Edward Carroll launched VizConnect in mid-2013, operating in the mobile niche of the multi-level marketing industry. The company lists a Massachusetts address for its domain, vizconnect.com, and references the state's laws in its terms and conditions for governing law, jurisdiction, and venue.
Carroll's corporate bio describes him as a 20-year veteran of media. He uses his video and media experience to aid businesses and entrepreneurs with video and mobile marketing. Carroll started his own production company in 2005, creating marketing videos for entities like the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and Bosse Sports Clubs.
Carroll helped design the Company's software platform, recognizing the rapid expansion of mobile marketing and businesses' need to reach customers on their mobile devices. No prior MLM involvement for Carroll on the executive side could be found.
VizConnect's product line centers on video content for mobile devices. The company sells cloud-based video marketing subscriptions. These services allow small and medium-sized businesses to update print advertising with video messages.
The system uses QR codes. Scanning these codes with a mobile device brings up a client's video, hosted by VizConnect. One account costs $50 a month and provides 10 video-mappable QR codes. Custom-designed QR codes are available for an extra fee. The compensation plan mentions "texting" with subscriptions, but the VizConnect website provides no details on this texting offer.
VizConnect's compensation plan assigns a Business Volume (BV) point value to every sold subscription or service. This BV amount equals 67% of the retail price. Subscriber points are earned through sales and renewals. A new subscription with texting earns 3 points, while one without texting earns 2 points. A designer QR code order also gets 2 points. Monthly subscription renewals, logo overlays, or color QR code orders each add 1 point.
Affiliates must be "active" to qualify for commissions. An affiliate is active if they joined within the last 30 days, made at least one new subscription sale within the last five weeks, or generated at least 3 subscriber points within the last five weeks.
New subscription sales earn the affiliate 62.5% of the product's or service's allocated BV. Referral commissions extend down three levels of recruitment. Level 1, the direct sale, pays 62.5% of the BV. Levels 2 and 3, from sales made by recruited affiliates and their recruits, each pay 12.5% of the allocated BV.
Subscription renewal commissions depend on the number of renewing subscribers an affiliate has had over the prior five weeks. One renewal earns 12.5% of the subscription BV. Two renewals earn 18.75%, and three renewals earn 25%. Referral commissions on renewals pay 6% on both Level 1 and Level 2 recruits.
VizConnect has five affiliate membership ranks. An Associate purchases an affiliate kit. A Team Leader must be active and recruit at least three active affiliates. Director status requires an active affiliate with at least four active recruits and a downline generating 100 subscription points over a rolling four-week period.
Senior Director status requires an active affiliate with five active recruits and a downline generating 200 subscription points over a four-week period. An Executive Director must be active, recruit at least six active affiliates, and have a downline generating at least 300 subscription points over a rolling four-week period. These criteria only qualify an affiliate for the rank; additional "paid as rank" criteria must be met to receive the full benefits of that rank. For instance, a Team Leader must have a downline that generated at least 20 subscription points over a rolling four-week period to be paid at that rank.