Now, how can I help you find out the truth about direct sales and help you find the PERFECT one for you to join? It's simple. I'm going to let you do it yourself.
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Answer the questions below as honestly as you can and figure out which company has what you need to be successful.
1. What is your passion?
- Is it beauty or skincare related?
- If so you should explore options within that niche aka Perfectly Posh, Jafra, Avon, Mary Kay, Arbonne, Nerium. Jamberry nails, and BeautiControl
- Is it Makeup?
- How about: Younique Cosmetics, Avon, Mary Kay
- Fashion?
- Check out LulaRoe, Carlisle, Vault Denim, Stella & Dot, and Agnes and Dora.
- Jewelry?
- Paparazzi, Park Lane, Cookie Lee, and Silpada Designs
- Natural living?
- DoTerra, Young Living, Beyond Organic, and Norwex
- Weight loss and Health?
- It Works, Advocare, and Team Beach Body
- Decorations or Home Goods?
- Scentsy, Pink Zebra, Celebrating Home, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, and 31
2. Do you want an experienced company or a ground floor opportunity?
Companies that have existed for years have pros and cons, as do new companies. You have to ask yourself if you are willing to take a risk and you need to make sure that it is a calculated risk. If a company is less than 6 months old you may want to wait.
I love that my company has relatively few consultants compared to our competition (Mary Kay and Avon). The disadvantage of going with a company with many customers is that many customers who love the product also have a consultant. Your primary job is convincing people to buy from you.
In a smaller company your main obstacle is that no one has heard of your product. The majority of people I encounter have never heard of Perfectly Posh. I have the advantage of being the one to introduce them to this product line and they then want to be my customer. This is also an advantage in finding new consultants.
If a customer loves Posh so much that they want to sell it too, most likely they will sign up under the consultant who introduced them to Posh.
3. Would you rather sell super affordable products or more expensive products?
Do you feel more comfortable selling a very affordable product that may not last as long or selling a quality product with a higher price tag?
Will you be hesitant to sell something with a higher price tag? Will you be constantly worried about the quality of your product if it is cheaply made?
You need to figure out for yourself where you fit into this spectrum. I am a cheapskate. I love finding a good bargain. Sometimes I dread telling someone that my Dead Sea Salt body scrub costs $24, but I find comfort in knowing that once they try my product they will absolutely LOVE it.
4. How much do you want to pay to start? What do you get for your start up fee?
Start up fees are typically around $99. Some are cheaper and some are more expensive. If you are really strapped for cash, you probably want to pay $99 or less. If you have more money you can consider options at all price points.
Another very important thing to consider is the value of what you get for your start up fee. I received almost $300 worth of full size resalable product in my Perfectly Posh starter kit. I knew that if I changed my mind I could sell my product and actually earn money instead of lose it. The kit also came with about $100 worth of business supplies. I had everything I needed for my business in this kit.
If a kit does not come with at least as much retail value as you are paying, I wouldn't pay for it. I have been very lucky to join a very generous company. If a company is stingy with their start up kit, it is not a good indication of things to come.
5. Do you need to be paid monthly or more often? How much do you want to earn?
For many people, being paid monthly is not enough. If you have other income then this is fine, but if you want this to be your sole income it will be very difficult to make it work. Look at how you are paid and how much product you need to sell to meet your financial goals. Think of your potential customer base and how much you can realistically sell.
If a company has a very high commission percentage but very low priced products it may be hard to sell enough to equal a company that has a just slightly lower commission percentage but quality products with average price points.
For example: I can throw a Paparazzi Jewelry party and sell about $300 worth of jewelry pretty easily. If I have about 10 guests and they each buy about $30. On the other hand if I have a Perfectly Posh party my sales are likely to be higher. People will still want to buy a few items and those that want to buy 5 and get the 6 free will likely spend at least $70. 10 guests times by an average of $50 per guest would be $500. My commission would be approximately $125 per party as a Pink consultant.
6. Do you want to recruit and form a team?
Do you have a desire to jump into your business and recruit others to join you? If your answer is no, or if you are joining a company that already has thousands of consultants in your area, you need to consider how this will impact your commission.
Many companies offer a higher personal commission based on your team's sales. If you don't want to recruit, make sure you can be satisfied with a commission rate based solely on your sales. For example Perfectly Posh taps out at 25% if you don't have a team.
Many companies offer a higher personal commission based on your team's sales. If you don't want to recruit, make sure you can be satisfied with a commission rate based solely on your sales. For example Perfectly Posh taps out at 25% if you don't have a team.
For example if you join Company A that has around 600,000 consultants and you can name 4 that you personally know of, you are going to have a lot of competition for both customers and recruits. Once again the positive is that your company and product is already well known, but recruiting may be a hurdle.
7. Are there minimum inventory requirements? Monthly quotas to hit? A dress code? What are the rules?
Some companies have very few rules while others are very structured. Do you want to be able to be creative and make your business your own? How much guidance do you want or need?
Some companies have a lot of expectations for their consultants. Make sure you know what you are getting into and make sure it is what you want. Something that I love about my company is that there are very few rules. The rules they do have make perfect sense. (We can't sell to each other and we need to disclose at all times that we are an independent consultant).
Thanks for reading!! Have fun exploring all of your amazing options!
Disclaimer: I am a Perfectly Posh Independent Consultant. I included the many Perfectly Posh examples because it is what I know from experience. I tried my hardest not to include horror stories that I have heard about one company in particular.
I urge you to do your own research and to ask former consultants and consultants who will give you an honest opinion about their company for any answers you cannot find on your own.
I had known the person who became my sponsor long before Perfectly Posh. I knew I could trust her, but even then I just asked general questions without letting her know I was interested. As far as she knew, I was only asking as a friend (a friend who at that point hated direct sales and never had a desire to join one).
I also asked a few other consultants who I found through Instagram. I told them I already had someone to sign up under so they could be honest in answering my questions. They all told me it was a very fun company to join and that they did not regret it.
