The windows have been open the cats have been happy since it is nice and cool. Abby doesn't want to come inside from our walks. Instead she likes to roll in the grass and lay there with her ball. I can't blame her. The grass is nice and cool and feels great on my toes too.
And now for something completely different.....
Several of my friends are now in direct sales. Avon, Arbon, Pure Romance, Party Lite, Scentsy, Damsel in Defense, Thirty-One...I think that is it. Oh! Mary Kay. While I love the fact that they are excited about their businesses and are trying to build a clientele list and promote their products, I am just burned out with the whole direct sales things. I just can't do it. I can't justify the price of the products. I'm not paying $100 for a tote bag. I have a problem paying $20. I don't wear a lot of make up and I'm quite happy with Cover Girl and Revlon. I don't buy candles because I don't really burn then outside of pagan purposes and those are unscented candles for a reason. I'm very sensitive to scents and my cats like to eat candles. I don't particularly care for the face cleaning products because Clinique works best for me and last so much longer than anything from Mary Kay or Arbon. Damsel in Defense was pretty cool. I mean, tasers and sharp pointy sticks, but the consultant ruined it for me. She was completely unprofessional. Pure Romance is the only one I frequent because I love the products enough to buy them again. I can't live without the Coochy and the Body Dew. They make my skin feel wonderful after shaving and showering. Coochy also does wonders for my hair after I dye or bleach it. However, I keep getting invited to parties and made to feel like it is my obligation to go. I went to my fifth one last night. I'm done. I'm tapped out. So if you have a party, I will be happy to look at a catalogue and maybe place and outside order so you can get your party credit, but I'm no going to parties any longer. I'm just done.
On that note: Some advice to the consultants out there.....
During your party you need to be as professional as possible. Appearances are everything. 10 seconds is what it takes for another person to look at you from head to toe and make a judgment based on how you look. When you are trying to sell a product wearing a tank top, shorts, and flip flops, I'm not going to take you seriously. You are tying to promote your business. You need to look the part. Also, starting out, I understand you may need to have note cards and such, but after 6 months, you should not be reading from your cards. You should have your pitch down pat. You need to put down the security blanket and interact with your hostess and her guests. Speaking of, you need to be gracious to your hostess. She is the reason you are getting paid. Finally, I understand that your business depends of referrals and parties, but you need to remember that not everyone wants to book a party and when they say no, several times, you need to back off and accept the answer. I asked a consultant a price of a product and the first thing she said was, “Well if you book a party and for $200 in sales.....” I didn't ask about booking a party and I didn't ask what the price was after sales, I asked what the price was. She refused to tell me what the price of the product was. She kept trying to push me into booking a party. It was incredibly frustrating. I just ended up walking away. She lost a potential sale, and any potential future sales that she could have made from me if I actually booked a party, because of that. There is a fine line between trying to encourage a person into booking a party and being down right rude. Something to keep in mind.