What home party plan are you a consultant for?

[kelleigh1]

Honestly...I have no idea how many consultants are in my area. Fortunately for me, it hasn't affected me too much because the majority of my shows have been out-of-state catalog shows. My sister lives in Germany and she is about to do her second show for me. Her first was my highest grossing show to date. (And I've actually hosted 3 catalog shows in Michigan in the first 6 months that I've been a consultant.)

With the addition of our websites, it has made it even easier to host shows. I simply set up my hosts on my website and they can send emails to everyone they know to either invite them to a show or to invite them to look at the product and place an order. And online orders do not have to be paid by credit card, which is a plus since there are a number of people concerned with security. (The site is secure, but I know that there are people who will never feel comfortable paying by cc online.)

 

[wtpclc]

I am a Creative Memories consultant. I love it. There is no pressure, but of course, the harder you work your business, the better you will do.

You can use teh consultant locator on their website to find out how many are in your area. For CM, it will not list all consultants, only the ones with consitent higher sales, but you will get the idea.

We get 30%, plus bonuses and/or commissions from downline that go as high as 6% of their sales. If you move up to leader, you get allowances for downline training too.

 

[ndscramper]

I'm a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I had been stamping for several years before I became a demo. I get 20% commission, no inventory - love that, and depending on my sales for the month, I can get an additional 3 - 5% in commission.

I like it because I am a stamping junkie anyway, now I can save money with my discount. Stamping is great because you can do so much with it. I do mostly scrapbooking and cards. If it doesn't move, stamp it!

There isn't any pressure to recruit - another thing that I like, since I do it more as a hobby than a business.

Taxes - just keep track of expenses and income and mileage.

Val

 

[Icouldlive@wdw]

I am currently an Arbonne rep and have a couple of customers. I have mainly done it for the discount and used the little I've earned into purchasing more products for myself. I would love to use it as extra income and have tried. My problem is being able to get hostesses and when I do get a hostess getting people to show up. For those of you who earn money how do you recruit good hostesses?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Has anyone out there thought of becoming a rep. for DeMarle? It's home shows where you sell flexible bakeware. I have a friend that started doing it and she was very excited about the product and the sales opportunities it presented. It's still fairly new (I think) so it might be worth looking into.
http://www.demarleathome.com/subpage.aspx

 

[WeluvDisney2]

I am an Usborne Book consultant, and I love it! Some of the advantages of being an Usborne consultant are:

The product is one of a kind, and the books sell themselves!

The product is not overpriced.

It promotes literacy & education. There will always be a market for them!

Wide diversity in product line with over 1000 titles to choose from.

Do not need to maintain an inventory.

Orders come within a week.

Your personal Usborne books can be your "display"- no extra storage space.

Not required to buy "seasonal kits"- purchase of new items is your choice.

New products and catalog every 6 months ro renew customers' interest.

A very flexible business- you choose when you work!

You work mainly at home and enjoy more time with your family.

No monthly minimums. No territories.

You alone benefit from your efforts- all profits are yours!

Earnings from shows start at 25% plus bonuses!

Very low startup costs- under $100!

Market is not saturated, and more consultants are needed!

If you would like more information you can PM me, or you can take a look at the books online at: www.ubah.com/N1466

 

[kelleigh1]

Some of these I've never even heard of. Very interesting products out there.

I have received emails recently from Crayola that they are getting into the home party market. I thought this was very interesting and a great opportunity for Mom's out there. Since I don't have any kids and don't really have friends with kids, it would be a tough one for me to get into.

 

[zulaya]

Pampered Chef and saturation...Really doesn't exist. Will you run into people who already have a show booked? At some point you will. However, there are over 250 million people in the USA and Pampered Chef last year had 12 million customers. Can you see the room for growth?

I live in the Twin Cities in MN. MN was the first state Pampered Chef expanded to outside of IL. There are many consultants here. But there are also still people who will always have a show.

Pampered Chef has excellent name recognition (not that other companies don't). Name recognition is important in a mature market, like where I live.

What is good is that this is the 25th year of Pampered Chef. Now, the baby boomers kids are becoming homeowners themselves and there is a whole new generation that will want Pampered Chef products because they grew up with it.

I can tell you that there are many streets that I have not had a show on in my immediate area, and in my metro area.

It is all a matter of attitude and outlook. If you believe you can provide a service, you will get the business. If you think negative, you already have an obstacle to overcome. And that's the case in any direct selling business, not just Pampered Chef. You have to believe in what you are doing and project that confidence. And be excited! If you love what you do, people will love to do shows with you.

Sorry...off the soapbox now. Feel free to e-mail or PM me if you have specific questions ,as I'd be happy to assist.

--Mary

 

[Desnik]

I just wanted to say how informative this info has been. I would love to know more about crayola home parties!!??

I would love to do this kind of business but I have to find what fits with me best.

I do want to say to the OP that Pampered Chef is the best as far as the product and the name selling itself. A friend of mine is a rep and has talked to me about becoming one too and I'm really thinking about it. As a customer I know the product sells itself and I have never heard of a person not liking it. In the past I have had 2 parties and 1 catalog party. 1st party was $1500 in sales, the 2nd was $800 in sales and the catalog one was $300 in sales(this was just from 3 people!!). Friends always ask me when I'm going to have another party because they are fun and love the products. You wouldn't believe the amount people will spend on these things!!LOL
I would think from what my research into this has shown that pampered chef is the way to go! Hey, I think I just talked myself into it!!LOL

 

[zulaya]

Someone asked about the Crayola one. It's called the Big Yellow Box. Not sure what all it entails. But I know of one person who tried it out. It wasn't her thing, but that doesn't mean it won't fit anyone here. I think it's a lot of arts and crafts, but don't take my word for it. I think the website is http://www.bigyellowbox.com

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Hi:

There is a lot of talk about earning extra $$$.

What home party plan or home sales (AVON, etc) are you a consultant for?

What do you love about it?

What are the disadvantages?

How do you handle the taxes, etc?

Give us all the info!

I am an Avon Independent Beauty Consultant and Beauty Advisor!

I LOVE it because their product line is so huge that some customers find something new to buy every 2-4 weeks!

I love it because their products are a good value, not expensive.

I love it because I personally use lots of the products,(or can give them as gifts) esp the African Shea Butter Body Scrub which reminds me of WDW bc it smells EXACTLY like the caramel corn at Sleepy Hollow!

I love it because they carry Curves products and since I am a Curves member that has been a big source of income for me.

I love it because I do not need to stock products and I did not need to buy a kit to sign up.

I love it because doing makeovers is something I've always loved and it's wonderful to see someone feel more confident because of your artwork.

I love it because it's relatively easy to place and receive orders and making labels, receipts, etc. has been an outlet for my creativity in a way.

I love it because there's no required amount I have to sell- if I sell 50 dollars in one campaign and 900 in the next, that's ok.

I love it because the more I sell, the larger percentage I earn.

I love it because Customer Service is pretty good. If I call up with a problem or concern, they don't keep me on hold, I put in my phone number and they call me back when someone's ready to take my call and I don't lose my place in line.


The things I don't love are that I have to pay to return items unless it was an Avon error, that products get sold out sometimes especially clearance items and that it's easy to spend the money for those that pay in cash instead of depositing it like I should. Also, my house is small and when deliveries come, there's almost no place to walk, so until I make my deliveries, no one is very happy with the living room.

I have a huge file folder and I keep my invoice for each campaign and my customer orders in each section, so I can see what I spent for demos, bags, samples, etc. which are tax deductible and exactly how much I made. Last year I only started in December so I didn't need to file taxes because I didn't earn over 500 dollars. This year I will definitely earn over that so I will need to file.

Overall, I am glad I did it. I would like to branch out more, but I don't know if I will have the time to deal with huge orders and lots of deliveries once school starts again (I'm a teacher) I rather like selling to friends, family members, people at work and people at Curves because it keeps my deliveries efficient- I can bring 6 orders to work one day, the next day bring 4 to Curves, etc. I wait till family visits me- lol!

If you're interested I'll refer you.

Good luck!

 

[kelleigh1]

Thanks for posting that zulaya. It probably would have taken me forever to find the info again. I'd received two emails from Crayola about info sessions that they were having in my area - which I decided not to attend.

It does sound like something great for anyone with access to kids groups - daycare, teaching assistants, big family neighborhoods - but for me...I just don't know enough people with kids to even get started.

 

[allaboutmm]

Any one out there a Bead Retreat Consultant? Went to my first party in NH a few weeks ago. Just getting started in MA. I am thinking of getting involed w/ it. I would love any input. Thanks

 

[kelleigh1]

Any one out there a Bead Retreat Consultant? Went to my first party in NH a few weeks ago. Just getting started in MA. I am thinking of getting involed w/ it. I would love any input. Thanks

Another that I've never heard of. Tell me more!!

 

[Aurora82]

Hi!
I am a Consultant with The Body Shop at Home.

The thing I like most about The Body Shop parties is letting everyone try all of the products before they buy them. There are also a lot of cool things for Consultants to earn as well.

I guess the only disadvantage would be the cost of the starter kit (a little over $250 with tax and shipping), but I made that money right back after the first two parties. The starter kits also come with everything you will need so you don't have to spend extra money on more products right away.

Thanks!

 

[TiggerStac]

Another Pampered Chef here. I am currently not active, since I went back to work fulltime. I started doing it when they put the push on catalog sales consultants. I am not big for going into peoples homes and doing the whole show thing...but I love going to them. Instead I did just catalog shows and it was perfect for me. I had plenty of family/friends who wanted to do it and then they got me a few more, too. I mainly did it for the discount and the little bit of extra $$ was great for the stay at home mom!! ug: ug:

 

[OzFan]

I am a Homemade Gourmet consultant. It is a Texas based company and is growing at alarming rates here. I got in early, and I hope to make as much as my sponser. She made $24,000 in 1 year, just for part time work! Once you taste it you are hooked. You can check out the product at www.homemadegourmet.com.

 

[Leader of the Club]

Thanks for all the posts! This is great. Anyone else?

One the biggest reasons I have never signed on to do this myself is the whole tax thing. That and I am a pretty shy person. I am looking at the Big Yellow Box by Crayola. I thought maybe I could do craft shows and fundraisers and earn a little extra $$$.

Oh, and now Homemade Gourmet and Usbourne books also look interesting....

 

[jag90]

Someone asked about the Crayola one. It's called the Big Yellow Box. Not sure what all it entails. But I know of one person who tried it out. It wasn't her thing, but that doesn't mean it won't fit anyone here. I think it's a lot of arts and crafts, but don't take my word for it. I think the website is http://www.bigyellowbox.com

I looked on the Big Yellow Box website but they don't list prices. Anyone know an average price for the craft boxes? This sounds like something I would really enjoy doing but I would like to know the price range first. Approximately 85% of the moms in my community are SAHMs (got that stat from a school board meeting). I would like to know if the prices would fit into a single-income budget.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

Thanks for all the posts! This is great. Anyone else?

One the biggest reasons I have never signed on to do this myself is the whole tax thing. That and I am a pretty shy person. I am looking at the Big Yellow Box by Crayola. I thought maybe I could do craft shows and fundraisers and earn a little extra $$$.

Oh, and now Homemade Gourmet and Usbourne books also look interesting....

Hi Leader of the Club! Do not let "the tax thing" keep you from doing something you may really end up loving! Usborne has a computer program that keeps track of it for you when you place your orders. You just print it out at the end of the year. It is basically just keeping a note from each show of how much $$$ you take in and then just minus the amount you pay to the company. (Sounds harder than it is.) You can also keep track of other expenses if you want to claim them such as postage, gas etc. With any good company you should have an upline supervisor who can walk you through the tax part of it without a problem. Also, do not worry about being shy. All you have to do is tell what you like about the product and then pass it around for everyone to see for themselves how great it is! PM me if you have any questions.