Selling some Wares

Late last year, I saw a friend in Texas and noticed that her nails looked awesome. She said they were actually nail wraps (like stickers, NOT stick-on, plastic nails). She showed me how to use them, and it was fun. These are sold through a company called Jamberry, which is kind of like an Avon/Pampered Chef thing, a direct-sale company. It turns out her sister is a consultant, and now I am too!

After grouting/deep cleaning: one little chip

Jamberry seemed a little challenging the first time I put them on, but as promised, the second time was smooth. In a nutshell, you cut the sticker you want off a sheet, hold it in front of a heater/hair dryer, place it on your nail, smooth it down with a cuticle pusher, then trim/file the sticker down, then heat and smooth again. I love having my nails painted, but since I'm a big DIY-er, they tend to chip in 2 days. My first-attempt Jamberries stayed on over a week, including me re-grouting the bathroom and scraping off stray grout with my nails.

I've been a bit skeptical of direct-sale companies for a while, mainly because I'm usually not a fan of the whole sales-party thing. But my grandmother sold a home decorating product, and was also an Avon lady, and she won diamond rings and trips and loved it. And it was just because she would drop off a catalog and talk to people - no big parties or heavy sales.

So, in my effort to keep challenging myself and trying new things, I signed up to sell my new-found nail art myself. I wasn't quite sure how to get started, but the problem solved itself: my boss noticed my nails and asked me to host a party at lunchtime as a kind of team-building thing (it's a small office of almost all women). A few weeks later, I packed up my cotton balls, polishes, sample Jamberries, heater, and other supplies, and headed to work.

Second try

The party went well overall - I was a little nervous and it was definitely odd being in charge/telling people what to do when those people included my bosses. Instead of fighting this and trying to take charge more, I just decided to go with my own flow and make it more of a communal event, with us all helping each other. It went well, and several people decided to buy product. It was fun to watch the commission reports come in - I've never worked any kind of sales or commission before.

My next time out was a small party for friends at my house. Again, I took the more casual approach and used it as a change to catch up with people I hadn't seen in awhile, and if they wanted to try the nail wraps, they could. It wound up being a lovely afternoon.

I've just been asked to do my third party - a gathering for a co-worker and her teenage daughter and various mom/daughter friends. I'm looking forward to hosting a party in this slightly different atmosphere - someone else's turf and friends.

Am I going to quit my day job? No. With two parties, I've made just enough to cover what I originally put in to get started - not a windfall. And I'm still not a salesperson; I'm really fine with not making more on this project. But I'd told myself that after three months, if I wasn't into it, I'd quit, and I don't see any reason to do that just yet. It's turned out to be an interesting challenge and a fun social activity.

And now, for the pitch! Intrigued? Click here to visit my independent consultant page. Feel free to send me any questions via my email address on the web site, or through this blog.

Learn more:

• Web: http://companies.directsalesaid.com/