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Laurie Ayers Scentsy Independent Consultant Blog

Don’t Judge a Company By a Consultant

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If you run into a whackadoodle consultant don’t assume the whole company is like that.

I admit it. I’ve been guilty of not heeding my own above advice.   A couple years ago while I was a vendor at a local school craft show, another vendor from another company practically assaulted me, slapped some lotion underneath my eyes and proclaimed, “Here, this will help with your wrinkles!”

Ok, a couple things wrong with that. Number one; don’t touch me unless I’ve given permission or act like I’m up for unsolicited fondling.   Number two; I could have been highly allergic to whatever magic lotion you were applying near my eyesballs; and number three, I’ve been told more than a few times that I already look much younger than approaching half a century, so insulting me by pointing out almost non-existent wrinkles is not going to get you sale. Whackjob.

So how do you think I felt about this particular company she represented from that point forward? Exactly. Any time I would see a consultant or booth for that company I put my Kevlar on, looked at my shoes and retreated in the opposite direction whenever the possibility existed for a repeat performance. Did the company teach all their consultants that little sales technique? Or did I just happen to be accosted by some rogue nutcase?

Oh I’m not naïve enough to think these unique creatures don’t exist in every direct sales company; I’m sure my own company, correction, I know within my own company there are some humdingers with whom I definitely do not want to be associated. I go out of my way to make sure any potential customer, recruit or host knows “˜we’re not all like that’.   Which brings me to the whole point of this post:

We’re not all like that.

If you find a great consultant who is responsive, knowledgeable and truly a delight to do business with, hang onto her/him, because we’re not like that (though I humbly say I am!) Likewise, if you had the distinct pleasure of interacting with one of the bad apples, give us another try, because we’re not all like that. [Read more…] about Don’t Judge a Company By a Consultant

Get the Facts, Not the Opinions

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“But I thought”¦” “I was told”¦” “They said you can do that”¦” “She asked and they said”¦” “He told me”¦”

Those above statements can be very damaging to independent sales consultants. One of the great benefits to owning a direct sales business, sometimes known as “business in a box” is that you have much freedom to run your business in a manner that suits you and still have all the perks of having a corporate office handle many functions for you.

The tradeoff to those benefits is that you still have some policies and procedures that are required of you. No different than if you were a fast food franchisee. In life we have laws and rules we all have to abide by. Every direct sales company has guidelines that independent consultants must adhere to. The policies’ purpose is simple – to maintain the integrity of the company and to ensure ethical business practices are employed. If you represent a company that is owned by someone other than yourself, you have an obligation to abide by the agreement you entered into when you enrolled as a consultant.

Sponsors and uplines are generally a great resource for information. Some will give you accurate information; some will not. Some will tell you the facts and where to find the written information; and some will give you their opinion. Just because someone has been with the company longer than you does not necessarily mean they have the most current or accurate information. [Read more…] about Get the Facts, Not the Opinions

Make a Decision

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Think of all the important decisions you’ve made in your life. Perhaps you decided to go to college; to get married; to get divorced; to have a baby; to adopt a baby; to move; to buy a home; to go on vacation; to get a black belt or to get a dog. All of those decisions required careful thought, perhaps prayer, and planning. Then you had to commit to making it happen and seeing it through until you achieved what you set out to do.

The problem is so many people can’t make a decision. Parents and teachers make decisions for kids. Bosses and Government make decisions for adults. Some people are capable of making a decision, but then they change their mind. The high divorce rate is just one example of inability to make a decision and stick with it.

Yet so many don’t see a owning a direct selling business as an important decision. It’s easy for them to pay a start up fee ranging from $19.95 to $400, get the starter kit and try the business. Bada bing, bada boom instant business owner.   But are they really? At that commitment level they’re not yet a business owner. Rather they’re a starter kit owner.   Many never decide to make it a business. Some like to try it first to see how much their family and friends buy and then want to make a decision based on that; when actually all that often does is put you in the NFL (No Friends/Family Left).

Ask any top ranked direct sales Manager or Director what was a vital factor in their success. Guaranteed somewhere in the response will be an attitude of Failure is Not an Option. They decided to be All-In. They decided they wanted their own direct sales business and they were going all the way to the top. They decided. [Read more…] about Make a Decision

If You Want to Work at Home You Have to Show Up for Work

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Successful direct sales consultants, representatives, managers and directors know that if you want to work at home, you actually have to work while you are home.   That may sound like a piece of advice from the department of redundancy department or a blinding glimpse of the obvious, yet you’d be surprised how many don’t actually follow those words of wisdom.

Having a direct sales business working from home provides a plethora of benefits, one being the flexibility to work when it’s convenient and fits into your lifestyle.   Being your own boss and having no set, pre-determined hours to report to work also require a great deal of discipline. There is no shortage of distractions at home – young children, household responsibilities, television, good weather “¦ take your pick. At least when you worked outside the home, you generally couldn’t leave on a whim to tend to non-work related issues. It wasn’t a temptation. You just knew that when you were at work you were expected to work.

I recurrently hear consultants bewail that they wish they received a text when their back office or workstation was updated with need to know information.   Or distributors want to receive an email when they receive a new recruit or an order.   Have we really become so lazy that we cannot click on a website or login to your virtual office to see if there is any new information that may require you to take some sort of action? [Read more…] about If You Want to Work at Home You Have to Show Up for Work

She Lost Money on That Vendor Event

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As I have discussed many times, vendor events can be worthwhile.   They can also be a huge waste of time and a vacuum for your hard earned money if you are not wise in selecting the right ones and then not optimizing your space once you get there.

I recently attended a vendor event as a customer. I am fairly certain the consultant lost her shirt by participating in this one.   What do you think?

  • It was a first time event. It was advertised mildly on Facebook and there were yard signs dotted around town.
  • It was $7 just to get in the door as a customer.
  • Vendors were charged $750.00 booth rental for this three day event.
  • The consultant had quite a bit of marketing collateral that she liberally handed out, at least $300 worth.
  • She also had a medium size amount of inventory (medium meaning not spectacular and not nearly enough for a show of this caliber, but at least a showing.   It wasn’t a totally pathetic display; I’ve seen worse.)   She had approximately $1,000 or more in inventory. [Read more…] about She Lost Money on That Vendor Event