One of the benefits of being a Scentsy consultant is that you are provided with a personal website where you can grow your team and take web orders.  You have the option of deciding on a name for your business or your web address. The address will look like https://whateveryoupick.scentsy.us (or .ca for Canadian consultants).  If you ask around you may get ideas on the “whateveryoupick” portion of your website.  Though the information below addresses six common errors when naming your Scentsy business website:

1. Double letters – particularly ss – i.e. janesscents you’ll lose people who never know if it’s one S or two.

2. Unkonventional spellings – kandles, etc. Generally you go with those unconventionals when what you really want is taken – meaning if wicklesscandles is taken and you opt for wicklesskandles you could inadvertently send people to wicklesscandles – someone else’s site.

3. Avoid dashes and dots – if you have to explain if it’s a dash or underscore, or dot, you’ll lose people.

4. ID numbers. In previous P&Ps we HAD to change our site and were not allowed to use that # in our address. Now the language is softer that you should or could change it. Though corporate has reminded us on a number of occasions to guard your ID# as you would your own SSN. That is the number that you need to login to sites or when you call corp. the first thing they ask for is your ID#. To avoid identity fraud and the possibility that someone can pose as you to change your account in any manner, don’t publish that number to anyone.

5. Anything that requires you to explain or further elaborate. If you respond “it’s mysite.scentsy.us” then most will be able to go there without problem. Even if you’re talking about publishing the site address, you want it to be easily memorable so they can go to it later, without the need to write it down for future reference.

If you have to audibly say – it’s “michelle” with two ell’s, or “for you” with the numeric 4, or “kathy” with a k…. anything that needs ‘fine print’ for someone to easily find you should be avoided. Even scents can be confusing – of course we all almost instantly think s-c-e-n-t-s but others may wonder if it’s sense or cents.

6. Think of connotation or what message are you sending and does it portray a professional image. Smell isn’t always a positive word where as odor isn’t either – though technically they simply mean or relate the the nose/olfactory. Smells is a verb, and not a noun, so if you’re making up a word to change it to a noun (as in such and such smells or sniff the smells) that falls under same as unkonventional spellings. Same for personal interests or hobbies – pookie.scentsy.us or squaredancer.scentsy.us may not be taken as seriously.

Before you flame me and defend your position why you may have chosen something similar to one outlined above, please keep in mind that these are not just my opinions, but also those of marketing and business guru’s when it comes to naming a business. I am also assuming that if you’re investing in a vinyl or decal then you are treating your business like a business and not as a hobby – else you likely wouldn’t go to the effort of marketing your business.

For those who are not business builders (and there are many, and that is totally fine and acceptable), then the naming conventions aren’t as important. I’m merely referring to business builders.

RYBLAB – Run Your Business Like A Business.

For some consultants, talking with people they do not know is no big deal.  Yet for others, the hardest element in promoting their direct sales business is opening their mouth to talk with strangers.  It truly does get easier with practice, though let’s face it, some people will never be terribly outgoing.  These cautious, observant people can be just as successful as those with sanguine temperaments.

Two questions I am frequently asked is “How do you approach people?” and “What do you say to the waitress, store clerk, receptionist, etc.?”

If you want an easy to remember lead in, one that is almost guaranteed you will not receive any rejection, try this:

“If you know anyone who likes [product], could you please pass this along?” Then hand the person a business card, sample, or catalog.

Most people will not refuse to take it.  Worst case is that they make take it, and later throw it away; but then you still were able to get out of your comfort zone and practice talking to people.  Best case is that you could get a new customer or recruit out of it.

This is a non-threatening approach because the person you’re talking with doesn’t immediately get on the defensive thinking you’re trying to sell anything; you’re merely asking for a referral.  The person you’re talking with could very well be the person who loves candles, lotions, supplements, jewelry or cooking.

Try those 13 words and then let me know it goes.

If you know anyone who likes [product], could you please pass this along?

Before I get accused of plagiarism, something for which I have high distain, allow me to tell you that I found the information below on Evan Carmichael’s site. It is taken from an article, same subject, by author Cyle Greenwell.  Ok, now that I’ve given credit where credit is due, how’s about we get on to finding out what separates successful people from unsuccessful people?

Step 1: Follow the proven system. If you wanted to be successful in real estate, wouldn’t you find someone who’s successful in real estate and then do what they do?

Step 2: Don’t quit. A lot of people quit their direct sales business before they can become successful.  They think they are going to get rich quick, but when that doesn’t happen, they quit. No successful direct seller ever thought to themselves, “If I don’t make it big in the next six months, I’m going to quit.”

Step 3: Be a Fisher rather than a Hunter. Being overly aggressive means that you are a hunter. When an animal is being hunted, it runs because it doesn’t want to be caught and killed. When you are fishing, you attract people. (note: there is much more excellent on point info on this fishing analogy in the original article).

Step 4: Work hard. Your direct sales business may be a flexible, lucrative business; but it’s still a business. It’s not a hobby. It takes good old fashion hard work.

Step 5: Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. Your business is limited to the size of your own personal growth. Income rarely exceeds personal development.

For Cyle’s entire article, click on Evan’s link above.

Dealing with Difficult Team Members in Your Direct Sales Biz? Read on …

I learned something recently, not everyone thinks I am as wonderful as I do.  Just kidding, I’ve known that for years.  That wasn’t a new revelation.

I received an email recently that could peel paint off prison walls.  ‘Have to admit that at first I thought WTH! Well, because 99% of it was unfounded, inaccurate and it blind-sided me.  It came out of nowhere.  Clearly I am not on this person’s Christmas list.  After the shock of it wore off and I shared it with two close professional associates and confidants, their remarks were “she must be on some funky medication that caused her to be delusional, confrontational and totally off her rocker”, and “don’t tell me, she’s a spoiled 30 yo who has a false sense of entitlement.”

No worries, I would never use this person’s name or break any confidence. No one knows the identity of this person unless she has chosen to disparage me to others.  Who it was in this particular case is of no importance, however it is a very real topic that happens to most of us who spend any time in Direct Sales.  It’s important to have the knowledge in your tool box so that you know how to deal with these kind of people, when situations like this arise.

Sadly, this person must really be struggling with something, as her note made her look like a buffoon.  Regardless, I hope she is ok and whatever is causing her unbalance works itself out.  I harbor no ill feelings and wish her well; I have always liked this person.  Besides,  I certainly couldn’t take such an attack seriously.

You can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose, or whatever that saying is!  Point being, once you’ve earned senior ranks in your direct sales business and you manage a large organization, this also equates to more people to complain about you.   It happens to all of us.  Don’t let it crush you.

Of course no one likes to hear such disrespect, insults and untruths.  But how do you recover?

1. You may be tempted to fire off an email in kind, telling the sender where to go.  Fight the urge. Remain professional. Sleep on it for a night. Rehashing, point counter point and providing documentation as to the error of her ways would solve nothing.
2. Look at the attack as an opportunity for self inspection.  Is there any truth to the slander and accusations?  Be honest with yourself.  If so, take it as an opportunity to learn and grow.  No one is perfect.  But if after you honestly consider the bull..oney that was flung in your direction, and you can sleep well knowing that you are not what the person says you are and that you are not guilty of the false accusations, then let it go.
3. Consider there may be factors in that person’s life causing such bizarre behavior.  You have no idea what people are going through.  Your difficult team member could be taking infertility medication which has been known to cause severe mood swings, agitation and unexplainable outbursts.  She could have just found out a loved one is ill, or her relationship is on the rocks.  Who knows? It could be any number of things.  But don’t take it personally. Rise above the fray.
4. If someone asks to be left alone, respect that.  Entering that bee hive will solve nothing.

Lastly, as Don Enck, of http://liveyourbest-life.com/ recommends with regard to dealing with difficult team members, “Take a close look at your team. Is this [negative] perspective the view of all your people? Or, are the ones who are kicking it and busting their butt the ones who are coming to you…no matter who you are perceived to be…for leadership and guidance? Experience has been that the PITA people are the ones who voice the most displeasure. Focus your energy on the ones who are doing the work. They say “like attracts like”. Be who you are. The right ones will come to you. The others will slowly drift away or adapt and come to learn that you really are a very genuine warm hearted leader. Be yourself. That’s where you shine!”

Now that I have room on my fireplace mantle where I thought my Miss Congeniality Award trophy would go, I’ll have to find some other tchotchke to put in its place!

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business. You can find Laurie at https://la.Scentsy.us, http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com or http://www.Twitter.com/thrivingcandle

Direct Sales offers the opportunity to learn from a number of people within your upline.  As your downline grows you will/can have hundreds or thousands of consultants within your group.  Once you reach senior ranks, time management skills are key to a successful business; the ability to set priorities is paramount if you are going to lead a large organization.

While I would not dare complain about having of team comprised of hundreds or thousands of consultants, having a large group does present some unique challenges; one being returning emails and phone calls.

The information below is actually for those consultants who leave messages for their sponsors, directors or managers.  Whether your leader has 20, 200, 2,000 or 20,000 consultants on the team, the information below is relevant.

If your voice mail sounds like anything below, you may not get a return phone call – either not in a timely fashion or possibly not at all:

1. Hi, it’s me, give me a call.  (Me?  Who is me?)
2. Hi, it’s Sara, can you call me please? (I have 13 people named Sara. How am I to know which one?)
3. Hi, this is Jane Doe.  I have some questions. Can you call me please? 123-555-2345 (Name is good. Number is even better.  “I have some questions” is far too ambiguous.)
4. Hi, this is Jane. I know you are busy.  I had really hoped to be able to talk to you.  I really could use some help.  I need some ideas.  I don’t know what to do. Blah Blah Blah… ninety seconds still talking, talking, talking about how you’re getting ready to get ready but yada yada yada …. Another three minutes later, still rambling about how I know you’re busy but wah wah wah. (Where to start with this one?  A five minute voice mail will never be listened to; absolutely no specifics – neither specific about what questions or specific about has been done up to that point, and absolutely no respect for the leader’s time to drone on and on and on).

Don’t assume your number came through on Caller ID, even if it does, yours could be in company with dozens of other calls. Make it easy for the person you called to call you back.  Don’t assume the caller knows who you are.  Err on the side of caution: This is Jane Doe is much better than just Jane or worse yet, Me.  You may think you’re creating intrigue by saying “call me” or “I need to talk to you”, but the truth is, if it’s not important enough for you to leave a subject, then it may not be important enough to return.

Also, respect your leader’s time.  “I somehow double charged a host’s credit card and instead of charging it $400, it charged $800 and she’s at the grocery store now and her card won’t go through!” might get a quicker response than “How do I order the new catalogs that I will need to use four weeks from now?” Wouldn’t you agree?

Or “I watched and listened to all the training modules. I asked people I know if they wanted to host a party. I set up a display and I still can’t get any bookings; can you help?”  Might get a call quicker than “I’ve done everything, nothing works, no one wants to buy any.”  (Really? Everything? No one?)

Don’t forget to leave your area code when leaving a phone number if you’re calling out of your local area.

The very best voice mail you could leave is one that is brief, yet chock full of information.  For example:

Hi, this is Jane Doe, I’m a consultant in your group, on Sue Smith’s team. I have a quick question about compensation.  I looked in the XYZ Guide but I’m still a little confused and just need some clarification.  Can you please call me at 123-555-2345. I’m on Mountain time and it’s now 5:30pm on Tuesday, August 3.  Again, it’s Jane Doe, 123-555-2345, thanks!

Hopefully, if you’re guilty of leaving sucky emails, you’ll now see the error of your ways.  From this point forward you’ll be able to leave a detailed, concise voice mail message and reap timely benefits because of it!

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business. You can find Laurie at https://la.Scentsy.us, http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com or http://www.Twitter.com/thrivingcandle

Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there are numerous ways that Scentsy consultants make their samples.  The information contained below is just one way.  Take what you like and discard the rest!

Why and how I use samples –

I don’t let any of my business cards leave my hands without having a wickless candle sample attached to it.  People generally desire to smell, touch, taste, or hear something before they’re truly sold on it.  Scentsy is no different.

Where I get the wax to use –

I don’t pay for the wax I use to make samples. When I place an order I always make sure it’s at least $150 or more so that I can take advantage of the hostess benefits, including free and half off items.  The wax I get with those perks is what I use to make the samples.  Generally I like to use the bricks, as it’s a better value; but I have also been known to use bars sometimes too.

What scents I use –

I have a couple standards that I like to use: Welcome Home, Clean Breeze and Vanilla Suede.  I chose those because they are drastically different from each other.  Clean Breeze and Welcome Home are in the Favorites category so those are definitely flagged as popular.  Vanilla Suede is a bit of a masculine/leather type scent and unique on its own.  It doesn’t really matter what scent(s) you choose to use.  No matter what – some will love it; and others not.

The process –

1. I generally start with a brick.  Then chunk off some wax with a butter knife, enough to fill a microwave safe dish.  I use a 2 cup Pyrex. (Shown here Rustic Lodge brick)
2. Microwave long enough to liquefy the wax – approx. 2-3 minutes. (Shown here Clean Breeze bar)
3. Pour the liquid wax into candy plastic molds. You can generally find the molds at craft stores such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby or various places online. You can oft times grab a coupon to these stores for 25-40% off their websites.  The shape of mold you use is up to you.  Some people like to get fancy and use hearts around Valentine’s Day or leaves in the fall, etc.  I mail many of my samples, so I have chosen to use very plain, simple rectangle molds – similar to the Andes chocolate mints you get at restaurants with your bill.  This way they are thin enough to avoid paying extra postage due to the USPS non-machinable surcharge.
4. I allow them to sit on the counter for a few minutes to start to harden.  When I can safely move the wax filled molds, I put them into the freezer for about 5-10 minutes to finish hardening.  This step also allows them to easily pop out of the molds by merely turning them over.
5. While the wax is in the freezer I prepare my business cards, annotating them with the scent of the sample.  I prefer simplicity and to work smarter, not harder.  Therefore I have a couple of self inking stamps that I ordered from vistaprint.com.  They are offered for FREE quite frequently – I just pay the price of postage which is generally $5 (+/-) depending on if you order other free items as well.  The stamps I ordered simply have the name of the scent on them – that’s it, such as Clean Breeze.  I set out a couple rows of business cards on the counter and in assembly line fashion stamp many at one time.  By the time the wax is ready to come out of the molds, the ink has also adequately dried on my biz cards, so that they won’t smear.
6. My samples are then placed into 2” x 3” bead bags.  These tiny zip lock bags can also be purchased at craft stores, Walmart, Target, Meijer or online.  I paid $1.09 for 100 bags at Meijer.
7. The sample is then stapled to the back of my business card.  I have heard of some consultants using larger bags and placing their business cards inside the ziplock.  I don’t care for that method because the card could become oily or goopy if the wax melts.  Also I think it’s easier to rip the sample off, then actually place it in a warmer, or purse, wallet, glove box, drawer, linen closet, etc. and then keep the card handy for future use.
8. The end. Samples made.

Where do I leave samples?

Look for a future post addressing this issue.  I have lots of ideas.  For now, I just wanted to put it out there how I make mine.  As I mentioned, there are many ways you can make samples.  This is just one method.

People often ask me what have I found most beneficial in building my Scentsy business.  The two tools that have helped me the most are 1: This www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com website and 2: samples.

Keep it simple!

Many direct sales companies advertise that you can start a business for only $39 (or $99 or whatever the cost of a starter kit). While I agree that in some cases you can start a business for that amount, you’ll likely need more of an investment to grow a business.

I’ve also seen some ads that tout the perks of “No Inventory” needed. I can certainly appreciate that lack of necessity or requirement for said inventory; however, I do not agree that is necessarily a good thing to be without inventory.

In fact, I contend that inventory is highly encouraged if you wish to grow your direct sales business. Many direct sales companies take one to three weeks to receive product once it is ordered.  In some cases, back orders occur and it can take even longer.  Who wants to pay for something and then wait three weeks before you actually get it?  Sure, many people do that, but imagine how much more your sales would increase if you had cash and carry available.

Whether you’re choosing to work your business via home parties, vendor events or one on one sales – we are in an age of convenience and impatience.  Customers will most likely take what you have rather than place an order and wait weeks.

Also consider the turn around time. If you’re at a vendor event and have on hand inventory, the customer who purchases from you will take the item home and likely either start using it immediately or show someone what she purchased. Assuming your product is a consumable, the customer will need a refill all the more quicker vs. the three weeks of downtime while waiting to receive her initial order.  Or if she shows it to someone that night “Hey look what I picked up at the craft show!” chances are greater for referral business, “Where did you get that? I want one!”

If your recruiting efforts include the words “No Inventory Needed”, you might want to change that to “If you’re able to stock up on a little inventory, it will really increase your sales ten fold.”

You’ve heard it before: It takes money to make money.  A small investment in some on-hand inventory will be money well spent.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business. You can find Laurie at https://la.Scentsy.us, http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com or http://www.Twitter.com/thrivingcandle

At least once each week, someone asks me to share how I have built a successful online direct sales business. While I am not a fan of form letters and automated responses, I thought for the sake of time management, I’d turn the response into a post since it’s such a common question.

I work my business entirely online. It’s possible to be successful with direct sales if you have internet marketing knowledge and experience. Without these two vital components, it’s definitely going to be quite the challenge unless you supplement it with offline activities as well.

I have always worked my current candle business online when I started in 2006.  I have never done a home or basket (catalog) party with Scentsy. I’ve facilitated plenty of those over the last 22 years I’ve been in direct sales, but none with Scentsy wickless.

With regard to whether or not there is too much online competition with all the consultants trying to work their business online, it depends on how you look at it. There certainly are far more consultants out there than when I started almost five years ago, but there are also so many more leads out there than could ever be satisfied by all the consultants. Also now Scentsy has brand recognition in many sectors, I’m more sought after online today. Initially no one had even heard of Scentsy flameless candles. People tend to be much more leery when they have no idea about the product or company.

I don’t pay for any advertising, but plenty of consultants do – either in Pay Per Click advertising, sponsored ads or a number of other advertising opportunities to rank high or drive web traffic. Nor do I pay for the services of a SEO expert. I know for a fact that some consultants are paying literally unbelievable and astronomical fees each month for their ranking/traffic. To be successful online you need to be prepared to invest a great deal of time or money or a combo of both.

I’ve achieved my ranking and success all organically which means I’ve invested human resources (me time) into employing various internet marketing techniques. I’m also self taught in internet marketing (read: I had no idea what I was doing), I just started reading and reading and learning, and studying the “art” of internet marketing. That’s also part of the time investment. It’s also very dynamic, so what I did or learned 18 months ago is old school now. I don’t know anyone personally who could help me learn it or even do some of the work necessary, so for me it is a large time investment.

I don’t mean to sound so ambiguous, but it’s just that learning IM is much like learning a 2nd language. It’d be if someone said that they really want to target the Hispanic community … but they don’t know how to speak Spanish. It’s certainly possible to learn but it just takes time (or good connections to people who already know what to do and have time to invest in your online business!)

It’s easy to teach someone how to do a home party or a vendor event or how to set up a display. Those are very task oriented activities. But teaching someone a second language takes a lot of work and time.  Also parties have a beginning and an ending date. You set it up, you do it, and you close it. Internet marketing is ongoing. You can’t just do it a little and expect favorable results (just like exercising!)

The short answer to the question “How do you work your business online?” is simply: Internet Marketing. If you know IM, then you know what that means and what it entails.  If you don’t know what that means, then perhaps working your direct sales business online isn’t the right platform for you right now.

You can still work your business offline while you learn internet marketing, just be prepared to view it as being in college to earn a degree or learning to speak a foreign language and you’ll have to work your homework daily.

Unfortunately a lot of consultants and prospects don’t get that above concept and needed time commitment. I can’t tell you how many prospects have contacted me and asked if I could teach them IM. I explain that I can certainly HELP them in their IM efforts, but it’s not realistic to expect a sponsor to have the time to “be a college professor to teach this degree program.” Internet Marketing coaches get paid big bucks to share their knowledge, skills and abilities. It’s a full-time business for coaches. I certainly can’t mentor my team/group full time and teach IM too.

I’d rather be authentic and upfront about that than tout unrealistic promises just to get them to sign on the dotted line.

I’ve lost a handful of prospects to other sponsors because apparently other consultants have “promised to teach them internet marketing.” Though, those same people are still Escential consultants after a year. So I guess it didn’t necessarily work out as they had hoped.

I encourage everyone to shop around for sponsors to find a good fit before joining. But I would also caution anyone who gets a promise from a potential sponsor that they’ll be taught IM.  Contact other existing consultants in her/his downline and ask them how much internet marketing coaching they received from their Sponsor.  That’ll be the true litmus test.

On more than one occasion someone has informed me that I come off raw or that I have a chip on my shoulder.  I’m sure this post will spark similar reactions.

For the record, I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, but I am very anti-fluff.  I tend to just say what is on my mind, and yes sometimes my delivery is a little edgy for some.  I do not apologize.  WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get!

While there are some very successful men in direct sales, a majority of direct sellers are women.  Working with a vast group of women can be challenging.  For what it’s worth, I’d rather have a male boss and a male roommate over a female any day.  There are a lot of emotions and hormones that come with teaming with large number of women.

If I had to single out one area that I could live without when it comes to direct selling, it’s the plethora of nonsense that I hear or read about on a daily basis.  Consultants are so busy worrying about what other consultants are doing.  I sometimes think I am surrounded by sixth graders.

She said this; why did she say that?  Did you know what so and so did?  You are not going to believe what she is doing now! She’s talking behind my back.  She’s jealous.  She got upset because I yada, yada, yada. You are not going to believe what she said to that prospect?  I saw her at a vendor event and she… And so it goes.

Awk!  People, just go sell the wax! (or makeup or kitchenware or home décor).  If you would spend 90% of the time minding your own business, and 10% keeping others out of yours, think how much more productive your business would be.

Surprisingly, there’s another group of consultants who are in denial. Pay attention, because I could be talking to YOU.  Yes… you!  You may not be the one gossiping about others, but you have been made aware that it is happening in your own team/leg.  Yet, if you feel the need to call me to tell me about consultant drama, as described as above – it’s still nonsense. It’s the same thing!  I don’t have time for nonsense, and neither should you.

I love helping my team members grow their business.  I will talk to consultants and prospects all day long, every day to help them understand processes, compensation, brainstorm, develop action plans, etc.  I love that.  But I don’t have a very sympathetic ear to listen to what I consider is “Your lips are moving, but all I hear is blah, blah, blah.”

You may not even know you’re doing it.  Take inventory of what comes out of your mouth.  If you don’t know that you’re spewing nonsense, believe me – others know it.  One litmus test is that you may find that you’re connecting to voice mail more often or if you do connect to your upline, she frequently only has a very brief amount of time to spend with you. Pay attention to these signals.

Starting immediately, get back to business.  Work your business.  Enjoy your business.  Refuse to entertain nonsense – both on the giving and receiving end.

Scentsy Wickless candles just signed its 100,000^th consultant this week. That’s quite a milestone.  When I started with the company, back in the olden days of 2006, there were only 500 consultants company wide. That’s such a wild concept considering my own personal group is larger now than the entire company was when I started my Scentsy journey.

As I sit here in my rocking chair, quilt on lap, reminiscing about what it was like to walk a mile to school, uphill, barefoot in the snow, I’ll share what it was like when I was a brand new Scentsy consultant.

My Starter Kit

I received a Java candle warmer as shown in the above photo, lower right image on left page of the catalog.  It was brown and shaped like a small coffee pot.  It’s now retired. The candle bar I received was Rum Cake.  It’s similar to our current Sugar Cookie, only about ten times stronger.  It’s now retired.  The room spray was Flower Shop.  The container was metal, not like the now plastic canister. It was very strong smelling; obviously floral and heavily rose scented. Not my favorite. It is now retired.

The party testers had metal caps on them (shown in above picture). There were no basket testers or mini testers. There was no New Consultant Start-Up Guide, no eBooks, I don’t think there was even much of a Policies and Procedures Guide.  When I asked if I could have an external website, they weren’t sure how to answer that as no one had one previously. The catalog was 12 pages, approximately 8” x 8” in size, warmers were priced at $14.95. I think bars were $2.95 each.

Products

We didn’t have midsize warmers or plug-in warmers; there were no Travel Tins. There was a brick included in the optional Consultant Scent of the Month kit, but it was wrapped in cellophane (I found an old chunk in the back of a drawer and is also shown in the above photo).  Bricks were not available for customers to purchase. Some of my favorite scents that are no longer around include Tuscan Garden, Rum Cake, Black Pepper and Clove, Pomegranate Orange Zest and Fresh Brewed Coffee. Hanging Fresheners were called Car Candles and they were not available in all scents.

Fairs and Shows

To give you an idea how small of a little group we were back in the olden days, if you wanted to do a vendor event, we just called Scentsy and told them how much inventory we wanted to “borrow” and they’d ship it out.  Then after the event, we could pay for what we used and then send back the rest if it didn’t sell.

Regional Seminars

The first regional event where I gave a presentation as a Director was called a “Blitz” (now known as World Tour). There was a spectacular turn out of almost 30 consultants and potential recruits.  It was the Midwest Blitz held in South Bend, IN.

Websites

The corporate consultant websites that we now have is the third one since I started. We’ve upgraded and migrated a few times.  There was no web policy at the time.  Initially I was told I could have an additional, external website because at the time our corporate replicated websites left much to be desired.  They were bare bones and served a purpose, but didn’t contain a great deal of information.

I built an extensive external website but once complete, I was then told that we could not use the word Scentsy or any of the images or product names.  So then I needed to rework the entire site to remove all references to the company, no secret keywords, no meta tags, nothing that had reference to Scentsy wickless candles. It was a generic “wickless candle” website and somewhat covert; no different really than those you see now for companies like Melaleuca that can only advertise as “wellness company”.

Then lo and behold, as with any young company going through growing pains, someone else came along and decided that we once again could have websites that used the word Scentsy, and could have product images and could once again be overt about it. If you want to survive working with a new or young company, you really need to be flexible and learn to adapt … a lot!

Everybody Knows Your Name

The theme song to the 1980’s television sitcom was “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” This is what it was like at Scentsy back in the good old days.  There were a handful of staff members, many of whom have since moved on to other ventures. Some of the original ones are still there, but it was very easy to get any one of them personally on the phone at any time, including Orville.

I could call up and say “This is Laurie Ayers” and would always get a friendly response like “Hi Laurie, how’s it going?”  Laurie Willis was the Customer Service department (yes I think she was the entire department then) so I didn’t want them to get confused, otherwise I could have omitted my last name and they’d still know who I was.

Bring Back My Bar

Next week, starting July 1, 2010 and running for the entire month of July, Scentsy is running a limited time only Bring Back My Bar Promotion.  Twenty scents that have been retired will be brought back so that you too can experience a whiff of Scentsy in the good old days.

Selected scents being brought back include: Eucalyptus, Strawberry Sweetie, Watermelon, Leather, Cashmere, Mysterious, Sizzlin Coconut, Fried Ice Cream, Key Lime Tortilla, Newborn Nursery, Luscious Lemon, Banana Nut Bread, Apples and Pears, French Vanilla, Cappuccino, Pumpkin Pie, Eggnog, Pink Plumeria Passion, Blackberry Bushel and Cheerful Day. You can read scent descriptions here. Don’t miss out – Set your Google Calendar, smart phone reminders or Outlook for next Thursday:  “July 1 – click on http://la.scentsy.us to order my favorite wax!”

Still Plenty of Room for More

Just because 100,000 people have decided to jump on the Scentsy wagon, there are currently approximately only 70,000 active consultants total – this includes all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Guam.  US Population in 2010 is 308 Million and growing.  Add another 33 plus Million people in Canada. You can clearly see that current Scentsy consultants only make up a tiny grain of sand in the vast sea of potential candle lovers so just let me know if you’d like information about starting your own candle business.

Didn’t See it Coming

I didn’t plan on starting a candle business.  I went to college for business administration and homeland security. Life takes some unexpected turns sometimes. I’m thrilled that I have been a part of Scentsy since the olden days and that I have made a contribution to the Scentsy of today and also of tomorrow.