stella & dot trunk show...direct sales??
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Anonymous
| I am currently a Stella & Dot stylist from So. Cal and find most of these comments ridiculous. I also have a full time job as a Designer and love both. I started the S&D business because I wanted more money and liked the product. Is it for everyone...No. Have I become rich...um NO, but in two months I made back my initial investment plus what I spent on product, simply because I know how to sell. I don't force people to buy or host. If your interested great if not that's fine too. I don't think they prey on stay at home moms and we don't get paid with points. You get your commission loaded to your card weekly. Do you earn points, of course, they want you to get product for free and not spend all your money building a display. Direct sales is not for everyone, but if you'd like to make an additional $500-$1000 a month and can't really work a second job it can be great. |
Anonymous
| I am a current stylist who is approaching one year. I did go in eyes wide open. I am glad I like jewelry. I am grateful to every person who has supported me (and yes, your friends are your "list" as far as shows). I am blessed with a full time job that I love, and frankly, if I did not have the income I do, my husband and I would not have done this. I still owe myself several hundred dollars, which again, was all my choice. As I prepare to sell pieces and exit, I realize I love most of them and love wearing them. But many writers have stated the sad truth. No friendship is worth that awkwawrd moment when you ask your best friend to have a repeat show and she says "I think most people are tapped out". That was pretty much it. Knowing what she thought. And was too polite to say. It's why I love her. So, I went in of my own accord. I commend anyone who does well at this, because there are people who do. They do not reveal the truth about the initial or repeat spend, nor that your samples are not "fresh" for long. Or until you sell a lot, those pretty look books are not free. Or that I am able to see the huge dip in quality; I only ordered a few fall items, just a representative sample for the few shows I will do to close up. you are correct in moving on. se out at the end of this year. I never felt like anyone should buy, which is probably why I've had some very good months, but many where I didn't work, because I learned the hard way, but early, tht if you ask about a show and hear cricketand since I have a carrer that is a true blessing, both in terms of the paycheck and the satisfaction I get from my work, I just can't ask someone making far less than I do "how about a bracelet to go with that". So I leave many dollars poorer, but rich for a new experience and very grateful to the friends and family who support me personally and gave of their time and money to host parties. I am sorry I became that person who created those uncomfortable moments, and I am also grateful to the writers on blogs like these for ratifying my true thoughts in deciding to leave with my head up. |
Anonymous
Lol! Bitch Bye |
Anonymous
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Wow, this was an interesting/hilarious/sad thread!
I've been an S&D stylist for about a year and I have to agree with a lot of what's been said in these comments. If you're in it to have an actual career, I wouldn't recommend it unless you are able to spend a lot of money up front and work your butt off for commissions. If you have a lot of friends or acquaintances that LOVE fashion and jewelry and have a lot of disposable income you might do alright. If you are able to network easily and have a very large pool of people to pull from then MAYBE you'll make some money. Sad truth, it rarely happens. I'm a pharmacist and a mom of 3 and still work part time on an as needed basis since I am lucky enough that my husband's income allows me to stay home most of the time. So why did I bother to do this? Frankly I loved the jewelry but thought it was WAY WAY overpriced. I STILL think it's overpriced. But when the necklace I wanted was $200 and I can spend $200 and it actually come out to $450 in product credit, why wouldn't you sign up? You also get 50% off everything (except business supplies and display items which sadly YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR ON YOUR OWN) for the next 30 days and 50% off everything 3 times a year as long as you sold $250 worth of product in the previous 3 months. Given I had already spent at least that much over the last few years on pieces the discount alone with was worth the sign up. I'm debating on whether or not to pay the $59 renewal fee when my year is up next month but I just might to keep the discount. I guess I look at it like a Costco membership for jewelry (sadly). So bottom line, if you want to make money doing this GOOD LUCK! It's not impossible but it is difficult and if you don't have the personality to sell sell sell it will more than likely not end well and you will spend a lot of money and get little back. However, if you simply like the jewelry and would probably buy it anyway then by all means sign up. For me the discount was worth it and I actually did sell enough over the course of the year to make back my investment (plus the stuff I got at 50% off later) and break even. But it took a YEAR to do it. So in the end I have a lot of cute stuff that "technically" was free but no real extra cash to show for it. I don't bug people to host (I just feel crappy doing that) but I have friends who already knew S&D who were more than willing to host a show to get free stuff. It also helped that I had friends and family that love this stuff too and would buy from me as their "stylist". Or that I could use my 25% discount FOR said friends and family during the rest of the non-sample period to get them a better price than they would get otherwise and it would still count toward my "sales". If you go into this with those expectations it's not too bad. Any expectations higher than those (especially if you think you'll make tons of money right away) are pretty naive and difficult to attain. |
Anonymous
No such thing. You are not a stylist. Been invited to Emmys? |
Anonymous
| I was a Silpada rep and, although I left the company on not very good terms, the jewellery is mostly great quality as it is silver and many pieces have semiprecious gemstones. The lifetime warranty cannot be beat. Very few pieces i would steer away from but they are the lower price point pieces, as some just keep breaking. As for S and D, i am hard pressed to find something of value. Super trendy which is great if you wear it once or twice...kind of like buying an original dress for a wedding one month and wearing it again to a wedding the next month...with the same crowd of people LOL. Anyway, both companies offer similar compensations but if you want to sell something you truly believe in, then go for Silpada. There is nothing like selling stuff that you can back up with quality and guarantee....the company is pretty good and get things done relatively quickly. |
Anonymous
| I love Stella & Dot! It is a great product. Real quality stuff. You are under no pressure to buy! The quality of the merchandise sells itself. |
Anonymous
| All the posts that start with "hello" are discounted. |
Anonymous
You are clearly a "stylist". |
Anonymous
PP clearly got her direct sales products confused and ATE the costume jewelry, hence the crazy. |
Anonymous
Yeah, and her post didn't even start with "hello." Tricky. |
Anonymous
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Why don't the S&D reps just invite folks to a sales presentation rather than calling it a party? How obvious do folks make it that they are being invited to a sales party?
I was invited to a friends house for some sort of candle sales thing, I had no idea it was a sales party. Before this thread, if I got invited to a Stella & Dot "Party" I would have assumed it was some sort of themed party like going to a Frozen Party or a Harry Potter Party... |
Anonymous
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I have read almost all of the posts on this site. I could not stop. It’s refreshing to hear criticism and see what people believe, and understand why. I am a “Stylist” with Stella & Dot. I am not a Spambot, I am not a SAHM, and I do in fact work full-time, and do this with two children under three, and Stella & Dot is a side “business.” I actually make money doing this and I don’t do it with a snotty attitude and I do my best not to be pushy, and I do want trunk show guests to have fun and never feel pressured to buy, and I want the hostess to have fun. This is actually meant to be a fun night for people. But I can understand where many of you all are coming from and I am glad this site exists so I can learn what we can do differently.
I do want to put a few things out there: if you aren’t having a good time, then I hope you would choose to leave or not come at all. If you feel obligated to buy/come, that’s something you should look at on your end because neither the hostess or the Stylist thinks you should feel, or are obligated to come to the show or shop. If you don’t want to shop, cannot afford to shop, don’t like the products, then do not buy them. Please do not. Keep your money! These last couple of comments are not intended to be aggressive. Everyone has a choice in life. I do want to clarify some of the misconceptions. -“This is a complete b.s. pyramid scheme and cultish religion.” If it that were the case, I could sit back, relax and collect money. Nope. I have to work for it. Because I *have a team, I have to continue to do shows. -“Why? That’s ridiculous. That sounds even more schemish and cra cra?” Because as with any job, if you are not doing the job yourself, you lose touch with the realities of the day-to-day, and if you are coaching a team, you need to know what the day-to-day looks like or you cannot give effective coaching and direction. We lead by example. -“But still, it’s like a cult with a bunch of blonde, white women.” It is true, we have a lot of Caucasian women that do this, but our demographics are reflective of the U.S. demographics overall. And where you think this is a cult, we disagree because you know what, we like what we do. If you feel this is a cult, I am guessing it’s likely because you’ve never worked for a company or in a job you actually love and are passionate about in your life. I love fashion. And I like meeting new people. This combines two things I enjoy so I get excited about trunk shows because they are actually fun. We love what we do or we would not do it. As I’ve already stated, if you don’t like going to trunk show, you can choose not come. p.s. We have male Stylists. -“But you still have to do shows. They MAKE you do shows to remain as a Stylist.” That’s not correct. You can sign on today and do nothing and you are still a Stylist. You are not considered an active Stylist, but you would still be considered an Independent Stylist with Stella & Dot. We aren’t going to MAKE you do anything. You can choose. You could do one show a year, or 100. It does not matter to us. This is designed to be flexible and it is. There were “qualifications” years ago, but they are no longer in place (so long as you do not have a team). When you sponsor a team, you are agreeing to coach people and I’ve already stated the rationale behind why you must continue to do shows when you have a team. But regardless, if a Stylist does not do anything, she will not make money. Period. There is no money tree that you can pick from. You have to work. -“But the products suck and the quality is crappy and they ALWAYS break.” Really, is that actually true? Naysayers are always the loudest, aren’t they? Well, I am sorry if that has been your experience, but there is not one company out there, no matter what you think, including LVMH, Mercedes, Bugatti, Bulgari, and so forth, that do not occasionally have product quality issues. The people making these products are just that, people. Humans do make mistakes. However, if you have had a series of issues with the products you purchased from Stella & Dot, your Stylist should be more than happy to take care of the issue and get you a refund, a replacement or do an exchange. I have had a customer break, on her own, admittedly her fault, a $24 bracelet, not once, but three times, and we replaced it for her three times, for free, over a three-year period. So when I read about the “crap” we sell and how our customer service sucks, then I feel awful because we do our best to make everyone happy. And our customer service team goes above and beyond. If your Stylist did not explain our “delight guaranty,” shame on her for not educating you. And if you have had significant issues, share them. We want to know. We want to tell our product managers and designers that stuff is not working out and why and they will either fix it or discontinue the item, but in any event, you will be properly indemnified, and then some. -“What’s up with these Stylists being pushy and snobby?” When I read that, I cringed. Physically, cringed. The Stylists that have been doing this for years never want to be pushy, they never want you to feel like we are condescending and snotty. That’s AWFUL to read. And if you have had that experience, I apologize on behalf of all of us. This is supposed to be fun. And when I read that we are all just trying to use your friends to make money, that’s not the case. We sell accessories and based on our numbers, they are accessories that people want. “My Stylist made me feel like my show was small and then she raced out of there as soon as it was over and told me my friends were basically, cheap.” Urgh….that’s the worst comment I read on here. I am appalled by this information. I cannot believe a Stylist would ever act that way and I hope she has moved on to something else in life because that makes me sick. Every show is different. If I drive three hours to do a trunk show and it’s $24, so what? Is what I would want to happen? No. I want my hostess to have a fun evening with her girlfriends and I also want her to have a fun shopping spree. I don’t care how much money I make, but I do care that everyone has a great time, the hostess has fun, and she should never be made to feel bad because people chose not to shop. Never. I apologize on behalf of all of us if this has happened to you. As for the shopping spree, before you rip that one apart, again customers choose or choose not to shop and the hostess does get a percentage based on sales because she is essentially opening her home up as a retail store. Why not reward her for it? Why get mad about it? Host your own show, or just don’t come. Again, it goes back to having a choice. “Celebrities wear this and it’s the fashion magazines, but so what? I can buy the same thing at J.Crew or Ann Taylor .” You can indeed by similar pieces at many retailers because Stella & Dot has designers from J.Crew, Kate Spade, LVMH, Marc Jacobs, Cartier, Banana, and so on. They have hired the best of the best to create products that are reflective of the current fashion trends and will be wearable and versatile. You may not love it all, and that’s fine. You may think some of it is tacky or gaudy, and that’s fine, too. You have a choice and you can form your own opinions about this brand, but for the record, it’s loved by fashion editors and celebrities because it is wearable and it fashion-forward and on trend, high-quality, and versatile. I don’t love every piece, but I do like a majority of it, and this line appeals to many women out there, and the quality is in fact, quite good. Any issues I have had have been handled. I have been doing this for a while and I am a brand snob so for me to sell these products, they better be damn good. They better hold up. I am not going to put my name behind a company I do not believe in with products that are poor quality. I do this for extra money, but I also do this because the accessories are cute. They are not meant to be heirloom pieces. These pieces are on-trend. You are not going to hand these down to your kids. It’s fun, boutique-style jewelry. “Direct sales is cheap and dirty.” Yep, I agree. I think it’s gross. Obviously this company is different or we would not have so many people buying our products, loving them, selling them hosting shows. We are a little different. We do offer a service and that’s styling. If you are not getting that at a show, you have not been to a show with a good Stylist. “It’s really over-priced.” Seriously? This is where I have a few issues. This is not Claire’s boutique, girls. These pieces are made in couture factories. They are hand-made. The tiny little pave stones are hand-cut and hand-set with painstaking attention to detail. The designs are vintage-inspired and are designed with a lot of thought and you all in mind. What you get are amazing designs and the cost is lower than what you would pay for a similar quality piece at J.Crew, and some of the pieces and their designs you only find at places like Barney’s and in fine jewelry. There is so much on here I could respond to, but that’s a start. Overall, you all caused me to pause for a minute and take into consideration all of the negative, and a lot of the downright mean comments, about Stella & Dot, Stylists like myself and the misconceptions you have as a whole. I have a feeling if your mothers read some of the comments you all have written they would be embarrassed about what you all wrote. We are all humans. Just because you are writing anonymous comments does not give you full range to be a complete asshole. I would never speak to any of you, no matter how nasty you treated me at a trunk show, the way you all have spoken about Stylists on here. I have had a few of you at my shows, and you all have snubbed me, been rude, made nasty comments and generally tried to make me feel horrible, and I was nice right back. So when we talk about empowering women, inspiring them and lifting them up, that’s what we are talking about in the Stella & Dot world. When I encounter a complete witch at a trunk show, I am nice, I am kind and I treat you with the fundamental believe that you are not a complete jerk, even if that’s exactly the way you treat me. That’s what empowering women means. We actually believe in being positive and nice and lifting people up and making them feel good. We don’t tear people down. We don’t rip them apart. We hold ourselves to a certain set of standards so when you meet one of us and we are happy and excited about life, it’s because we like what we do, we are having fun, and we have a whole team of supportive women (and men) around us. If you don’t have that in your life, I feel sorry for you. At least one of you will come back with a “koolaid” comment. Save it. I drank it. I like it. I am not judging you. I don’t have time. Maybe try that for a change. By the way, in case you have not seen the news, Iraq, Israel still have major wars happening and we may have a possible international health crisis, maybe redirect your energy that you use for some of the more crappy comments about S&D for something positive. Use that energy to make the world a better place instead of ripping people apart. Who knows, you might even feel good when you have been nice. |
Anonymous
| i wish anyone success who is pursuing this or other direct sales as a way to make money. i've always wondered how ppl do with sales since no one in my circles goes to these events or buys costume jewelry. interesting to see the numbers from ppl who are actually selling. |
Anonymous
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