affiliate Center has its advantages and disadvantages. Here are the key points to consider:
What I Like About SFI Affiliate Center
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Free to Join: Registering with SFI Affiliate Center is free, allowing you to get a firsthand look at the platform. I appreciate this “test drive” approach as it enables you to evaluate the system before committing.
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Earning Potential: SFI bases its business model on TripleClicks, a shopping platform that offers various ways to earn money. Additionally, SFI Affiliate Center incorporates multiple streams of online income. While it may not be the best opportunity, it does have potential.
What I Dislike About SFI Affiliate Center
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Confusing Structure: Once you enter the member’s area, you’re bombarded with numerous tabs, drop-down menus, shortcuts, and links. The overwhelming design feels deliberate and may confuse users.
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Accumulating Expenses: While SFI Affiliate Center is free to join, ongoing costs can accumulate quickly. Sustaining your membership will require financial investment, and your earnings will largely depend on your spending level.
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Numerous Complaints: One major red flag is the significant number of customer complaints found online. Complaints are present on platforms such as BBB, SiteJabber, and Glassdoor. Many individuals felt scammed or deceived by SFI Affiliate Center, leading them to share their negative experiences.
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Low Success Rate of MLMs: SFI Affiliate Center operates as an MLM disguised as an affiliate marketing training program. MLMs and pyramid schemes are generally regarded as scams by authorities like the FTC. SFI Affiliate Center’s structure aligns more with a pyramid scheme than legitimate affiliate marketing.
Is SFI Affiliate Center a Scam or Legit?
Based on my research and experience, I conclude that SFI Affiliate Center is not a scam. The company has a legitimate history spanning several decades. Membership is free, and the program offers various ways to earn money.
However, the substantial number of negative reviews and complaints cannot be ignored. While it may not be a scam in the traditional sense, many individuals have expressed dissatisfaction with the company, labeling it as dishonest and a waste of time and money.
Personally, I found SFI Affiliate Center confusing, and its structure reminded me of previous MLM experiences. Due to my negative experiences with MLMs, such as Affiliate Institute and Direct Mail Pro, I chose to leave SFI Affiliate Center.
If you’re seeking a beginner-friendly, legitimate method to generate passive income online, there are alternative options available.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I do not recommend SFI Affiliate Center. It seems like a time and money sink, and the success rate appears to be low. The overwhelming layers of the platform and the numerous complaints reinforce my skepticism.
For a reliable and beginner-friendly approach to earning money online, I suggest starting your own website. This gives you full control and responsibility over your business, allowing you to turn your hobbies or passions into an online income. With the right training and resources, you can create multiple sources of passive income.
Is There A Better Alternative?
If you want to learn affiliate marketing and make money with the lowest risk, I’d recommend you to get started with the best training platform Wealthy Affiliate.
It offers you a free account (including a free website) with comprehensive training on SEO (free traffic methods) which enables you to get started with affiliate marketing right away without paying a penny.
But How Much Can You Earn with Wealthy Affiliate?
A 21-year old student from Wealthy Affiliate was able to earn $7,395 in just 1 week, which means he made more than $1k a day…all while using free traffic methods.
Wealthy Affiliate has existed for more than 10 years and there are many success stories over the years.
To give you more examples, here are some of the other inspiring success stories of Wealthy Affiliate members.
Where to Join Wealthy Affiliate?
If you want to feel about Wealthy Affiliate, you can sign up for the starter membership here (no credit card required). You can select to be a free member with no time limit.
And as a starter member, you can get instant access to the community, live chat, over 500 training modules, 2 classrooms, networking, commenting, 1 free website, access to the keyword tool.
So I strongly recommend you to register a free account and see it yourself.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Jeff Smith, Founder of High Income Source, is an online business coach with a BBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania. His online business coaching program is so popular that more than 100 students have benefited and started successful online businesses under his guidance.
Jeff started dabbling in online business while he was in college, where he began with dropshipping. After college, Jeff worked at a marketing agency and freelanced as a writer. His breakthrough came when he realized the potential of blogging, leading to a $100,000 sale of a dog-focused website. His expertise includes SEO, affiliate marketing, Amazon FBA, blogging and dropshipping.