Anyone selling lia sophia jewelry?

[kamilla626]

I just learned of this Direct Sales company from a woman at work. She started selling for them last fall, and is now a "unit manager", making a couple grand a month. She actually went to her liasophia website and printed me a copy of her sales reports. Yowza!

It sounds too good to be true, but everthing I've tried to find about the company on the internet is pretty positive.

Anyone sold/selling for them?

[babycarrier]

Hi friend!

I think I saw posts on this in WAHM Well.

Sunshyne was doing it for a while, she had a party anyway.

[CathMac]

Some direct sales companies are basically pyramid schemes

Some direct sales companies are very reputable and even newer sales reps have a chance with hard work and perhaps some luck to do very well, e.g. Avon. With other companies the only ones that do really well are those that get in on the ground floor and wind up earning commissions from new reps that they recruit. About 15 years ago a college acquaintance of mine tried to talk me into direct sales for a skin care line. A couple of weeks later I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about how it was essentially a pyramid scheme and new sales reps had little if any chance of making real money.

I suggest you do some research and Google the term "direct sales" to see what you should look for in a company. First you need to know what your commission is, that is what percentage you'll be making off of your sales, and how that compares to well established reputable companies. You should also know what people (and how many people) are earning commissions on your sales. The person that "recruits" you was probably recruited herself and in the same way a percentage of her sales might go to that person, a smaller percentage of your sales might go to them as well.

Also, how much are you going to pay for your start up kit and do you have to meet sales targets to remain as a sales rep? The more you need to sell the more you may need to buy on speculation to try and stay viable in the hopes that you can build a client base. You also want to know what restrictions there are --if any-- on the company adding new reps in your area. In other words, will they allow your geographic region to become over-saturated by sales reps? Which raises the fundamental question of how much demand there is for the product in the first place. It may not take many reps to cover an area.

Also, if you are hoping to sell anything online --for instance on Ebay-- it's likely that would be prohibited, so you would want to look into that.

One of the reasons Avon is a good company is that you get repeat customers because they run out of their cosmetics and need to buy more. I don't think you'll find as many repeat customers for jewelry.

HTH, ~Cath

[CathMac]

Links to Direct Sales Assoc, with info on identifying pyramid schemes

Brief follow up to my post above, with links below.

Something else to look for is whether they will buy the products back from you within a certain time frame and if so, under what conditions. You may lose a certain percentage.

If Direct Sales really interests you I would look for a product that "sells itself", something that people will want or need more of when they run out, and something that is in demand in your area.

Direct Sales Assoc
http://www.dsa.org/

Code of Ethics
http://www.dsa.org/ethics/

Distinguishing Direct Sales from Pyramid Schemes
http://www.dsa.org/aboutselling/cons...action=pyramid

Good luck,
~Cath

[Ellien C]

Originally Posted by kamilla626

It sounds too good to be true ....

Then it is!

I'd suggest digging a little deeper. There are ways to push criticism of a company WAY down in search results.

[doulatara]

My friend is a jewelry designer for them. According to her, they are reputable and very much like Avon.

[kamilla626]

Originally Posted by doulatara

My friend is a jewelry designer for them. According to her, they are reputable and very much like Avon.

They appear to be. They've been around (under different names) for years and the start-up cost is low.

CathMac your info was also helpful. I found a couple articles about "How to find the right Direct Sale job" or "What to look for in a Direct Sales company" and this company looks good.

The woman who is "recruiting" me has talked about the work involved. It's by no means a "get rich quick" scheme. But it could be a "make extra money doing something fun" thing.

doulatara - tell your friend she's very talented! All their stuff is beautiful!

[kamilla626]

anyone else?

[Literate]

Um, I love their jewelry? I bought some and am very happy with it. Is that helpful?

[kamilla626]

Great! Want to host a show?

Even if I have to fly to where you are, the plane tickets are tax deductible as a business expense! You don't by any chance live in Bermuda or Cancun do you?

[CathMac]

Originally Posted by kamilla626

Great! Want to host a show?

Even if I have to fly to where you are, the plane tickets are tax deductible as a business expense! You don't by any chance live in Bermuda or Cancun do you?

Kamilla626,
I replied earlier. I don't have much more to add except that I think you've hit on a key problem here. No matter how good a product is there has to be a demand for it where you are.

How many people do you know that have a lot of discretionary income to buy jewelry and how many of them are likely to become repeat customers? Do you know any local businesses that cater to women --that spend significant money on their appearance-- that would give you a little room for display. E.g.: boutique clothing, skin care, day spa, hair salon, etc. Assuming of course that the contract permits you to do that and that you have the money to invest in display pieces and catalogues or other promotional material.

It sounds like your co-worker does well selling to fellow employees but would you feel comfortable competing with her at work, even if she's getting some commission on what you sell? Or is the company big enough that you could carve out your own niche?

Have you seen a copy of the contract? It might give you some ideas on what you can and cannot do.
~Cath

[Schwingle]

I have been selling lia sophia for about 2 years now. If you are still interested in learning more about them, please let me know! You can e-mail me directly! I LOVE selling lia and it has been a GREAT opportunity for me and my family!

[hparsh]

I think they are a legit company (like Pampered Chef). You have to be willing to host parties though, or pressure others into hosting parties. Personally, I could never do that.

I attended a Lia Sophia party once. My SIL hosted, so I felt pressured to buy. I thought the stuff was cheaply made and overpriced.