Thirty One Review:

Thirty-One is a company that focuses on the gift package market and provides an extensive catalogue of products designed to appeal to a female customer base. Items produced by Thirty-One include baskets full of clothing, soaps and cosmetic products in addition to bags for girls of all ages. Thirty-One products are featured in the company's catalogues which are distributed at Thirty-One gift parties as well as at the Thirty-One company web site. In addition to its product base, Thirty-One allows consumers to have personalized embroidery, engraving and lettering done on various products.

The company was founded in 2003 by its current President, Cindy Monroe; whom felt that there was a market for other women like her that didn't have the time to visit gift shops and boutiques. The company states that its mission is to celebrate, encourage and reward women through offering quality products and an outstanding opportunity to become successful business owners. "We have seen this mission played out across the years in the individual lives of so many women who now have their own 'Thirty-One' Story." -Cindy Monroe

Over the years Thirty-One has grown to over 15,000 Consultants since it began 9 years ago, and maintains production facilities in two states. The company is run by its Sales Representatives whom hold house parties, give demonstrations and show products off at gatherings where they can sell a variety of gifts as well as offer business opportunities. Hosting these events has the potential to rake in over two hundred dollars per session, in addition to bonuses based on the number of individuals that attend each party. Although that figure is somewhat typical of any part-based MLM product, there is and will always be a market for female oriented basket gifts.

One troubling issue brought up by critics is why you can't simply order something from Thirty-One directly, or acquire information about becoming a seller without having to meet with a sales consultant. Apparently this issue popped up consistently enough to garner an answer on the company's web site that stated: "As one of America’s fastest growing Direct Selling companies, we are committed to providing you with the best possible face to face buying experience. This simply cannot be accomplished through a faceless Internet machine. And, because our mission is to celebrate, encourage, and reward women, not sell products, we feel it is so important for you to have more than just a buying experience."

Nowhere on the web site does it explain how to get started, what is offered by the compensation plan or how the process of being a sales rep works. There is however a bit more information available in the company's product catalogue.

The company seems to have a good presentation overall, with quality products, quality catalogues and professional sales representatives, but there do seem to be a growing body of people fed up with what often appears to be a inner circle of people within a company that force inquiring entrepreneurs to join before getting any useful information. This secretive way of going about recruiting leaves a bad taste in the mouths of anyone who has ever been lured into a presentation and then harassed long afterwards for refusing to join, as some people have even lost friends over the process.

"As one of America’s fastest growing Direct Selling companies, we are committed to providing you with the best possible face to face buying experience. This simply cannot be accomplished through a faceless Internet machine. And, because our mission is to celebrate, encourage, and reward women, not sell products, we feel it is so important for you to have more than just a buying experience."

Translation:

If we meet in person, you'll be much less likely to say no. It's far too easy to say no thanks over the Internet when you haven't had to invest any more time than it takes to load a web page and read. The days of pushy salespeople are gone. If your product doesn't offer enough to sell itself without all the pushing and hype, you're going to be found out sooner or later. 

I'm not a huge fan of companies that use these kinds of tactics.

Also wondering if they are doing anything to give back, like any sort of charity work or contribution programs and incentives for donations to non-profits.

Great post Wallace. Thanks for the info ;)

Oh my God, these guys are insane!!!

I was at the gym a few weeks ago and a friend of mine had been talking about getting out of in-store retail and into a different line of work, she wanted to try selling Avon at first (gag). I work for a college and on off days I sometimes bring the girls into my own MLM (Evolv) which has been doing fabulous and Haley (my friend) wanted to do it to. Of course being the bubble head she is, wasn't sure if Evolv was what she wanted to try so she dragged me to a Thirty-One consultation at a Dunkin Donuts where this totally scary guy made us listen to him for almost two hours!!!!!!!!!

I was getting mad toward the end because he wouldn't even let us ask questions, he just stood there going on and on and on about how great the gifts were, and they weren't! They looked cheap and totally smelled like plato or something. I was like, hey guy, its sort of freaky to see you holding a purse! Like that's going to make someone want to join your freaky company. I'm sorry but he acted like he drank 3 coffees and all me and Haley wanted to do was leave. First she told him we would think about it and that we had to go and he got up and said he wanted to show us one last thing, and it was some stupid catalogue with nothing but baskets in it, which you can go and get at the Christmas Tree Shop for a fraction of the price.

We sat calmly and waited for him to be done showing us the stupid catalogue, and he knew we were totally PO'd. When we got up, he had the NERVE to act like we were being rude but I didn't care, I was perfectly fine to be leaving. Then he actually STOOD AT THE DOOR smiling and holding two papers for us to take with us (asking when he can expect our paid applications), and finally I WENT OFF! I told him to MOVE and we bolted.

I don't know if it was just him, or if they are all like that, but I'm totally all set with that.

You know, I'm generally one of the first to jump on this kind of bandwagon because I can't stand even a motivated salesperson let alone a pushy one, but something like this is almost always the fault of the rep and not the company. Don't get me wrong, I would imagine that any company loves a good, aggressive salesman, but when you cross the line of stepping in front of the door before someone goes to leave, that's pretty much dancing close to kidnapping lol.

The guy probably did get a bit jittery from the sounds of it, but I'm not quite ready to pick on Thirty-One based on this story alone. I haven't heard anything else about this kind of thing from Thirty-One reps, aside from the occasional extra phone call or email, and that's common for just about any company whether an MLM or a mainstream distributor like Walmart or Target. Besides, it's not like they're "noobs" in the MLM world. They've been around since 2003, and were founded by Cindy Monroe, the current company President. It's not that unusual to have a male representing a female-oriented company, in fact you sound a little sexist.

You're always going to have a few bad reps just as you will occasionally have a few bad employees, you can't trash the whole company on account for that. What they offer generally seems pretty straightforward to me: sell the items listed in the catalogue, earn a commission off of what you sell, and after your sales reach two hundred dollars you become eligible for a number of bonuses and prizes. They let you buy stuff even if you don't want to be a rep so there is no "club" mentality to it. Thirty-One scam? nah, a waste of money? probably, but I have heard pretty good things about Thirty-One overall.

Hi Everyone!

I just joined this networking site a few days ago and I'm trying to familiarize myself with the site, members and posts.  I am a proud Thirty-One consultant and I was puzzled and disappointed when I read the original post and responses. 

I'd like to clarify a few things to make sure the right information is out.  Whether someone likes Thirty-One Gifts and the products or not, I'd rather the correct information be available for anyone looking. 

1. Our product line consists of purses, tote bags, organizational and storage items, a few baskets, children's gift items and accessories (scarves, mirrors, nail files, manicure kit, flat iron case, aprons, beach towels)
2. As of right now, we only offer embroidered personalization on most of our product line.  On 3/1 we will offer Laser Engraving on some of our products.
3. While it is correct that you can't get information on becoming a distributor on the website, they offer to refer you to another consultant so that you have someone to talk and potentially build a relationship with.  You can call customer service at 1-866-443-8731 or fill out the form on the "contact us" tab.  They will offer to refer a consultant to you if you need additional information so they can help distribute leads to consultants. 
4. The same is true for a purchase, they will refer you to a consultant to make a purchase and to follow up with you if there are any issues.  Good consultants will keep in contact with their customers, make sure they are happy with their order and make themselves available if an issue arises.  Home office can give you a referral and as long as the consultant has a website, then you can make a purchase online without ever speaking to the consultant.  One important thing to mention is that we do have monthly specials for customers and hostesses and sometimes there are special instructions for ordering.  Potential customers need to read that first to make sure they get the sale price or special promotion offered. 
5. I somewhat disagree that there are any secretive ways to sponsoring new consultants.  Home office is trying to help consultants build their teams and their business which is why they refer people to a consultant.  You can email them and ask for information or they will offer to mail you a packet.  We have sponsoring flyers and brochures that give full details about becoming a consultant, commission structure, incentives, support, etc. 

Until I read this post, I had never heard of any bad group opportunity meetings or people being harassed.  While I am sure pushy and shady people exist in all direct sales and MLM businesses, I can assure you this is not the norm.  I have never been involved with a company that cares so much about it's customers and consultants. 

As a matter of fact, we are currently in the middle of a new consultant "freeze".  Since 2/8/11, we have temporarily stopped accepting new consultants from joining because the leadership recognizes that there are things to fix.  

In a nutshell, the company has gone through tremendous growth in the last year:  October 2010 sales exceeded all of 2009 sales; more than 6000 consultants joined our team in January 2011, they've moved their distribution center to a larger facility to handle the growth, and hired an entire call center staff (early 2010 less than 12 phone reps, now there's more than 100 and they are hiring more.)

The pause in sponsoring is allowing the executives to re-evaluate inventory levels because we had disappointed and upset customers last quarter.  Our tremendous growth far outweighed projections so there simply wasn't enough product.  In addition to purchasing more product, they are hiring more staff all around to support the growth. 

If the company was focused on sales and profits only, they wouldn't care about the challenges the growth has created and we would keep adding consultants regardless of the consequences.  

I'd be happy to answer any direct questions about the Thirty-One opportunity without obligation to make sure people have the information they need to make an informed decision. The new consultant starter kit is $99 and comes with more than $300 in products and business supplies.  Consultants earn 25% commission on all sales and up to 34% if they choose to sponsor other consultants.  There are different promotion levels and you can earn a portion on your downline's sales based on your status.  

If anyone wants to see the products then feel free to visit my Thirty-One website at www.MamasNewBag.com.  

Hello Ivette, I read your post and I wanted to comment on a few things, being a distribution manager for Melaleuca myself. I have a great deal of respect for Thirty-One, and I wouldn't be too concerned with some of the "characters" you find posting around here from time to time. I think there is a good possibility that there is a little truth to stories like this occasionally, but in this case after having read more of KatieKatie's posts, I am somehow relieved. That, is to suggest that sometimes the messenger really is of more concern than the message, with no disrespect of course.

I have read only two cases of similar description in regard to Thirty-One, and neither of them came accompanied with much confirmation. I think its little more than Idle web chatter from people that would prefer Thirty-One not succeed over their own offerings. In my business I have seen plenty of nasty tales about Melaleuca, with a fraction of them even resembling the truth. As far as these forum boards go, this is the best place I've seen by far for neutrality and freedom. I've even seen one guy apologize for a few of his judgements about a company and that says a lot about the people I interact with here.

I would suggest you keep on em, get more information out about Thirty-One and keep the story-tellers in check. I think that was a fine post and you provided some excellent information to counter someone's word of mouth complaints. The sponsor pause you mentioned also shows lots of thought from your higher ups and confirms that they really care about who is representing their products and their business. In my time with Melaleuca, I would be a liar if I said we didn't have some pretty bad distributors who had to be dealt with but any respectable company knows you can get a few bad apples from an apple tree and most importantly, most respectable consumers know that.

By the way, thank you for posting the information you did about membership and costs, I think that was a very good idea in this case. If you don't mind me asking, and without expecting too personal an answer, have you had much success being involved with Thirty-One?

Hi Travis!

Thanks so much for your reply - your kind words and reminders were very helpful.  I recognize that it's easy to rush to defend one's honor.   I am very glad I stumbled upon this site and look forward to getting to know all the members.  It certainly says a lot about someone's character if they apologize for their comments and maybe misjudgment!  :)

I have been a Thirty-One consultant since September and yes I have actually found really good success in a short amount of time.  It actually has taken me off guard somewhat at how good it has been. 

However, that being said, I need to explain why I think it's gone so well for me. 

This isn't my first rodeo.  I've been involved in some sort of direct sales for more than 15 years.  I've been with many companies including Tupperware, Mary Kay, Home Interiors and Stampin' Up.  With all of them, I had only mild success.  That is to say I only had a few consultants in my downline with my last direct sales company, Stampin' Up.  I'm also currently  a SendOutCards distributor, but have shifted my focus to Thirty-One.  I really struggled with "getting it" in my other companies.  I really didn't understand how to sell effectively and how to sponsor.  Even though I followed the scripts and suggestions to a "T", I never had the success people talked about. 

Now, with the information on the internet and many really good direct sales coaches, I finally get it :)

I think all my experiences before have helped me to recognize what I should be doing and how to do it.  To be honest, I never understood how much direct sales is a relationship based business and how helping others is more important than helping yourself.  Now that I understand that, I also see why I wasn't successful before.  

Thirty-One has many wonderful attributes with the product and being a faith based company.  There have been some challenges in the last quarter when I joined and I can honestly say that I was impressed with the way they responded and the integrity.  

I think there's 3 major keys to my success so far:

1. I'm trained and supported the way I "need" to succeed.  I know where to get information and I know who to call when I need help.  Having a great sponsor as a role model really helps.
2. Thirty-One is a "new" company in my area.  There are less than 25 consultants in my city so the market is wide open.  People haven't heard of Thirty-One, they see the catalog and they are intrigued.  Getting bookings has been "easy" because they want to earn the free merchandise.  The new consultant kit is very affordable so considering the business opportunity is easy (as compared to the new distributor cost of becoming a SendOutCards distributor.  
3. I have really marketed my business from every aspect: online, advertisements in local publications and networking.  

No product sells itself.  Now that I understand how to run this as a business, I have made leaps and strides in sales and finding prospective distributors in a short amount of time. It's now my "job" to mentor others and show them how to be successful if they want to be and are willing to work hard.  

I sponsored my first recruit before the recruiting pause.  She found me online, and is a student at the University of Alabama.  We exchanged a few emails one day and that night I got notification she joined my team.  While it might be a case of forbidden fruit, I have 25 warm - hot leads for new consultants once the freeze it's over.  I know the proof will be in the putting when the freeze is lifted and half may not sign up.  But believe me when I tell you I never had 10 people in TOTAL, ever tell me they were interested in the business opportunity with all my other companies combined. 

Each month as my customer base grows, I've been doubling my sales over the previous month.  I know we can't disclose earnings, but I have made money.  I haven't quite replaced my income yet, but I have earned enough each month to more than cover a new car payment.  :)  

Thanks again for replying Travis! I hope this was the type of information you were looking for.   I look forward to getting to know you and your business better!

All the best,
Ivette

Howdy Ivette, what a fantastic thread this is, great turnaround in overall mood. I'm a truly grateful fella for my current MLM, Isagenix, but I must admit there are sometimes moments that I find I could use a boost in drive. I attribute this mostly to the area in which I live, where we have a pretty small and isolated population. One thing I noticed having moved back here is that anything you want to do such as see a movie, go out to eat someplace semi-respectable, or have a night out with friends is basically a major voyage. Its not like in the city where you can squeeze a trip in a 15-20 minute window. Working my MLM is effected the same way out here, in that the individuals I can get to know and introduce Isagenix to, are people I've known for as long as I've been here. Living out here everybody is connected, so if they aren't already in your downline, they most likely will never be.

I'm pretty happy because I've found enough people to not have to work on cars, but I've basically run out of recruits, and unless I can convince the wife and youngins to pack up shop and move a few miles, I feel as though I've reached a bit of a finish line. Having read this thread though I'm feeling a little peppy and maybe need to rework the internet side of my business. I've actually considered taking on another company and selling their products and plans simultaneously but I can't decide if I feel its an ethical thing to do. This was definitely my first rodeo as you put it, and I've learned quite a bit as I went but I never considered the low population here when I originally started. I can't just drive to the city either because I've found it difficult to get people that don't know and trust me involved, with the exception of the internet.

You sound like you really got your apples together Ivette, and if you have any advice to offer a fella from the boonies I'd be much obidged. Thank you for a great post, I've enjoyed your three major keys to success as well. You know, with the way you come across Ivette, maybe you might consider writing a motivational book? I know its done quite a bit but if you aim it at the right crowds I think you'd definitely see some success!

-Jacob

My Jacob - you wrote some awfully nice words!  Nice to meet you!

I'd be happy to share some marketing tips with you - why don't you start a new thread and send me a PM so I can respond.  That way someone else who joins or is looking for information will have an "easier" time finding it if they want. 

I will be honest and tell you that promoting two products is tricky at best.  I long considered the ethical implications of being a SendOutCards distributor and a Thirty-One consultant.  In the end, I felt it was the right decision for me because I can use my SendOutCards system in my Thirty-One business and it's truly a service rather than a physical product (like Thirty-One).  Same may disagree with me and that's OK.  As I mentioned in my post I have switched my focus to Thirty-One just because that's where the business is for me right now.  I continue to promote SendOutCards to business associates and other entrepreneurs I meet as a marketing tool for their business.  

And no, I've never thought of writing a motivational book.  Truly the thought has never entered my mind.  But thank you for such kind encouragement!  I'm much more of a "behind the scenes" kind of girl and would rather just help friends (like in these forums) when I can.  I have a ton of ideas that I can't act on so I'd rather put them out there for someone else to try and run with it rather than keep it to myself.  Otherwise my head gets too filled with stuff I can't use and I get frustrated :).

Take care Jacob - I look forward to learning more about you and your business.  I've heard wonderful things about Isagenix!

All the best,
Ivette 

I'm sorry to "butt in" everyone, just wanted to say that Thirty-One is a great company, and I happen to love their customer service, especially the wonderful distributors. Ivette knows my story by now, but for those of you that don't I had been given an adorable Thirty-One bag as a gift, and for some reason it just didn't hold up well, even with relatively gentle use. I was really a little more upset than I should have been but I really loved this bag, and it was one of those products that you can only get from a certain place, which in this case, was Thirty-One. The more I think about it, there was no reason to believe I couldn't simply buy another one like it but I wanted to make sure that this wasn't typical of the company, since buying a replacement might end up with the same results.

To make a long story short, I really couldn't decide what to do, but Ivette suggested in another thread that I contact the person who gave me the bag, which I did. She contacted Thirty-One and within a half hour I was told a new one was being shipped to me, and my friend assured me that the bag coming apart was certainly unusual and not typical of their production quality. So, here I am, a truly satisfied customer, and I have a HUGE smile on my face for Thirty-One :D.

I just wanted to chime in with that so everyone would know how I was treated. Thank you for reading friends!

Jacob man, what's the deal, you reach a peak? Tough nuggets sometimes but I bet things will pick up for you my man. Hang in there, and focusing on the internet is the absolute best thing you can do, because that will give you access to everybody and everything.  To be honest, I don't know how you make it out there doing the person to person thing, I visited a few real desolate towns and man you can drive all day on some of the country roads and not see a soul.

Anyway, let me know how you make out, Im curious to see how you things go, especially if Ivette hooks you up with the dillio. I can't help you, Im a crappy salesman but I do believe I could give you some tips on the online aspect of it my man, let me know and I'll gladly trade a few site tips for you.

This question is for Ivette, and I'd like to apologize for posting it here in a Thirty-One Thread but I figured I'd get your attention faster. I'd like to ask your opinion, there is a company called FantaZ, its a new MLM that basically sells an online gaming platform where people can earn money playing games. There is fantasy football, talk of being able to connect high-end gaming systems like PS3 and Xbox360 so people can play games against each other and earn points for cash and prizes. My question to you is, how marketable is something like this for individuals that know little about gaming. I don't know whether or not videogames are or ever have been your thing, but for a lot of people looking to break into an MLM program, gaming is an unusual way to do it, but I can tell you first hand, its here to stay. Knowing it has been combined with an MLM, what are your thoughts?

Hi Wallace!

I read your post and did a little research because honestly it was the first time I had heard of the company.  (No surprise though since I'm not "into" gaming.) But you are right when you mentioned it's here to stay.  I know several people who are into gaming and love it as a way of recreation as well as stress release. 

Now there's that whole discussion of getting in on the ground floor.  If you do it at the "beginning" then you can stand to make a substantial amount of money or it's risky at the beginning and it's best to wait.  I think whenever it's the right time for you to get it in it's going to be good because you're ready to take that step. 

Now, I couldn't find any info on becoming an independent distributor or consultant or whatever.  From what I could see there's no cost to join right now, which is attractive.  But how much will it be?

The only thing that initially concerns me is that there doesn't seem to be any product (other than gaming points) that you will receive and I can't find any training and business supplies that are included in signing up.  These are usually the 3 basic components to starting a new MLM business.  That way you are set up for success.  I would check into the commission pay and see if there have been any "late" payments or other issues that would raise a red flag.  

I think in general that if people don't know a lot about gaming, that it will take some time to "convince" them it's legitimate because there's actual money and tournaments to be played.  If they are new to gaming, they may be somewhat reluctant to pay cash to join some tournaments (unless they love Vegas.)  HA!  But if someone is really into gaming, they've already played tournaments online then this will probably be a no brainer.  

The fact that it's combined with an MLM doesn't surprise me as it's fast becoming the way to get marketing done fairly inexpensively.  I'm just not sure how receptive people will be because I'm not "in" that circle.  For example, I have talked to a few ACN reps and I'm still not sure about switching over my services even though I need to save money.  I'm not trying to put down ACN or the things they are trying to accomplish, it's just a difficult concept for me to grasp.  

Sorry this wasn't too helpful!  Maybe we can move this to it's own category so that others can comment too.  I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks  -- there may be other points I haven't considered. 

All the best,

Ivette

Thank you Ivette, I appreciate your input a great deal. I still don't think I'm much of a salesman but if I were I might consider giving them a try.  I've definitely always been a gamer, and certainly know enough of them that if I were to give this a try I'd probably have a pretty god head start. I agree that I think I'd like to see some people get paid before I'd consider it, but at the same time, its the beginning, which as you suggested can be an opportune time to get involved. As far as some type of training package and/or a web package, I am repeatedly told that the company is still in launch phase so I don't know if all of those materials haven't been packed yet or are simply not going to be included.

In regard to Thirty-One, It's funny, Jeroqui made some good points in that other thread, and kind of conjured my interest about men representing female products. I can relate to him in that I have quite a few female friends I have always gotten along with and were I to be involved with Thirty-One I bet I could have started a fairly small network pretty rapidly. I made it a point to question my fiance about how women pick out their bags, and it really is a very interesting thing. So much more goes into it than just the style. A good lesson on male stereotype thinking I suppose lol.

I continue to lurk here more so because I find the concept of an MLM very interesting, but I never seem to gather up enough nerve to actually give one a go. Time is always of a concern to and I do have a few things that take up a chunk, but certainly not so much that I couldn't find the time to make it work. The product line of any MLM has always been my first concern, and there are certain standards that make it hard, with the exception of gaming. I can't do foods, health shakes or leathers because I am a vegetarian, and an organics-only eater on top of that. I obviously want nothing to do with gimmicks like cPrime that's for sure, so what's left are a handful of decent looking companies.

Anyway, thank you for your response as always Ivette :)

You may have never heard of any bad group meetings, but they definitely happen! I'm sure having you as a consultant is probably a bit more normal mode, but the people we met were nuts, and that really seta mood for me about Thirty-One, and I really don't think the bags are very trendy any way, at least not for me. That guy was CRAZY with a capital C, and I don't think any salesperson has any success when they approach anyone as if they are lucky for the opportunity to recruit someone or sell a product. In my business, I approach people offering them an opportunity that they should be grateful for, an opportunity to get healthy, and to make MULA people.

I don't sit there all desperate and pathetic and stand in their way with a "please pick me" sign, that's weak. I use subtlety and charm, and admittedly sometimes I flirt, but you would be amazed at how many people respond to the fact that being confident and NOT desperate, provides a much better impression for you, your product and your company. I sell my butt off with just my own friends, let alone people I meet when I'm out and about.

And as for you Mr. Walton, you certainly don't lack "character" and maturity....how's that p90x working out for you anyway? You know what I think would help you change your current health problems? Evolv water. Just let me know if you need some information on it and I'd be more than happy to tell you about some of the benefits, especially for the aging, it benefits EVERYONE. :)