Confessions of a newly minted Bling Queen

To say that I despised Multi Level Marketing ventures was an understatement. I was constantly annoyed by the women who pestered me relentlessly to host parties for them. I didn’t do it. I was NOT a party hosting person. I tended to avoid those I thought might harass me for parties. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed going to the parties. What I didn’t like was the long presentations, the persistent “you should have a party” nagging. I liked to look at the products, try them…but not be followed around by over enthusiastic representatives.

Fast forward to this past January. A good friend announced she would be selling Silpada Designs jewelry. Great. Now, said friend is wonderful, she seemed very excited about her new venture. Without a thought to what I was about to do, I opened my big mouth and uttered the fateful words, “I’ll host your first party.” Afterwards…I cringed. What had I done? I don’t do parties…ugh.

The day arrived and friend showed up. I had light snacks and drinks, easy peesy. The invites were all emailed, another easy peesy. She came in, set up the jewelry and waited for the guests. Now, I’ve always been a very simple jewelry girl. Thin 16” gold chain, maybe a charm on the end. Plain hoop earrings, a bracelet. Done. But as we waited for the guests to arrive, I found myself drooling over the jewelry. It was gorgeous!! Beautiful .925 sterling silver (the same quality Tiffany Jewelers uses) and natural stones and gems made these some gorgeous pieces. This certainly wasn’t costume jewelry, this was nice stuff!

The guests arrived, they snacked, they drank, they chatted. I waited for the “presentation”. It didn’t come. The friend chatted with the guests…she appeared to *gasp* be having fun. Hmmm. Odd, she wasn’t stalking anyone, she wasn’t being pushy. Very interesting. She asked for our attention, and I thought, “Great, here it comes”. She talked for less than 2 minutes and that was that. It’s jewelry, there’s really nothing to “present”.

The guests had a great time. It was like being a little girl all over again, except we were playing dress up with REAL jewelry, beautiful, fashionable, chic jewelry! We all had a great time, in fact, my face hurt from laughing so much! The rep was very helpful if we had any questions, but otherwise, she did not hover over us as we tried on the jewelry.

Honestly, I hadn’t really given much thought to how much free jewelry I’d get. I was doing this for my friend, I didn’t really anticipate wearing the jewelry. Ha! By the end of the party, I had a full wish list of jewelry I needed to have. As we tallied up the sales, I was shocked beyond belief to learn that I’d earned $400 in FREE jewelry! OH….MY….. GOSH! I was thrilled! I thanked my friend and happily picked out my necklaces, toe rings, earrings, bracelets and anklets. Silpada shipped everything directly to my guests, I didn’t even have to deliver the purchases. Very convienient.

Over the next few months, I received my friend's invites to other Silpada parties. I told myself I was going to “support my friend”. I was really trying to suppress my new found addiction to Silpada’s stunning jewelry. I made a few purchases and was so absolutely thrilled with them all.

I knew I was on to something when I was dressed in a fraying tank top and cut off shorts, taking the kids to school, and my husband asked, “Why are you so dressed up?”. I laughed. It was the jewelry. Amazing how a little bling can dress you up! The next day, a mom who had seen me throughout the school year in the exact same t-shirt/short combo said, “You always look so put together.” My mouth dropped open. The $5 Target t-shirt still bore signs of the oatmeal my son had “accidentally” hurled that morning, the shorts were simple denim shorts, nothing designer, nothing fancy. But the jewelry made the outfit. All of a sudden, I was a new person. I was still a mom, but now I was a mom with style ;)

I said before that I despised MLM companies and tactics. It was still true. However, Silpada was drastically different. No pressure tactics, no lengthy presentations, no pushy/aggressive sales people. With the economy faring the way it is, I had begun to think about getting another job. I was intrigued by Silpada, but still leery. I began researching, Googling, interviewing past and present reps, and reading anything I could get my hands on. I really liked what I discovered.
They emphasized setting your own schedule…putting your family first. There were no minimum requirements for sales, you did as much or as little as you wanted. No inventory, no quotas, and wonderful free jewelry incentives…I was slowly being convinced. Combine that with the fact that the company is debt free and had their best year ever in 2008 despite the sagging economy…I was even more intrigued. I already loved the jewelry, but the more I researched, the more I loved it. REAL silver, real stones and gems, all uniquely handcrafted, no plating or costume pieces, these were pieces that could be handed down through generations!

I tagged along to yet another party. It was no fluke. The rep had fun, the rep made a very good amount money in a very short time ($330 in 2 hours!), the hostess earned tons of free jewelry. I could do this I thought. I was sold. I signed up to become a Silpada Designs Representative and haven’t looked back.

The fact that Silpada was able to convince me, a professed direct selling hater, to join, speaks volumes. I wouldn’t work for just any company. I would only work for the best, and let me tell you, Silpada is it. Their customer care and representative care are outstanding. Their quality is second to none.

So if you’ve been wondering how to earn some extra money, but still stay home with your family, AND look great doing it, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to share my story and answer any questions you might have. I’m not a pushy person, I am just so thrilled to have discovered this amazing company and it’s products, that I felt compelled to share with all of you ;)

If you'd like to become "that mom" who is wearing the $5 t-shirt, but still looks fashionably chic, look over our online catalog and see what we have to offer (please email me for my website). Or send me your address and I'd be happy to mail you our current catalog.

Thank you for allowing me to share my story!
Deirdre Motley
SD Representative and Newly Minted Bling Queen
sdrblingslinger@gmail.com