Is Elite Marketing Pro a Scam? – What You Need to Know

emp logo

Elite Marketing Pro
Overall Score: 4/10

Founder: Tim Erway
Price: $1 Free Trial,  $37 or $47 per month, plus upsells (up to $2,997 for VIP)
Website: elitemarketingpro.com

It’s time for another review, everyone. I recently got asked about Elite Marketing Pro, and decided to review it. Is this your stereotypical MLM scam? Time to find out!

What is Elite Marketing Pro?


I know I said MLM in the prologue, but from what I’ve seen of Elite Marketing Pro, it’s kinda in a grey area. I still call it an MLM though, because it has all the characteristics of one.

Basically, Elite Marketing Pro (EMP) is an internet marketing program designed to make you money by promoting it after buying it.

You probably know that, since I just described the aim of every internet marketing MLM scheme ever!

electromagnetic pulse
Not that kind of EMP!

Anyway, EMP teaches you about online business, So that would cover website creation, email marketing, lead generation, all that kinda stuff. In theory, that’s a good thing.

In reality, the prices for this training are highly inflated and exploitative, so it’s not a good thing. It’s a bad thing for sure.

EMP was launched in 2013 by Tim Erway, an internet marketing mainstay and, yes, known guru. That means there’s some history behind the program.

My review will tell you all you need to know about EMP, and whether it can truly help you make money online (It won’t, but bear with me here!).

What’s the Good News, Bub?


Like most MLMs (or pseudo-MLMs), EMP isn’t a totally worthless program. It does have a few upsides, you see.

The most important thing is that their affiliate program is free. Yes folks, we’ve come to the point where an affiliate program being free is an advantage instead of a standard.

Imagine a world where health care being free is a privilege, instead of a basic right. Oh wait, that’s our world! Silly me, with my misplaced analogy.

They also offer 30-day refunds, which is very appreciated. The refund for the $3,000 VIP membership (see below) has a very conditional return policy, but we can just say most of the items can be returned.

Now, the training itself is actually better than most MLMs I’ve come across. Or at least, it looks better. They teach standard marketing techniques, along with aspects like email marketing, traffic generation, and website design. It’s not the worst training out there.

There are also webinars, and automated, “done for you” systems. Keep in mind, I’m talking about the full training here. Not the free scraps they give you.

Oh, and just like most MLMs, the commissions are pretty high, which explains the sheer amount of shills there are out there.

That’s actually all I can manage to say for EMP. Let’s move on… to the bad news!

The Bad News


Yay! I love complaining, and MLMs make it so easy!

Anyway, as with most programs of this ilk, the full training is very expensive. It’s not MOBE or Six Figure Mentors level expensive, of course, but with upsells reaching $3,000 (it’s sad that this is considered low) you can expect to pay a pretty penny.

The prices actually start low. But like most MLMs (that phrase could be used in a drinking game), these small prices are traps. What was once $47 slowly turns into $997, then $3000!

This wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t have to buy every product to be able to promote it. The standard affiliate program is free, but you can’t make money with that. But that’s the nature of MLM programs, to promote themselves into infinity by making customers buy and promote their wares.

emp testimonials
Know what’s faker than a testimonial these days? A Facebook testimonial.

MLM clichés aside, the thing I hate the most about EMP is its vagueness. They’re about as clear as the air in Beijing. I just could not figure out the difference between the memberships and levels of products. For a while, at least. Back to the clichés we go!

Actually, I’m gonna stay on that point. the ambiguity of EMP is terrible. The prices of the products at EMP are different than those at EMP VIP… and “values” are thrown around randomly.

I’ve harped on the membership thing enough for one section. It’s not enough for the review though, so let’s dedicate a whole section to it!

The EMP Memberships


EMP doesn’t have matrices or any of those incredibly complicated models, but as I said before, it is kinda complex in its membership offerings.

Basically, there are four membership levels (excluding upsell products): the free one, the standard, the annual standard, and VIP. Here’s a look at each one.

The Free Membership

I just wanna repeat I appreciate EMP for even including this. They could have made the affiliate program a monthly subscription, but they didn’t. Instead they made it free, and ripped out any substance it might have had.

Maybe it’s not that dramatic, but the free membership offers almost nothing. There’s weekly free content, but it’s mostly webinars focused on…

…..

Yep! Upgrading your membership! Didn’t see that coming, did you?

They give you some banners, and an article on video creation. But that’s pretty much it. You’ll earn 20% commissions on free memberships, which honestly isn’t that bad.

There’s still the fact that you have to own a product to be able to get commissions on it, but that’s apparently none of EMP’s business, since they don’t mention that at all.

Standard Membership ($1 Free Trial, $37 or $47/month)

Now here’s an interesting pricing technique. Standard costs $47/month regularly, but if you don’t take the $1 trial, it costs $37/month. That’s…actually pretty shrewd. I’m legit impressed.

Too bad that’s not everything. Standard frees up a lot more products. Check it out, yo:

elite marketing pro memebership

Quite the spread. I gotta admit, this isn’t totally worthless. There’s no doubt some valuable training here.

The training videos are sleek and well-made, covering most aspects of online business, specifically internet marketing. But again, they’re geared around promoting EMP. If you have a passion for learning Chinese, and wanna start a niche site around it, you’re gonna have a bad time, because EMP is all about itself.

The website is the most important part of any online business (OK, most), and although EMP lets you create one, the options are limited. I use a website builder that’s integrated with WordPress, which is so limitless that 25% of websites are made with it.

In standard, you earn 20% commission, the same as free for some reason. Well, there is a reason, and it has to do with the next membership.

Standard Annual Membership ($297)

If you decide you don’t wanna pay $37/$47 monthly for the rest of your membership, you can pay 300 smackers for Standard Annual, which gets you 50% off.

Lemme just say it’s unclear (of course) if the payment is one-time or yearly, but given that the vast majority of EMP’s users most likely won’t stay for long, it doesn’t matter. EMP knows this, which is why it made the commission rate 40% on this level.

So you get 40% commissions on all products, and 100% commissions on the Attraction Marketing eBook, which costs $47. You also get 80% commission ($120) on every sale of Standard Annual itself.

Other than that, this is just Standard. Literally.

Elite Marketing Pro VIP ($2,997)

This is the top of the mountain, folks. VIP basically gives you all the products in one fell swoop, while at the same time giving you 100% commissions on everything.

Having 100% commissions is pretty big. I was wondering why they would do that, but the obvious answer is that the 3000 bucks spent on VIP will give EMP a lot more than the commissions are worth. That’s just an indirect way of saying they know most people can’t get sales.

Anyway, here are some products VIP unlocks for you.

emp vip
Some (all) of these products are priced way above their value.

That’s a lot. Imagine having to pay for all those to promote them. Wait, you do have to pay for all those. VIP just takes a sum it knows you won’t pay and shrinks it.

Notice that Attraction Marketing Formula is $97 here. That can’t be right, since I just said that it’s $47. I didn’t make that up, no sir. I found it right on the EMP website.

That goes for most items up there too. These are the upsells EMP makes you buy to promote…so to make it easier to afford them all, it combined them all into one.

There’s another set of bonuses, which aren’t products.

elite marketing pro vip bonuses
These “values” are a surefire sign of a guru scam. The numbers mean absolutely nothing. Would you sell a $37K car for $3K?

Whoa, that’s a lot of value. 37 grand a year for only 3 grand.

Come on, do you really believe the random values here? Apparently 100% commissions are worth $10,000. I know 100% is rare in affiliate marketing, but it is definitely not worth 10 grand.

VIP is marketed as a “done for you” system, which is bad news since Google hates duplicate content now.

Oh, and you’ll see that support is worth $97 a month to them. I guess that means non-VIPs don’t get support? The support also includes contact with the “team leader.” It’s not clear (no surprise there) who the leader is, but I’m guessing the owner, Tim Erway.

You’ll also notice the tickets and receptions. These guru schemes always focus on vacations for some reason. Why? Is premature celebration a good thing? You should be vacationing with money you earned from your online business, not spent on it!

I should mention that VIP is refundable, but only if you

emp refund policy

Yeah, you have to have spent $300 in ads before getting a refund!

Murky Marketing! The EMP Verdict


nigerian prince scam
Completely irrelevant, but something has to go here!

I wouldn’t say Elite Marketing Pro is a scam. A master marketer could do great things with it. And I gotta give credit where it’s due: EMP is a lot better than other MLM programs.

It has a free affiliate program (I can’t believe this is a plus), and a $1 free trial, which is always a bonus. It offers refunds, along with some quality training.

But EMP being better than other MLMs is like a 2nd degree burn being better than a 3rd degree burn; both are painful and leave scars. Hmm… maybe that’s not the best description…

That’s beside the point. EMP may be cheaper than scams like Empower Network and Digital Altitude, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that the training is built around promoting itself. And you have to buy an item to promote it.

Why should a rookie have to spend upwards of $3000 on training? Aren’t they, I dunno, rookies who don’t know how to generate traffic? The VIP membership would be worthless to them. Yet they’re the ones being targeted.

emp done for you
Turn-key, done for you, ready to use… all aren’t good signs.

The VIP membership sales page goes into detail about Tim Erway’s backstory and rise to the top. He describes how hard it was, all the time and sacrifice needed… only to say you can skip all that for 3 grand!

Believe me, throwing money at a program will never make you successful. Tim Erway may own an unethical company, but his story is one that nearly everyone (internet marketing or not) faces when building a business.

EMP does some things different, but at the end of the day it’s just another overpriced MLM scheme.

A Better Choice

Let’s face it, you’re here because you want to make money online. You probably want an online business. EMP most likely won’t give you that, but I can direct you to something that can.

See, I used to think upsells and overpriced sales funnels were the basics of affiliate marketing. Now, I realize how wrong I was to buy into overhyped, get-rich-quick, done-for-you programs, and it’s all thanks to my #1 Super program, Wealthy Affiliate.

When I entered WA, I was given 2 WordPress websites for free. Yeah, already they were a better deal than EMP. I could do what I wanted with them to, from promoting cat food to bike helmets. I got access to all the training I could ever need on affiliate marketing, and it was all for almost 1% of what EMP VIP costs.

Give it a try. The free trial alone is worth more than all of EMP.

Check Out My Super Program Here!

What do you think of EMP? Is it as bad as I think? Leave a question or comment below!

Your amigo in ambiguity,

-Makki

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24 thoughts on “Is Elite Marketing Pro a Scam? – What You Need to Know

  1. I loved your review. With your humorous style I laughed all the way through it. It was well written with the all the details you needed to have to make a decision.

    You were kind to them. I would call it a scam. It doesn’t fulfill its hype so that’s why I call it a scam. The sad thing is there will be people who will raid their savings to sign up for the VIP membership. They might as well take $3,000 to Las Vegas and put it all on one number on the roulette table. They will get better odds.

    You did a great job on your review. It outlined the good (What little there is) and the bad. You explained the program so even an old man like me could understand. Well done.

    Dick H

    1. Brilliant analogy, Dick! Thanks for reading. I genuinely think they’d have better odds in a game of craps.

      I probably should have called it a scam, but the refunds and trials made me think twice. It’s still a horrible idea buy into EMP. If I had to think up a generic MLM, EMP would be it. Sadly, when chasing a dream, people will justify spending thousands of dollars for a bogus vacation. I just can’t imagine spending all that for nothing. I don’t even gamble and I’d prefer spending it all in Caesars Palace instead.

  2. Awesome review post-Makki,
    I’ve come across MLM programs like ‘Elite Marketing Pro’ and other such programs including ‘Digital Altitude’ before and the amount of money you have to invest in a scheme like these is ridiculous.

    Unfortunately, programs like these do turn away people like you and me looking for legitimate ways of starting a business online. In your opinion, for someone who’s looking to ‘Bootstrap’ everything and are looking to start an online business what would you recommend?

    1. You’re right that these scams have probably ended way too many potential online dreams. There are legit ways, though. While programs like Affilorama are decent training courses, my recommendation would be to use Wealthy Affiliate. The amount of value provided for $47 a month is unbelievable. Of course, success with WA takes time (like any business), so you have to be patient. Thanks for commenting Vinnie!

  3. When it comes to these making money online programs, you don’t know if they’re good or bad. EMP was one program I dealt with years ago, without much success. I needed a site like this back then, to help me sort out the good from the bad.
    With the mention of WA on your site, it’ll hopefully show readers that there are good quality programs out there, that are educational, of good quality and free.

    1. Hey Ron! Sorry to hear you got lured into EMP. We all get duped when starting out. It’s an unfortunate result of the scam infestation online marketing is known for. I learned to always to my research before buying into sweet talk and false promises.

      Luckily, there are legit programs out there, and like you said WA is one of them. I’d say it’s the best of them. Even the free membership provides more than most of these MLM programs do for hundreds of dollars.

  4. Hi, Makki

    I loved reading your Elite Marketing Pro review. I was thinking of looking into it until I read the review. I mean, you clearly think of this program as being unethical and maybe a scam too but you write in such an engaging style. I laughed when I read your views about this horrible marketing program.

    Thank you for making my day better and for helping me avoid being a victim in this program. I think I would have felt like a victim if I was stupid enough to sign up for this.

    Tove

  5. Thank you for covering this program. I’ve heard a lot buzz about EMP on the internet and I wanted to wait and see what information I could get before I jumped in. Thanks to you, I know what direction I need to go for my affiliate marketing training.

  6. I can’t imagine paying $3000 for something (except on travel 🙂 And you have to buy a product to be able to promote it? That doesn’t sound very appealing. What kind of product is it that they offer? Is it just all EMP products? I don’t think I would like promoting something I am basically told to promote. That would take a lot of the fun out of it, if it is something you aren’t interested in. And you mentioned the affiliate program is free. I’m a bit confused. Aren’t most affiliate programs free? I don’t sign up to any that I have to pay for, but I may be wrong.

    1. Hi Summerly! EMP just offers lame training products that only exist to be promoted. I don’t think anyone actually uses them. They just buy them for the promoting rights. You can’t promote what you want, like at Wealthy Affiliate.

      I think you misunderstood. Affiliate programs should be free. But most scams make you pay for it. The fact that EMP’s is free (but limited) is a good thing, but it shouldn’t be, because that’s something to expect from an affiliate program. Always be sure not to spend on an affiliate program, but it looks like you’re doing that already!

  7. These guys from Elite Marketing Pro are surely good in upsells. I thought ‘wow’ when I saw what you wrote. So in view of this and some other factors you mentioned in the text, it is not surprising that you gave them only 4/10. But I must say you lost me a bit with that 100% commission at the PRO level. So you are saying they are happy with what you pay them, and the rest is up to you. I think I would rather stay away from these guys. Thank you for the review.

    1. That’s pretty much it. They sell you 100% commissions for $3000, because they know most people won’t be able to make anywhere near 3 grand. To be honest, I think they deserved worse than 4/10. But their policies are marginally better than other programs. Still, it is not a program you should use, and you’re tight to stay way from EMP. Thanks for sharing, Jovo!

  8. Not exactly an enthusiastic supporter of Elite are you?
    2 Questions if you have the time to answer them?
    You say they’re MLM – what are the levels and % payments and
    100% commissions? … The ‘affiliate’ takes all and the Co gets …. nothing from the sale?

    Anyway.
    This was a gas to read – pure pleasure – and so true too.
    :-)) Thanks

    1. I wouldn’t call myself an affiliate.:)

      I mentioned in the review that EMP is in a grey area. It doesn’t work like other MLMs. There are no downlines. That being said, I consider it one because products have to be bought to be promoted, and the prices fit the bill too. Depending on the level of membership, you get either 20%, 40%, or 100% commissions.

      Yes, the 100% commissions mean you get everything. You own it. EMP can do that because the $3000 you pay for the 100% commission is way more than you’ll ever make with it. It really works. Glad you enjoyed the article Cat!

  9. Not exactly a scam, but definitely MLM. I will steer clear, so thank you for the review. Your recommendation for Wealthy Affiliate is spot-on – definitely the way to go if you are serious about your online business.

  10. A humorous and honest review – it’s appreciated. There are so many scams with online businesses nowadays, I’m glad you’re educating us on the red flags and everything that’s bad (as well as the little good there is to offer). I had heard of EMP before reading this, and I found their promises and prices interesting. I also really enjoyed your writing style. Thanks for the great post!

    1. Hi TBonki! Thanks for reading, and it’s lucky that you did your research before buying into EMP. You would have regretted it.

      Glad you were entertained! Cheers!

  11. I hate upsells. They’re unethical.

    Imagine that a salesman convinces you to trust him and buy his $1 widget. So you open your wallet, pull out a dollar bill and give it to him.

    Then he says, since you have your wallet open, give me another $10. Would you give it to him? Probably not, but that is precisely what is happening with upsells.

    All the make nice leading up to the $1 is just a trick to get you to open your wallet. Once you open your wallet, they grab all the cash they can under one pretense or another.

    This is why I think Elite Marketing Pro is a scam.

    1. Wow Gary, that’s probably my favorite analogy yet. I’m definitely adding that to my repertoire. There really is no comeback to that. It’s a perfect description of the upsell dilemma.

      I wouldn’t necessarily call it a scam, but it’s so close to one it may as well be. It’s marginally better than the competition though. That’s… not really an accomplishment at all, is it?

  12. Interesting. I was a WA person a few years back. They have upsells too. I found that WA was just as much of a scam as whatever program you are reviewing, calling them a scam. Network marketing, or multi-level marketing is not a scam. Do you see that it is any different than promoting a product that you can buy at a big box store, where the store owner is the one making a profit and not sharing that money with the front line worker. No thanks. Good luck learning how to make money online with WA. Thank you for this review.

    1. Hi Rose, and thanks for commenting. I have to disagree. It’s a fact that there are no upsells in WA. There’s a free membership, and a paid one. That’s it. I don’t see where you get the idea that it seems to be as upsell-prone as EMP.

      You have a point. Network marketing in itself is not a scam. In fact, I very blatantly admitted that EMP is not a scam, so I don’t know why you’re saying I did. I did call it overpriced, which it most certainly is. These MLMs are only profitable for top-level marketers looking to earn commissions. Regular customers will just spend a lot and find they haven’t earned anything in return.

      Again, thanks for your thoughts.

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