And all this time, the opportunity of Arbonne sat there. I was already technically a consultant. But still. I was not convinced direct marketing was for me. Then one day, as I was talking to someone abut how much I loved my skin care routine and how great my skin was in comparison to how it used to be, it suddenly dawned on me that I was “selling” the product. That’s when I had my first epiphany. I didn’t have to be a “sales person”, I just had to love the product. And I didn’t have to love ALL the products, I just had to love what I used, get to know the other products, and help people choose what would probably be best for them. And if it didn’t work out for them, well, not everything was for everyone…I could cheerfully refund them, and it could still be a happy experience. It also dawned on me that it would be MY business. I could offer whatever special incentives I wanted, and I could decide to not push when I didn’t want to. I could learn from the methods of those I trusted and admired, but I could do whatever I wanted. I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do, even if my upline had slightly different methods than myself. I didn’t have to sell like a salesperson. I could sell like me.
Don’t get me wrong, I was still scared. I still am. I don’t like to get that look that some people give you when you say you do home parties or sell skin care products. I don’t like calling people I barely know, but experience has now told me that most people don’t mind if you are quick, and some people really do want to hear from you. If they didn’t, they would give you their phone number. Also, like anyone else, I wanted to be proud of what I did, and, as I mentioned, people tend to look at you all cross eyed when you mention network marketing and direct sales. However, I thought of something I recently told my eldest daughter when she complained about people judging her for how she looks. I said “Well, this is your opportunity to prove them wrong.” I realized that I had the opportunity to change peoples mind about this type of business. My love for the product and the realization that Arbonne was an opportunity to have my own business to run as I saw fit, pulled the Arbonne opportunity front and center into my mind.
Still, though, there were the other concerns, investment was a huge one. Initially, I was like, ”They want me to pay them to sell their product? You have to be kidding!” At some point , though, it dawned on me that if I looked at it as a franchise, I was getting a major deal. Think of it this way. You want to open a Subway chain., so you pay a fee to open, then you pay a yearly fee. A franchise fee is normally $20,000 to $50,000 and does not cover stock, building costs, or legal fees required to start a business. Yet people pay this money all the time to have their own business and benefit from carrying the name of a chain. Suddenly, I no longer wanted to complain about a $109 yearly fee and the fact that I had to purchase my own catalogues. I didn’t even need a building and the amount of on hand stock was up to me! Granted, I still wasn’t sure I wanted to spend money on starting my own business, but it became very clear that as far as business start up costs, this was certainly the way to go. Ultimately, I sat down, computed what I thought I needed to start my business, and fell under the $2,000 mark. And honestly? In retrospect, I could have bought even less and made it work just fine. A new consultant also gets a lot of perks, namely the $700 for $350, and if you place your order like a party using that deal, you also got a free product, a $100 for $20, free shipping and other additional discounts on specific products. This seriously cut my costs down. Knowing what I know now, I probably could have gotten off the ground spending under $500. At this point, I was pretty much hooked on the idea, and was only left with the time issue.
So OK. Who couldn’t use more time? If I didn’t have time for Arbonne, I didn’t have time to go back to work or, God forbid, start any business. When I realized this was my last drawback, the last obstacle between me and Arbonne, I decided to go for it. Besides an initial investment, what did I have to lose? And surely, I reasoned, I could stick with it long enough to at least make that money back, even if I hated it or didn’t make anything from it. Sell enough retail product, and you make 35% no matter how you slice it. So I took the plunge. I had already had my opportunity for the $700 for $350, so I signed my husband up as a preferred customer under my name, constructed a party, and proceeded to order everything I thought I needed to get started taking advantage of every 50% off and $20 for $100 and free product that I could scrape up. The boxes, when they arrived at my house, were amazing, it was an Arbonne Christmas in April when they arrived! That’s when I really truly got excited. I was listening to Learn and Burns that assured me that Arbonne could fit into the “nooks and crannies” of my life, and now, I am ready to see what happens!
If you would like to explore the idea of doing this yourself, please contact me or visit my site
www.sensationalskincare.myarbonne.com
Also, watch the opportunity video..these are real people with real lives. Once you get to listening to the Learn and Burns (which I will end up discussing quite a bit here, I am sure), it really drives home that anyone who wants to can do this, and it is so possible to be successful in this business. It isn't just a handful making all the money, there is enough for everyone!
-Carli
www.sensationalskincare.myarbonne.com
www.sensationalskincare.myarbonne.com
Are you still selling on Ebay and Etsy?
ReplyDeletewholesale liquidation pallets