Join & Buy Scentsy

By Income Wax, Inc.

Marketing

Is That Business Idea Really a Good Idea

By Leave a Comment

When you start a direct selling venture your sponsors and fellow consultants can provide wonderful ideas to build your direct sales business. No sense reinventing the wheel. Take the experience from veterans and learn from them.

Sounds like pretty sound advice, yes? It certainly can be wonderful advice. However one word of caution: Test Everything.

Not all business ideas are good ideas. Some ideas may be obsolete – what worked in 1989 probably won’t work today. Other ideas may work well in one geographic area but would flop where you live. Still others may initially sound like a good idea, though after further consideration may create a threat to your personal safety.

For example:

Good Idea? One idea that recirculates every couple of years within the direct sales community is to affix business cards or catalogs to the outside of your car while you are parked in public. Some suggest using a magnetic locker caddy; others prefer using suction cup shower caddies. The idea behind it is that while you’re in the mall or grocery store, other patrons will walk past your vehicle, take a catalog or business card and then potentially be your next customer or recruit.

Bad Idea. I emphatically discourage any home based consultant from employing this tactic. Do you really want complete strangers knowing what kind of vehicle you drive or that your vehicle at that very moment could contain the candles, jewelry, or kitchenware that you’re promoting? How easy would it be for someone to lie in wait, and then follow you home – because surely you may have some inventory at home and possibly even a stash of cash from a recent party? Instead of “Take One“ or “Free“ you might as well hang a sign that says “Follow me home if you want to burglarize me; I have a stash there!“ Or “Expensive Inventory on Board“

It’s also a waste of your marketing collateral. Kids or competitors would love to take your catalogs and business cards. They’ll end up in the round file or scattered all over the parking lot. Then perhaps the facility manager can give you a personal phone call – no not to place an order, but to inform you about their no solicitation policy and fine for littering.

Good Idea? Approach at least three people a day about your products or opportunity. [Read more…] about Is That Business Idea Really a Good Idea

Naming Your Scentsy Business Website

By 1 Comment

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. [Read more…] about Naming Your Scentsy Business Website

13 Important Words for Shy Direct Sellers

By Leave a Comment

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?

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, https://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com or https://www.Twitter.com/thrivingcandle

Direct Sellers Stick to Your Own Product Line

By Leave a Comment

Something has been baffling me for quite some time.   Mayhaps someone can explain it to me.   Why do some direct sales independent consultants use product lines, other than their own, to promote their products?

For example, if you sell candles, wouldn’t it make the most sense to give away a wax sample of a popular scent?   Or if you sell herbs and spices, wouldn’t you want to provide potential customers with a sampling of your top selling Scampi Blend?

Certainly this may seem like a blinding glimpse of the obvious; but bear with me.   I know of some consultants who take the time and expense to make up labels bearing their contact information and company website, only to then purchase mini-chocolate bars and wrap them with their labels.   This would be adorable if you were in the chocolate business or even the customized label business.   Not so much for kitchen gadgets or candles.

Likewise I’ve witnessed some consultants begging for promotional items such as chap-stick, bearing their consultant contact information.   Okay, if you sell cosmetics and you’re offering a sample of your own product line.   However if you’re trying to promote children’s toys, can’t you find something within your own product line to offer rather than someone else’s lip moisturizer?

Consider the bottom line.   Consider profit margin.   Consider whether or not what you’re about to participate in will increase sales – that is, sales of your own product line.   Cute and adorable will only take you so far in business.   If the action you take today won’t lead you closer to the next customer, hostess or recruit, it might be time to rethink your action plan.   If you’re a direct sales independent consultant, you’ll do well to stick to offering your own product line.

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 or https://www.Twitter.com/thrivingcandle

Use eBay to Promote Your Direct Sales Business

By Leave a Comment

Many direct sales companies prohibit the practice of selling their company product line on eBay or other online auctions. Yet why not use that auction vehicle to sell your non-direct sales items and then include a company catalog and sample along with the winning item?

You never know where your next customer is going to come from. You already know that anyone who wins your eBay auction is already comfortable making purchases online. It’s not going to cost you anything extra to include some of your business marketing collateral with the package that contains the red leather boots or Laverne and Shirley DVD that you just sold.

You can also create an About Me page at eBay to tell the world about yourself and your interests. You can use this page to:

·       Let the eBay community know who you are.
·       Show off your fabulous finds.
·       Display your items up for bid.
·       Describe your favorite hobby.

Keep in mind that while you may include links to your About Me page in your listings, you may not include language within those links that promotes items or other Web sites.   You can link in your auction listing “Check out my About Me page” but your About Me page cannot have a “Click here to go to my Direct Sales Web Store” link.

eBay allows only a few links from a listing page because the primary purpose of the listing page is to describe the item for sale. The About Me page is a permitted link because it lets others in the eBay community learn more about the seller, helping the buyer to make a more informed decision prior to purchase.

Now that you know the rules as far as eBay is concerned with regard to linking; and hopefully you fully understand your direct sales company policies and procedures as far as selling on eBay is concerned.   Since you know what you can’t do – that should also mean that you know what you can do.

Think outside the box to get to your target market.   If you sell candles through your direct sales company, then find a non-DS candle either from your own closet or from the thrift store, and list that for sale with a $.99 opening bid.   Why? Because anyone who bids on and wins that candle will most likely already enjoy candles.   True you may not make much of a profit on that auction item after considering fees, yet it’s given you a free opportunity to include a catalog and sample of your direct sales candles.

I wouldn’t invest too much time using this method of advertising your direct sales business.   Yet if you already have a possession that you’re going to list on eBay then take full advantage of the sale and legally promote your direct sales business.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/ or for updates on Facebook LIKE www.facebook.com/ThrivingCandleBusiness and twitter @directsalesblog