How to make money in the evening

by Alison Hunt on 31 July 2009  |  15 comments
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If you’d like to make some extra money but still want to spend time with the kids, have you thought about working in the evenings?

It's a universal problem. You want to get back into the workforce after having a child, but the cost of childcare would more than eat up any money you make. It's just not worth it.

That is, unless you could somehow work when the kids are in bed (and your partner is back to babysit).

An evening job at the local pub/restaurant doesn't appeal.

What you want is something you could do where you get to chat and have cups of coffee with friends - and somehow get paid. But such a job doesn't exist. Or does it?

Well yes it does - welcome to the wonderful world of direct selling.

Direct selling parties

If you've ever hosted/been invited to a Body Shop/Tupperware party you'll know what it's all about.

Essentially, a consultant comes to your home with samples of the product in question. You, as party host invite your friends, provide drinks and nibbles and let the consultant demonstrate the items being sold, which people can then choose to buy.

Depending on the total value of sales for the evening the host will receive some products free/get a discount on what they buy. And the consultant gets a percentage of what is sold in commission.

There are currently 400,000 people in the UK selling goods and services to friends, family and other contacts via direct selling and depending on how much they work, earn anything from £1,000 per year to tens of thousands.

It can therefore be a great option for anyone needing to top up their income.

Becoming a consultant

Becoming a consultant is clearly the way to go if you want to make money - but it's not all drinking tea and chatting - if you want to do well it takes hard work.

You will essentially be working as a contractor. And you'll typically need to buy a sample pack (anything from £15-£100) at a reduced price from the company to get started.

You'll need to commit to achieving a minimum number of sales/parties to cover the saving made on the samples (after which they're yours to keep and you decide when to work).

You'll therefore need to perfect your demonstration technique, learn about products and gain subtle selling techniques if you want to boost sales.

Support needed

You also shouldn't underestimate the support you will need, as the amount you earn is directly proportional to the number of parties you do (and your friends will have their limits on the number they will host/attend before they start to get annoyed!).

It's thus vital to get everyone to spread the word, to enable you to meet new groups to demonstrate to. This can be ideal for new mums who, on top of existing friends and colleagues, find themselves part of brand new, baby-related groups (NCT, postnatal, aqua natal etc.) too. Additionally, demonstrating products at school fetes/toddler groups can be particularly lucrative.

On the plus side, you work when you want to, you don't have to pay for childcare, once you've perfected your demonstration skills you will be able to do it off-pat and the parties can be fun.

Most consultants hold one or maybe two parties a week, which can feel no more intrusive to your week than a couple of exercise classes. And according to the Direct Selling Association (DSA) sales have increased by 15% over this time last year, a rare thing in a recession.

Direct selling companies

Companies that employ consultants to sell their products this way include Pampered Chef, Body Shop, Mini IQ books, Ann Summers and Avon, as well as baby specific firms such as Bebeco, Mamatoto and Arabella Miller.

Commission can be anything up to 60% of what you sell and many companies offer the chance to train others to sell (you then claim a percentage of what they sell too!).

Usborne books

If you've got a child you're bound to already have an Usborne book (or ten) in the house. Ranging from board books for babies all the way up to fiction for teenagers, Usborne produces good quality books, featuring lovely stories and illustrations.

The scheme

The Usborne scheme is one of the cheapest to join. Fill out the forms at the Usborne Books at home site, pay £15 and you'll be sent the starter kit, containing £100 worth of books. You then earn 24% on everything you sell through parties, and 20% through school events.

You will need to submit orders worth at least £100 in the first 12 weeks in order to keep the books. After this there is no further financial commitment - so if you wanted to stop selling you could.

Body Shop at home

To join the Body Shop scheme you'll need to buy the "Pamper" kit for £40, which contains various pampering products. You'll learn to use them via online training (with support from local representatives) until you're ready to hold your first party.

You'll have to commit to four parties in the first four weeks, but after that the kit is yours and you can choose how often to work (plus you can choose whether or not to purchase the other kits: skincare and make up). And you'll get 25% commission on everything you sell.

So that's direct selling in a nutshell. Depending on how hard you work you can earn a bit of pin money, or a decent salary - it's up to you.

And as a final point, while most companies that sell in this way are reputable, there are a few less savoury schemes. If you are interested take note of these words of advice before signing up.

Rules of direct selling

• Make sure the company you sign up to is a member of the Direct Selling Association.
• It is vital to choose a business with a product range that you like and that is fairly priced. This way you'll find it easy to get others enthused about it, too. After all, if you wouldn't buy it, how will you convince anyone else to?
• Most reputable companies only ask for a modest investment to get started - beware any schemes that claim you can claim higher earning opportunities by investing more money.
• Make sure you sign a proper, written contract that you understand before doing any selling

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