Owned and maintained by Liz Pilling: Independent Usborne Organiser
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Naturally you will have many questions about starting an Usborne business, here are answers to some of those most frequently asked. Feel free to contact me if you want to know more.
Do I have to pay for customer orders up front? How do I receive my commission?
Where will I find my customers? Won't my friends get sick of my books?
How
will customers see my Usborne Products
Firstly our full colour
catalogue shows the complete Usborne range of over 1300 titles. Each item is
shown with clear photographs and detailed descriptions for customer ordering. We
also have leaflets with many special offers, which are ideal to use in a variety
of ways.
Secondly, you will have a starter kit of key titles to show your customers. You can arrange the books to form an attractive display or pass them round and allow customers to browse through them. The kit is normally £38 (but check out my Usborne website for the latest offer) and contains a generously discounted selection of books, catalogues and stationery – in fact everything you need to start immediately. This is the only outlay you need to make. Whilst an incredible opportunity by any standards, you are still entitled to a full money-back refund if you change your mind within 14 days of joining. Usborne also offer you the chance to earn free extra books up to £95 in your first 3 months for no extra cost through its Flying Start incentive scheme for new Organisers.
Do
I have to hold stock?
No, there is no stock
outlay or risk, you use your kit and the catalogue as your shop window.
Customers pay for orders up front and you pass customer order and payment on to
Usborne. They deliver the stock to you using a guaranteed courier service, or
direct to the customer for a small additional charge. Ordering can be done
online or by post. You do have the opportunity to add more books to the range of
titles in your display if you chose to, and to help you there are many ways to
earn free and discounted books such as the Flying Start scheme and other
incentives.
How much will I
earn?
You will start earning 24%
commission immediately on all sales. If you wish to recruit new organisers and
build a team of your own there are opportunities for much bigger earnings;
bonuses and commission on personal sales can rise to 43%. If your sales in any
calendar month exceed £800 you will automatically earn an extra 4% commission,
for instance, and this applies from day one. Many top organisers can, and do,
earn four-figure cheques in a month on their own and their division’s sales,
once they have built their business up. There are some high flyers in Usborne
who, over a number of years, through selling and recruitment have built
businesses from which they now earn incomes in excess of £50,000 per year…and
their businesses are still continuing to grow! So whether you want an extra
income to help pay the bills or whether you want to build an outstanding full
time business Usborne can provide the answer - the choice is yours!
Do I have to pay for customer orders up front? How do I receive my commission?
In the majority of cases, your customers should pay for their books when they order, you deduct and keep your basic commission from this and send the payment with the order. The only exception to this is when schools order from you directly, in those cases they may prefer to be invoiced with the delivery. You will have the facility to accept credit/debit card payments too!
Any additional commission over and above the basic rate (which is 24% on party orders, 20% on school orders) is paid at the end of each month by cheque from the office.
Will I be
expected to recruit new Organisers?
It's entirely up to you.
Not everyone likes to recruit new Organisers and no-one will ever pressure you
to do it, there are many Organisers who choose to concentrate only on selling
books in order to earn their income - and that is perfectly OK. However, for
those Organisers who do start to build a team the potential rewards are much
higher. This is because you will earn commission and bonuses on your team's
sales as well as your own.
It is your business and as with everything what you do is your choice, you will not get any pressure from anyone to do anything that you do not want to do.
Definitely not! Pyramid selling is illegal. By becoming an Usborne Organiser:
You make your money by earning commission on the books you sell.
You do not pay any money to your recruiter – the only investment you have to make is paid direct to Usborne Books at Home.
How do I give benefits to my host?
Usborne books allows a 10%
book value benefit to be paid to the host of an event, and 20% if two future
bookings are made. Also, the
school book fair
scheme offers higher benefits depending on sales value. These are not taken from
your earning, they are extras allowed by Usborne.
How can I
possibly do it when I’ve got kids?
Many Usborne Organisers
have young children, or had when they first started. I have a young boy of my
own and one of the reasons that I chose Usborne is because it is completely
flexible, I can decide when and how I work. I organise my business so that I do
not sacrifice spending quality time with my family.
As an organiser you may decide to concentrate your efforts on selling to parent and toddler groups where you can take your children along or at coffee mornings and parties in your own or other peoples’ homes where the kids can play whilst you are selling your books. You can also sell at sports clubs, day nurseries, cub and brownie groups, evening classes, school book fairs, summer fetes and many other places. Alternatively you may want to work only in the evening when the kids are in bed or you may decide to sell only to friends and family. As a member of my team you will also be able to use my website (if you chose) to organise virtual book fairs, either as stand alone events or in addition to ‘real life’ events in order to maximise sales.
Am I under pressure to sell a minimum amount each month?
Absolutely not. There are only 2 specific requirements. First is to cover the cost and administration of your starter kit, to submit sales worth £100 in the first 12 weeks of joining the company. Second is for administrative reasons, to submit sales worth £100 in the Autumn season (September to December) which is the busiest time of year (note that this does not apply until the following year if you join during this Autumn season). Organisers who do not reach this level are deemed to have resigned. Other than that, you can work as little (or as much!) as you are happy to.
Where will I find my customers?
Won't my friends get sick of my books?
Family and friends can
certainly be a great starting point to get your first sales event. This gives
you a chance to build your confidence with people you know and you will probably
find that they are far more supportive than you thought, especially when they
see all those beautiful books! You will find though that very quickly you do not
need to rely on your friends as opportunities will start to open up all over the
place. It is quite common for one or two of the guests at an event to book you
for a future event at their home or workplace where you will be selling to a
different group of people and so on. Gradually as you begin to establish a name
and a reputation for yourself these opportunities will become more and more
frequent and the bookings will keep on coming, the market for children’s books
is huge. You will also find that many people who have bought Usborne books from
you love them so much that they will regularly return to you with new orders for
more books - and this will probably include some of those friends that you were
worried about upsetting!
Do I need to be
good at selling?
I have no experience in
sales, other than Usborne, which I thought would be at least a small obstacle to
my success. However, Usborne books are held in very high regard by parents and
teachers, and anyone that sees them for the first time cannot help but be amazed
by their colourful graphics, clever text and attention to detail. It really is
true that Usborne books really do sell themselves.
Can I sell in
schools & libraries?
Yes –Usborne’s has an
excellent package for schools and libraries – the company provides up to 60% in
free books or generous discounts of up to 40%. The basic Organiser commission on
school or library sales is 20%, but orders taken through schools and libraries
are usually much larger than other types of orders.
The statistics show that average sales revenue from a private book party is £170 whereas the average schools order value is now £500.
When can I start?
Immediately! Contact
me and I can help
you get started, or
join now
by using the tools online. You will need to complete an agreement form,
and send it to Head Office with a cheque for your starter kit made payable to
“Usborne Books at Home” or with your completed credit/debit card details. Your
starter kit will be with you 7-10 days after your completed form is received.
Start now, by making a list of potential contact. I can offer free training and support to help you get started and be successful. Whether you require on going support or occasional advice, the choice is yours after all it's your business.
