Derbyshire, UK

Why I Left The Body Shop At Home

Hey Cats,

You may remember a few years back I was really excited to be joining The Body Shop AT Home. I have always and still do adore Body shop products as they are ethical, great quality and do great work around the world. They are a brand I really respect so when I found out I could represent them and sell the products in my own community I was really excited. I did about a year and then decided it was time to move on and wanted to explain why.



The be all and end all of it is no matter how you dress it up it is a multi level marketing structure. Being from a sales background I really didn't have a problem with that and feel that some people can really excel in these roles. For example if you have a large group of friends and are always expanding your circle then this can be a great side thing. I live in a village and there isn't a store so I did have a customer base who knew me and people do prefer to buy from other people. I did have lots of regular events and party nights. For a £200 party that lasted just a few hours you could pick up £50 and some free products for yourself so it really wasn't bad if you have the time.

I loved having a little group of regulars and earning enough to really treat myself but if you are looking to make a lot of money and haven't got a lot of time then this isn't the thing for you. It does take being very motivated and confident. It actually served a great purpose for me at the time as I had lost a lot of confidence and stopped wearing make up or really taking time out for me. This gave me an excuse to get dressed up, play with make up and chat to new people helping regain a lot of confidence and for that I will be forever grateful.



When you first start its lovely finding new friends and you get to attend some great events. I went to two huge conferences which were packed full of information about products, you got a goodie bag and advice on how to do well. There were awards for people who had done fantastically from lower level all the way up and chances to win lots. I went to a lovely Christmas one where we got to try all the new products and if you filled out a little wish form some people got chosen for their wish to come true. Someone won a holiday for her family, someone else got a bike for her son and one of the top directors went to help a new recruit with her first party. You do pay to go to this event but for the goodie bag alone it is worth it and knowing they use the money to do the prizes etc I am fine with that. It is so much fun being in a room full of motivated people and really makes you feel appreciated .
There is however a lot of pressure from management, if you are not hitting sales then with my area at least I felt unsupported. I did however at conference meet some amazing managers who were all about their teams. My manager I feel was nice enough but there to build herself up which I respect her for but when you don't feel appreciated it is easy to start wanting to step away. The pressure starts to get piled on to start hitting higher targets even if you're happy achieving as you already are and more to recruit more people in so there ends up being a huge turn over of people dropping in and out. I think by time I was even signed up the lady who signed me up had left. So the people who are successful are the same people getting recognition. Success is achievable if you are highly motivated and consistent.



My main problem was that the shops have some amazing offers on and you can gain points and huge discounts so sometimes competing with that was really difficult. There are exclusive offers and limited edition body shop at home only items to help combat this and as I said some people appreciate buying directly from people. There would be a lot of times when we were put of stock of popular items for a long time and I would end up just buying them from the shop so I wouldn't lose my customer it would be great if there was a discount for Body Shop At Home staff as then you wouldn't mind this as much. You will still hear me raving about Body Shop products because I still love them and think the company is doing some amazing work.

The free products you can earn are fantastic if you love them yourself but as time went on these became harder to achieve. When you pull in the figures to get them they aren't exactly free really.  If you fall behind for more than 2 months not earning at least £150 a month then your account gets closed. It is easy enough to reopen though. I think Body shop at home reps work so bloody hard and I go out of my way to try and order from reps if I can as I understand that you're making a difference to a person right there and then so I do urge you if your mate starts selling or the lady down the road support them as long as they respect your boundaries.


Have you ever tried a side hustle like this?



Comments

  1. Hey, I’m so sorry to hear this.
    I feel a lot of managers are like this and it really gives all of us a bad name. I don’t pressure anyone in my team, after all it is their own independent business.
    I offer them support weekly, if they don’t want any support or help then that’s fine.
    Totally left to do their own thing.
    If you would like a fresh start, or to discuss anything further feel free to drop me a message on 07854552255 or http://www.facebook.com/DeanBoyling.1
    I am an executive manager currently & I plan on becoming the first male regional manager - doing things the right way.. no pressure (it'll happen when it happens)

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