Direct Sales Resources on Facebook

If you're affiliated with a direct sales company, this post is for you! I've put together a list of Facebook groups geared toward networking and increasing sales for direct sales representatives. These groups all have different rules and setups, so be sure to read the rules before you decide to commit. I'll try to summarize each. If you click on the link and can't see the group, it's probably because it's secret and you must be added by a member. In that case, send me a message and a friend request on FB, and I'll add you.

I am currently a member of each of these groups, but I don't have any part in their administration. If I cease to be a member for whatever reason, I'll remove the group from this list. Some of these groups have rules that can be difficult to decipher, so be sure to read the guidelines and ask questions before you commit to anything. Also, some of the groups tend to have trouble deciding on names, so the name may not be the same as the one I've posted here.

For the groups that ask who referred you, please state Hannah Cook. If a purchase with the person who referred you is required, check the amount and then visit my Stella & Dot site. If jewelry and accessories don't interest you, you could also purchase from my Close to My Heart site.

Purchase amounts are generally exclusive of tax and shipping.


Monthly Purchase Groups
With these groups, once you agree to the terms, you'll be assigned a month. Each month, everyone in the group places an order of the specified amount with the featured person. When your month comes around, you'll have (ideally) 11 orders (fewer if it's a shorter game).  Some of the Pay as You Play groups also have options like this, although they aren't required for group membership.

Direct Sales Co-op 
$20 initial purchase with the person who referred you, then $20 purchase monthly with the designated consultant (except your month, of course). First group that I am in is full, but there is a second group now open. I've had great success with this one.


Let's Party, DS Party Train
This is a new one I recently joined. $20 minimum monthly purchase not no initial purchase before that. At post time, this one has openings from December through April.

Spotlight Hostess
$35 initial purchase with the person who referred you, then $35 monthly. At post time, this one may have one opening for July.



Pay as You Play
These groups have various games going on (mystery hostess, order swaps, order trains, raffles, monthly co-ops) but don't require an initial purchase. Once you commit to a game though, you must pay the required amount.

All for One----DS Fun and Games
Direct Sales Order Swap Group
Direct Sellers Party Club
Games & Shop--Online Parties Only! 


Required Initial Purchase (after that, pay as you play)
These groups require that you make an initial purchase to participate in the order games.

Mystery Hostess Parties for You
This game requires that you make a $25 purchase with one of the open Mystery Hostess parties within 72 hours of joining. At time of posting, two Mystery Hostess parties are running: Velata and Scentsy. Every party ends with a Mystery Hostess being chosen; that person in turn will get to start a Mystery Hostess party for her own company.

Independent Consultants Grow & Bloom Group
$15 initial purchase required with the person who referred you, then various games to play, including montly co-ops if you so choose. Closed to Thirty-One reps at time of posting.

Stay at Home Consultants Swap & More
You can choose any game to participate in to fulfill your initial purchase within 4 days of joining. Options start at $1.


Support
These groups generally have posting schedules (ads, tips, specials, chit chat) but no purchases are ever required to participate.

Catalog Party SWAP
Direct Sales for Guy & Gals

Host a Stella & Dot Trunk Show--ONLINE!

Maybe you've thought about hosting a trunk show before, but obstacles seem to abound. Here are some common reasons for not hosting a show:

• I don't know a Stylist in my area.
• I'd have to clean my house.
• My house/apartment/dwelling space is too small.
• I just don't have time.
• My friends are so busy--I'll never be able to get them all to agree on a time.
• Who would watch my kids?
• My husband won't like being kicked out of the house for two hours when he gets home from work.

We can overcome most of those obstacles, even with an in-person trunk show. But we can overcome them all by putting together an ONLINE trunk show!

Here's how it works. Every trunk show gets a website to order through for guests who can't make it, decide to order in advance or after the show, etc. and so forth. So you're set with that. We can do email and even text Save the Dates and invitations. Then I'll also set up a Facebook event you can invite your friends to, where I'll post tons of pics, videos, and styling tips and link to your webpage. I may even be able to swing a giveaway or two! You'll be eligible for the same rewards, starting with just $200 in sales, that you could earn  with a traditional trunk show. We can keep the show open for up to 3 weeks to collect orders!

And if you are social media savvy, you can you all your channels to amplify your show: your blog, Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram, whatever you and your buds use.

If this sounds tempting to you, I'll let you in on a little secret: Memorial Day Weekend will be an excellent time to host a trunk show. Our latest retirement list will be announced May 24. I've already seen it, and we'll be saying goodbye to lots of beautiful pieces, but we retire 15% of the line twice a year to keep on trend. The best part is that many items will be marked down 25% and some will be marked down by 50%. As you can imagine, those 50% off pieces will go FAST. Plus I've heard a rumor there will also be a Memorial Day weekend promo with some stellar discounts too.

And your friends will be eligible to take advantage of the trunk show exclusive offers too. I don't know what June's are yet, but if your show starts anytime in the next two weeks, ordering will still be open when the June offers come up. Here are May's:

Here's a link to a past show I did on Facebook. Contact me today to set up your personal online trunk show!

May Specials with Stella & Dot

Some May specials to tell you about for Stella & Dot:

First (and most pressingly), the Mother's Day Special ends today. Get $20 off your order of $100 or more!

 
Dollar off discounts don't come around very often, so take advantage of this one. It's combinable with
the May Trunk Show Exclusive Offers. A $50 purchase through any trunk show allows you to get these pieces half off. You can always find a list of current trunk shows to shop through on my Facebook Events page.

I am in love with the Athena Ring myself!

And any purchase in May will get you entered in my drawing to win your very own Alexandria Necklace, which is one of my favorite pieces. It's a great statement necklace to wear with bright colors and prints.

 Here's an Instagram pic I snapped of mine.

Pampered Chef Show Closes Today (5/3)

My Pampered Chef show closes today, and I'm maybe one order from qualifying for the host special If you're interested in ordering, please visit Emily's Pampered Chef site and enter Hannah Cook as your host when prompted. Here are the new specials for May.

Pampered Chef Party: Recipes and Specials

I'm hosting a Pampered Chef Party! My first experience with Pampered Chef came from at a bridal shower, when my husband's aunt gave us a square stoneware baker. I had heard of Pampered Chef, but after that I was hooked. My first Pampered Chef purchase was through a party hosted on a blog, so I thought I'd extend that opportunity to my readers as well. Probably my favorite Pampered Chef products are from their stoneware collection, but I have other items I love too.

If you're like me, your first question is probably, what's on sale? Here are the specials you can take advantage of through the show I'm hosting.

I met my Pampered Chef consultant online in a moms' group for my town, and she quickly became an IRL friend. I went to her debut cooking show. I asked if she would send me a recipe and some product recommendations to share with my readers. This is my first time posting recipes (although I hope not my last), so bear with me if I don't get the formatting right. Ideally I would have liked to cook up at least one of these and post pics for you, but I've been in bed sick most of the weekend.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed
1/2 cup (125 mL) loosely packed fresh cilantro
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) grape tomatoes, divided
Tortilla chips (optional)

Directions:
Cut onion into quarters. Cut jalapeño crosswise into thirds. Combine onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lemon juice, garlic and salt in Manual Food Processor; pump handle until coarsely chopped.

Add half of the tomatoes; pump handle until coarsely chopped, removing lid and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add remaining tomatoes; pump handle to chop to desired consistency. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

Yield: 10 servings (about 2½ cups/625 mL salsa)
Print this recipe.

Thirty-Minute Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken
1 whole chicken (3 1/2-4 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Seasoning Mixture
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Directions:
For chicken, lightly spray Deep Covered Baker with oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken cavity. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Trim excess fat using Professional Shears, if necessary. Tie ends of legs together with cotton string. Lift wing tips up toward neck, then tuck under back of chicken. Place chicken onto Cutting Board; brush with oil using Chef's Silicone Basting Brush.

For seasoning mixture, combine ingredients in (1-cup) Prep Bowl; mix well. Completely coat outside of chicken with seasoning mixture. Place chicken, breast side up, into baker.

Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 25-30 minutes or until Digital Pocket Thermometer registers 165°F in thickest part of breast and juices run clear. Remove from microwave. Cover with lid and let stand 10 minutes (temperature will rise to 170°F).

Print this recipe.

If you'd like to place an order, visit Emily's Pampered Chef site, click on Shop Online, and please enter Hannah Cook as the host when prompted.

Stella & Dot Mystery Hostess Show and April Offers Last Chance

In honor of my IRL open house for the Stella & Dot summer collection, I'm offering an online Mystery Hostess Trunk Show! Anyone who places an order will have a chance to win the style rewards for the show. The show has already qualified, so we're looking at a minimum of $20 in product credit and one item of your choice half off. You can check out the Facebook event I created or order directly through the show. This show will be open for orders through May 5, and I'll draw the winner shortly thereafter.

Want to order, but not sure what you want? April's specials are winding up fast. There are only a few more days to purchase items from the Autism Awareness collection to contribute to the HollyRod foundation.

April's Trunk Show Exclusives are about to expire too, and this is my favorite set of specials since I started with Stella & Dot. With just a $50 purchase, you can get any (or all) of these items at half off, but only through April 30, and you must order through a trunk show.

So if you place an order in the next few days, you could potentially contribute to autism awareness by purchasing from the special collection, then get gorgeoussome 50% off items, and have a chance to get more items for free and half off through the Mystery Hostess Show! I don't know when a better time to shop will come around, especially with Teacher Appreciation Week, Mother's Day and graduation season approaching.

Fashion Friday 4/5: What's Your Fashion Weakness?

I have a confession: I have a fashion weakness for tie dye and similar dye effects. I find myself attracted to everything that's tie dye. Probably the only thing I don't have is tie dyed shoes. But if I found some I liked, I'd be all over them.

Here's a selection from the tie dye portion of my closet.

Do you have a fashion weakness? Maybe a trend or a motif that you just can't give up and are constantly attracted to, even if it's not flattering or won't fit into your existing wardrobe? Surely I'm not the only crazy person.