Can my sponsor live in a different country from me?
No. With Usborne Books, you can only be sponsored by a consultant in the country where you actually reside. Note that I am a Canadian consultant and can only sponsor you if you reside in Canada.
Does the physical location of my sponsor matter?
Yes and no. It's nice to sign up with someone knowledgeable and motivated who lives where you do. But with the communication technology available today, it makes more sense to sign up with someone knowledgeable who can help you achieve success, even if that person lives elsewhere.
My team is expansive and spread across Canada. If you would like to sign up with a consultant who lives close to you, please check my "Find a Consultant" page or contact me, and I will put you in touch with a Book Babe closer to your neck of the woods.
Can I just buy the books for my own use and not sell them to others?
Yes! The Book Babes team welcomes you no matter what kind of consultant you want to be! Just remember that in order to remain active, you need to purchase a retail total of $500 in any 6 month period of time.
There are 5 kinds of Usborne Consultant. All are welcome on our team! Which kind are you?
Friends and Family Consultant
- You love Usborne books and see the value of being able to purchase them at discounted prices for their homes and families.
- You're interested in building a home library for your family.
- You enjoy selling to friends, neighbours and relatives by taking orders and doing occasional home book parties.
Short-Term Consultant
- You want to sell for a short period only.
- You have a specific income goal to meet and may stop once your initial goal is reached.
Seasonal Consultant
- You have limited time available and specific income need during particular seasons. For example, teachers with free time during the summer or parents who need additional income for holidays, Christmas, etc.
- You become very involved with the business during times when you are available.
Part-time Consultant
- You're looking for consistent, weekly part-time work.
- You want monthly income to pay for preschool, ballet classes, car payments, school fees, etc.
Business Building Consultant
- You see Usborne Books at Home as an enjoyable career that can provide a needed full-time income.
- You understand that learning begins at home.
- You're extremely interested in developing a home library for your family.
- You enjoy attending Usborne functions and developing new friendships through the business.
- You view Usborne Books at Home as a home-based business with the ideal flexibility to work around family needs.
How should I decide which Usborne team sign up with?
When you decide which Usborne Books team to join, look for a Team Supervisor you feel comfortable with, who knows Usborne's products and procedures, and who can clearly and fully answer your questions. Even if you don't think you'll ever sell Usborne Books to others and are just joining to get a discount on your own purchases, the day may come when you want more than that. At that point, you'll want to be part of a bigger team of ambitious people who can help you achieve success. I take my role as Team Supervisor very seriously. It is my full-time job to make sure that all Book Babes receive comprehensive training and support.
BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN YOU JOIN THE BOOK BABES: To get you started off on the right foot, you will receive a Book Babes New Consultant Welcome Package by mail. Your package will contain business supplies like labels, invitations, order forms and hostess party planners so you can start having successful parties right away.
How much does it cost to become an Usborne Books consultant and what do I get in my start-up kit?
Each month, an Usborne base kit is available at a cost of around $50 (this varies a bit each month). The cost of the kit is at 50% or more off of the retail cost of the contents of the kit.
The base kit contains:
- a new consultant training manual (very comprehensive)
- business supplies (catalogues, order forms, invitations, flyers, etc.),
- a variety of popular books for different age levels (selections change every month)
Each month, there are 2 optional enhancement packages available at sign-up for a very large discount so that you can build up your sample collection if you wish to do so.
To see the current Canadian base kit and enhancemen packages, click here. (opens in a new window)
Besides the great discount on Usborne books, are there any other benefits to becoming a consultant?
Yes!
1. Each month, Usborne releases new titles and reprints. So that they can continue to build their collection of sample books, active consultants are entitled to purchase one of each these each titles at 50% off and here is no GST on these books! Consultants have one month to purchase these at a discount, in the month when they are released. This is optional, and you can decide how many of the new titles you want to buy - one or all of them!
2. When you perform well as a new consultant, you can earn FREE BOOKS! Look:
- Bronze Consultant Achieve $500 in personal retail sales in your first 4 weeks: Purchase an additional $100 worth of books for $30.
- Silver Consultant Achieve $1,000 in personal retail sales in your first 12 weeks: Earn $50 in FREE books.
- Gold Consultant Achieve $2,000 in personal retail sales in your first 12 weeks: Earn another $100 in FREE books.
- Platinum Consultant Achieve $3,000 in personal retail sales in your first 12 weeks: Earn another $100 in FREE books.
- Ruby Consultant Achieve $4,000 in personal retail sales in your first 12 weeks: Earn another $50 in FREE books.
- BONUS Each time you sponsor a gold or silver consultant within your first 12 weeks, you’ll earn another $100 in free books ! For every gold or silver consultant you sponsor after your first 12 weeks, you’ll earn another $50 in free books.
What products should I have in my Usborne kit and how much will it cost me?
Should I keep inventory on hand?
It's true that people really like it when they can buy something at a home party and take it with them that night. So if you want to keep inventory, you will sell it. But you most certainly don't have to keep inventory. When you do a home party, it suffices to bring your well-stocked kit along so that people can see the books firsthand. If you don't keep inventory, your customers will simply order from the Usborne catalogue.
If you are interested in doing some exhibits like craft shows, farmers markets, trade show, etc. then you can work at building up your stock of books to be able to sell right at your events. If you take advantage of all the books you can buy at 50-70% off, when you sell them at your exhibits, you are making 50-70% commission instead of your 22-29%, now we're talking!
Is Usborne Books a pyramid scheme?
No. Usborne Books is a direct sales company like Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, etc. and sells legitimate retail products to consumers. Here is how to tell whether any opportunity is a legitimate multi-level marketing opportunity rather than a pyramid scheme:
- Product and Price
Does the company offer a high quality product for which there is a strong demand in the real world marketplace? Is the product fairly priced and priced competitively with similar products? Can the product be demonstrated, and does it stand out when you show it to friends? Is the product proprietary to the company, and available only through its distributors? (Have you ever noticed that you can't buy Avon products in stores or Shaklee vitamins at pharmacies?) Is it backed up with a customer satisfaction guarantee? Is post-sales service or customer assistance available? Do the people who participate in the program buy the product enthusiastically based on its own merits, even if they don't participate in the compensation program?
- Second, No Investment Requirement
Can you participate in the company's program without having to make any investment other than purchasing a sales kit or demonstration materials sold at company cost?
- Third, Look at Purchase and Inventory Requirements
Can you become a distributor or sales representative without having to fulfill a minimum up-front purchase or inventory requirement? (When you are pitched to put thousands of dollars of inventory at the very beginning, run fast in the opposite direction.) Does the company's compensation plan discourage inventory loading? Garages and backrooms filled with product serve no useful purpose to anyone.
- Fourth, Look at the Sales Commissions Sources
Are sales commissions paid only on actual products or services sold through distributors in the network to the end-user or ultimate consumer? (This means that products don't end up in basements and closets. They are used, because they have genuine value.) Does the compensation plan avoid paying commissions or bonuses for the mere act of sponsoring or recruiting? (If it pays headhunting fees, it is illegal.)
- Fifth, Check the Buy-Back Policy
Will the company buy back inventory and sales kit materials from distributors who cancel their participation in the program, as long as these items are in resalable condition? (This policy is required in states that have adopted multilevel distribution statutes.)
- Sixth and Very Important, Look for Retail Sales
Is there an emphasis on actual retail sales to end-consumers? Can the company demonstrate efforts to market products to the ultimate consumer? Do the company's distributors have ongoing retailing requirements to qualify for commissions? What is a "retail sale?" The industry and many MLM statutes include both sales to nonparticipants and purchases in reasonable amounts for personal use by distributors. Some regulatory groups, including the FTC, have historically rejected personal use as a legitimate retail sale. Stay tuned as this debate continues. The legislative trend is definitely supportive of the industry position.
- Seventh, Expect an Active and not Passive Role for Distributors
Are distributors in the company required to actively participate in the development and management of their networks? (Many of the MLM statutes require that distributors perform bona fide, supervisory, distributing, selling, or soliciting functions in moving product to the ultimate consumer.)
- Eighth, Watch Out for Earnings Misrepresentations
Do the company's literature and training materials scrupulously avoid claims of income potential that is promises of specific income levels other than demonstrations of verifiable income levels within its program? (The Federal Trade Commission, attorneys general, and postal inspectors all have their eyes on the matter of earnings representations. The acceptable approach emerging is that there should be no earnings representations unless they are based on a verifiable track record of the average earnings of distributors. For instance, a company should have statistics to show the percentage of active distributors and the average earnings of active distributors.)
- Finally, Look for Good Training
Does the company offer its independent distributors solid training opportunities in sales and recruitment? Are different levels of training offered to match the increasing levels of experience and responsibilities of distributors?
Source: http://www.mlmlegal.com/pyramid.html - Jeffrey A Babner
How do I sign up as an Usborne Consultant?
It's easy to start selling Usborne Books in Canada. Here's what to do:
1. Buy Your Kit: Click here toget this month's Kit Special (opens in a new window)
2. Read, sign and return your Consultant Agreement along with the order form for the kit and any enhancement packages you've chosen: Click here to get the Usborne Canada Consultant Agreement (opens in a new window)
Supervisor: Brandy Burge, Sponsor: Brandy Burge (or contact me for a recommendation on a motivated sponsor who lives near you)
NOTE: If you'd prefer, please e-mail me and I'll send you a complete information/sign-up package with absolutely no obligation on your part.
How do I learn about the books and develop my product knowledge?
The best way to learn about Usborne books is to try them! But of course, when you sign up as a consultant, you get a comprehensive training manual in your Usborne start-up kit. In addition, I offer extensive training for my entire team including team meetings locally and online meetings for all team members across the country. Last but certainly not least, Usborne offers a training website for all its consultants.
As the Supervisor on whose team I am signed up with, how do you communicate with the consultants on your team?
What is the profit on Usborne Books?
COMMISSION
You earn commission (discounts) on every Usborne book you sell at retail or buy for personal use and samples.
- Direct Sales: 27-34% commission
- Home Shows: 22-29% commission
- Fundraisers/Book Fairs: 17-30% or more in commission
- School & Library Sales: 22-29% commission
PLUS, CASH Sales Bonuses
Earn monthly cash sales bonuses according to your total monthly net sales (net sales = retail minus commission) for home party sales, direct sales, and direct sales to schools & libraries. (book fair program sales are not eligible)
- Sell over $1000.00 in retail sales in a month’s time frame & receive a 3% cash sales bonus or 7% in FREE Books!
PLUS, Recruiting CASH or FREE Books Bonuses
- When you recruit new consultants, you earn an automatic recruiting bonus on their first 45 days of sales. You can choose from either a 3% cash bonus or 7% in FREE Books!
PLUS, CASH Overrides as a Supervisor
When you promote to the Supervisor level, you can earn an additional monthly cash override of 7% on your own sales & all the net sales of consultants who are in your central group.
Your central group is your recruits and your recruits' recruits.
PLUS, earn overrides on your 1st, 2nd and 3rd level breakaway groups' net sales within your downline of 5%, 5% and 3% respectively.
Your breakaway group is when a consultant promotes to Supervisor - then they and all their recruits and recruits' recruits are considered a breakaway group. You can have an unlimited number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd level breakaway groups!!
You can have an unlimited number in your central group!
How do I receive my commission on my Usborne sales?
- Cash or Cheque - Immediate Profit
When a customer pays you by cash or cheque, you already have your profit. This is because when you make that customer's order, Usborne will charge you the discounted amount for the products. In the meantime, your customer has already given you the full retail amount for the products.
- Credit Card - Commission Cheque from Usborne
When a customer pays you by credit card, Usborne will add your profit on that sale to your monthly commission cheque, or, you can use the credit on your account on other orders.
What are the monthly sales requirements?
There are no monthly sales requirements. If you want to be able to continue to receive a consultant discount, however, you must remain "active" - this means selling $500 retail in product (or purchasing for your own use or for gifts) in any 6 month period, that's it! Since Usborne Books Parties and catalog parties usually average $500, this could mean doing just one home show every six months. If you are just collecting orders, this is less than $100 per month which is very manageable.
Note that in order to be considered an "active" consultant in the first place, you must have ordered your first $500 in products.
What terms & conditions must I agree to in order to become an Usborne consultant?
Usborne is very easy to get along with, but as a consultant you are expected to know and follow the rules. You will be given the full Usborne Books Terms & Conditions document prior to signing up, and you should read it thoroughly, but In a nutshell, Usborne consultants agree to...
- Purchase the sales kit and sustain a minimum of $500.00 (retail) in personal sales over any six month period in order to remain active.
- Represent Usborne Books ethically and in accordance with Usborne policies.
- Participate in training if you sell Usborne Books products to others.
- Be responsible to correctly submit and pay for your Uborne orders.
- Keep your own tax records as an independent contractor.
- Make no false or misleading statements concerning Usborne Books or its products.
- Seek prior approval from Usborne Books if you create media, develop materials or place any advertisements of any kind for use in training, soliciting, or attracting customers and/or representatives.
Are there any other requirements for Usborne consultants?
As a consultant, your one and only "requirement" is that you need to buy/sell at least $200 retail within your first 12 weeks. After that, there are no monthly minimums or books you "have to" buy.
Where can I sell Usborne books?
Usborne consultants have a great deal of freedom to decide where and how to sell their products. Not only can you sell Usborne at home parties, but you can also...
- Do Catalog Parties Canada wide by simply sending your hostess a hostess package, processing her orders and direct shipping the books to her
- Trade shows
- Craft Shows
- Flea markets
- Farmers' markets
- Daycares
- Local Schools - if you have your Educational Specialist training through Usborne - ask your supervisor for details
Note: You cannot sell Usborne on auction sites such as eBay.
Can I sell Usborne on eBay or other auction sites?
No. As with almost all other direct sales companies, this is strictly prohibited by Usborne.
Does Usborne offer its consultants a website?
Yes. For a nominal fee you can have a catalogue website where your customers can browse the entire up-to-date Usborne catalogue. This site is not e-commerce enabled, but customers can send you their wish list by email. The catalogue site for www.UpWithReading.com is www.usborne.ca/upwithreading.
Note that the www.UpWithReading.com website itself was independently made, and was not provided by Usborne. All consultants have the freedom to do create independent sites if they wish, and then to link to their Usborne catalogue sites should they wish to do so.
Can I make my own Usborne website?
Yes, you can. Usborne reserves the right to approve the content of your website, but they're very easy to get along with.
Can I advertise my Usborne business?
Yes, with the proviso that you get approval from Usborne for any media you've created. Usborne is pretty easy going about this, but they like to have a look at what you're doing.
Can I blog about my Usborne business and/or the books?
Yes. This is a great way to give your Usborne business widespread exposure.
