WAHM Forums

I am looking at a couple different companies to join. Can you give me your opinion, please? These are both scrapping companies.


Company A is more expensive to join and has a higher quota. They have a wider range of products, and have appeal from beginner to advanced, and the levels of projects can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.


Company B is fairly inexpensive to join and has a very low quota, so it would obviously be good for recruiting. I'm just afraid that since there is hardly a quota, my downline will be hardly working, and therefore, I'll hardly be getting paid. The products are cute and whimsical, but I think the focus is more on the beginner and people interested in quick and easy.


I personally find Company A's products more appealing. The prices are about the same. Should I go w/ A, even though the quota is higher and recruiting might be harder, due to the fact that it is more expensive to start? Or should I try B, since it will be easy to recruit and people new to scrapbooking might find their stuff a little more user friendly?

Hmmm...these questions are difficult to answer.


First of all, I'm not sure that you should necessarily make your decision on how easy it will be to recruit -- you should truly love the company. Your love of the products is what is going to inspire you to join your team, not a low quota.


I'll be honest in saying that when I chose my company I did take into account how big BYB is. I was torn between BYB and another company, but that other company is so saturated that I worried about it being difficult to get bookings. If Company A has a lot of reps in your area, it could be a deciding factor.


However, I must take umbrage with your "I'm just afraid that since there is hardly a quota, my downlne will be hardly working, and therefore, I'll hardly be getting paid." First of all, in the beginning, the majority of your income will be your sales. Your sales should always be your top priority...esp. since most companies give a 25% commision on your own sales, and only a 5-10% commission on your downline.


Also, your team will be working if you are motivating them. It's almost insulting to think that people who join a company with little or no quota aren't as motivated as those who join a company with a higher quota -- it just isn't true. People are motivated because they want to succeed, not because of a quota. You can motivate people to succeed, and keep them interested in the company even if they only need $100 in sales to maintain an active status.


Also, keep in mind that a low quota means different things to different people. Some people don't like ANY quotas, others are happy if they only have to have 1 party a month. The BYB quota is small enough that you could probably get by with only 4 or 5 parties a year, but I would've joined the company even if I needed to do 1 or 2 parties every month. Why? Because I love the products, I love the company, and my upline is so passionate about the business that her enthusiasm is contagious! :)


Good luck with your decision!


Melissa

Thanks Melissa - and to answer some of the questions you brought to the table, neither company is saturated in my area. I live in a small town in Alaska. There are 4,000 residents.


There aren't any WalMarts or Kmarts or anything like that. I am several hours away from Anchorage, so on one hand, I can see profits because if people want to scrapbook they have to order from a consultant or from an online store - however, I am going to be limited in the amount of parties I can do. Like I said, there are 4,000 residents. And goingto Anchorageto do parties, etc is not an option. Finding customers and recruiting online will be essential to my success. So joining a company w/ a lower quota could be beneficial as I will have a limited number of people who can do parties. I mean, some of you in the lower 48 are from small towns and are successful. But you can drive to the next city to pump up business and go to craft fairs, etc. That really isn't an option for me, because there ain't no where to drive to. It is, quite literally, the wilderness. And there aren't any women's expos or craft fairs or anything like that in my area. So I really need something that will be easy to promote and recruit online.


I didn't mean to insult anyone by the fact that people would be less motivated to be successful by joining a co w/ a low quota. I meant that a lot of the peole would be willing to join that company as a hobbyist - joining for the discount, not joining to make an income. Make sense?

I agree with Melissa. You are looking at the
business from what YOU are going to get out of it.
Not what you can do to help someone else out.
You'll never recruit focusing on yourself regardless
of where you live. Also don't prejudge someone for
why they want to start their business. At some point
they may change from a solid seller to a hobbiest or
vice versa.

Good luck on choosing the business that suits you.
Pick the one that you would be the best customer for.
When you love the product and the company you will
in turn give that energy to your business.

Nicole

I'd beware of anything with a very high quota, especially if its a *monthly* one.



Other than that...it depends on start up costs, yes there are lower
cost companies to join but I think people know for the most part that
to join a company can easily be $100+, so unless the company is like
$300 or more I wouldn't worry about that aspect too much.smileys/smiley2.gif

I agree with Melissa. You are looking at the
business from what YOU are going to get out of it.
Not what you can do to help someone else out.



No offense - but obviously I am looking at it from the viewpoint of 'what can I get out of it'. This is going to be a business. I am not afraid to say that I am looking to make money.It would be pointless to join if you couldn't make money.

I meant that you should focus on your sales to earn
a majority of your money and then the money you
make off of recruiting is for being in a management
position. You don't want to tell people that I need you
to sign up so that I can make a percentage off of you.
You will want to tell them what the business did for
you can do for them. KWIM?
I never thought that you weren't in it for yourself. I'm
in it for the paycheck as well. I love to share my
businesses with others because I know how it has
enriched my life. I want people to be as successful if
not more than I am in my business so I try to help
them to be successful and I'm monitariy rewarded
for time.

So pick the company that best suits you.

nicole

Choose the company based on a product line that you like and you think
will sell in your area. Think about what you can offer your clients as
a service AND products and also think of the income level of your
clients. Are the products you are thinking about reasonably priced
enough that clients will buy? Don't worry about the recruiting so
much. That will come in time. People will see how successful you are
and if they love the product like you do, they may want to sell too or
at the very least sign up for discounts on their own products. This is
where the minimums "quotas" come in. If you have a large
minimum/quota you may not get as many "personal use" consultants but
that is ok, because you will build a team that is working the business!



Good luck in which ever you choose.

IKWIM?



I'm not sure what KWIM means, but I see what you mean.And yes, I am with you on the fact that I have to promote myself and not sit back and depend on my downline to support me, like I'm some corporate America Fat Cat or something. Not the image I was trying to protray here.


And yes, I think I've made up my mind. I'm going to go w/ the 2nd company. I think that since people new to scrabpooking can use it without being intimidated, it will be easier to show people how to use the product. Instead of sitting there thinking "oh, I can't do that", hopefully they'll jump right in and start preserving their family photos! And yes, it is cheaper to join and there are no monthly quotas, so if a new mom orsomeone with a similarily busy schedulewants to join for extra cash, she won't feel pressured to work like a fiend.


Hope all that makes sense, and thanks for your comments to everyone!!

Well, my gut feeling was to go with the 1stcompany, because it seems that you enjoy the products much more. I think you can build a nice little business in a small Alaskan town with no major competitors around, if it were me, I would be scrappin' my little heart out up there and having all sorts of fun.


When you say high quota, what does that mean? I think you are wise to think of how prospective recruits might be weighing out the pros or con's of joining either company. There is nothing more draining than spending lots of time trying to work with people who want something for pretty much nothing. Having a company policy that strongly discourages the type of people who join 'just for the kit' is a good thing IMO.


Gotta run, I just wanted to say, I think you should choose the company that gets YOU the most pumped, because that excited will be needed to carry you at times! From your first post, it seems like the first company was that one for you.

I was thinking the same thing TMartin said. It seemed as if the only thing the 2nd company had going for it in your post was that the start up was low. It seems like the products the 1st company offers had you kind of excited. You said that they had things for beginners and expert scrappers. I think if you are able to offer a good variety it will help with reorders. If all you have to offer is simple beginner type stuff where will your customers go once they have moved beyond that. I think you could also do little workshops to introduce the stuff that require a little more know how. I take a class at our craft store every Monday. The class is $5 + whatever kit we want to work with. People say it on this board all the time but I am finding it to be so true--You need to do what you love. Sell the product that excites you. Enthusiasm sell!





Kimberley

Ok - I wasn't going to name names, but I might as well. The first company is Close To My Heart. I'm going to be honest - I'm a little scared of their quota - $600 per quarter (if you want to be paid on your downlines). And I do think that they can be intimidating to someone just starting out in scrapping. It is more 'art focused'. I don't want to show up w/ a bunch of cardstock, a heat gun and embossing powder and scare people away.


Before I started scrapping, my sister and I went to a stampin upparty that my friend's mom was having. I think my sister and I were the only ones who were coming in with zero experience, and we felt totally lost. I mean, the consultant was talking about all this stuff and was holding rollers and stamps and ink pads, etc. I bought some stuff, because I felt obligated, and I haven't even opened some of it (and it's been about two years since the party).


About a year after the first party, my sister and I went to a woman's expo (this was before I moved to Alaska, in my old town). There was a Creative Memories rep and she invited us to one of her workshops.I had to literally drag my sister there. I mean, I had to beg her to go. She figured it would just be boring and she was so turned off by that stamp party she had no interest in going. But the CM rep made everything very easy and fun and there was a pot luck, and everyone was having fun. My sister got hooked on scrapbooking and she is talking about moving here so we can open up a scrapbook store.


The2nd company is TLC, and I like their products, too, and since this company encourages people to use other company's products in their scrapbooking I can pull out some fancy stuff for the people who are more advanced. Plus, people can buy cardstock and paper ala carte w/ this company, and since there aren't any scrapbook stores this would be a plus (vs CTMH where you have to buy the cardstock in lots).


I don't want people to come to a party where I'm the consultant and have an experience like I did at the stampin up party. I want people to have fun, relax and enjoy scrapbooking. And that is why I am swinging towards TLC.

Well, as a scrapbooker, who likes it SIMPLE and NEAT, I would tend to go towards the 2nd company then! LOL! I think a style, like CM, makes scrabook simple and accessible to most everyone - I crop, mat and sitck it on the page and then journal, no frills, but it gets done. Then you can add the frills as you get better and if you want to, but not as an initial requirement.





What does your sister think you should do?

my sister is more into the 2nd co....

I have seen the scrapbooking stuff that Close to My Heart offers and I am VERY impressed!!! I think that would be an excellent choice! And I don't think their stuff is intimidating to beginners! The kits that they sell make it easy!! :)

hmmmm... I have posted on another board too, and most of them like CTMH better, too. Maybe I should go w/ them, and if I find I can't meet the quota I can w/ the other co.

May I ask why you don't want to go with Creative Memories? I have no ties to the company, but I like their stuff and it seems like you really liked the party you went to. If you liked the products and the presentation, it might be a good fit for you.


Not to make your decision any harder!! :)


Melissa

May I ask why you don't want to go with Creative Memories? I have no ties to the company, but I like their stuff and it seems like you really liked the party you went to. If you liked the products and the presentation, it might be a good fit for you.


Not to make your decision any harder!! :)


Melissa





Oh, I did like the atmosphere of the party, and the consultant was nice, I went to her house a few times for workshops and crop parties. And their tools are great - I love their punches and pens!


But I don't like their albums. With them, you put photos on both sides of the same piece of paper. If I want to change my albums around, I want to do it without tearing up the pages I already completed.


And I am not trying to sound hoity-toity, but I am more creative than what the CM line really, uh, pushes. I mean, they have pre-cut strips and triangles and stuff, but I do all kinds of paper piercing and tearing techniques. I like rub-ons and chalks, and I can go on and on and on. I have transperancies and vellum and I print out all kinds of stuff on my computer and I have a Xyron so I make my own word stickers and I have different punches so they are different shapes, eeh I need to quit talking about all that. I am probably boring all of you to death.


Oh - and guess what? I started doing some research w/ the chamber of commerce and found out that there will be a holiday bazaar around thanksgiving and they haven't really advertised it yet so there are lots of tables left! So, what do you know - maybe I can be a success in a little Alaskan mountain town?

I talked to my friend who is a Close to My Heart consultant and she said that the quarterly quota is only $300.

I talked to my friend who is a Close to My Heart consultant and she said that the quarterly quota is only $300.


It is when you start, but once you get a downline, your quota is $600 if you want to be paid on them.

Hmmm...She has a downline and she said it was only $300.

I would not worry too much about the quota. If you break it down $600 a quarter is only $200 a month, you could probably do that in one party. If someone is scared by the quota you just break it down for them…show them there is nothing to be scared of. <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />


Also (if you haven’t already) you might want to look at the cost of the biz supplies and expenses with each company.

What is the cost of shipping to Alaska for each?

Well, I don't know what the shipping is w/ TLC, but for CTMH it will be like 11% of what ever the order amount is, or $8, which ever is greater.