This will be my final Scentensity blog post. Not because I wish to quit blogging about Scentsy, but because I feel fairly certain I'm going to get a slew of crazy phone calls followed by either a suspension or dismal from Scentsy Corporate. Good. Bring it on.
You see, I'm going to actually say all the thing that Scentsy consultants don't feel comfortable saying, (because of the ramifications from other consultants, and even from their own team) but are probably thinking.
I started as a consultant in the summer of 2015. Two weeks after I signed up, I went to reunion in Las Vegas. I'll admit, Scentsy reunion was a blast. It's easy to catch the Scentsy Spirit when there's that many motivational speeches and that much glitter. I went home totally fired up and ready to roll. I almost reached Shooting Star. I did reach Scentsational Start, Level 2. I signed up four people in a month. I was having so much fun. I remembered what Orville, Heidi and a whole bunch of other people said about "making your business your own", and "being part of a family". I really took that message to heart. I even wrote about it in one of my blogposts:
"It is low risk, and it is YOUR business. Trust me. There are a thousand different approaches used by a thousand different consultants. They talk about it. Everywhere. All the time. You just have to find what approach works for you."
Since reunion was so great, (and because I like to write) I decided it would be fun to write a blog post about my experience at reunion. I called it, "Drinking the Purple Kool-aide". It was a successful blogpost, for me at least. (10k views in 2 days).
But... that's where the trouble started.
Almost immediately, I received a call, not from my sponsor, not even from my director, but from the Super-Star director at the top of my up-line. Bear in mind, this person had not ever even acknowledged me, (except for a polite nod reunion) before now. It was a very unusual conversation.
It seemed the Super-Star Director did not feel the comments on my blog were appropriate. This passage in particular was upsetting to them.
"Orville is...well, (forgive me Orville, if by-chance you ever read this)... a bit-of a nerd. Not in an Urkel way, and not in a sleek-hipster-with-thick-framed-glasses-and-a-typewriter-at-the-park kind of way either. He's the kind of guy that would invite you to come to dinner and spend the whole time grilling hot dogs, jumping on the trampoline, and bragging about his kids. He's the kind of guy that gives people high-fives and thumbs-up. I'd bet good money that he owns a Hawaiian shirt. He's got a good sense of business too, and he's smart without making a big deal out of it. Man, he was likeable."
They point-blank asked me to change it. I was totally surprised about that, so I asked my SSD what in particular they found so offensive. This person then proceed to give me a fairly long lecture about "attitude". They said they'd been watching my progress with Scentsy. They'd noticed I joined an online FB group called "Scentsy Anonymous" and felt that the group was a "slog for disgruntled consultants". They told me that if my blog tone wasn't "unquestionably supportive of Scentsy" that it would send the wrong message to my team, and didn't I want to be a team player? Then my SSD gave me an overview about the rules of external websites and said if I had questions to contact Scentsy Corporate Compliance. "Everyone worries about compliance," my SSD said, "but the compliance team is just there to help make sure everything's fair. Their business isn't about shutting anyone down." I hung up the phone totally confused, and if I'm being honest, rather annoyed.
My thoughts: Who said anything about getting shut down? Can they do that? Is there really and entire team dedicated to compliance? Like a hired and paid for team? Am I in the Matrix?
Something was... off. I suddenly realized this may not be as much "my business" as Scentsy claimed it to be. I also got the distinct impression that I was not family, but rather a nuisance that needed to be 'dealt with'.
I wasn't sure what to do, so I called my director. My director (who is arguably the greatest director ever) approached this a lot more tactfully. She told me that my blog posts were just fine and explained to me that Scentsy Corporate takes their rules (and themselves IMO) very seriously. Sometimes too seriously. She suggested I go to my workstation if I had further questions about external websites and encouraged me to keep writing about Scentsy.
"Okay," I said to myself. "That convo with the SSD was a little weird, but maybe I just took it the wrong way. I'm sure they're just trying to keep an eye on things the best way they know how. They've got a lot of people to keep track of, after all. I'll try to keep the next post light(er)." I decided to write it off as a bit of a personality clash... like maybe my SSD didn't really 'get' my sense-of-humor.
I also decided to take my director's advice and keep writing. I dedicated a whole blog to the life of a Scentsy Consultant. I wrote five follow-up blog posts. (They are all still up on this blog, completely un-changed since the date they were published.) I nearly tripled my readership. I wrote this little bit after I hit my one month Scentsy anniversary.
"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."
I hadn't heard from my SSD since the first issue, so I figured - eh, we'll let bygones be bygones. I'll crack a joke. I'll move on from the awkwardness if they will too.
Or...not.
Enter the longest email thread EVER from Scentsy Compliance. (Below is the gist)
"Your blog is OOC," they told me. "You need to register the blog as an external website." I asked them why a personal blog, that was not advertising Scentsy products needed to be registered. I cited the detailed description from their own handbook about external websites. It was completely evident I didn't need to register my blog. Their follow-up was a phone call. I was told that because my blog had reached so many consultants, they felt it needed to be registered so they could "keep an eye on it" and make sure it wasn't straying into any "negative" or "OOC" territory. They said a bunch of people at the Scentsy Home Office had read the blog and that I should be "very honored." They said the blog was "funny", but they wanted to make sure it wasn't "too edgy". That phone call was followed up by an extremely detailed email explaining how to bring my blog into compliance.
At that point I just gave up. I'm a regular person, and my once 'fun' blog wasn't feeling 'fun' at all. In fact, it wasn't even really feeling like "me" anymore. It was feeling like the "white-washed me" that Scentsy felt I should be. Not worth the time. Not worth the energy. Nope. Nope. Nope. The very fact that compliance felt like the could/should edit through my personal writing felt like a massive invasion of personal freedom.
I won't lie...it rubbed me the wrong way. It still does.
Then I got to thinking... why does Scentsy operate that way? They're a successful company. Reunion is an uplifting, positive experience. So why is everyone so obsessed with compliance?
I'm just gonna say it.
There are some Scentsy Mean Girls out there.
Signs you may be a Scentsy Mean Girl (or boy): (hope this helps)
1. You've contacted compliance on another consultant to improve your own sales.
2. You've contacted compliance over another consultant's flier or online advertisement. (Really people? It's a flier. Get over it.)
3. You've contacted your director to "tattle" on another team member.
4. You are no longer a consultant, but you feel completely comfortable 'price gouging' other consultants for discontinued product.
5. You've publicly shamed another consultant online.
6. You're willing to step over top of other consultants to get ahead.
7. You talk badly about other team members personal lives behind their backs.
8. You've criticized a free home-made flier, posted for everyone's benefit.
Here's the deal. The problem has either come from the top down, or it's coming from the bottom up. It's obvious how I feel, but why don't you ask yourself why the heck is there a WHOLE SCENTSY WORK FORCE TEAM dedicated to compliance/complaints?
Look, I'm not trying to be a hater, but all those measly complaints... all that whining you're doing to Corporate... it makes people like me, people who genuinely tried really really hard to make Scentsy work for them - want to run for the freaking hills.
To top it off, today I got this email:
 |
| Notice how vague? Are they going to check your personal emails? Your personal webpage? Your personal facebook accounts? Will they watch you in public forums? Will they "investigate" every claim by going through your blog posts and writings? Are they planning to interview you on a recorded line? What about your team mates? Will they snoop your online parties? How long before they tell you that you have to wear pink to sit with them on Fridays? |
Scentsy Mean Girls - You got it, you got what you deserve and you got what you asked for. Not only has Corporate completely robbed you of the right to manage "your" business "your" way, they've violated your privacy. THEY ARE OPENLY PLANNING TO WATCHDOG YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE AND VIOLATE YOUR PRIVACY AND YOU'RE THANKING THEM FOR IT! Have you lost your minds? Read between the lines. Seriously, quit drinking the purple kool-aid and ask yourself if you really are comfortable with this. Are you? They can call it a 'campaign' and tell you it's "protecting your business", they can dress it up all they want, but ask yourself, in the end, does this really benefit you? Does this change help you or does it help them?
I think you already know the answer to that question.
The gist of the email: We're tired of having to manage all the 'rule' violations and complaints we're getting from our own consultants. We hired "Field Watch" to stalk you online so we don't have to field all the complaints ourselves. We are allowed to do this because you clicked a box agreeing to our 'standards' when you signed up for Scentsy. Isn't this so exciting?
I can't. I'm done. Scentsy has breathed hot air against the nape of my neck long enough. I honestly can not figure out why our star directors and super star directors haven't complained about this. They haven't said a word. Why? Are they afraid to lose their paycheck, or are they afraid to get on the wrong side of Corporate? Why are you willing to relinquish your business to Big Brother so readily? YOU did the work. YOU have rights. Seriously. YOU HAVE RIGHTS. You can say no to this, and guess what? You should.
Think about it. If you're tired of Scentsy Mean girls, then you should absolutely protest any watchdog company that is planning to do THE EXACT SAME THING AS THE MEAN GIRLS. "Field Watch" is LITERALLY the "Regina George"of Scentsy Mean Girls.
I have no idea if Scentsy will even allow this blog post to go anywhere, but I'm begging you. Think twice. Write an email. Tell Corporate that their overly strict, unreasonable, profit-centered rules, enforced by an online watchdog group are strangling your businesses. Trust me, they are. I know they are because people like me are getting the heck out, and I can honestly and truly say that I tried really hard. Ask yourself - do you actually disagree with this blog post or are you unwilling to share your own opinion because you're afraid of how your SSD will view you? If you disagree, fine, but if you're afraid to have a voice, you're guilty of allowing Big Brother to dictate the terms of a business YOU own, and you have now officially lost your right to complain FOREVER.
Goodbye Scentsy.
Good luck fellow consultants. Don't let the Corporate noose strangle you.
If you need me I'll be at Doterra - where I have felt valued, and encouraged to bloom in whatever way feels best to me.
Peace.
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