zija-logoMoringa is a type of tree that originates in Northwestern India along the foot of the Himalayas and is now grown widely in tropical climates.

Unlike most trees, much of the Moringa tree is edible and ‘its leaves ‘contain all essential amino acids and are rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and minerals’.

Some retailers, such as ‘Earth Goodness Ltd’, even go one step further and claim that Moringa serves as an effective medicinal treatment for cancer, diabetes, arthritis, herpes and even HIV and AIDS.

Seeking to bring Moringa to a mainstream market, today we’re going to review the Zija MLM business opportunity.

The Company

Headed up by Founder and President Kenneth Brailsford (photo right) in 2006, Zija aim to ‘develop natural, earth-friendly products using the miracle plant Moringa and market them worldwide through our global family of Independent Distributors‘

Brailsford claims he first heard about Moringa on the Discovery Channel and after doing some research of his own, decided to launch Ziga and market Moringa to the world.

Unlike some of the other Moringa claims on the internet, Zija take a much more balanced and cautious approach when describing the benefits of Moringa, opting for the much more simple

Moringa has been making strides in various societies for thousands of years. Moringa continues to amaze the scientific world with its amazing balance of antioxidants, minerals and amino acids.

The health benefits from Moringa that Zija tout are

improvements in digestion, vision, mental clarity, overall well-being, plus a reduction in symptoms associated with fatigue, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and aging.

Additional benefits such as improved skin and positive mood are (also) reported.

whilst they are also careful to state that

 Moringa products are not formulated to cure or treat any diseases, disease symptoms, medical conditions or ailments.

Not as headliney as ‘OMG it cures cancer!’, but a reassuring reflection that the company takes its product seriously and isn’t out to dupe its customers or members with unesseccary hype.

The Zija Product Line

Zija market a range of products all utilising Moringa as a key ingredient, here’s a quick run down;

The Zija Smartdrink

Zija started off with a single product and that was their ‘original smartdrink’. Zija claim that their smartdrink is

100% natural, Halal and Kosher certified, contains more than 90 enzymatically active and bio-available nutrients in each serving and is overflowing with ingredients that are rich in vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, omega oils and vital proteins.

The Zija original smartdrink is retailed in small 163ml cans and is also available in mixable powder form as well as a single serve energy drink variety called ‘XM3’.

Weight Management

Offered in two varieties, the basic function of Zija’s weight management products is to suppress the appetite of those who take them.

Zija offer a XM3 tablet which they claim is ‘designed to enhance thermogenesis, appetite suppression, and weight control‘, as well as a ‘mircacle tea’ they say acts ‘as a natural laxative, fat metabolizer, diuretic and appetite-suppressor‘.

Skin Care

Claimed to contain ‘Moringa based ingredients‘, Zija also offer a range of skincare products such as a face cleanser, rehydrating mist, daily moisturizer, anti-aging oil, eye serum and a spa masque.

The Zija Compensation Plan

The Zija compensation plan revolves around a binary organisation. This means that directly under you are two legs which expand as you fill your organisation with Zija members you’ve sponsored yourself, or are overspill from your upline’s recruitment efforts.

A binary organisation (with you at the top) looks something like this;

Before we get into the commissions offered by Zija, there are some important terms that need to be defined in order for the Zija compensation plan to make sense.

  • Qualification – Zija members must recruit one active member on each their left and right arms of their binary organisation in order to qualify for commissions.
  • Active – There are two levels of activation within the Zija compensation plan. Members can be either ‘Active 75’ or ‘Active 150’, depending on how much product they have on autoship. Members with 150 PV or more on autoship are considered Active 150 and those with up to 75 PV on autoship are Active 75.
  • PV – PV stands for personal volume and is the dollar amount of the products you or your customers order.

Retail Commissions

Zija offer a retail commission on all their products equalling the difference between the wholesale cost of the product and the retail cost.

For example the Zija Smart Drink retails as a case of 30 cans at $105 while it wholesales for $90. As a Zija distributor you’d pocket the $15 as retail profit on the sale.

There are no active or qualification requirements on retail sales however in order to get a commission on the PV of the product (up to 25%, members must be at least ‘Active 50’.

First Order Bonus

When members you’ve personally sponsored into Zija make their first order, if you’re Active 75 or 100 you earn a once off First Order Bonus on their PV.

Active 75’s are eligible for 10% of the PV as a bonus (up to $50) and Active 100’s 20% of the PV (up to $100).

Builder Bonus

The Zija Builder Bonus pays out Active 150 (Active 75’s are not eligible for this bonus) each time someone you’ve personally sponsored reaches the Zija rank of ‘Builder’. The Builder Bonus is a one time payout of $30.

Volume Order Rebate

The Volume Order Rebate is composed of two commission payouts, a Personal Volume Order Rebate and a Sponsor Volume Order Rebate.

  • The Personal Volume Order Rebate pays members a 10% rebate providing their personal PV in any given commission period (1 month) totals more than 250.
  • The Sponsor Volume Order Rebate applies to orders members you’ve personally sponsored make and pays out a 10% rebate (5% if your only an active 75) if their PV during any given commission period (1 month) is more than 250.

Binary Team Commissions

Binary Team Commissions are where Zija members should be making the bulk of their residual income via the Zija compensation plan. Utilising a binary organisation (2 arms), members are paid out at a rate of 15% of their total organisation’s team group volume.

The Team Commission is paid out on your weaker leg, meaning the leg with less earnt group team volume for any given month.

The commission is also capped at a fixed amount, depending on your Zija membership rank (outlined below). Ranging from ‘Builder’ to ‘Diamond Elite’, the Binary Team Commission ranges from a commission of $500 to $20,000 a week respectively.

Leadership Check Match

The Leadership Check Match is a bonus paid out to those of ‘Emerald’ rank or higher and pays out a check match bonus up to eight generations deep.

A generation in this case is defined by going through your downline till a leader (Bronze or higher) is found. The people between you and the qualified leader (only those directly sponsored and those you’ve directly sponsor have sponsored count) in your downline constitutes one generation. Subsequently the people between this leader and the next leader found qualify your next (second) generation, and so on and so forth.

In a nutshell, achieve Emerald status and you can get check matching bonuses on people you’ve sponsored and the people they’ve sponsored.

The Diamond Pool

Zija set aside ‘4% of the company’s total commissionable group volume‘ for qualified members who are of the rank Diamond or higher.

Qualifying Zija members receive a share in the Diamond Pool for each personally sponsored downline that contains a Bronze or higher ranked member in it.

The more leaders and people you sponsor who climb Zija’s ranks, the more shares you get in the Diamond Pool.

Multiple Business Centers

Upon reaching the rank of Triple Diamond (one additional business center) and Diamond Elite (two more additional business centers), Zija members can effectively enrol themselves by creating a new fully functional business center within their existing binary organisation.

Designed to make commissions easier to earn which rely on larger and lesser leg volumes, these additional business centers operate as individual binary systems but are placed within your existing main binary organisation and contribute to it within its normal functioning structure.

The Zija Membership Ranks

Within the Zija business there are several membership ranks that its members can achieve. These membership levels, along with their qualifications and rewards are as follows;

Distributor – Must have one personally sponsored customer or member in each of your binary organisation’s legs (minimum of 2).

Builder – Must be making 75 Group Volume (GV) within your binary organisation and can earn up to $500 a week in binary group commissions.

Builder 500 – Must be qualified (2 sponsored members in your binary organisation, with at least one on each leg) and make 500 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least one week. Builder 500’s can earn up to $500 in binary group commissions.

Builder 1000 – Must be qualified and making 1000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least one week. Builder 1000’s can earn up to $750 in binary group commissions.

Bronze – Must be qualified, making 1,500 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least one week and have at least one Builder 500 or above in the downline of somebody you’ve personally sponsored. Bronze’s can earn up to $750 a week in binary group commissions.

Silver – Must be qualified, making 2,500 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least one week and have at least one Builder 500 or above in the downline of somebody you’ve personally sponsored in each binary arm of their organisation. Silver’s can earn up to $1,000 a week in binary group commissions.

Gold – Must be qualified, making 4,000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least one week and have at least one Builder 500 or above in the downlines of two people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Gold’s can earn up to $1,5000 a week in binary group commissions.

Platinum – Must be qualified, making 8,000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least two weeks and have a Builder 500 or above in the downlines of at least three people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Platinum’s can earn up to $2,000 a week in binary group commissions.

Emerald – Must be qualified, making 12,000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least two weeks and have a Builder 500 or above in the downlines of at least four people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Emerald’s can earn up to $4,000 a week in binary group commissions.

Diamond – Must be qualified, making 15,000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least three weeks and have a Builder 500 or above in the downlines of at least five people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Diamond’s can earn up to $7,500 a week in binary group commissions.

Double Diamond – Must be qualified, making 20,000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least four weeks and have a Builder 500 or above in the downlines of at least six people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Double Diamond’s can earn up to $10,000 a week in binary group commissions.

Triple Diamond – Must be qualified, making 30,000 GV in your lesser binary organisation leg for at least four weeks and have a Builder 500 or above in the downlines of at least seven people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Triple Diamond’s can earn up to $15,000 a week in binary group commissions.

Diamond Elite – Must be qualified, making 500,000 GV in your binary organisation with no more than 160,000 GV coming from any single personal enrolment downline within your binary organisation, and have a Builder 500 or above in the downlines of at least eight people you’ve personally sponsored in each arm of their binary organisation. Diamond Elite’s can earn up to $20,000 a week in binary group commissions.

Joining Zija

Those wishing to join Zija are up for an enrolment fee of $39. For this fee, members get ‘an Enrollment Kit containing sales and demonstration materials and company information‘.

The enrolment fee is annual and after the first 12 months is $25 a year recurring.

Conclusion

On the surface the Zija MLM business opportunity appears to be a bit of a mixed bag. The company does offer retail sales which is a big plus but looking deeper into the compensation plan, you’re looking at some pretty steep recruitment requirements.

For starters, to even qualify for anything but retail sales you’ve got to get out there and recruit two people. This only increases as you climb the Zija membership ranks as with each level from Builder 500 you’re effectively always having to recruit new people in order to advance in rank.

Worse still is the requirement of Builder 500’s in your binary organisation as this means you’ve also got to encourage your downlines to recruit too (the Builder 500 rank carries with it a 2 personally sponsored member quota).

Again, Zija do offer a retail side of the business but these recruitment requirements built into the compensation plan (which in turn severely limit the income you can make from Zija if you don’t recruit), tilt the compensation plan towards recruitment.

Of course at each level you do still have the group volume requirement, so I guess in some way that levels off the sales vs. recruitment thing a bit.

Still, keep in the back of your mind that you will be recruiting in some capacity if you want to make the big money with Zija. These are personally sponsored requirements too mind you, so no relying on your uplines for overspill either.

Product wise I certainly had never heard of Moringa and I doubt many of your potential customers will have either. Given the saturation of wonder drinks on the market I imagine as a marketer you’re probably going to get a lot of rolling eyes if you try to sell Zija without letting people taste it first.

Unfortunately Zija state that it can take up to seven days for any noticeable effects to be observed so as a Zija member, this marks a problem for you trying to retail the product.

Unfortunately due to the pricing of Zija products, samples alone wind up being quite expensive for Zija members to just be handing them out to everyone. Certainly seven day samples are absolutely not cost effective.

To give you an idea of how expensive we’re talking about, Zija’s flagship product, Zija original comes in a 30 pack slab and retails for $105 ($3.50 per 183ml can). Wholesale isn’t much better coming in at $90 ($2 per 183ml can).

These price points will massively prohibit the amount of samples members can give out and in turn will no doubt make Zija difficult to market on a sample platform.

I know personally if I was told of the alleged benefits of Moringa I’d want to personally try the drink before committing myself as a regular customer or spending $100+ on a month’s supply. Hell, I’d probably want seven cans to sample before committing that kind of money but with those wholesale prices that’s unlikely to happen.

Pretty much as far as I can see, those are the two weakest points of the Zija business opportunity.

In summary, high product prices limit your marketing capacity as a distributor and the tied in recruitment requirements in the compensation plan mean you’re going to have to divert your attention away from sales and not only recruit yourself, but encourage those you’ve recruited to recruit too.

 

Update 10th May 2017 – On May 8th it was announced that Zija International had acquired Xango.

 

Update 23rd January 2019 – On January 22nd Isagenix announced it had acquired Zija International.

“We are pleased to welcome Zija to the Isagenix family,” said Jim Coover, Isagenix co-founder and chairman.

When the transition is completed, Zija distributors will become part of the Isagenix family.

Details of the acquisition were not been made public.