WAHM Forums

I work full-time outside the home but need extra money to supplement my paycheck. I am being very careful in researching the companies. If I am going to spend more time away from my boys, I want to make sure I am getting the most money for my time with a Christian based company. But, I want to love the products too.


I met with an At Home America consultant. I LOVE those products. I could see using almost everything in that book in my home. But, I HATE the commission structure. I make 20% on my first $1999 sales for each month. Then it jumps to 25% for $2000 to $6999. I only reach 30% after $7000 in sales. But, the next month I start back at 20% again.


I looked into Home & Garden Party. I make 30% on my first $1500 in sales and then I move to 40% for the life of my business. I LOVE this commission structure, but I am not in love with the products. Don't get me wrong, they are nice, but it's not my taste.


All of that said so I could finally get to my question. Since AHA has only been doing home parties for 4 years, what are the chances that they will change theircommission structure? When one of these companies starts out, are the commissions usually set in stone? Does it ever change? Did H&GP have a similiar structure when it started 10 years ago? Or has it always been the same?


If it isn't too much to ask, could anyone offer advice on my dilemma?


Thanks, ladies! I love this forum. It is very informative.


JennieEdited by: blank214

Hi Jennie~


I want to say Welcome to WAHM!smileys/smiley17.gif It's nice to have you here. You will love all the great support and resources here.


I have a couple questions for you. Have you looked at other home parties? Do you really love AHA? Weigh pros and cons with others~ I say, if it's something you love, the rest will come.


I'm with Watkins products, and love every bit of it! The product is awesome and could never imagine not having the products available to myself (as well as my customers). Your success with come from your enthusiasm.


With Watkins, we earn anywhere from 25% to 41%~ We get up front profits on all our orders, and our percentage increases begin at 500 points (not $500 - it's much lower in $$'s)~ I can go into more detail about this with you too. We also earn residual income from our team members. And all our points go towards great catalog prizes each year (even trips). These are extra bonuses over and beyond our commission structure.


We also have promotions within our team as well as our Summit group. Everybody can participate, and anybody can win!


I'd be happy to send you more info on Watkins, just PM me! smileys/smiley1.gif

Hi Jennie:


I think you should keep researching businesses. Those are very high monthly quotas and from my experience, they don't really change their structures. There are a lot of companies without monthly quotas. For example, I'm with Mia Bella Gourmet Candles and you only pay $39.95 a month for a jar candle, 12 votives, a Bella bar soap and your own website. There are no other montly quotas and you make 100% profit from wholesale and 50% profit from retail no matter how much you sell. This type system makes your business so much easier. You don't even have to do home parties and be away from your family because everyone loves candles and they're easy to sell.


Best of luck in your search and keep asking questions.


Barb


www.CandleSuccessInfo.com (http://www.CandleSuccessInfo.com)


www.BurnForSuccess.com (http://www.BurnForSuccess.com)


Edited by: BarbB

I have a couple questions for you. Have you looked at other home parties? Do you really love AHA? Weigh pros and cons with others~ I say, if it's something you love, the rest will come.





I have an Excel spreadsheet with a list of 30 questions that I wanted answered about each business. I listed out the answers for each of the businesses in a separate column. Then I made a separate worksheet with what I would make with each business for a year if I did 5 parties each month. I made up total sales and deducted the fees that each one charges. (I am such a computer geek. smileys/smiley9.gif)


I have several friends with Premier Designs. I met with a Celebrations by Lillian Vernon rep and anAHA rep. A Taste of Home Entertaining rep called me. I am still trying to get in touch with a Home & Garden Party rep to get all of my questions answered.


But, that AHA catalog! smileys/smiley27.gifhttp://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley27.gifhttp://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley27.gifThat sugar mold tealight holder! http://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley27.gifhttp://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley27.gifhttp://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley27.gifBut, the commission structure. smileys/smiley19.gif


I know everyone on the board keeps saying to go with a product that you love. But, I feel like I would be doing a disservice to my sons because I would have to do more parties (with more time away from home) to make the extra $$$ amount that I need each month.

I know everyone on the board keeps saying to go with a product that you
love. But, I feel like I would be doing a disservice to my sons because
I would have to do more parties (with more time away from home) to make
the extra $$$ amount that I need each month.





I too used to recommend that direct sales reps should be "passionate"
about their products, but then a little article by Alice Seba changed
my thinking. What you really should do is sell products your customers
are passionate about</span>....
products they spend money on. (I still say it's not a good idea to try
to sell something you don't believe in no matter how many people are
buying it. But you should be able to find something that both you and
your customers like).





The article is Choosing Your Target Market: Can Your Passion Really Be Your Business? (http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/internet-marketing/target-market.html)



I have a feeling you've already done this, but if not, take a look at
the average price of the products or the average party sales.



If on average you sell $500 worth of product at a 20% commission you're
still better off than if you sell $300 worth of product at a 30%
commission.

I think I have to go with Linda on this one. You can love your
products, but if no one else does you won't be able to book the parties
you need to sell! I'd say keep researching and do a little
surveying in your area as to product interest. When I was researching
companies, I got a couple of catalogs from the ones I was interested in
and showed them to potential customers. I kept track of which company
got the most positive feedback. I also took other things into
consideration such as, do you get paid the night of your show or do you
have to wait for a commission check from the company? I prefer
getting my money up front. Also compare hostess benefits with each
company in addition to commission structures. Do you have to pay for
hostess benefits or does the company pay? What does the hostess have to
do to get products?



With Southern Living at Home</span>,
we make a 25% commission the night of the show regardless of how much
we have sold in a month. We also receive 5% of our retail sales
in business credits. This pays for things like catalogs, order
forms etc.



I have paid for many beautiful things for my home through my SLAH
parties because we can also be our own hostess and earn the hostess
benefits. I just finished a home show that allowed me to purchase
6 of SLAH beautiful wine glasses for a fraction of the cost because of
the double hostess benefits this month! 4 were free and 2 were
1/2 price!

Companies do alter their commission structures slightly from time to time, but usually, the basics stay the same. If they've been around for four years, I would bet the plan is pretty set.


I was unaware of the tiered structure with those companies. With SLAH you receive 25% off everything you sell. Then you can earn up to9% additionally on your own sales as you build a team. You also earn up to 9% on your team sales as well.


I agree you need to sell a product you Love! When you're excited, you hostess/customers are excited too.


You also might want to ask the companies you are researching, what the average party sales are. If they are low, you need to factor that in as well. SLAH averages $500--$600. When a company's party average is $250--$350, you're going to have to do a lot more parties to get the same bang for your buck.


Sounds like you're doing some great research.


Susan Scarborough Smith / Star Director


Announcing SLAH's Spring Sponsoring Spree! Ask me about it!

I have to agree that there are some awesome home biz's out there with awesome products. There are some products I am very passionate about, but not passionate about the business aspect of it.


For those companies, I am a very happy customer! A repeat customer at that!


If there are some items that you just love, but aren't sure the biz aspect of it is right for you, I suggest treating yourself to a purchase!


I also want to say that you really have a great plan for researching home biz's! You are on the right track! Take your time. The right biz will jump out at you~


Good luck! smileys/smiley17.gif

Just wanted to stop in and wish you luck. This is a hard decision, but its true wouldn't it be great to find a product you are passionate about and so is the customer? Thats why I chose Mia Bella. Awesome commission plan, residual commission plan, and a highly consumable product! 90% of homes burn scented candles, does it get any better?


Best wishes and like you are doing continue to research. IF you aren't happy with the commission plan, its not going to make you happy. You may not make those high quotas first couple times and would not be happy. Go with your gut, if its un easy with those amounts, look elsewhere!

Hi Jennie!


Just so you know, At Home America, has been in business for 22 years. The name change to AHA happened about 4 years ago, though. The were formerly, Country Peddlers.


Pat

Well here is my perspective, for what it's worth to you.

Do not chase the commission structure as your primary reason to join, or
not join a company. This was touched on earlier by Linda, I think, and I
agree with her. I saw catalogs from some of the home interior/decorating
type of companies, and they did NOTHING for me, personally. For those
who loved the catalog, THEY will do very well BECAUSE they love the
products in the catalog.Two people can look at the same catalog and
get entirely different perspectives. One says "WOW!", while the other says
"BLECH!"...

When I got a look at not even the finished catalog with Taste Of Home
Entertaining, I was totally blown away by the range of product offerings,
prices, and the whole thing just looks so much like something I would use
daily in my home, that I KNOW I will do well with the promotion of both
the shows and the business opportunity...

Go with what you know you can promote, and the money will follow.

Good luck,

NondyEdited by: UltraSkinPro

Hi there...thought I'd add my .02!


I am currently with Linen World. We have the easiest commission structure I have ever seen. You get 20% commission regardless of yourmonthly total. You get paid 2x a month in a check sent to you. Catalogs, and all paper products (including hostess packets!) are free. Each month you get a voucher telling you how many you have earned and if you need them you send in the voucher and they withhold the shipping ( less than 6 dollars ) from your next commission check. You get 5 catalogs for every show you turn inPLUS invitations, hostess packs, order forms, envelopes, along with sales fliers. Your commission check is just that...a commission check.


As far as your downline...you earn, 10-30 dollars off every show your personal recruits turn in. If you have turned in 2 shows that monthyou earn 10 dollars off your personal recruits shows, 4 shows earns you 20 dollars each show and 6 shows earns you 30 dollars each. Very easy...it was what really drew me to Linen World. I didn't need a PhD to understand the commission structure!smileys/smiley1.gif You also earn 5 dollars off your recruits personal recruits.So, if you have 5 girls on you team and they each do one party a week you would get a 600 dollar commission check, ( provided you turned in 6 parties that month). Also, the show average is over $500 a show and the hostess program makes bookings a breeze.


If anyone needs or wants more info...pm me. I'l be happy to put you in touch with thefounder of the company...he loves talkingto new prospects!


Go with your passion...its so much easier to sell something that you are excited about. I signed with a jewelry company because a good friend of mine was in a leadership role and her enthusiam was infectious! I forgot one tiny thing...I don't wear jewelrysmileys/smiley36.gif (other than my engagement ring and wedding band) and I couldn't figure out why I was having such a hard time getting goingsmileys/smiley17.gifI eventully figured it out and returned my kit. Follow your heart! ( BTW...I LOVE AHA!)Edited by: lisa_1228

HI Jennie, I also worked full time when I started my business, and now just work Mary Kay full time! It's an AWESOME Christian based company that has been in business since 1963, and I have been with them for over 15 years. We only have one simple commission structure, you make 50% on your product, which is consumable. It is a great business for busy people, and for people looking to build a great business. My Senior National Sales Director will make over 1 MILLION in commissions this year! I know it isn't the housewares you have been looking at, but it seems to fit your other criteria. PM me for further information, and best of luck with your search.
Valerie
marykay.com/vschaefer

I want to pipe in about lia sophia jewelry. I completly understand about the time commitment issue. I only do 3-4 shows a month because of my children. Now,I am not a very organized or efficient person smileys/smiley9.gif, but I only spend about 3-5 hours working on each show. That includes doing the invitations, hostess coaching, phone calls, doing the actual show and entering the order. Now mind you that it only takes 2 hours to actually hold the show, which equals less time away from your family. As far as the lia sophia commission structure goes, you make 30% on all proffit sales. (That goes up as you enter management, but we can discuss that later if you would like.) You get paid weekly either by check or direct deposit. There are no monthly minimums or quotas. No inventory to keep. No returns to handle, they are done directly with the company. This company also doesNOT HAVEANY hidden fees or costs. The only things you buy from the company are whatever business supplies you want. This includes catalogs, order forms, invitations ect. You are NOT required to use any of these produces. However if you choose to they are very reasonably priced. For example the catalogs cost $.65 each, order forms are 50 for $2.25 and so on. And best yet the shipping is always a flat $3.80 no matter what you order.


Their structure is very straight forward. You plan yourbusiness around your life, work when and how much you want.


As far as the jewelry itself goes, it is simply wonderful! I really like it, and I'm not a big jewelry person. However, ladies seem to really eat this stuff up! I have not had any trouble getting bookings and keeping my business going. I even have repeat customers, and I've only been with lia sophia since July!


Finally, what sold me on this company is their Guarantee.All of the jewelry comes with a 100% LIFETIME GUARANTEE! This covers everything except for loss, including if you just change your mind 5 years from now! Also, the starter kit has a guarantee. If you don't like the business, you can returnthe kit within 45 days for a full refund.


Well, this should give some idea of how lia sophia works. You can go to my web site and view the catalog if you have never seen our jewelry before. If you have any questions, or would like more information, just PM me, or send me an email. I would be happy to talk to you about lia sophia has to offer.


Happy Hunting,

Kristie,

Just make SURE you never make a clerical error on your orders!

Nondy

Amen to that, Nondy!

Not sure I understand what you mean Nondy. ??

Hi and welcome!


First you need to love the products. And yes, there does need to be a market. Now, if you made 50%, but only sold $100 in a month, you still wouldn't make much. But if you made 20% and sold $250 for the same amount of work, it balances out.


Most of the plans end up the same in the end. I know with Discovery Toys, you make the 20%, but then you get a 5% bonus at $500 in sales and 10% in $1000ales (wholesale). So you control the paycheck, and it ends up evening out to other companies that pay more at base level.


Plus, don't forget to look at how the team commission pays, because you can only touch so many customers. But your team can help you duplicate the mission, and increase your paycheck at the same time.


If you love AHA, my advice is to go with it. Focus on promoting in rank and get yourself to a higher income bracket.


If you are serious about $, quota's shouldn't matter because you'll be hitting them anyway.


Best of luck!


Debbie

Kristy,

Please read your manual, and see if you can find what happens if you make a
mistake on a show order.

Nondy

Oh, yeah there is a penality in your commision, but I have never had that happen. I tripple check everything! smileys/smiley2.gif I was reffering to hidden fees some companies have for repping for them such as registering for things, title fees, yearly "you work for us so pay us" fees, and so on.

This board is so kind and helpful! Thank you ladies for taking the time to respond both here on the board and in private messages. I have an appointment to meet with a H&amp;GP consultant later this week. And, I will be reading through your messages and looking over your websites. I will probably have more columns added onto my Excel spreadsheet!

Everyone makes mistakes, and if I had known at the beginning what they
could (would and DId!) do, I would not have signed with them. It's a terrible
policy, that should not be in their manual. For me, the loss was only $48, so
it's more th principal of the thing, but I would never sell one more pece of
jewelry for them because of it. I even earned $200 in FREE jewelry, but in
order to redeem it, I would have had to turn in a $250 order. I tore the
certificate up, and threw it in the trash. Oh well...

Nondy

Hi Jennie


I can answer your Home and Garden Party questions. I can be reached at 866 612-3477 toll-free or at cme4hgp@yahoo.com or just pm me.


I have been with HGP since 1998 and this has always been their commission structure since I started. I like the fact that if I sell $100 or $1500 or $5000 I will always make 40% on those sales. It is not dependent on what my team is doing.


The $1500 is really not that hard to achieve and it is only a one-time qualification especially if you are thinking of holding 5 shows/parties in a month.


Good luck on your endeavor and research.


Lynn Elliott

Nondy,


I'm very sorry you had a bad experience with them. I had no idea. I may no type the best, or be the most organize person in the world, but I do pay attention to details when handeling anything that concerns money. My DH thinks I'm crazy for checking everything 3 times before hitting the submit button on the web site. Oh well, go with what works I guess.

Kristie,

It isn't the fact that I make mistakes, and you do not. It's the fact that they
will take 30% of your commission on that entire show that is just flat out
wrong in my book. I could not tell them to kiss my grits fast enough. In the
long run, they lost out on a lot of sales, because I was doing so well, and on
my way to management very quickly. I'm just glad I found out about it early
on!

I really do wish that you have great success!

Nondy

Same to you on your new venture! When you catalogs I would love see one in person.

Kristie,

I will put you on my list. Can I contact you through your web site?

Thanks,

Nondy

Nondy, I'm looking at my manual and it says....


1. "For calculation errors of $9.99 or less, due the company, we will deduct the amount from your next profit check. Advisors should review the invoice to determine where the error is and contact the appropriate customer for the balance owed. For errors greater than $9.99, the order will be delayed while Customer Service contacts you to resolve the situation."


2. "If Hostess Credit is given above the 20% or 40% calculated by show sales, then the Advisor will be charged a 30% surcharge."


Not trying to beat a dead horse,but if they took out 30% of your commission, we're looking at situation #2. It was obviously a hard lesson to learn and maybe one we can all take to heart. Our companies give such awesome hostess benefits and rely on us as Advisors to calculate those correctly. If we do not, we get penalized. It sounds like what happened is that the Hostess ended up with extra free jewelry because of the error. If lia sophia eats that, it costs everyone else. What else would have been fair?


All due respect, it upset you no doubt, but it would seem that as business women, we should realize that business mistakes are going to cost us.

It wasn't that kind of error at all. What happened was that I paid on my
credit card for the entire order, and I realized that one customer had paid
with her cc. In effect, I paid for her order. I called and had them credit
my cc (and they charged my cc $107 for her order, and only charged back
$79!), and charge her card.

So, not only did they NOT charge back the entire amount for her order,
they ALSO took 30% of my commission for that show.

I guarantee you, that had I KNOWN of their policy before I signed up, I
would have NEVER done so. It's a policy that is unethical. Trust me when
I say that my sponsor is livid with the company over losing my business.

What happened to me does not fit either scenario you quote.

My best,

Nondy

Sounds confusing and not sure I completely understand whathappened....not the norm, nevertheless, that's too bad.


Best to you too,

Hi Jennie~


If working with a truly Christian based company is important to you, then you should check out Premier Designs Jewelry.


www.premierdesigns.com (http://www.premierdesigns.com)


Instead of getting confused with all of the percentages and fluctuating pay scales that so many of these companies have; you need to ask 2 questions. What are the average earnings per home show after expenses? and What is the average commission paid monthly per person in your downline for each level?


With Premier Designs:


Average Earnings per Home Show(50%):


$200 Net Profit...5 Shows a month will be about $1,000


Average Earnings peractive jewelerin 1st, 2nd, and 3rd levels(10%):


$50-100 Monthly


10 people in your downline would be about $500 or more


No Fluctuations Ever, this is always 50% and 10%


Let me know if you would like to know more about us. I have 6 children so I understand your questions and concerns.


Good Luck,


Sheryl

Jennie -


One of my mentors a few years ago told me very wise things -


1. Whatever product you share with people - make sure it is disposable/usable - ie - they need to come back for re-orders - that will help give you a solid base during quiet times


2. Make sure you "believe in your products" - that they are offering something of purpose and help to your customers. They are top quality, backed by a guarentee, a good value for the money etc...Got to be able to look yourself in the eye when you come home and know you added value to their lives.


3. You have a company and a sponsor that are there to help you succeed - in addition to their success - the system is set up tosupport your success - not weed out people -


A sponsor that really cares and won't vanish after you sign and is willing to really mentor you - is worth a LOT !!





in addition you have been given several good pointers from folks as well - the commission is important - but the product, the sponsor, the quotas, and the company are very important as well - also consider the leadership component - how hard is it to build a team and earn those leadership bonuses -


Continue to do the research - but look more than skin deep at the company, the product, the opportunity and the sponsor- and recognize that your first choice may not be the final choice - most of us had to learn some lessons before we found the right match for us !! It is not an irreversible decision - THANK GOODNESS !! LOL -


Read lots of boards - you will find where there are supportive groups - read and that will tell you a lot about a company when you see what the majority are saying , get a feel for the people -


think about the long term marketing aspect too- will this product be there for the long haul ? or is it a fad that will fade....


As with all things - take all these postings and find the little diamonds and take thosealong with you as you pursue your home biz !!


I wish you the best - Let us know if we can help you as you continue on


smileys/smiley31.gif


Meg

Personally, unless you get that jazzed over HGPARTY I would say you should give AHA a try - your enthusiasm for it is very obvious and will be contagious - and yes, I am sure you can still make plenty of money at it! I cannot speak for that company in particular, but my first ds experience was with a company that started at 20% and I loved my part time income, and there were plenty of womenin the organization that made LOTS of money off of that structure!


Also, if you do not love a product that is consumable, then don't sell a consumable product. My product is not consumable - but there are always re-orders, or a product they were not able to get before, and always a new market with new babies, new grandparents, new mommies, people who have just never heard of us before. When I Was with this other company before (Pampered Chef) I found the same, the market can always be new even if the product lasts for years and years.


Best wishes on your decision! Oh, I didn't test out my market either, I figured if I loved it, I would be able to connect with others who did too - and I was right!!


If you love it, if it keeps you up and night and you see a use and future with it - then TRY IT and see how it fits!!





Talitha