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Laurie Ayers Scentsy Independent Consultant Blog

Lost My Miss Congeniality Award

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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.  I 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 okay 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. [Read more…] about Lost My Miss Congeniality Award

No Time for Nonsense

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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.

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

Scentsy in the Good Old Days

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discontinued scentsyScentsy Wickless candles currently has over 100,000 consultants. 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. [Read more…] about Scentsy in the Good Old Days

Do You Ever Clock Out From Direct Sales?

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If you’re a direct seller, are you always on the clock? Or as Kenny Rogers says, is it important to “know when to hold “˜em, know when to fold “˜em, know when to walk away “¦?” I would agree that there are opportunities literally everywhere to introduce your products or business opportunity to someone. Yet are there times that even if an opportunity presents itself, you should not take it?

For example, if you’re in the hospital sitting with a loved one who is ill, should you prospect the medical staff? Would it matter if the loved one was in Intensive Care or merely recovering from a common procedure?

If you learned someone just lost a pet, would it be acceptable to show a brief moment of sympathy and then approach the subject of your direct selling opportunity? Or should business be left to a separate conversation, at a more opportune time?

I am in a unique position to hear about hundreds of situations that happen each day in the direct selling world. All of my examples given have come from actual situations – sanitized to protect the innocent. I know what I consider acceptable, but I’d like to hear how you feel about golden opportunities for direct sellers.

Take “˜em if you get “˜em? Or not all opportunities need to be acted upon? Weigh in on this discussion.

Direct Sales Flies the Friendly Skies

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Recently I had yet another opportunity to travel via commercial airline. Anyone who has flown more than once likely shuts out the flight crew when the safety information is presented.   This trip was different.   As the flight attendant shared her traditional safety speech, I thought about the similarities with a Direct Sales Business.

“We’d like to tell you now about some important safety features of this aircraft. Many of you have heard the safety information before, but other have not and we appreciate if you make it possible for others to hear.   Also even if you are a veteran traveler, it would not hurt for you to re-familiarize yourself with our safety procedures.

Thanks for attending the [team meeting, regional seminar, annual convention].   Many of you have heard some of this information before, but other new team members have not, and we appreciate if you make it possible for the new recruits to hear.   Also, even if you’re a [Director, Manager], it would not hurt you to re-familiarize yourself with our policies and procedures.

When the seat belt sign illuminates, you must fasten your seat belt. Insert the metal fittings one into the other, and tighten by pulling on the loose end of the strap. To release your seat belt, lift the upper portion of the buckle. We suggest that you keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight, as we may experience turbulence.

When you start to build a downline, you must be prepared to lead a team.   Review the policies and procedures; hold regular trainings via telecon, webinar, or in person. To encourage your downline to lead their own teams, show them what they need to know, don’t do it for them.   We suggest that you stay in contact with new recruits, as they may experience turbulence during their initial flight. [Read more…] about Direct Sales Flies the Friendly Skies