It's Not a Severed Head

Since I'm just beginning my Scentsy journey, I decided a great way to drum up a customer base is with samples. I've seen hundred of posts from other Scentsy consultants making samples, and there are lots of ways to do it.

I decided to start my own samples with a nice easy silicone wax mold, and a felt circle dipped in wax.

"No big deal," I thought. "I'll knock these out in an hour."

Um...no. So much no. Samples are awesome. They're a great way to advertise, but you gotta WORK, son. I had to try it five different ways and mangle several medicine droppers and spoons to get those little tiny wax hearts to form.

But they did form. Behold!

I know. Pretty impressive. Feel free to congratulate me next time you see me. Felt circles were a lot easier and just as cute as the molds, but it's just sort-of a bummer to have to wait for Fed-Ex to show up since the tiny felt circles are coming from China. Who would have thought pre-cut white felt circles where a whole thing? Sorry guys. Next time you're most likely getting felt blobbies, cut into indefinable shapes by my children. That's the breaks.

Here's what the sample wizards don't tell you. When you're done, making the teeny-tiny samples, you have to put them in teeny-tiny bags - like, miniscule probably-only-used-for-Scentsy-samples-and-elicit-drugs bags. By the time I'd finally crammed the samples I'd made it into the bags, a ridiculous amount of time had passed. 

"Never fear," said I. "My new and enthusiastic customers will be worth it." I packed up my samples and hit the neighborhood.

House 1: Knock Knock Knock. (Door opens a crack) Me (very perky): "Hi there! I'm your neighbor and I sell Scentsy. Scentsy is a line of amazing products that can make your house, skin, kids, and clothes smelling amazing. (something like that) Do you mind if I leave a sample and a catalogue with you?" 

I kid you not, the lady gives me a look like:

She took the sample and closed the door quickly behind her.

"Man," I thought, pushing away impending butt-hurt. "I must've caught her at a bad time."

House 2: Knock Knock Knock (Door swings open) Young teenaged girl answers. Me (still perky) "Hi there!" (Blah blah blah, same spiel)

This time I get a look like:

She took a sample and rolled her eyes. "Mom!" she yelled as she shut the door. "Some lady brought you a thing in a little bag."

Thanks for being specific young friend. Children are the future...yikes.

House 3: Knock Knock Knock. Long Pause. (Door opens) Old lady peeks out. I give her my spiel. (Slightly less perky now) She smiles. Leans over her walker to give me a hug. Invites me in. I sit on the couch and we end up talking for ten minutes about her granddaughter who sells candles in Texas. She tries to give me a peach muffin.

I secretly wish I could invite her to be on my team because let me tell you, I really didn't want a peach muffin, but by-golly I walked out of there with two. She made me promise to come back and visit. I told her I would weed a flower bed for her. Forgot to even give her a sample. I would've bought anything she tried to sell me. Old ladies are so boss. I totally got owned.

On and on the day went. Sample after sample. I ran some errands and gave out some samples to people I came in contact with. I got a lot of these looks:

 Me (in my mind, okay-fine-I'll-admit-it, once out-loud):

"It's NOT A SEVERED HEAD PEOPLE!"

Some people ignored me. Uh hello. I know you heard me. Are you too cool for samples? Seriously? Walk away then!

My favorite people were like this:

I know what you're thinking. So not worth it. Except guess what? FIVE new customers. Yep, count them and weep. One was from the very first door I knocked.

Samples. A giant pain in a tiny bag - but... TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Viva La Scentsy! 

Join the fun here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/864522840250295/

My Personal Consultant Webpage: Buy Scentsy products here!
https://mandyh.scentsy.us/







One Month-a-versary

Guess what? I've been a Scentsy Consultant for more than month now.

Here are some things I've learned so far:

1. Big Brother loves you.

"My blog was up for less than a week before my Super Star Director called and asked me to register it. I panicked pretty bad before I figured out that everyone was just trying to help me. Turns out Scentsy has a pretty good sense of humor. Don't be scared Scentsy. It's okay to laugh at yourself a little bit. I promise that your product quality won't dip because I may or may not have referred to Orville's dance moves as 'Dad-ish'. Try to remember that I'm married to guy with even sweeter 'Dad' moves than Orville. I find it very charming."

2. You smell like your product.

Guess what happens when you use Scentsy? Everything smells good. I know. Shocker. The other day I was in Wal-Mart and the lady in front of me turned around and told me, "Sorry if this sounds weird, but you smell amazing. Is that a perfume or a lotion?" "Neither." I told her. It was Washer Wiffs.

3. You can't shut up.

Seriously, you know how consultants talk about their products all the time, and you're annoyed because you really don't care about how your house smells when you're trying to eat lunch or throw in a load of laundry? Well, consider this. That laundry detergent you're using is actually more expensive than Scentsy Laundry Liquid. You should try some of these Washer Wiffs while you're at it. Seriously, Jet, Set, Go is the best smell of all time. Gain doesn't even come close... Oh crap. Sorry. What were we talking about?

4.  You lose your 'embarassed to be direct-selling' complex pretty quickly.

The first week I joined Scentsy I didn't tell anyone. Now everyone knows. My neighbors, the FedEx delivery guy, everyone who has been or ever will be my facebook friend, and even a couple of homeless guys. When I first joined I was all like, "I'm never going to be one of those nut-jobs who has the Scentsy sticker in the window and wears a sparkly Scentsy shirt to PTO". Now, I'm all like, "I wonder how much it would cost to shrink wrap my car?"

5. It's still fun.

No, the excitement hasn't worn off. No, I don't regret joining. Yes, Scentsy really does smell as good as I'm saying. Smell my shirt. Come over to my house. Try these testers GOSH DANG IT. Yes, it's fun to party with your team. YES I DRANK THE PURPLE KOOL-AID!

6. I HATE SCENTSY WORKSTATION!

OKAY, IT'S NOT TOO BAD ONCE YOU GET THE HANG OF IT. YES I SEE THAT. OKAY I'M GETTING IT. YES I SEE THAT BUtton... Hey, look what I learned here. I didn't know you could access all of this online. See what happened when I closed my first party? I got free stuff. This is awesome. You're the best director ever. (You really are Mandy Z.)

I'll let you know how the next month turns out.

Viva La Scentsy!

Want to buy some Scentsy? Go to my Scentsy PWS:
https://mandyh.scentsy.us/

Join the Facebook Madness Here:
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Not Endorsed by Everyone? Is Scentsy Unsafe?

Not long after I joined Scentsy, I received the following e-mail: (From a person I have never met before)

Hey Mandy,
I don't know if you were aware of this when you signed up with Scentsy, but it is actually really unsafe to have in the home. Those wax squares release toxic chemicals into the air that you breath in. It even has some of the same chemicals in it as cigarettes like formaldahide and gasoline. I even read that it can give you cancer. There are lots of other ways to purify the air in your home. (PROCEEDS TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY X 'PRODUCT' IS SAFER AND LESS TOXIC, IT'S ORGANIC BLAH BLAH BLAH, I'LL SPARE YOU)
Anyway, just wanted you to know in case you wanted to try (X - AMAZING PRODUCT). I think in the end you'll like it better and it will make your family much healthier. You can even sign on as a consultant. Let me know if you're interested.

Thanks,
(THIS PERSON)

Look, I get it. Those of us in direct sale... We've gotta talk about our products. Sometimes we even have to hustle a bit...but this... this felt... kind-of, I don't know... shady?

 That's why I didn't feel too bad when I sent them, this reply: 

Dear (THAT PERSON),
Thanks so much for your concern for me and my family. I can assure you that I take my family's health very seriously, especially when it comes to cancer - since I had cancer...twice. I am not sure where you got your information, but it is incorrect. First off, all of Scentsy waxes are completely formaldehyde-free. They are also 'combustion free', which basically means that even if the wax did contain formaldehyde (which it doesn't), it wouldn't be able to escape into the air. I am not sure what you are talking about in terms of gasoline, but that is untrue as well.

Many Scentsy waxes are made with essential oils, but even if they're not, I have little to no concern about synthetic scents used by Scentsy. There have been very few scientific studies that support the idea that synthetic scents are any more harmful than essential oils, unless of course, they aren't used properly. If I were eating my Scentsy wax, I suppose it would eventually make me sick, but to be fair, if I were to gag down a bottle of bergamot oil, I probably wouldn't feel all that great either. The blogs about Scentsy being unsafe are written by bloggers and not scientists. In fact, I haven't found a blog yet that isn't based on personal preference or a very biased study.

If however, my customers still have concerns about wax warmers, they can try out our new line of diffusers. They are attractive, have a lifetime warranty, and work with any essential oils from any company. In fact, if you become a Scentsy consultant, you can sell them. Let me know if you are interested.

Best of luck,
Mandy

I openly admit that I am not the most health conscious person in the world. I sometimes wear perfume. (Gasp!) I have been known to eat copious amounts of Tootsie Rolls. (How could you?!) And I've never liked goat cheese. (Scandal!) But I do try to keep things within reason for my family's sake.

I also fully understand, that some people have sensitivities to certain Scentsy scents, especially stronger ones, and to many other types of fragrances emitted into the world by a variety of sources, including environmental sources. I get that some people who've tried Scentsy haven't liked it. Is Scentsy for everyone? Well...no. Nothing is for everyone. And guess what? That includes eating Amaranth biscuits and making homemade beeswax fragrance tarts.

The quality of indoor air is based on many factors. Here are some things that can pollute the air in your home:

Pet dander
Carpet
Flowers and indoor plants
Shoes
Fireplaces
Cleansers
Paint
Dust
Soap Scum
Cooking with Propane or Gas Appliances

Uh oh. Better kill the fichus and get rid of Fido while we're purging our house of the Scentsy devil.

Curious to know where Scentsy falls on the list of indoor irritants? Well, it hasn't made the list. Or any list published by any reputable source. The amount of 'pollution' any fragrance puts into the air is absolutely miniscule in comparison to everyday modern irritants like carpet and ovens.

I could spend a lot of time going over the science of VOCs, and phthalates, (neither of which are in Scentsy, btw) but it wouldn't make much of a difference and would bore everyone half to death. For me, I guess it comes down to weighing the benefits verse the detriments. I appreciate coming home to a house that smells inviting and fresh. I'd rather kick my dog outside and vacuum my carpets more often than obsess over a miniscule fragrance pollutant in my home. It's a good week in our home if our tubs have no soap scum and our pictures are dusted. Like, a really good week.

For real though, it's okay if you don't agree with me. Just don't buy Scentsy from me, and certainly don't send me solicitations disguised as letters, claiming that I'm peddling cancer to innocent victims. Also - please consult the following article and maybe think about getting yourself a sense of humor.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahburton/totally-normal-things-that-can-kill-you-according-to-the#.gdNE1m9oN

Oh, and read this book.

And lastly,

Here's a link from Scentsy about product safety: Feel free to debate with these guys instead of me. I'm very busy and important.
http://scentsyblog.com/scentsy-blog/entryid/101/fragrance-safety-clearing-up-the-confusion.aspx

Viva La Scentsy!!!!
Buy Scentsy here: (if you dare)
https://mandyh.scentsy.us/

Join the madness here:
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