What I want you to know about Direct Sales

It's 4am and I'm not sleeping thanks to post-op narcotics so I thought I'd give you each a brief window into my mind.

Lately I‘ve been reading many articles in support of the direct sales model. There’s a cute little parody video going around, too, even though they used a wicked candle to represent Scentsy, the nerve! The common thread I’ve noticed in the articles, to say nothing of the many comments in response to the articles, is that there’s a lot of confusion about the expectations vs. the reality of direct sales. I’d like to address that in this blog post. Of course, I‘ll be talking about Scentsy because it's my heart, but this can be applied to any direct sales company. 

Before I get too far into it, a caveat:  I’m not going to try to talk anyone into selling Scentsy.  I’ve found the best success I’ve had with adding team members is to simply lead by example; most of my team are folks who’ve come to me because they’ve watched my posts, seen my success, want my lifestyle and are curious to learn how I’ve gotten here. What I’d like to impart today is a better understanding of what I do. At best, I’d like to raise curiosity. At the very least, I'll attempt to dismiss potential pre-judgements about direct sales in general and Scentsy in particular.  

At the outset, I never intended to be a successful Scentsy consultant; I drew the short straw amongst my friends. No one in our group wanted to put in the work to sell it, but still felt we needed a Scentsy consultant among us.  For over a year, I sold exclusively to my close friends and family, never intending to make it a real business. Life and circumstances being unpredictable as usual, I found myself in a position where I needed to go back to work. My babies were very little, and working while they were so young was something I had vowed to do if it were the only option left. I sat down and calculated how much money I needed to bring in to avoid putting my kids in daycare. The number I came up with was around $500 a month net income just to scrape by. If I were to work full-time, I’d be able to earn that, but at the cost of being away from my babies 40 hours a week. And all that would do was essentially pay someone to watch them so I could work. After some soul-searching, I decided I’d give selling Scentsy a serious shot. I hoped to solve both my financial and family needs with the same solution.

Anyone familiar with me knows that not only did committing to Scentsy meet these needs, but it’s opened up doors for me – and more importantly, my entire family – that I never dreamed possible.

Reason # 1 why this Direct Sales model worked so well for me was because I had developed a deep passion for what I sold. For me, Scentsy was love at first sight. After my first introduction to wax warmers, I’ve never missed the candles that I’ve tossed out; I’m Scentsy’s ground-level market – folks who forget to blow out candles and make them the fire hazard they are. In the year and a half that I was just selling casually, I developed a deep passion for the uncompromising quality and incomparable value of Scentsy. I often say that Scentsy sells itself, and that's something I strongly believe to be true. If someone comes to me and wants more information on working from home this way, but I sense their passion lies with another product or industry, I’ll happily share with them the gift of my extensive experience in the direct sales industry. I can refer folks to many worthy, reputable companies and point them in the direction of their passions. I know how important this passion is for direct sales of any kind to work, and I put my money where my mouth is. 

Reason #2 why this Direct Sales model worked so well for me was because I had a strong and compelling ‘WHY’. Back in 2008, when I was introduced to Scentsy, I didn’t consider myself a fully developed person. I’d just found out I was pregnant with my third child and I was freaking out about it. I didn't realize that I was on a journey; I was simply going through the motions of life, juggling all the various situations thrown at me. I was heavily focused on the one thing I knew I was good at and that was important to me: raising my children. I had no idea that becoming involved with Scentsy would be a game changer in te rms of my self-awareness, personal development, and overall mindset. 

I was alw ays a driven person by nature; always the kind to get my way (raise a hand if this surprises anyone), but never understood ‘WHY’. When I committed to Scentsy, all I knew was that I wanted to get my way. I knew nothing about goal-setting, personal mapping, and lacked even an ounce of business knowledge. But I knew that I wanted to stay home with my kids. I knew that I didn't fit well in the corporate mold; I’d had more than a few...mutually agreed upon departures… on my resume. The only place I’d ever found success with in the corporate world was IKEA.  It was a place where I felt heard and where they had the flexibility to honor my authentic self.  IKEA is by far the only corporation I can truly vouch for in terms of decency and open-mindedness. 

Back to why the ‘WHY’ is so important: it's what gets me out of bed every morning. It’s what pushes me when things feel impossible. The ‘WHY’ is what drives me no matter what I’m heading for. It's the thing that can't be compromised.  The difference between people who follow their dreams and become successful and the people who don't is simply understanding the ‘WHY’ of what they’re doing. 

Reason #3 why this model worked for me was because I was ready to become who I’d always wanted to be. They say the teacher will arrive once the student is ready.  I didn’t know it at the time, but I was ready. I had only a basic, caveman understanding of who I was as a person. Scentsy made me realize one thing almost immediately; it spoke to who I was as a person. I found my own core values reflected there before I’d even realized what my core values were; being true to myself and never apologizing or compromising who I was (AUTHENTICITY), giving to others of my time and resources whenever I had them to give, and having a servant’s heart (GENEROSITY), and being very straightforward and uncomplicated in my life (SIMPLICITY). Scentsy honored my need to be independent, autonomous, and engaged my innate motivated nature. Being a part of the direct sales industry allowed me to develop myself in a way I would have never dreamed of. I now find myself immersed in being the best version of who I can be. I'm obsessed with eliminating excuses, garbage, cant’s. For the first time in my life, I see myself as having the capability of being the type of women I idolize: the Oprah, Elizabeth Gilbert, Ellen DeGeneres, Bréne Brown type. I might not be there yet, but I know it's just a matter of following my path, showing up in the arena, getting dirty, and using my learning opportunities to teach myself so I can teach someone else. This company has invested in me so that I can learn to invest in myself. 

I haven't even addressed the connections I've developed with other people. Never in my life have I been surrounded by people who won’t allow me to fail alone. I make mistakes; plenty of them! I have experienced deep failures. For the first time in my life, I have absolute confidence in knowing that there are people holding me upright, holding me accountable, and holding me to a higher standard so that I can remind myself daily of who I am. That’s not something I’ve experienced anywhere else. 

Finally, Reason #4 why this direct  sales model worked for me is simply because I allowed it to. I didn't understand it at first. It was, and remains a scary prospect. I find myself pretty much starting over after taking a few personal development years, and believe me, I have the same fears as everyone elsedespite having been exceptionally successful already. This business is forgiving in a lot of ways. I’ve had to learn how to fail in order to learn how to succeed. Trust me when I say there’s a right way and a wrong way to fail. I have learned to embrace failure, imperfection, and just flat out being wrong. I have become more humble, eager to learn, and more accepting of myself than ever before thanks to failure. I didn’t have to understand the process to start, I just had to be willing to embrace whatever came at me. I wasn't ‘ready’ to be a leader in my industry, but I embraced it and learned on the job. It's hard to express the gratitude that I have for being part of something bigger than I am. I am exceptionally grateful to be part of something that’s always there for me when I need it; something I was able to set aside to take care of my own personal issues, then able to pick back up to continue on my successful path. Most corporate jobs would have tossed me aside and put someone in my cubicle without missing a beat. That distinction will never be lost on me.

Understanding direct sales and why this model works for some breaks down to: 

DEVELOPING A PASSION FOR THE PRODUCT

HAVING A STRONG AND COMPELLING ‘WHY’

HAVING A DESIRE TO BE A BETTER, MORE DEVELOPED VERSION OF ONESELF

ALLOWING ONESELF TO DO SCARY THINGS; LEARNING TO FAIL GRACEFULLY & RISING BACK UP 

These tenets apply to many endeavors in life; I was fortunate enough to realize them through Scentsy. I hope that I’ve imparted some understanding of what I love about this journey with Scentsy:  being part of a direct sales industry; being part of American entrepreneurship; being part of something that looks a lot different than what people are used to; being part of something that anyone can look into.  It fits more needs than most folks realize, and at the end of the day getting our needs met is what it’s all about. 

Have a blessed day!