A story by Pascal Chrétien
September 2017
Like many others, Isabelle David tried a few Direct Sales company. Sometimes, the quality of the product doesn’t meet expectations, other times it’s the lack of integrity and the poor values of the company that taint a consultant experience. In Isabelle’s case, after four years as a consultant for a Direct Sales company, she had invested over $10,000 and still wasn’t making a profit. Consequently, she closed shop and refocused on her hair salon.
In the fall of 2013, she attends a Tocara presentation and is seduced by the jewelry and its quality. She gets some information from the consultant, Louise De Sousa, about the company, its values, how to start her business and, especially, the compensation plan. After her bad experiences, she wanted to be sure of making a profit and stop losing money. Having thought about it, she makes the jump and becomes a consultant.
A month later, I meet Isabelle during a training that I’m giving at my Leader’s place. I still see her, all smiles, taking notes in a brand new bling-bling notebook that she purchased for her new venture. Since making her first steps as a consultant, she wanted to know everything on how to succeed in this business. She is studious and ambitious. She believes in the product’s potential and she’s ready to work hard to achieve her goals.
Her first year is full of ups and downs. A month with big sales is followed by a month with barely anything. Nevertheless, she attends every meeting and every training. Her notebook is filling up with ideas, tips and tricks.
However, almost two years later, Isabelle doesn’t have her own team yet. Seeing her so passionate and always smiling, I decided to take her under my wing and coach her. I quickly notice that when she speaks to potential consultants, she talks a lot, very fast, and listens less. Sadly, the message doesn’t reach those who might be interested. The following month, it’s the 2015 Conference and Isabelle gets charged with motivation and inspiration. Once again, she takes lots of notes and rapidly puts her newly acquired knowledge to work.
A few weeks later, in September 2015, she officially becomes a Silver Director. She begins 2016 as a Pearl Director and earns, after four months of hard work, her first Tocara trip to Mexico. At the 2016 Conference, Isabelle and her team reach the fifth position in sales and sponsorship in North America. It is filled with pride that she goes up to the stage to receive her prizes.
As we talked together, Isabelle realized that, unlike her previous experiences with Direct Sales, she made a profit close to $10,000 in two years. Doing one or two presentations a month while working as a hair stylist, she earned back her losses.
As smiling and positive as ever, Isabelle now manages a team of 35 people. She works on reaching the next leadership level and earning her second sunny vacation. By putting ten to twelve hours a month into her Tocara business, she adds to the income of her hair salon and makes her savings grow substantially.
What if, like Isabelle, this bonus could make a difference?