Is anyone in direct sales? What product do you sell? How has it been for you in regards to investment versus profit? Is it your full time job or just extra money?
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I signed up for Pure Haven Essentials (formal Ava Anderson) I don't do it to make money, more for the discount. Honestly I don't have the time to commit to parties, but i place orders for family/friends so I make 100 extra bucks a month which is nice spending cash to have.
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My friend does what Lulu Mom does with DoTerra.
Are you thinking about LulaRoe!?
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@snowjewelz: haha I am! But it's a big investment.
and maybe Usbourne?!
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I do Pure Haven Essentials and Usborne - same deal, discount. when I put effort in, I make spending money, but I'm lazy!
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@regberadaisy: the director at my school just signed up and said there is a 3 month waiting period
Is it an investment because you have to buy the clothes in order to sell them?
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@Mamaof2: yes! You have to buy your initial stock which the quantities are predetermined. It's a big financial commitment. Whereas with Usbourne you can start with a kit for as little as $75. LLR's initial investment is in the thousands.
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@regberadaisy: Wow.. But I can def see the rewards if you can manage a good flow of parties or if you get some nice unicorns in your assortment!
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@snowjewelz: yea - I've been connecting with a few consultants. So many amazing stories about how they were able to quit their job within a year of selling!
I've been trying to find fail stories online. And my biggest fear is time.
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@regberadaisy:
thousands????
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@Mamaof2: I'll PM you!
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@regberadaisy: I sell chloe & isabel jewelry and am an usborne consultant.
If you work it I think you can make good money! I have had months (near the holidays) where I made 1500 from jewelry bc I do a lot, then I have months where I make 0 because I do nothing!
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@regberadaisy: do you have a big network of friends who would be consistently interested? Having a network is going to be the best chance at being successful. I'm personally not a fan of the direct sales model and definitely wouldn't invest large sums of money or quit a reliable job for it. But if you're going to do it, start by creating a tree of people you think would buy (consistently) from you, who they know, etc. And be sure you think they would want to buy/host parties etc, because being pushy won't get you anywhere.
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@regberadaisy: I wouldn't go by online reviews. I think a lot of companies have non-disparagement clauses if you work for them.
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@Maysprout: I just meant that every consultant I've spokes to has had amazing success stories. But I'm sure there are failures out there. I want to know why it failed for them. Besides the obvious time and effort!
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@regberadaisy: do you consider yourself a sales person?
I do not - if someone told me no that would be the end of it -I wouldn't be like "but check this out"
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@regberadaisy: There is an interesting article in the June 21 edition of Forbes magazine. They analyzed the income disclosures of some commonly mentioned multilevel marketing companies and the results were all similar: very few people make money.
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@looch: thanks! I'll check it out!
@Mamaof2: I don't know....you tell me!
@Truth Bombs: I'm not a pushy person by nature.
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@regberadaisy: I wanted to add more but was pumping and on my phone where it is a pain to type.
I have a friend who sells it...from what I gathered from her the initial investment was $2500-3000. You also purchase the inventory and have it on hand - meaning you have much more risk. The girls I know here who are successful run at least 1 weekly party on facebook, have or are building 'lularooms' in their house for boutique shopping and do inhome parties. Thats a LOT of time investment. I'd imagine the commission is 25-30%...but dont know that. I spoke to my friend about 8 mos after joining and she had just about gotten her investment back out of the "business"...not earning the money but actually being able to repay her savings with it.
Something to think about...I think you need to assess how you want to do direct selling. As one posted mentioned do you have a built in network you are willing to tap in to. For me - I dont ask my friends to host because I do not want them to feel compelled. I have shared the benefits of hosting with them (both Usborne and Jewelry) and leave it to them to contact me if they want to. I refuse to be the person who pressures her friends into hosting. I find a lot of the DS companies really push you to "ask you friends and family to support your small business"...this angle bothers me. And I dont think it gets you far in the long run. To be successful I think you need to expect to build your own network outside of existing ones (perhaps with the assistance of existing friends) and go from there. If you go into it thinking you will quit your job selling to simply your friends and their friends I think some people are set up for failure.
That said - I think Usborne has better long term potential for getting your feet wet since 1) the initial investment is low 2) the books are AMAZING 3) the hostess rewards are amazing and 4) its a product a lot of people like spending money on - books to spoil their kids/nieces/etc!
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I sell Mary Kay. When I out out in the time and effort I made money. Now I do nothing and make nothing. Lately I just use it to get myself a discount.
Before starting make a list of who you could ask to have parties and find out if some would actually be interested. The bigger your network you have to start out with the easier it will be.
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@regberadaisy: haha
So I signed up with BB to get a discount and have no plans of recruiting - its just not me in - these people post selfies all day long (I am NOT a selfie girl) and are constantly promoting their products - my coach made 50K last year but again she puts in HOURS per week doing this stuff. They even tell you how to talk to people when they tell you no - you have to keep pressure on them until they join - - I cant do that!!!
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@Mrs D: thanks for sharing!!!
I definitely do not plan, nor expect DS to become a full time job. Just looking for a fun way to make some extra money. But the time and effort needed has to correlate to the profit returned. I've actually already spoken with a handful of consultants for their stories. Some of them are just starting out and some have been selling a year plus. Most of them have been very successful. And yes they are doing weekly FB parties and hosting probably 2-3 in person parties a month. The one who was able to make enough to quit her teacher job now spends about 50 hours a week on it because it IS her FT job.
But I definitely know that is not the norm!The initial investment of Usbourne is definitely a lot lower than LLR! The onboard package I've been given is quite a bit more than what your friend told you....
Definitely a big reason for why I'm so apprehensive. $75, I can handle. Thousands? Ehhhhh -
@Mamaof2: what's BB??
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@regberadaisy: beachbody
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@regberadaisy: If you want something fun...for maybe some extra cash I'd recommend finding a product with a low investment you really like and would like a discount on and go that route...That is how I got in to both mine:
C+I - I love the jewelry...I actually only signed up bc the kit include 4 of the 5 pieces I wanted and was cheaper. I have sold about $20K in the 1.5 years I have done it. I love the jewelry...I wear it a lot...and it sells itself when I wear it!
Usborne - My LO is hooked on books. I attended a party, it was great (1 hour party-super quick), the books I got were amazing...so I signed up...mostly for the discount!
Both company's could be run totally online...which is mostly how I do it. Though once per holiday season I host a "vendor show" at my house where I have friends who also sell all come together in one place to allow people to shop in a low pressure environment.
With both C+I and Usborne you can easily develop a 1 hour "party" script - with proper organization it would be easy to update. Host parties when interest is there...not fret when its not (because your investment was low) and see where it goes. Since you dont want to make it a fulltime thing I'd definitely focus on the lower investment ones...plus one where you dont have to carry inventory!
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@Mamaof2: The training calls with the hard selling techniques make me want to vomit. I also hate the way they tell people "keep investing in your business - you will sell eventually".....no....consultants in any of the companies are their best customers...hands down...so ya when they tell you to invest they really mean "give us more of your money"....irks me...
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@Mrs D: LLR is actually the first one I've come across that I love. And feel like I could sell because I actually believe in the product! LOL
I'm just not interested in Jewlery, make up and health stuff. Books, yes. But I don't know people that would spend that kind of money on books. Women loooove clothes! LOL
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@Mrs D: yep!
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@regberadaisy: Maybe there is a consultant in the area you could team up with?
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@Mrs D: I've been talking to one.
Hence why I have all this info. LOL I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now!
and maybe Usbourne?!
Hence why I have all this info. LOL I've been thinking about this for a few weeks now!
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