Making Bulk Samples

Here's a fast, easy, inexpensive way to make bulk samples when you need a bunch to hand out at an event like a fair or a show. (I was making these for a school carnival.)

I used a breakaway candy mold (purchased at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. It has 64 squares.) Then I melted two squares of a brick in a syrup pour-er (used the crockpot), and poured the contents into the mold.


The wax begins to set up in only a few minutes.

Once it set up a little, I put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Then I just flipped it over. The wax pops right out and easily breaks into little pieces about the size of a Chicklet. I put each sample in a little plastic bag (purchased from Hobby Lobby, 100 for $2.50) along with a business card.

You can make literally hundreds of these in very little time, for just pennies apiece.

Updating Basket Testers for Transition

I have 3 sets of basket testers. With the Fall/Winter transition, I needed to update them. But I didn't want to go to the expense of buying new containers (I get my containers and labels from http://www.samplecontainerstore.com/. They have been great to work with.) So I decided to see if I could update using my existing containers. I found that I could, and I found an easy way to do it.

First, I sorted out the outdated basket testers. I discovered the wax would pop right out with a knife. I popped it out and put it in little bags, using the labels from the basket testers, to use for samples and gifts.

Most of the containers came pretty clean after a good swish in hot, sudsy water. (A few stained a little, mainly scents that were red or orange. I decided to use these for like-colored new scents.)

Then I put the new Fall/Winter party testers into my crockpot to soften them (did this in groups of about seven). (Later, I also tried putting them in the oven at about 150, and this worked too.)

I used the small side of a mellon baller to scoop out a ball of wax and put it in the little containers.

Then I closed them up, and put them back in the crockpot.

They melted really quickly, and then I took them out and put the labels on them. (In retrospect: it would have made better sense to put the labels on first, before putting the wax in.) They also set up really quickly once they were out of the crockpot.

This was a really fast, easy, cheap way to update my 3 sets of party containers. It worked great!

Learning from a Bomb

I debated whether to do this post, but decided that I want to be honest about "failures" as well as successes. Plus this might happen to someone else. So here goes.

My teenage daughter and I decided to have a party for her school friends. We scheduled it for Sat Sep 5 from 11-1. She handed out 25 invitations at school.

Well, guess what? No one came. Not one. I didn't know how many to expect, but I surely didn't expect that not a single person would come.

At first I was really disappointed. Then I started thinking. It was a holiday weekend. She handed the invitations out on the Wednesday before. We didn't make any reminder calls. Plus these were teenage girls. I told my daughter she ought to talk to her friends at school on Monday and see if anyone wanted to buy, but she felt funny about "bugging" her friends. And she is a teenager after all, so I didn't pressure her.

Bottom line? Here's what I think:

1. Watch for big potential conflicts when you schedule parties.

2. Make reminder calls the night before.

3. After a show, call those who didn't come. Sometimes they just forget. Sometimes they wanted to come, but couldn't, and still might order. It doesn't hurt to follow up. Sometimes I have gotten more orders on followup calls after a show, than at the actual show itself.

4. If you're going to do direct selling, you're going to have some disappointments. You have to learn how to recover from them and move on if you want to succeed.

That's what we're going to do.

Scent/Warmer of the Month

Someone recently posted on one of the forums, "How can consultants afford the Scent/Warmer of the Month?"

I had the same question, so I did some calculating.

The Scent/Warmer of the Month combo costs $60/month. Here's what is in the Scent/Warmer of the Month, and what it's worth (retail price):

1. Warmer of the Month = $30 (usually)
2. Basket tester = .75
3. Party tester = 2.00
4. Room Spray = $8
5. 6 bars = $30
6. Brick = $20
7. Flyers = ?

That's $90.75 in product (retail value).

You'll receive a 25% commission on the $60 price. That means you're really out $45 for the Scent/Warmer of the month combo. (I'm not figuring in tax here, because I figure it will be a wash in what you pay when you buy, and what you charge when you sell.)

It also means if you sold all of the contents at regular retail price, you would double your money (you pay $45, the retail value is about $90.75). Depending on your rank, you might make more. That's a 100% profit! If you choose to sell all the product, the Scent/Warmer of the month kit is the most profitable Scentsy product available.

Another way to look at it is, you pay $45 and have about $45 in product to work with for freebies. Everyone knows that freebies are a big part of generating excitement. Well, the Scent/Warmer of the month combo is how you can afford to give away freebies.

You can use the brick to make samples for very little cost - especially important if you need to make samples in large quantities, such as when you're doing an event (fair, show, fundraiser, etc). Or you can use the warmer/bars as giveaways, or for drawings (to get mailing lists for future sales/parties).

A few other thoughts:

* The Scent/Warmer of the month combo counts towards your personal retail sales volume, which increases your rank and helps you to stay active.

* The combo helps you have something new and fresh to put in front of your customer base every month. Sometimes someone will have a party, just because they want to get a certain warmer (I think this is going to happen with this month's Jack-o-Lantern warmer). At any rate, it gives you a reason to communicate with your customer base, especially past hostesses.

It really all depends on what you want to do with your Scentsy business:

* If you want to be more of a personal use consultant, or want to run things more on a low-commitment, low-volume basis, then yes, the Scent/Warmer of the Month combo is a big financial commitment. (And there's nothing wrong if this is what you want to do - it should be what fits into your life and your goals at any given point in time.)

* But if you want to rev up your business, work hard, sell more, and make serious money, then the real question isn't "How can I afford to do it?" The real question is, "How can I afford not to do it?"

Scentsy Can be Anything You Want

One of the main reasons I like Scentsy is because Scentsy can be anything you want it to be. Truly.

If you want to be a "personal use consultant" (one who's in it mainly to get discounted products), you can. Scentsy is EASY to maintain active status in. All you have to do is have one qualified party ($150 in sales) every 3 months. That's only four $150 parties a year.

One consultant I talked to doesn't even do that. She has two parties a year, and places two inventory orders a year (selling the inventory at the parties). Her life is very full and busy, and that's all she wants to do right now.

[When you do the math for this scenario, it's really quite compelling: If the lowest-ranking consultant - Escential - places two inventory orders a year, she will receive a commission of $30 on each $150 order, for a total of $60 in commissions. That means she really only needs to put out $240 on the two inventory shows ($300 - $60). Then, if she has two $150 parties in a year, she will earn another $60 in commissions ($30/show). If she applies that $60 to the two inventory orders, she really only need to put out $180 on the inventory orders ($240 - $60). Most likely, that $180 will easily be covered by her two "paying" shows.]

And heck - you can place a $150 show yourself, just by doing all your Christmas, birthday, teacher, wedding, bridal, thank-you, and other incidental gift shopping for the year, all at one time!

On the other hand, if you want to totally go for it and create a career, you can. I spoke with one consultant at Convention who is making a six-figure income with Scentsy. She has been in it four years and she works very, very hard. But I know lots of women who have had their jobs for four years and work very, very hard, and none of them are making what this consultant is making. She projects a 50% increase in her income this year (based on the year so far). No one who is working a "regular" job gets a 50% pay raise in a year - at least, I've never heard of it - and especially not in a recession!

With Scentsy, you can work when you want to work. If you want to take the summer off, you can. If you want to take December off, you can. You mark out the days you want to work on your calendar, and you work those days. Of course you also have to take the initiative to fill up your schedule.

It's also true that a lot of the work of Scentsy (making calls & emails, filling orders, managing inventory, etc.) can be done at home in little bits and pieces as it fits. And a lot of the work of Scentsy can mesh right with what you're doing already (talk to someone at a soccer game, hand out samples at the bank, put a car vinyl on the car you drive every day anyhow).

I have been involved with five direct-selling companies at various times in my life: Pampered Chef, lia sophia jewelry, Jafra cosmetics, BeautiControl skin care, and Scentsy. Of all these companies, Scentsy has the best career path and compensation plan.

Most companies require you to sell a monthly quota to retain active status. Scentsy has a quarterly quota, and everyone else's monthly quota is higher than Scentsy's quarterly quota (which is only $150!) So Scentsy is the easiest company to stay active in. That's important, because you have to stay active to retain your rank and your downline, which have a big effect in determining your income.

With every other company, if you miss your quota or go inactive, you lose out big. For example, with Lia Sophia, you lose your downline. With Pampered Chef, you start over from ZERO on your lifetime sales (which drops your rank, which drops your pay).

With Scentsy, you retain your rank as long as you stay active (you aren't paid certain commissions that month if you don't hit the monthly quota, but you don't lose your downline either). Plus, Scentsy's personal sales quota that you have to hit in order to receive commissions on your downline in any given month, is only $500. That is very low, in the direct-selling world.

What all this means is that Scentsy's compensation plan is far more flexible and generous than anyone else's. So it cuts both ways: if you don't want to work a whole lot, Scentsy is flexible enough to let you do that. If you want to go for it, work hard, and earn a good income, Scentsy will get you there faster than anyone else.

For myself, I'm more at the "personal-use" end of the consultant spectrum right now. But I also like the idea that if I wanted to move more to the "make-money" end of the spectrum, everything I'm doing now is positioning me to do so, should I decide I want to kick it up a notch or two.

Besides, I'm sure having a lot of fun where I'm at!

Notes from Prospecting Workshop at Convention

Here's my notes from the Prospecting workshop I attended at Convention. It was done in kind of a Q & A format, with a panel of four SuperStar Directors (I think they may have been different every session). These notes aren't necessarily complete, but they're what struck me.

Always be prepared to prospect.
* Keep catalogs, car candles, business cards in your purse or bag so you can hand them out at any time
* You never know when you'll have an opportunity
* The worst they can do is say no

Tell people about Scentsy every day.
* Try to tell 5-10 people every day.

* Make it work in your life.
* You can send emails with links to the catalog.
* The key is to not give up.
* Put catalogs out at doctors/dentists offices.
* If you talked to 2 people a day for 4 years, you would talk w/ about 3000 people in four years!
* Talk to people in lines
* Give small gifts to people you see all the time (ie, car candle to your banker)
* Don't try to force things - let people work on their own time - has to fit
* Make lists of people you know

Using the Internet
* Facebook
* MySpace
* LinkedIn
* Message boards
* Forums
* Yahoo groups

Believe in your business and have a goal
* Know where you want to go
* Attach time limits to your goals
* Put sticky notes and visual reminders up to remind you of your goals

Recruiting
* The best customers in your current customer base are prime for recruiting

Competition
* Let them go to WalMart, they'll come back
* Be gracious and give them a discount when they do
* Say "Actually, mine is free" and explain how they can get it for free
* Explain how Scentsy compares to the competition, price-wise

Booking
* Know your community
* Avoid "bad nights" in your community (for example, Mondays in Utah)

Successful shows
* Give out personal invitations
* Reminder calls the day before
* Theme parties (cookie exchange, recipe exchange, mexican party, banana splits)
* Mystery hostess
* Rewards for bringing a guest

Dealing with Setbacks
* "If times are tough, you just work harder"
* Don't quit
* Success might be just around the corner
* For everyone who says no, there's someone else who's looking
* Don't get sucked into "the economy's bad" trap

Why Scentsy works
* It's simple
* It appeals to everyone

They paid ME to go to Convention!

Frankly, I was amazed at the generosity of the giveaways at Convention.

I was given two mid-size warmers @ $25 each (everyone got one, and I got an extra from the tiara game, which is its own whole story, thanks Lynda!); a Design-It-Yourself warmer & rub-ons ($30 + $10); a commemoriative warmer (I figure $30?); a full-size warmer ($30); and a tangarine plug-in ($15) (the plug-in isn't in the picture because my daughter confiscated it as soon as she saw it). That's $165 in warmers and the plug-in.


Close-up of Commemorative and Full-Size Warmer (Zeus, from new line):

Close-up of Design it yourself warmer (with rub-ons added - my daughter couldn't wait!):

Close-up of two Mid-Size warmers:

I was given two T-shirts, a Scentsy Travel Tin ($5), a set of Fall/Winter catalogs ($20), a Scentsy bar ($5), and two CDs (one training, one promotional - I think they cost $1 each, so that's $2). That's about $32.


And finally, at the end of the second session (I think), we were each given a box.


When I opened it up ...


... it was a FULL SET of both basket and party transition testers ($19.95 + $53.20 = $73.15)!!


I paid $150 to in registration, and I received about $270 in FREE merchandise! So I figure they paid ME to go to convention!

Plus my director gave me a goodie bag, and Scentsy paid for 3 meals + speakers + entertainment!

(Note: I live 45 minutes away, so I didn't have to buy a plane ticket or pay for a hotel room or rental car - but with some planning ahead, and if you were able to share, I think you could minimize those expenses.)