Creative Memories Question

[AdventureGuru]

Please don't flame me for this...I just am trying to figure something out. A woman I know was a CM consultant. Since then she has lost her "status" (hasnt had enough sales-no longer active) However, she still has crops and sells them as a Creative Memories function...She still gets things from her upline and sells them...whether this is for her upline or not I dont know. But she is always sure to show us the latest products at these crops and write out our wish lists etc...She has even gone as far as calling a friends husband (number on wish list) to see if he wanted to get her anything for Xmas.

So, what is the take on this? Mine is that its really fraud -isnt it? I feel uncomfortable going to these things and supporting her if she isnt legit about it. Especially when there are so many CM consultants that are honest. In my eyes being honest deserves the business.
Here's my other problem...She is my friends daughter...So, now I'm really stuck between a rock and a hard place! She has a crop coming up on Nov 11...and I dont know...everyones going b/c we all need time to crop...but...I feel really un-easy about supporting a liar.

Any insight?

 

[Juliegirl1]

Could she possibly be on a leave of absence or trying to work her business so that she can reactivate? Just trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. I was a CM consultant and deactivated once or twice because of low sales but kept working my business so that I could reactivate. My upline supported me in this and although I "bought" (in reality I borrowed the supplies but gave her a check to cover them until I could reorder and then she returned my check) my supplies from her, I actually saved the money and replaced her product when I had enough sales to reactivate.

Even now, after deactivating for good I still have probably $5,000 worth of inventory that I still sell to my former customers if they ask me for it. I no longer have crops or advertise but they know I have a lot of inventory that I couldn't return and call me first to see if I still have something in stock. Please - no flames - but most of these girls are my friends and I don't do any advertising or claim to be a consultant. I'm just trying to recoup some of my money.

 

[RealMickeysGirl]

I was a CMC several years ago. I would give this person the benefit of the doubt. More than likely, her upline is helping her get better established so she can reactivate. That way, she won't reactivate to just be deactivated again because she doesn't have a big enough customer base to support large enough orders.

Since her upline is supporting her, I am sure they have a plan. Her upline wouldn't want to do anything to get herself deactivated.

 

[MazdaUK]

Do you need a large turnover to keep active over there? Here its £150 retail in a rolling 3 months. I had no intention of becoming a CMC until I realised how much stuff I wanted! I do hardly any parties, but every couple of weeks 3 or 4 of us get together at my house with a glass of wine (or even a cup of tea) and I show them any new stuff and we spend a couple of hours while the kids are at school or in the evening scrapping. I order any supplies they need, and their stuff (OK, I own up, its mostly stuff for me ) is enough to keep me active. I don't keep stock - only where I have to because stuff is in a multi-pack.

It works for me, and I'm always happy to do a party if someone wants one, but I don't sweat it as I have a "real" job.

 

[scraptoons]

Even now, after deactivating for good I still have probably $5,000 worth of inventory that I still sell to my former customers if they ask me for it. I no longer have crops or advertise but they know I have a lot of inventory that I couldn't return and call me first to see if I still have something in stock. Please - no flames - but most of these girls are my friends and I don't do any advertising or claim to be a consultant. I'm just trying to recoup some of my money.

This sounds like me. I have it all taking up space in my closet. Every once in a while I get a call from someone to buy something I might have.

Technically, the "not active" status CM could get into serious trouble if she were caught by CM. I personally had a downline consultant get in trouble after she deactivated because some of her stuff was sold on ebay, and somehow it was traced back to her. She wasn't the one listing it on ebay either.
Based on that experience, I wouldn't have done that. She could have intention to reactivate, therefore continuing as you describe. It is risky. They do have a task force tracing things.

If it really bothered you that much, you can just not buy from her until her status is active again. All she needs to know is that you don't need to buy any new supplies at this time.

 

[AdventureGuru]

As far as I know she has been inactive for over a year....she never had a huge inventory to begin with. I could understand if she was just trying to get back on her feet...but isnt that a little long to be inactive to try to get the $. I know for Stampin Up! if you fall behind...you have the next quarter to get the month that you missed plus like $100 or so torward the next quarter to get you out of "inactiveness" (or something like that)
I can understand selling to friends what ever you have left over BUT she advertises in (get this) the church "news" that she holds the crops at...

It just doesnt make any sense.

 

[scraptoons]

As far as I know she has been inactive for over a year....she never had a huge inventory to begin with. I could understand if she was just trying to get back on her feet...but isnt that a little long to be inactive to try to get the $. I know for Stampin Up! if you fall behind...you have the next quarter to get the month that you missed plus like $100 or so torward the next quarter to get you out of "inactiveness" (or something like that)
I can understand selling to friends what ever you have left over BUT she advertises in (get this) the church "news" that she holds the crops at...

It just doesnt make any sense.

oooohhhh the church news..how daring.

I chuckle at that because we had a woman announce a party to launch her own business as a jewelry party consultant at the church's fellowship hall. It since some people in the congregation at the time did not like that. It was too close to Jesus being angry about people selling things in the temple square. So no more selling parties there.
Of course there are also many churches that don't really make a big deal out of that.

If she advertises crops only, I wouldn't really see a problem with it. Cause lots of people have scrapbooking events just for the fun of it. However marketing CM products when you are not active (especially after 1 year) is totally not right.

My upline that I had was very strict about that type of activity. She did not want any questionable activity associated with her name and downline. It actually hurts the business for everyone in the area..not just that one person.

 

[AdventureGuru]

oooohhhh the church news..how daring.

I chuckle at that because we had a woman announce a party to launch her own business as a jewelry party consultant at the church's fellowship hall. It since some people in the congregation at the time did not like that. It was too close to Jesus being angry about people selling things in the temple square. So no more selling parties there.
Of course there are also many churches that don't really make a big deal out of that.

If she advertises crops only, I wouldn't really see a problem with it. Cause lots of people have scrapbooking events just for the fun of it. However marketing CM products when you are not active (especially after 1 year) is totally not right.

My upline that I had was very strict about that type of activity. She did not want any questionable activity associated with her name and downline. It actually hurts the business for everyone in the area..not just that one person.

Yeah she makes it a point to "keep quiet" that she is selling anything...see what I think its so sketchy...

 

[scrapperjill]

It could just be that she loves holding the crops and doing the social part of helping others with their scrapbooks.....but isn't really in it for the $$. Hince the deactivation of the CM status. That was my case. I'm not someone who likes going out and getting the sales..but love to go to and have crops. Well...crops really aren't money makers. It's having classes and increasing your customer base that keeps the money comming in.

There's really not alot of ways to get CM product cheep enough to resale to make tons of money. So if she holding crops and gatherings and quitely selling some/litte CM products I really don't see anything wrong with it. She could even have something worked out with her old upline where she's actually showing the new things at her events but it's all comming from the actual CMC.

 

[MazdaUK]

That's a point! She might have an arrangement where she gets a discount off her own supply and just passes on the orders to the CMC - CMC gets extra orders and she gets cheaper goodies. (Bargain is good!)