Arbonne

[PM_Mama00]

Anyone sell it? Or bought it? My friend is in the business and is trying to get me to start up a "company" thing or whatever they are called. This girl I went to high school with is 20 years old and driving a Mercedes.

Sounds like a great deal but too good to be true. Any ideas?

[AlphaSigOU]

Three words... Multi Level Marketing.

The product may be good, but you have to really sell stuff in order to get the commissions and bonuses and the cars. Plus you have to lure additional people to get to sell stuff for you, in which you get a cut of the profit.

[WCUgirl]

From what I know of Arbonne, it is like Mary Kay, except the angle is that the makeup products are all- nautral. One of the panhellenic ladies here sold it for a bit, and I remember her commenting that the mascara is "bat poop free!"

[Tippiechick]

I LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Arbonne's foundation. It tends to have more coverage than most, and it works well with my foundation brush. That's about all I know of it, though.

[AOIIalum]

I went to an Arbonne party this weekend and I was not impressed. The products were pricey and did not impress me at all. Her sales pitch (so to say) seemed very "Amway" to me and really turned me off. If you won't truly use the products in your regular life, don't sign up. That goes for any DS company, not just Arbonne.

Questions to ask before signing up with any DS company:

How much does it cost to actually become a consultant (kit purchase, materials, paperwork, internet fees, etc.)? Are there any additional annual fees to sell the product?
Am I required to keep inventory? If not, is it strongly recommended?
What discount (if any) do I get on inventory or show display item purchases? On personal use purchases?
How much do I have to sell to make the base commission? What about incentive or bonus possibilities?
Is this figure based on weekly, monthly, quarterly sales? How is it paid (check, direct deposit) and how often (weekly or when)?
What tax forms are provided by the company? Is any tax preparation help available through the company?
Can I submit my customer and personal orders online?
Are there any restrictions on sales, advertising or use of company logos, etc?
Do you provide a personal website for consultants? If so is it required? Also, what fees are there for personal websites?
Can your customer do online reordering, and if so, do you get full credit?
Can I really just be a part-time or "friends and family" type consultant if that's what you want?
If I'm more of an occasional or part-time consultant, will I still get news updates and training opportunities the same as anyone else in the upline?
If I don't achieve a certain level of sales and/or sponsoring do I lose my status? How long do I have to regain or rebuild before fully losing that status?
How many meetings and trainings do I have to attend? How many are available to me on a monthly basis? Are they local or do they involve travel? If so, can I drive or will I have to fly?
How long does it take to achieve the top consultant level, if this is something you are interested in?

If you are interested ask if you can attend a training session or two before signing anything. If they say no, RUN. If they say yes, remember that often the theme of those trainings will be sponsoring and selling guests on how great "Party Plan" is so that you'll sign up on the spot. Read everything, ask questions, make sure you understand what is required of you as a consultant with "Party Plan" before signing one piece of paper.

Disclaimer: Just in case you think I hate home shows and DS catalogs, I don't. I love going to parties and am a fiercely loyal Pampered Chef and Body Shop @ Home customer (as well as a part-time PL candle consultant myself!). I've just heard horror stories from other people who used to sell with different companies, and know what to ask before doing something that could be regretted.

[RedRoseSAI]

Originally posted by AOIIalum
I love going to parties and am a fiercely loyal Pampered Chef and Body Shop @ Home customer

What's Body Shop @ Home? I've never heard of it, and couldn't find anything via Google.

[33girl]

Originally posted by RedRoseSAI
What's Body Shop @ Home? I've never heard of it, and couldn't find anything via Google.

This has piqued my interest as well...please share

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by 33girl
This has piqued my interest as well...please share

I'm guessing it's when the Body Shop consultants come to you house. My friend did it once and we all went over and someone from the Body Shop came with lots of products. You can usually chose what exactly you want them to bring. Like she did feet so they brought all sorts of pedicure stuff for you to try out. and then someone else I know is doing one in a few weeks, this time for Facial products. It's actually a lot of fun.

[AWJDZ]

I have recently gone to a pampered chef party...I enjoyed it and I have enjoyed the products I bought. (not to mention the food that they had!) I am helping host one next month...sort of was sucked into it by another friend. I have never thougth about selling the stuff for extra $$...it's just not my thing. I try to stay away from most of that party stuff because I always feel like I have to buy when I go. Most of it is just not something I am too interested in. The Body Shop one is new to me...sounds like I would like that too.

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by 33girl
This has piqued my interest as well...please share

I concur. In interested too.

[Optimist Prime]

Originally posted by AlphaSigOU
Three words... Multi Level Marketing.

The product may be good, but you have to really sell stuff in order to get the commissions and bonuses and the cars. Plus you have to lure additional people to get to sell stuff for you, in which you get a cut of the profit.

you mean like pyramid...call it what is

[33girl]

Actually to be technical, Mary Kay, Arbonne etc are not "pyramid schemes" because there is a product involved.

[TxAPhi]

An aphi friend of mine started doing this last year. It is very similar to being a Southern Living at Home consultant and she really likes it

The Body Shop at Home

They have monthly Special Offers

And you can pick a party theme -

Your Face Is Forever - Love your face with our cleanse- polish-protect skin care treats.
Make It Up - Play with our innovative make-up that looks good, feels good and does good.
Spa Experience - Take a trip to a luxurious spa without leaving your home.
Foot Fun - Nothing beats a relaxing peppermint foot soak among friends after a long day!

The Body Shop At Home is a member of the Direct Selling Association which seems to make companies like these pretty accountable.

[MysticCat]

Originally posted by PM_Mama00
Sounds like a great deal but too good to be true. Any ideas?

If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.

[RedRoseSAI]

Originally posted by TxAPhi
An aphi friend of mine started doing this last year. It is very similar to being a Southern Living at Home consultant and she really likes it

The Body Shop at Home

<slight hijack>

I was moderately interested until I saw "Host a Girls' Nite Out". Why can't companies spell "night" correctly? What is a nite?


At least they used the apostrophe correctly

</hijack>