Direct Sales Companies

I was very happily playing the Sims-when it crashed...so I decided to do another blog post. I didn't save my game and can't be bothered playing an hour and a half all over again. So....lately I've been interested in researching Direct Sales companies. Not because I want to become a consultant. Just because for some reason it has sparked an interest and I'm a nerd (really).

The first company I remember hearing of was Avon. Mostly I would hear about that when I would visit my grandma in South Carolina. Seems she always knew someone that was selling it and always had a little catalogue. Plus the bath oil was popular as a repellent against the evil mosquitos of the south. I don't know that it worked as I always had a ton of mosquito bites...Hmm...

Then when we went to my other grandma's house in New Jersey I would hear about Mary Kay and the pink car that you can win if you work hard enough. 

Now it seems there are a couple of new kids on the block competing for a piece of the pie that has been dominated by Mary Kay and Avon for years. 

The first one I remember seeing all the time was Jamberry. I saw a couple of people on Facebook selling them and got invited to a couple parties which I never attend. But I did see the pics pretty often. They looked sort of decent. I mean some of the designs are just plain tacky. Still never clicked on them or did further research. 

Until I saw them on the news. The ladies on the news gave them two thumbs up, citing them for lasting for two weeks. Which it seems a lot of people want. Me? I just want to rock a color chip free for around three to five days. I like a cute little accent nail though. Which is why I googled them. And saw that $15 price tag. No thanks. I'd rather buy nail polish and get a manicure for some change rather than a couple dollars. Plus the extra time it takes to put them on....erm...I'm lazy. 

One I've actually had experience with is Avon. The quality of the shadow isn't that great from the stuff I've used. I had a really nice brush though for a good price. And I had a ton of deodorants from them back when I was in high school. I hated them. They never dried. Having wet armpits all day is not very much fun. I honestly don't get the hype. You can buy better stuff in the drugstore. Maybe it was the exclusivity of it. Now you can just order it online though. 

As for Mary Kay I haven't had too much experience with them. I do have a Mary Kay body wash in the cabinet that smells really horrible. I would probably have been more interested in it except I know someone who sells it and I've seen her makeovers. Her skill level seems to be stuck at what I saw most girls doing in middle school. It doesn't make me want to buy the brand. Not even a little bit.

And last but not least...Younique. I had seen this literally everywhere. Most pictures the lashes looked horrendous to me. Like uneven fury spiders for lashes. And I've seen a video of a girl where the fibers ended up in her eyes. Blech. A part of me was almost curious to try it but at $29 you can just wear falsies, which are a lot cheaper. And on top of it you need to buy a mascara to go with it. Then the process...mascara, gel, fibers, gel. Ain't nobody got time for dat. But some people seem to love it...so maybe it's worth trying. 

Of course there are many more companies than these but those are the only ones I know a little something about.

One thing I often wonder is....is it worth selling?

In my opinion, NO. I was reading about Jamberry and apparently there was a point in the beginning (I don't know if it's resolved) where the customer service sucked. And as a representative you will be in the middle of it. And I know I couldn't sell any of the brands I talked about because most people I know aren't that into makeup....so I would be stuck selling stuff to people I KNOW wouldn't use it. I would feel kinda bad doing that. 

And I would be ready to tell a person every single con of the product so I don't think I would even be a good saleswoman. Not everyone is so forthcoming when it comes to selling a product. And you have to watch out for people telling you how much they make because a lot of times that person makes money from getting you to sign up to sell to! I encourage you to do your own research. Never take the word of one person.

As far as parties, I think they could potentially be fun....except I would feel pressured to purchase. I don't even like asking salesmen questions because I feel bad taking up their time and not buying anything. So I probably wouldn't attend. 

Except I did attend one. Or two. And I didn't buy anything. But to my defense we were all broke college kids. And no one else bought anything either. I can't even remember the brands of the parties I attended. I'm terrible. 

To be honest, I would encourage one to come up with their own business. That way you aren't making someone else rich. All your hard work will benefit YOU. Don't do all the hard work to make someone else rich!

I feel like I've been overly negative. I don't mean to be. There are a couple benefits to them.

I guess.