Working at home beats teaching

MAT-SU — After starting simply as a way to get free stuff, one Valley teacher turned herself into one incredible saleswoman.

Mary Ann Johnson recorded the second highest sales numbers nationwide for any Pampered Chef consultant in the month of October, selling more than $26,600 in merchandise.

“If you really like the product, you can sell it,” Johnson said. “I really like kitchen utensils, so it’s easy.”

Johnson first became a sales consultant for the company seven and a half years ago. New consultants buy starter kits from The Pampered Chef and get guidance from other, more experienced consultants. They get a percentage of what they sell, but, more importantly to Johnson, consultants can earn their way to free items.

Johnson, who is a special education teacher at Mid-Valley High School by day, soon found selling was easier than she thought.

“I don’t feel like I have to sell it,” she said,

The Pampered Chef began in Illinois in 1980. A woman named Doris Christopher began selling kitchen products to her neighbors with the idea of getting families together to share meals. Ten years later, annual sales topped $10 million. The company was purchased in 2002 by Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet’s holding company.

The best known technique for selling is through Pampered Chef parties. People interested in buying the products schedule an appointment with a consultant like Johnson. The consultant comes to the house and cooks a meal using The Pampered Chef products, explaining each item. The attendees then eat with the idea they will order the products.

The consultant gets a commission on everything sold, which ranges between 15 and 30 percent, depending on previous monthly sales.

“I can make more money doing The Pampered Chef than teaching,” Johnson said. “It will be a great retirement job.”

The $24,600 she sold in October is not the norm, she said. Her monthly sales vary depending on how many parties she hosts, but she said she never has a lack of parties.

“It averages out to probably about $6,000 per month. Last year, I did about $88,000 in sales. I will probably do less than that this year, but that’s because I took some time off,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the October figure also includes some fund-raisers she did with local schools. She worked with students in certain classes willing to participate as sales people. The Pampered Chef automatically donates a certain percent of sales back to the school, and Johnson said she contributes more from her own commission check.

In addition to the fund-raisers and parties, Johnson said customers can order goods online or through The Pampered Chef magazine. She said she runs booths at the Alaska State Fair and some other local events for people interested in ordering product or having a party at their house.

She said she often gets inquiries from people who want to become sales consultants. It’s extremely easy, she said, and starter kits are either $65 or $155, depending on the package purchased.

After having reached a certain level of sales, Johnson is now what’s called an advanced director. There is a sales director underneath her, as well as a team of sales consultants.

Far from being hit by the current economic recession, Johnson said her sales have improved every year since she started. What’s more, Johnson said she is doing more sales even with having fewer shows.

“People are buying more now. More people are eating at home because it’s cheaper than going out,” she said. “These are good, professional quality products. Everything is guaranteed for a year, and the cutlery and cookware is guaranteed for life.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.