Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is so special about the Usborne Books home business?

This is a business you can do well because you love the books and you care about children.  You have a great product to offer, generous hostess & bookfair plan, supportive Team Leader & upline Leaders, accessible home office & above average compensation plan.  You will find many more benefits as you go!

You may sign up to make extra income with a flexible schedule, or to build a major income to give your family financial security.  You may sign up merely to get the books for your family & friends.  That is fine, too.  Also, once you are a Consultant, you can get the benefits of being a Consultant forever.   This is a family-friendly business!

The potential for growth is huge!  Our market is every family with children, every school or organization that serves children and families in the USA.  We aim to get great books into the hands of as many kids as possible. Quite a broad market!  You earn income from your sales, and also from your group as you help others build their businesses.  There is no limit to the number of Consultants and Team Leaders you have in your group.  We do well by helping others do well!

2. I’m not a salesperson. Can I still be successful?

You bet. Sales people are hired to sell an employer’s product in return for a paycheck. Here, you’re an independent Consultant who represents a product you love. We don’t have to “sell” as much as simply share the features and benefits of great books and coordinate the programs that help families, schools and organizations to acquire our books.

Do you care about children and books? Can you see yourself generously sharing information about quality literacy programs and award winning titles? Then you can be a successful Usborne Consultant.

3. I’m shy and not a “party person.”  Can I still do home Book Looks well?

Yes. You are presenting the books you love, not presenting yourself.  An easy first Book Look (aka home show) is to have each guest choose a book, take a minute to explore it, then tell something they like about it. This helps you see how enthusiastically people respond to our books, and allows you to relax.  People love these books. Your job is getting them in front of people & providing them good customer service.

There are other marketing avenues we have available to us –

Bookfairs – for preschools, daycare centers, hospitals, corporations, learning resource centers, etc.

Direct sales – including community festivals, education conferences, PTA meetings, soccer signups, school open houses, support group meetings, craft shows, playgroup get-togethers, & other various booth events.

Internet sales – through the complete online ordering sites available from our home office.  This includes direct ordering, e-shows, and e-fairs. Also Facebook parties are all the rage!

Sales to schools and libraries – Extra training is required for this profitable addition to your business.  You can add this as soon as you’d like & become an official “Educational Services Representative” servicing the school & library market.

Literacy for a Lifetime – this is our 50% matching funds program helping schools and organizations make their grants and donated funds for books to stretch even further.

Cards for a Cause – this is our purely fundraising program which features a selection of lovely hand embellished greeting cards and profits 43% for hosting organizations.

4. Are there already too many Consultants in my area?

There are just around 16,000 active Usborne Consultants in the entire United States so far.  Lots of room!  You can help build Usborne into a household name.

5. Are these books available in stores?

Some of our books are found in retail stores – primarily upscale book stores, science & museum shops – which helps our name recognition.   Only the Home Business Division has access to the full line, as well as the hostess free books, book fair benefits, our customer service, and customer specials.

6. How expensive are these books? Can the average family afford them?

Our books range from $4.99 to $47.95, averaging around $8.95. Books are printed on acid free paper with three types of bindings: paperback, hardback, and library binding.  Great prices AND great quality!  Also, we have a generous hostess merchandise allowance — so average families can easily earn $100 in books free.

7. How much money can I earn?

That is totally up to you.  You are an independent consultant.  The marketing plan is in place for you to earn as much as you dream of, yet this is not a “get rich quick” scheme.  Some Team Leaders in our group are earning over $50,000.00, and even $100,000.00+ per year.  Career level income doesn’t happen right away; it takes some business building.   Unlike many careers which require expensive training, however, you can begin earning income from the first day you start on your Usborne career.

Commission for Home Parties (AKA Book Looks), at 25%, is easy to figure:
$400 in sales = $100 in profit for you. Sales bonus and recruiting bonus, plus monthly challenges, incentive trips, and special prizes are in addition to commission.

An example of a good month for a Consultant could be – one home show per week averaging $400 in sales each, one bookfair with $1500 in sales, one library sale of $1000.  You would make $905 commission, plus $110 sales bonus on the home shows & library sale.  When you promote to Team Leader, you would get an additional $302 override on your personal sales, plus up to 8.5% of all sales your group is making.

Potential is limited only by what you do.

You earn income starting with your very first order.   Commission ranges from 17 to 25% depending on the type of sale.  In addition to your commission, you can build your business, adding 4% Sales Bonus, and up to 8.5% Team Leader override checks.

8. What “extra training” is needed to sell to schools & libraries?

You get the Educational Services Representative (ESR) Kit, containing the S&L (school and library) manual, samples of the cataloging products, certification forms, and a library bound book.   You read the manual for an understanding of the terminology used in schools/libraries, Purchase Order procedures, etc., Then let me know of any questions, then you can take the test and to go through process to apply for Home Office for approval & you can start servicing schools & libraries.  What a wonderful market for us!

The ESR kit costs $25, and there is a non-refundable $50 application fee which includes a background check. There is also a one-time $75 Training and Certification fee. After you are certified, there is an annual $50 re-certification fee to maintain your ESR status.

9. When do I receive my checks?

You receive your commission weekly, on every Wednesday for the previous week ending Sunday. This can be very helpful with household cash flow.  Direct deposit is fast and convenient. Team Leader overrides are deposited around the 7th of each month for sales ending the previous month.

10. Can I do this even though I don’t live near you?

Yes.  Much of my group is long distance. We have so many great tools to use:

The consultant manual is a user-friendly, step by step guide.

We have a Consultant Training web site.   We are part of one of the top groups in the country for long distance training.

The official UBAM “Consultants Only” web site is full of information and includes an active message board and chat training rooms & logs,  and audio recorded trainings too.

The company sends out monthly information, with training tips, and consultant specials for you, along with a weekly Consultant Update via email.

Online newsletters, e-mail, facebook, and phone allow us to stay in good contact.

11. Will I need to buy inventory?

No.  The starter kit comes with lots of wonderful titles in a good range of ages and interests, plus you have enough supplies to take care of your first events.  Use these books as your samples to show for people to see the quality, format & variety.  Your customers will order from the catalog.  You may build up your personal collection of Usborne and Kane/Miller titles as you go, by ordering (at your discount of 25% on direct sales or hosting your own shows earning the hostess free books) whenever you’d like, adding on to other orders, books earned through your “Write Your Own Success Story” awards, and monthly consultant contests.

12. What’s my next step?

The next step is to:

Complete your consultant application online   (If you’re here on referral by a downline Consultant of mine, use her name and id number for your sponsor.)  Let me know as soon as you send the application in so we can help get you started.

Or, you can simply call me (518-894-8766) & I can take care of your application over the phone.

Or, sign up online now!
https://a4707.myubam.com/Join just click on “JOIN”

I look forward to working with you!
Jennifer Zhao

518-894-8766