What used to be a sleepover that included a bunch of school-aged girls, some dress up clothing, and make up, is now an adult only party. Filled with toys, catalogs, and chatter, these parties have one central theme: sex.
Cindy Haebler has been a consultant with Slumber Parties for almost 9 years. During that time her business has done nothing but grow. As early as 2004 she saw her first of many important milestones when she was the recipient of the Presidential award. In 2005 Cindy struck gold when she placed top 10 in sales. However, her most recent success came in the form of a position on the National Advisory Board. If anyone ever needed to draw inspiration from somewhere, Cindy’s story is a great place to start.
What is Slumber Parties?
Slumber Parties is an amazing in-home party plan for women 18 and over. We offer creams, lotions, lingerie, bedroom accessories, games, spa goodies and lots of other wonderful products. The products are presented in a fun and educational manner that is comfortable for every woman 18 to 108 years of age. The orders are processed and filled at the show in a confidential and easy manner.
Slumber Parties is also the opportunity to own your own business and obtain financial freedom while loving your job.
We additionally have a not-for-profit organization Slumber Parties Actively Restoring Character and Spirit (SPARCAS.org). The primary focus is to help women who are experiencing financial hardships with new vehicles, holiday gifts, bill payment, groceries, and more. Please check out the website for more information.
What inspired you to become a consultant with the company?
I had once purchased a “product” in a questionable establishment and was not only embarrassed, but was also completely disgusted by the handling of the product by the cashier to battery test it. I wanted to offer women the opportunity to purchase their first “personal product” in a private setting, which I wish I had experienced.
I was also in deep credit card debt, which my day job was only making a small dent in. I knew I needed additional income and thought Slumber Parties would be perfect.
Truly — I just wanted to change lives and make a difference in the sexual wellness of women.
What separates Slumber Parties from the competition?
Women who join Slumber Parties are not in business alone. Our training programs are above and beyond what most companies have. We have a professional training DVD which every consultant receives when they join. We also offer monthly New Distributor chats, weekly training chats on various topics, professional corporate training around the United States, an Annual Training and Annual Convention with top requested classes to accommodate all consultants. Our team leaders around the world have meetings to help keep our consultants motivated from month to month. We also have conference calls, a distributor handbook and amazing product knowledge sheets to help even the newest consultant feel like they are fully prepared to do their first party.
We also have the BEST Warranty Program available in the industry. Our high end bedroom accessories, which we call Limited Lifetime Warranty (LLW) are replaced 3 times by our corporate office for our clients. This is at no extra cost for the client or the consultant. No other party plan offers a warranty like this, and therefore our average party sales are higher than most companies.
We do not offer couples’ parties — this allows for every person attending a party (whether she is single, married, divorced, in her 20’s or 80’s, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) to have something in common with everyone else — they are a WOMAN.
What does the Slumber Parties business opportunity include?
- 60% new consultant discount on all retail products in their first 30 days. Then they go to a 40% discount.
- 60% discount for the entire calendar month of their Slumber Parties anniversary.
- Online ordering and tracking
- Live technical support
- All training as described above
- Downloadable media and training materials
- Free party management system
- Professionally designed personalized recruit invitations
- Free pre-approved online advertisement generator
- You can earn a monthly car allowance, sponsor bonuses, product bonuses, convention shopping credits, luxury vacations, jewelry, vehicles, electronics and lots of other prizes
- Free party leads
- Free professionally designed personal websites with product ordering capabilities
- Discount levels never below 40%, up to 45%, 50% and 53% based on recruiting
- Products offered by the case for greater profit margins
- Business Booster Kits for new consultants
- Leave of Absence Program
- Military Leave of Absence Program
- Retirement Program
- Friendships for life
- Health Insurance at a reduced cost through outside company
What are the requirements?
Our start up kits are:
$250 (for $500 worth of products) plus sales tax and low UPS shipping costs
$500 (for $1000 worth of products) plus sales tax and low UPS shipping costs
$1000 (for $2200 worth of products) plus sales tax and low UPS shipping costs
The kits are on sale in July and October 2009 for $200, $425, and $900 respectively. Kits include products, business cards, bags, order forms and other items to help you get started.
In order to stay active in the company, you must purchase $200 worth of retail products every 2 rolling calendar months. (i.e. July + August must equal $200. August + September must equal $200)
You cannot do parties for men or for anyone under the age of 18.
You must provide a private order room for your clients at the party.
Any advice that you would like to offer potential consultants before they join?
My biggest advice is for potential consultants to set goals for what they want out of their business. Whether they just want to pay one extra bill, renovate their kitchen, buy a new car, or take their family to Disney World, they have to have a vision. Once they know what their goals are — it is much easier to get started and be successful from the start.
I would also recommend that women view Slumber Parties as an opportunity to empower women. With that mentality, it is much easier to tell everyone they know that they have started a new professional business. If it weren’t for direct sales companies like Slumber Parties, our products would still only be available to women in seedy adult stores and the internet, where you have no idea of what you really purchased until it arrives at your home.
Did you ever imagine that you would end up running a business in the sex and romance industry? What did you expect when you joined as a consultant?
I was always the friend that everyone called to help plan a bachelorette party or with a sex ed question, so I can’t say that it was out of the question to work in this industry.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just wanted to pay off my debt and then figure out what to do from there. I never imagined that I would have quit my day job at a major university to do this full time. I really just wanted to make some extra money. When I realized what my true potential was in Slumber Parties, I reset my expectations for my business and have grown way beyond what I ever thought I would do. I am also a mom of a 19 month old — and the fact that I get to stay home and see his milestones every day is just icing on the cake. The fact that I am debt free is the sprinkles!
How has the industry changed since you joined 9 years ago?
We have become more mainstream and accepted, socially speaking. We aren’t just a “sex toy company” — we are a company that is about educating and empowering women. The products have become more advanced, with needing smaller batteries, waterproof, silicone, etc. In Slumber Parties, our events have become massive and even more professional. We have leading speakers that come to our trainings to teach us. Overall — our professional appearance has grown in leaps and bounds. Our printed materials and branding has transformed us into the amazing company we are today.
(I can’t speak for other companies — I don’t believe that anyone is as professional as Slumber Parties.)
Do you have any personal goals that you would like to reach with the company before you hit your 10th anniversary?
What a great question!
My top goal is that I would like to achieve Platinum Level Status with the company. This would mean that I would have 50 active consultants in my first level and 100 active in my second. To go along with that — I am hoping to work with at least 3 of my team leaders to become 2Kt Diamonds.
It would also be fantastic if Michigan became a top ten state in sales by the end 2010. We have amazing growth potential and I know that this is a serious possibility for us!
Congratulations on receiving a position on the National Advisory Board! What comes with the position?
Being on the board is truly a dream come true. We have the opportunity to work with all of the women in SP and help them to achieve the success that they desire. As a team, we help to make decisions in the company. We provide local, regional, national and international trainings through meetings, corporate events, conference calls, and online chats. We work with the Opportunity Knocks program, which is an incredible initiative for our corporate crew to do presentations all over the US. These presentations explain the amazing opportunity with Slumber Parties in the morning of the event. Then, the afternoon is dedicated to the women that signed up in the morning for an intensive training to include a live party from one of our top consultants. Any consultant that brings or sends recruits to this event will have them signed up right there under them. Free prizes are given out to each woman who brings a friend and to each woman who signs up that day.
For those of us on the Advisory Board — we receive salary compensation for our work. We also get to go on a fun trip to help work on initiatives for the upcoming year. All of our corporate travel while on the board is also covered. Honestly, the honor of sitting on the board and helping other women is the real reward. I love being able to share my almost 9 years of experience with all of the women in Slumber Parties!