Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is so special about the Usborne Books home business?

This is a business you can do well because you love the books and you care about children.  You have a great product to offer, generous hostess & bookfair plan, supportive supervisor & upline, accessible home office, & above average compensation plan.  You will find many more benefits as you go!

You may sign up merely to get the books for your family at the discount.  That is fine.  Also, once you are a consultant, you can get the benefits of being a consultant forever, even if you go through nonselling periods.   This is a family-friendly business!  Placing an order reactivates you to active consultant status.

Potential is literally unlimited!  You earn income from your sales, and also from your group as you help others build their businesses.  There is no limit to the number of consultants and supervisors you have in your group.  You do well by helping others do well! 

2. I'm not a salesperson. Can I still be successful?

You bet. Sales people are hired to sell an employer's product in return for a paycheck. Here, you're an independent contractor who represents a product you love. We don't have to "sell" as much as simply share something valuable.

Can you recommend your favorite restaurant to your friends? Do you care about children and books? You can be a successful Usborne consultant.

3. I'm shy and not a "party person".  Can I still do home shows well?

Yes. You are presenting the books you love, not presenting yourself.  An easy first home show is to have each guest choose a book, take a minute to explore it, then tell something they like about it. This helps you see how enthusiastically people respond to our books, and allows you to relax.  People love these books. Your job is getting them in front of people & give them service.

There are other marketing avenues we have available to us -

• Bookfairs - for preschools, daycare centers, hospitals, corporations, learning resource centers, etc.
• Direct sales - including community festivals, education conferences, PTA meetings, soccer signups, school open houses, support group meetings, craft shows, playgroup get-togethers, & other various booth events.
• Internet sales - through the complete online ordering sites available from our home office.  This includes direct ordering, e-shows, and e-fairs.
• Sales to schools and libraries - Extra training is required for this profitable addition to your business.  You can add this as soon as you'd like.

4. Are there already too many consultants in my area?

There are just around 5,000 active Usborne consultants in the whole United States so far.  Lots of room!  You can help build Usborne into a household name.

5. Are these books available in stores?

Some of our books are found in retail stores - primarily upscale book stores, science & museum shops - which helps our name recognition.   Only the Home Business Division has access to the full line, as well as the hostess free books, bookfair benefits, our customer service, and customer specials.

6. How expensive are these books? Can the average family afford them?

Our books range from $3.95 to $47.95, averaging around $8.95. Books are printed on acid free paper with three types of bindings: paperback, hardback, and library binding.  Great prices AND great quality!  Also, we have a generous hostess merchandise allowance -- so average families can easily earn $100 in books free.

7. How much money can I earn?

That is totally up to you.  You are an independent contractor.  The marketing plan is in place for you to earn as much as you dream of, yet this is not a "get rich quick" scheme.  Some supervisors in our group are earning over $50,000.00, and even $100,000.00+.  Career level income doesn't happen right away; it takes some business building.   Unlike many careers which require expensive training, however, you can begin earning income from the first day you start on your Usborne career. 

Commission for Home Parties, at 25%, is easy to figure:
$400 in sales = $100 in profit for you. Sales bonus and recruiting bonus, plus monthly challenges and One Step at a Time awards, are in addition to commission.

An example of a good month for a consultant could be - one home show per week averaging $400 in sales each, one bookfair with $1500 in sales, one library sale of $1000.  You would make $905 commission, plus $110 sales bonus on the home shows & library sale.  Your 4% recruiting bonus can add significantly.  Then when you promote to supervisor, you would get an additional $302 override on your personal sales, plus up to 11% of all net sales your group is making.   

Potential is limited only by what you do.

You earn $$ starting with your very first order.   Commission ranges from 17 to 30% depending on the type of sale.  In addition to your commission, you can build your business, adding 4% Recruiting Bonus, 3-5% Sales Bonus, and up to 11% Supervisor override checks.

8. What "extra training" is needed to sell to schools & libraries?

You get the Educational Consultant Kit, containing the s&l manual, samples of the cataloging products, certification forms, and a library bound book.  This kit costs about $20.   You read the manual to get idea of the terminology used and Purchase Order procedures, etc., let me know of any questions, send in the form to the Home Office for approval & you can start servicing schools & libraries.  What a wonderful market for us!

9. What is "net"?

Retail minus commission equals net.  So, for a home show of $400 in sales, your commission is $100 and your net is $300.

10. When do I receive my checks?

You keep your commission up front for most orders & send in the rest to the home office with the order.  This can be very helpful with household cash flow.  Checks are mailed for orders paid with Purchase Orders, Bonuses, Internet Orders, and Supervisor overrides around the 15th of the following month.

11. Can I do this even though I don't live near you?

Yes.  Most of my group is long distance. We have so many great tools to use:

• The consultant manual is a user-friendly, step by step guide.
• We have a Consultant Training web site.   We are part of one of the top groups in the country for long distance training.
• The official UBAH "Consultants Only" web site is full of information and includes an active message board and chat training rooms & logs.
• The company sends out monthly newsletters with information, training tips, and consultant specials for you.
• Online newsletters, e-mail and my toll free phone number allow us to stay in good contact.

12. Will I need to buy inventory?

No.  The base kit comes with lots of wonderful titles in a good range of ages and interests, plus you have enough supplies to take care of your first events.  Use these books as your samples to show for people to see the quality, format & variety.  Your customers will order from the catalog.  You may build up your personal collection of Usborne Books as you go, by ordering (at your discount of 30% on direct sales or hosting your own shows earning the hostess free books) whenever you'd like, adding on to other orders, books earned through your "One Step At A Time" awards, and monthly consultant contests.

13. What's my next step?

The next step is to: 

complete your consultant application and send or fax it in to the address or fax number printed on it. Put my name, Ruth Smith & ID# F0230 for the supervisor and sponsor.  (If you're here on referral by a downline of mine, use their name and id number for your sponsor.)  Let me know as soon as you send the application in so we can get started. 

Or, you can simply call me toll-free (888-565-5828) & I can take care of your application over the phone.

Or, sign up online now!
http://www.ubah.com/ecommerce/agreement.asp?sid=F0230

I look forward to working with you!
Ruth

To become an Usborne Books Consultant, choose which kit you would like, then click here!

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 © 1999-2008  Ruth McLain Smith, Director and Independent Educational Consultant with Usborne Books at Home    Email to RS4books@aol.com

The words "Usborne" and "Usborne Books at Home" are the trademarks of Usborne Publishing Ltd.   The Cartwright Duck is a trademark and copyright of Usborne Publishing Ltd.  Usborne Publishing Ltd. has no connection with these pages and does not sponsor or support their content.  All rights reserved.