Doug Sleeth launched ViralPrint in June 2011, expanding the retail reach of his earlier company, Printer Shoppe. Sleeth founded Printer Shoppe in 2005 as a wholesale graphic design and printing business serving US companies. Printer Shoppe placed electronic kiosks in retail stores, allowing partners to sell printing and graphic services at a retail level.
ViralPrint offers various printing services. These include business cards, postcards, and tri-fold brochures. The company states it does not handle the actual printing. Instead, ViralPrint relies on "printing partners" and focuses on the retail sales aspect.
ViralPrint uses a unilevel compensation plan, paying commissions five levels deep. An individual sits at the top of their unilevel structure. Each direct customer acquired is placed directly underneath them, forming Level 1. Any customers referred by Level 1 members become Level 2, and so on.
Commissions are paid on all product sales made by anyone within these five levels of the unilevel team. Level 1 earns 10%, Level 2 earns 5%, Level 3 earns 3%, Level 4 earns 2%, and Level 5 earns 1%.
Joining ViralPrint is free.
The ViralPrint compensation plan aligns with its product offering. Printing and graphic services are consumable. Commissions are paid only on sales, removing incentives for mere recruitment. Members must focus on sales and customer retention to build their business. The compensation structure resembles an affiliate model, but allows for multi-level team building. Product orders must occur for commissions to generate. Internal consumption poses no issue, as payouts depend on other customers' orders.
The paper publishing industry is established and competitive. New ViralPrint members rely entirely on attracting new customers. Their marketing effectiveness is critical. ScamTelegraph suggests new members make a test purchase to evaluate product quality. This helps determine comfort in marketing to a wider audience. Comparing ViralPrint's prices with local online and offline competitors is also advisable. While ViralPrint's website claims favorable comparisons, independent local checks offer better insight. Traditional paper marketing, such as business cards, remains a staple for face-to-face offline interactions.
If a member is satisfied with ViralPrint's products and pricing, and believes they can establish a customer base, the business model presents a viable opportunity.