The Results of my Direct Sales Experiment

I have been a Pink Zebra Direct Sales consultant for a full month. It has been a great learning experience for me. I went into this experiment with very strong feelings about direct sales and have finished the month with some very definite results. So now that I have tried it, what is my new opinion of Direct Sales? Let me share with you.

The Results of my Direct Sales Experiment

I know alot of people who are in direct sales and absolutely love it. They are making money every month, have a team under them (their downline) and regularly attend conferences, conventions and even win big prizes like trips, cars and perks. But I am not one of those people. I went in to this experiment knowing very little about how direct sales really works. I was hoping that I would discover that I loved it, but that is not the case for me.

I have officially submitted my resignation as a Consultant.

I am no longer a direct sales consultant with Pink Zebra. Although I absolutely love the Sprinkles and use them every day in my house, I no longer have any affiliation with the company. I had hoped that I would be able to sell the Pink Zebra products through my blog here online; but the program is not designed for that. Most Direct Sales programs are built around small group house parties. You invite your friends over, show off your product and then everyone pulls out their credit cards and makes purchases.

I learned that I am not a salesman.

One of my character traits is being frugal. If you know me, you know I am actually very cheap! I drink water at restaurants for 2 reasons: because it is healthy and also because it is FREE. I hate to spend money on a new book if I can check it out of the library.

Being a direct sales consultant is not for someone like me. I found myself talking my friends out of buying the products because I didn’t want them to spend money just to help me out. Offering a link to a product online is a far different scenario than handing a friend a catalog and asking them to buy something. I discovered that being a direct sales consultant is just not in my personality.

I learned that Direct Sales is not a get-rich scheme.

You may hear about your friends or family members who just won a trip to an exotic location. Or maybe they are driving around a brand new car because they won it through their direct sales. But Direct Sales is definitely not a get-rich quick process. There are many examples of failures. I have talked with many friends, family members and readers who have tried direct sales and failed. They had a horrible experience, ended up wasting money, time and resources on a program that didn’t deliver the results they were hoping for.

For those that do well, they truly earn the perks. They are working many hours and invest the time and resources to make it successful. I love hearing the success stories and look forward to sharing some of them from my personal friends and connections in the coming weeks.

The people who I have personally talked to about Direct Sales that love it are those that are moving up in the program. Those are the ones making money. In order to make direct sales work, it appears to me that you must recruit others to join the program. The larger your downline, the more money you are making.

Is Direct Sales in my Future?

Obviously not! I didn’t enjoy the process at all. But I still love the product. I guess I’ll just have to spend my own money to keep the Sprinkles in stock in my house!

Do you have a Direct Sales story? I’d love to hear! Maybe I’ll even share your story and feature your successful direct sales business here on Hobbies on a Budget!

My friend Lara is a Pink Zebra consultant and did an amazing job walking me through this Direct Sales Experiment. If you are interested in purchasing Sprinkles or other Pink Zebra products, she can definitely get them for you!

Did you miss the other articles in this series?

My Biggest Problem & Things to Ask before you Sign Up

My Initial Direct Sales Kick-Off