Most people who try direct sales soon give up. After expenses, including the cost of buying inventory and transportation to make sales calls, most people end up earning $10 to $15 per hour, typically working fewer than 20 hours per week. These people earn a median wage of $2,400 annually. If you are really good at selling, you can up this to the neighborhood of $30,000 annually by working a 40+ week. Only 10% make direct sales a full time job.What is meant by direct sales, you might ask [waiting patiently for a question....]? Thanks for asking, companies in this category are Mary Kay, Avon, Fuller Brush, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Amway, and others.
So if you are thinking of making a foray into this market, make sure you do your research and soul searching to make sure you what it takes to make it work. I speak from direct experience, in High School and early College, I was an Amway distributor, and while had some great tax breaks and some meager income, I was never on track to be a Diamond in the rough.
Beware of things that sound too good to be true, because they usually are not true :o)
I like your PoliFact side bar. As far as the direct sales jobs, I never saw that as an option. It always seemed like there was some 'up front' costs and I would always see people struggle with excess products, particularly Amway folks.
ReplyDeleteAnd they were always trying to sell you on something, seizing on the slimmest thread to make a pitch about whatever they had at home. Or it could be something they had in their brochure at home. Whatever, it made for uncomfortable moments, even if they were just an occasional friend.
What a timely entry for me Ken. I just had a person try their hardest to convince me to sell a horse related product. Of course being "under them" they would reap more benefit than I would. I am the only person I know buying this product! It's a great product but I don't know that many people with horses and if I do they aren't going to spend this kind of $$$ of a supplement.
ReplyDeleteI've never had any desire to get into any such scheme. Because of that "if it seems too good to be true" thing.
ReplyDeleteThe real story behind Amway is the tool scam, check it out:
ReplyDeletehttp://texsquixtarblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/9-steps-of-truth.html
Thanks for explaining alot of this crapola. BTW I have to be a nit-picker here: it's "If it seems too good to be true, it usually is." Get it? It's too good to be true. Meaning not true. Meaning I'm talking too much lol.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Amway is a scam.
ReplyDeletedear Ken
ReplyDeleteI think people can gather how difficult it is to "break through" by just the sweat of their brow and the sweat of everyone they sponsor!
please come by
natalie