SociPays Review: $100 – $5850 matrix positions
SociPays launched in June 2013 and is headed up by Thomas Greeen (also goes by “Tom Green”), who is credited as CEO of the company on the SociPays website.
Tom Green is a seasoned business professional with over 40 years of sales, marketing, and business management experience. Tom was introduced to network marketing in the 1970’s and had many successes.
He began marketing on the internet in 1994 and has owned several successful companies including Dynamics4Success, Web Factor 2, and Tours4Success.
Tom has built big downlines in many companies and he has the needed experience to lead SociPAYs.com to success.
Green appears to run his online ventures through the parent company “Techs4success Inc”, who are based out of the US state of Florida.
Despite Tech4Success’ US based address however, Green himself appears to be based out of the Philippines:
On the Techs4Success Inc BBB listing, an incorporation date of February 2005 is provided along with a “Thomas D Green” listed as the “Director/President”.
A supplied Techs4Success website domain on the BBB listing (“4s2s.com”) is no longer active. A few additional domains linked to Techs4Success Inc I checked are also not active.
Shortly after uploading some SociPays informational videos on his YouTube account (“4VNetwork”), Green began spamming several YouTube videos seeking to attract “special leaders”:
Forming a special leaders group to launch new program
Join and Get FREE $850 Plan 3 Upgrade
perfect for leaders and multiple positions and big payouts
Get paid when you cycle and get paid match for referral cycles.
7 separate 2 X 2 recycler matrixes fill only 6 slots
no graduating steps or connecting matrixes
Growing payout from $100 to $5,000.
Each Referral Pays avg $1,000 a Cycle Big Money Fast
(referral link and contact details removed)
Green left the above comment on affiliate marketer videos advertising Rocket Cash Cycler ($315 matrix-based pyramid scheme) and HourlyRevShare (recently collapsed $5 Ponzi investment scheme).
The selective targeting by Green of these two businesses indicates he felt affiliates of those two opportunities would find SociPays a good fit.
Read on for a full review of the SociPays MLM business opportunity.
The SociPays Product Line
SociPays has no retailable products or services, with affiliates being only able to market affiliate membership to the company itself.
As part of the SociPays business opportunity a social network called “Soci-Net” has been set up over at “soci-net.com”, however the site appears to have little to nothing to do with SociPays.
Once an affiliate has joined SociPays, they then have the option of buying into seven compensation plan levels, referred to by the company as “plans”.
Bundled with each SociPlay affiliate plan is are series of marketing products:
- Plan 1 ($100) – 5 “certificates” that are used to assign sponsorless new affiliates when they sign up to the company
- Plan 2 ($250) – a “marketing system” that appears to be geared towards SociPays affiliate recruitment
- Plan 3 ($850) – a “classified ad” webpage on the Soci-Net social network, note that Plan 3 includes Plans 1 and 2 and doesn’t appear to be available separately
- Plan 4 ($1850) – a “branded social media marketing channel” on the Soci-Net social network, also includes Plans 1 to 3
- Plan 5 ($2350) – a “social media community” on the Soci-Pays social network, also includes plans 1 to 3
- Plan 6 ($3350) – purchasing affiliate is ‘featured as a top member‘ on the Soci-Net social network, includes plans 1 to 3
- Plan 7 ($5850) – purchasing affiliate is ‘placed in a position of authority and leadership‘ and ‘will help design the rules and web site features with other Charter Members‘, includes plans 1 to 3
The SociPays Compensation Plan
The SociPays compensation plan revolves around a 2×2 matrix attached to each of the company’s “plans”.
When an affiliate buys into one of the company’s plans, they purchase a position at the top of a 2×2 matrix.
A 2×2 matrix has two positions under it which inturn have another two positions under them each, making for a total of six positions needing to be filled.
Positions are filled either via positions purchased by directly recruited affiliates or indirectly recruited via an affiliate’s up and downlines.
When all six positions are filled, an affiliate “cycles out” of the matrix and earns a commission.
How much of a commission earnt depends on what level matrix they are cycling out of:
- Plan 1 – $100
- Plan 2 – $1050
- Plan 3 – $2550
- Plan 4 – $5550
- Plan 5 – $7050
- Plan 6 – $10,050
- Plan 7 – $17,550
Note that for each matrix position an affiliate buys, two of the position in their matrix must be purchased by personally recruited affiliates (either newly recruited or previously recruited).
If an affiliate does not have these two positions when the matrix cycles, they are not paid a cycle commission but instead are given another position in another matrix. Their upline is also given another position to cover the matching bonus.
Once these two additional positions cycles an affiliate and their upline are then paid a commission, regardless of whether or not two positions in the second matrix are purchased by personally recruited affiliates.
There is a matching bonus available that pays on the two positions bought by an affiliate’s personally recruited affiliates. This matching bonus pays out the same as an affiliate’s own position as per the cycle commissions above.
Joining SociPays
Affiliate membership to SociPays is free, however affiliates must purchase matrix positions (a plan) if they wish to generate any commissions.
This effectively equates to affiliate participation in SociPays costing between $100 to $5850 or more depending on how many additional matrix positions are bought.
Conclusion
Not surprisingly SociPays’ social network has nothing to do with how commissions are generated paid in the company’s compensation plan.
The 7 soci plans are backed up by a solid guarantee setting a guaranteed minimum payout of $4,000 over 12 months for members that agree to upgrade through the 7 soci plans.
SociPays’ plan can be effectively broken down into seven levels, with each requiring a buy-in and only paying out once six additional buy-ins are made, two of which are directly tied into affiliate recruitment.
One could make the argument that affiliates are purchasing SociPays’ services with each position, however the fact that affiliates are able to purchase multiple positions at each buy-in level only emphasises that they are buying matrix positions with any services simply bundled with the position.
Can Members Have Multiple Positions?
You can only own 1 sociPAYs.com position but you can purchase multiple plan upgrades. You can purchase as many plan 1, 2, and 3, upgrades as you want and you can purchase added plans 4 to 7 if you have a true business need.
The above, taken from the SociPays FAQ refers to positions as “upgrades”, however still clearly demonstrates that matrix positions are what are being purchased by affiliates.
Firstly this is problematic in that all revenue is generated by affiliates and paid out subject to how much money is deposited by affiliates by way of purchased positions. With the additional recruitment requirements per position purchased considers, SociPays as such fits the definition of a pyramid scheme.
Secondly the motivation behind an affiliate’s purchase is also drawn into question, as a purchase at each buy-in level is required to generate a commission within it. Rather than any inherent value bundled with a purchased position at any level, instead how much an affiliate spends can be directly correlated with their expected commission payout.
Take for example the “Charter Member” buy-in level (Plan 7), as described on the SociPays website:
Charter Member get the biggest share of profits.
The red flags of “pay to play” and recruitment dependency within the business model will inevitably create sustainability problems in the long-run.
Simply put, the Soci-Net social network merely serves as a front for the purchase of matrix positions by the company’s affiliates. Once the recruitment and position purchasing by affiliates stops, so too will SociPays’ commissions.
I can see you did some research and you went through the web sites. I don’t agree with your conclusions.
First, I will admit it was dumb to post the You Tube comments in a stupid attempt to attract leaders it was a mistake that won’t be repeated.
My US company is Techs4Success Inc and I am based in the Philippines where we have a call center and virtual agents that support the members and the Soci business model.
We also have an In House Web Development team and I need to be on site in the Philippines where the work is done to make sure it is done right. The off shore labor costs make it a good choice. I have never tried to hide the fact that I am based in the Philippines.
SociNET Inc is incorporated in the Philippines as well and we plan to incorporate in the US. Another fact is I have certainly failed a few times in business and the 4 steps is one of the failures that I wish I could take back. The net seems to focus on the negatives.
What we are building
We are building a social media business and we have to it to make sure that is clear. SociNET.com is a social media site that we are building and the plan is to make it the engine that will drive the business. The business opportunity is built into SociNET.com and the products will be built and delivered from the social media system.
We have a lot of work to do to complete it and it appears we have to do a much better job at explaining it and make it clear why the first 3 plans are purchased multiple times and it is not to buy positions.
The first 3 products build their business and down lines. They are marketing tools and they are consumed as their downline grows and if they want to grow they buy more plans 1 2 and 3. The delivery of the system for the products is not completed yet and we delivering them now manually now but is being converted to deliver from Soci-NET.com
The 7 Plan Upgrade are designed to be a complete marketing system. The entire system is not completed and we are developing as we grow.
The goal is to give people that want it a custom social media system. If it works the way we plan it should be very useable.
If we are able to attract any kind member base and we can complete the system I think it will successful.
We will do our best to make sure that the plan does not appear as pay to play. It is not intent or what our vision is.
We really have our blood sweat and tears into this plan we have been coding non-stop for 8 months it is a huge job. We have to communicate better and that is clear and we do our best.
We will do our best to go through the sites and get it cleaned up and get it right. Hopefully you will able to see the real soci plan.
Sounds to me like your selling postions in the comp plan. Otherwise how are digital marketing tools “consumed”?
Good luck. If you do change the comp plan eel free to leave a comment here when it’s done and I’ll check in again.
If you’re in the Phillippines, can you explain how you are complying with DTI Administration Order No. 8, the anti-pyramid law? And are you a member of DSAP? (DSA of Phillippines)
http://www.dsap.ph/industry7.html
Mr Chang, Very simple we do not market in the Philippines because of the restrictions. We do not violate the law.
We do have our call center and we employ agents in the Philippines that support the members where we do market. I hope that helps.
Soci has real products that work and have value. They are not 100% complete and integrated into the Social Media Site Soci-NET.com but they will be soon. The products are built into the Social media system and are part of the site.
We have 7 Plan Upgrades and each plan is one of the 7 Soci products. The 7 products are the parts for Soci’s complete marketing system.
The products fill a need for people that are building a downline and they would find these products to be very useful and have value.
There are a lot of people in network marketing and they need systems and products to grow their groups and downlines.
I was not a fan of network marketing for many years. I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I went to Amway meeting and they turned me off.
When the internet came along networking marketing grew with the internet and it had more mass appeal, than it did before.
I changed my view, and began see the opportunity for the average person, that they could start a small home business and make some money.
I went into networking in 1995 and had some success but I found that the people I sold could not do what I did. Even when I added the web sites for them to get the leads they still couldn’t do it.
I added training and spent hours coaching how to close sales and they still couldn’t do it. I was losing hope that I could ever create a system that would for everyone or close.
The average person loses money because they can’t sell or recruit. With that in front I found it hard to try to sell the plans out there knowing that 80% can’t do what is needed to make the money. If I was going to stay in network marketing I had to find a way for the average person to even the odds and have a real chance to make money.
The Soci Plan is the end result of trial and error over 20 years. When it is complete will do the basic marketing for members generating the leads.
We also added a data and call center we can expand it to 300 seats and multiple shifts so we can support big numbers.
We assign virtual agents to follow up on leads and close the sales for members. We include the agents and systems in the plans it is not extra and there are extra cost for the marketing or the agents when they buy it is included.
The only reason we can add the virtual is because of low cost for off shore labor. The reason I on site here in the Philippines is to insure that the work is done and that I can be here to supervise it. We also have our web development team that is creating and coding the sites for the plan here.
I don’t expect everyone to be a fan of Soci but I only ask for a chance to show that this can work and deliver results.
We will work hard to change the image that is out for network marketing. I hope we can make it clear what the Soci are and what they deliver. I never imagined them as pay to play but if that is conclusion after going through the site then we have to do a better of showing and explaining how it works.
We don’t expect all to be on board and approve but we only want a fare chance to make the soci model work and we believe it will be a success.
There is more to the Soci plan and we have to do a better job of explaining it and making it clear.
• The Soci products build into an automated marketing system that adds prospects and we have virtual agents that follow up to close the sales for the members.
• We have referral invitation system like LinkedIn the members upload their contact lists and the system invites them to join and agents follow and invite those that were missed by emails.
• We have a refer a friend email system for inviting 1 to 10 friends by email.
• They get a complete marketing system included that has everything the web pages or web sites, autoresponders, email system and server, and agents to follow up their leads for them.
The average person can make this work and why we built it. We made a system that works for everyone. The average user today has 643 contacts that is their warm market and the goal of all social media sites is to invite the user’s contacts and Soci is no different. Our system helps them invite their contacts to join as their referrals.
The first three plans have the products are consumed when we do the marketing.
They repurchase whenever they want to build their line and they are buying to build their line.
We made the compensation plan pay 2 commissions each time a member cycles in the 2 X 2 Matrix. We pay the member that cycles and we pay the sponsor who referred them.
The split commissions adds to the growth plan and gives members an incentive to build. Other just pays the member that cycles. There is no incentive to build in those systems.
I can through the details for products if you need more information?
The Soci products
The first product is the marketing package that has 5 numbered bonus certificates sets that members give away to new prospects to sign up as their referrals.
The numbered sets can reused until someone signs up as their referral and uses the certificate.
The certificates include 5 – $150 Fast Start Bonus Credits and $100 in Referrals Bonus Credits at $10 for the first 10 referrals they sign up.
That is a total $250 in Bonus Credits. The Bonus credits can be used to lower the cost of a plan upgrade $50 in plan 2 and $100 off in Plan 3 to 7.
They can use the credit to discount any purchase for service or anything we offer. They can also hold the credit for 90 days and then it converts to cash bonus if they are qualified with 2 referrals that upgraded to the plans.
Plan 2 is the Branded Marketing Page and marketing tools. They get a branded marketing page that displayed in a page rotation. Each time their page is displayed it recorded in their back office.
We display the page to anyone coming to the site without a sponsor. Means they didn’t click a referral link to the soci site. When someone clicks the soci site link without a sponsor we assign one of the members with branded pages as their referrer.
The branded pages add referrals for members. The code is isn’t completed so we have support team assign the sponsors to members with branded pages.
We expect this to be done by the end of this year. They can generate more leads with the added 2 splash pages and overview pages included. They promote the links and the leads go into their back office.
Plan 3 is classified ad site and they get a branded classified ad page that they can promote and as when someone places a classified ad and agree to receive the email offers they become a possible prospect and are assigned to the members with classified ad pages.
The classified ads site is part of social media system and will part of advertising network we are building with the social media system.
The leads that come in from the classified ad pages help to build the downlines and business.
Plans 4 to 7 complete the marketing system.
The Soci-net.com system is the engine for the plans. When we complete the social media site system the 20 soci site and 50+ options create custom accounts.
If they have a soci-net.com account they will see and be exposed to the business opportunity and see how they can make it work.
The 20 domains mix and match to create a custom accounts and they can add the options to make it exactly what they want and need.
1. SOCIBUYNSELL.COM
2. SOCI4U.COM
3. SOCIADVERTISING.COM
4. SOCI-BUSINESS.COM
5. MYSOCI
6. SOCICONNECT.COM
7. SOCIFAITH.COM
8. SOCIFIND.COM
9. SOCI-REALESTATE.COM
10. SOCI-INVEST.COM
11. SOCI-LOCAL.COM
12. SOCIMEET.COM
13. SOCIRECOVERY.COM
14. SOCISAVE.COM
15. SOCITELL.COM
16. SOCI-TRAVEL.COM
17. SOCIYOURWAY.COM
18. SOCIFREINDS.COM
19. SOCIMLM.COM
20. SOCIMOBILE.COM
The compensation plan by paying split commissions to the member and the sponsor gives them all the incentive they need to make more money. There is no reason to buy positions with the sponsor matching payouts.
The incentive is to build and add referrals and that is how the plan is designed. Why buy a position when you can refer someone and make the same profit.
I spend showing they will lose money if they try buy their way through Soci. So far we have no indication or red flags of anyone that is buying added positions they don’t need.
They can’t buy success it can’t be done and we would contact them and tell them it not allowed period.
@Tom
Paying for a downline? I think it goes without saying “building a downline” isn’t a viable product in MLM.
What is your clearly identifiable retail product offering?
Positions in the compensation plan are not products.
Additionally everything you mentioned in those plans is a tool to recruit new affiliates…
By recruiting new affiliates…?
Where is the retail in SociPays?
Paying out incentives on building a downline (recruiting) is not what MLM is about. You can build product-based incentives into the comp plan but flat out recruitment commissions (direct or indirect) is a problem.
Isn’t the whole point of plan 1 to buy positions an affiliate doesn’t need and then try to recruit new affiliates with them?
I have never seen any recruitment system being able to deliver more than “average”, if we’re talking about the number of direct recruits the average participant can manage to recruit. They all work in the beginning, until they start to run out of new recruits.
“Average” is probably around ONE directly recruited, and a few people in the entire PERSONAL downline. The “best” systems will simply collapse faster.
People will typically have more people in personal upline than in personal downline. The problem is that they run out of new recruits, no matter how well designed the system is.