How to Sell Scentsy

Co-authored by Christopher M. Osborne, PhD

Last Updated: May 11, 2020 References

Scentsy is a U.S.-based multi-level marketing (MLM) company that produces a wide range of home fragrance products. The company relies on independent contractors (called “consultants”) to sell its products, primarily through home-based sales parties. It’s easy to become a Scentsy consultant and get started selling, but it can be more of a challenge to make money in the role. You’ll improve your odds of making money by honing your sales techniques, but it pays to first take some time to consider whether an MLM gig is right for you.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Joining and Advancing in Scentsy

1
Sign up as a consultant and buy a Scentsy Starter Kit. There’s very little to the process of becoming a Scentsy “consultant”—the term they use for independent contractors authorized to sell the company’s products. Go to the Scentsy website, provide some basic identifying info, and order a Scentsy Starter Kit—the options available will cost you in the range of $100-$150 USD.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- The Starter Kit includes samples, testers, brochures, other sales-related items, and 3 months’ access to a personalized website where you can sell Scentsy products.
- You must be an adult who is eligible to work in your country of residency. Scentsy may require proof of your age, residency, and/or work eligibility before permitting you to sell its products.
2
Buy products at retail price and earn commissions on your sales. The Starter Kit includes essentially everything you need to make sales—except for Scentsy products. You have to buy products from Scentsy at retail price, then sell the products to your customers. You earn money by getting a percentage-based commission for each sale.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- As a new Scentsy consultant (an “Escential Consultant”), you’ll earn a 20% commission on your sales—in other words, $1 for every $5 USD sold.
- Keep in mind that you’re stuck with any products you buy but don’t sell—this is one of the risks involved in selling Scentsy.
Advertisement
3
Peg your base earnings (via commissions) to your monthly sales volume (PRV). You earn points for for your sales (1 point per $1 USD sold), and these points are used to determine your Personal Retail Volume (PRV). Once you earn 1,000 PRV points, your commission increases from 20% to 25%. However, at this point, you’ll be expected to maintain a minimum monthly PRV of 500 points.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Once you reach 1,000 total PRV points, you’ll get a “promotion” from “Escential Consultant” to “Certified Consultant.”
- If you don’t maintain a monthly PRV of 500 points as a Certified Consultant (or higher level), you may be “demoted” or “fired” (not technically, but essentially).
4
Recruit new consultants to gain commissions on their sales. If you really want to earn a decent amount of money by selling Scentsy, you must recruit new consultants to sell under your “umbrella.” Basically, you earn a commission for all sales made by consultants you recruited—as well as consultants they recruited, and so on.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Once you become a “Lead Consultant,” which is the next level above “Certified Consultant,” you earn a 2% commission on the combined sales of all your recruits, so long as the total adds up to at least 1,000 PRV points per month.
5
Work your way up the ladder by recruiting more and more consultants. Once you achieve “Lead Consultant” status, your money-making potential is dictated primarily by the number of recruits who fall under your “umbrella.” You advance up the ladder based on the sales of your recruit grouping, and your commission on their sales grows in increments up to a max of 9%. There are also additional commission bonuses that become available to you.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- After “Lead Consultant” comes “Star Consultant,” “SuperStar Consultant,” “Director,” “Star Director,” and finally “SuperStar Director.”
- Keep in mind that even a “SuperStart Director” is still expected to reach their own individual monthly PRV of 500 points.
- The compensation plan gets more complex the higher you advance. Check out charts like the following to help make sense of it all: https://imagelive.scentsy.com/cmsimages/files/Join/Compensation-Plan/R1-CompensationPlan-USEN.pdf

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making Sales as a Consultant

1
Host home parties to sell products and find recruits. Scentsy markets itself as a “party-focused sales” company. In other words, it encourages consultants to host “Scentsy parties” at their homes, friends’ homes, and so on, and to make the bulk of their sales there.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- The Starter Kit provides you with both materials and advice for hosting Scentsy parties. Their general advice is to promote a festive, fun, communal atmosphere that makes your guests feel comfortable and eager to try (and buy) Scentsy products.
- Home parties also help you to identify potential recruits.
2
Promote the product aggressively on social media. While home parties are still central to Scentsy’s identity, social media is at least as vital to your success or failure as a consultant. In addition to using social media to arrange home parties and similar events, utilize it to promote the quality of the product and the fun of being part of the “Scentsy family” with your posts.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Facebook and Instagram are particularly popular social media platforms for Scentsy consultants.
3
Make sales on your private website (PWS) provided by Scentsy. Your Starter Kit gives you 90 days’ access to a sales website that’s individualized for you. After 3 months, you have the option to keep the website for $10 USD per month. You earn the same commissions on sales made through your website as through direct sales.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Promote your website on social media and at home parties in order to give your customers more buying options.
4
Rent tables at local craft shows and farmers' markets to sell Scentsy. This is a fairly inexpensive way to reach a large audience. Place lots of samples on the table—the fragrances will help to lure in potential customers, and they’ll appreciate the opportunity to try out several products. Be friendly and display your knowledge of the product line.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Keep in mind that you may not be the only person there selling Scentsy. You might consider joining forces and splitting the sales, or instead focus on honing a superior sales technique and customer experience.
5
Provide Scentsy catalogs door-to-door strategically. Scentsy produces smaller catalogs that are ideal for rolling up and sticking into the door handles of homes in your neighborhood. While blanketing the entire neighborhood with catalogs is one option, it’s preferable to target your door-to-door strategy instead, utilizing your knowledge of the community. Aim to provide catalogs to the homes and businesses of people who seem to you to be more likely to be interested in Scentsy products.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- Depending on where you live, you may need to get a permit before providing catalogs door-to-door, or it may be banned entirely. Check with your local government.
6
Sell Scentsy products at workplaces thoughtfully and respectfully. If you’re selling Scentsy as a “side hustle,” it can be very tempting to bring it to your primary workplace. However, always get your supervisor’s permission first, and skip the high-pressure sales techniques on your co-workers. Instead, try setting up your samples in the break room and let your co-workers try out the products (and ask you questions) as they wish.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- If you’re not permitted to bring in products and make sales, you may be allowed to bring in Scentsy catalogs. Once again, though, keep things low-key, low-pressure, and friendly.
- You may be able to sell Scentsy at local workplaces other than your own. Call some of the larger offices in your area and ask if you can set up a break room table.
7
Emphasize the high quality of the products in your sales pitch. Scentsy contends that it produces premium home fragrance products, and therefore charges premium prices. As a consultant, it’s up to you to convince buyers that the quality is superior to that of fragrance products found at big box retailers. Use the samples and testers to demonstrate that Scentsy products are worth the cost.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- Consumers and experts in the home fragrance industry tend to agree that Scentsy does in fact produce high-quality products. They don’t all agree that the products are worth the premium price, however.^{[13]
  X
  Research source}
8
Sell the Scentsy community as much as you do the products. In addition to product quality, you must convince buyers that becoming part of the “Scentsy family” is worth the investment in their products. Many repeat customers do in fact have a great time attending Scentsy parties, socializing, and trying out new products. Play up this fun, social aspect, and portray the cost of buying products as a small price to pay.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- This is also a key way to turn Scentsy customers into Scentsy recruits who sell products under your “umbrella” and earn you bigger commissions.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Getting the Facts before Joining

1
Note that it is extremely difficult to earn a full-time income with Scentsy. Many Scentsy consultants enjoy the camaraderie and sense of community they experience as part of the job, and it can be a way to earn some money on the side. That said, very few consultants earn anything near a full-time income in the role, even if—in some cases—they put full-time hours into the gig.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- In 2015, for instance, out of nearly 100,000 Scentsy consultants, more than 99% earned less than $16,000 USD. That same year, the median earnings for a “Certified Consultant” (the second level) was only $676. Even “SuperStar Consultants” (the fourth level) earned a median of only under $8,000 USD.^{[16]
  X
  Research source}
2
Accept the very real possibility of losing money. It’s hard to pin down the precise numbers, but there is a good chance that the majority of Scentsy consultants actually lose money doing the job. Much of this boils down to the fact that you have to buy the products at retail price and are stuck with any products you don’t sell.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- Some consultants may not mind losing a bit of money, as they appreciate the social aspects of the role. However, it’s important that you go into the job with your eyes open to this possibility (or even probability).
3
Evaluate the barriers to making good money by selling Scentsy. Scentsy is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company, in that it depends upon consultants recruiting ever more consultants to sell its products. Like other MLMs, many elements of its operating structure should raise some “red flags.” These include, but aren’t limited to, the following:^{[18]
X
Research source}
- The only way to make decent money is to continually recruit new consultants (who in turn must do the same).
- You earn promotion up the ranks through recruitment, not through sales volume.
- It’s essentially a “pay to play” entity—you have to buy $500 of products per month (with the expectation that you’ll sell all of them) in order to hit your personal retail volume (PRV) minimum.
- Most of the rewards go “upline”—in other words, the person who recruited the person who recruited the person who recruited you ends up with more of the benefits for your sales than you do.
4
Ask yourself whether Scentsy, while legal, feels right to you. Scentsy is a perfectly legal MLM operation, and not technically a pyramid scheme. That said, take some time to consider whether it’s the kind of company you want to get involved with. Yes, it’s possible you’ll make some money, but it’s also very possible you’ll end up losing money and having a garage full of Scentsy products you already paid for.^{[19]
X
Research source}
- Talk to people who have sold Scentsy about their experiences. Conduct some research online, both of Scentsy’s website and for reviews of the company. Do your best to make an informed decision before signing up.