Through my work with Norwex, I’ve had the good fortune to meet the most incredible people. (I’m doubly blessed because so many of them collaborate with me on a daily basis as members of my Go Green Team!)
Independent Norwex Consultants come from cities, towns and villages from all corners of the country and all backgrounds. They find their way to Norwex for a variety of reasons. A concern for the environment, an interest in a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, a desire to save time and money on cleaning, or a need to earn income on a flexible schedule, may drive their decision to sign on.
The one thing we all have in common, though, is that we get so much more out of our experience than we ever expected including being part of a great community and having a lot of fun while sharing our passion for Norwex’s products and mission and creating safe havens.
If you are considering a career with Norwex, I encourage you to be inspired by the experiences shared by the consultants and leaders in the Go Green Team. You’ll find that they started out with the same concerns and questions you may have, and overcame them to build thriving businesses and change their lives.
To learn more about joining Norwex or being part of my team, contact me anytime.
My Journey
Name: Laura Claussen
Title within Norwex: Senior Executive Sales Leader
Where to find me online: www.lauraclaussen.norwex.biz
How long I’ve been with the company: 3 years
Where I live now, and where I’m originally from: I currently live in Gothenburg, Sweden as an expat through my husband’s job. We’ve been here since September 2015 and will return to Southeast Michigan in October 2018. It’s a beautiful experience not only because it’s an absolutely fabulous city, but also because we launched Norwex Sweden in October 2016 and I get to be a part of creating safe havens in Sweden now, too!
How I started selling Norwex: I started in April 2014 as a way to make a little extra money for my family and, quite honestly, to get out of the house now and again. I had quit my teaching job to stay home with my kids, who were 4 and 5 when I signed up. I needed more “girls’ nights” out. Direct sales seemed like a good way to have them and get paid at the same time. We were a little bit crunchy in our home. We bought “natural” cleaning supplies and organic foods, so Norwex seemed like a good fit. Little did I know that I would, very quickly, fall head over heels for this company because of its mission and drive to truly make this world a healthier place for future generations. I did not have to be a sales person. Instead, I had the opportunity to share products that truly could change lives for the better. I was hooked from my first party.
What I have found most surprising during my Norwex journey: I have always been a goal setter, setting my goals and then striving to reach them. What surprised me most about Norwex was that I did not have to set goals for myself in this business. We may be in business FOR ourselves, but never BY ourselves. Norwex sets the goals for us. My first full year as a consultant, Norwex announced an incentive trip to Hawaii. My goal was set for me the instant that trip was announced. I wanted that trip and I wanted to take my husband with me. And, I wanted Norwex to pay for both of us. So my goal that entire year was to earn every single monthly incentive that Norwex threw my way, knowing that if I earned those incentives, I would also earn the trip, and change hundreds of lives along the way. Little did I know that by reaching for that trip, I was also building myself a team and climbing the leadership ladder. Surprise, 18 months into my Norwex business, I had a Red Jacket, a trip to Hawaii, and a job that I loved!
What has been the most difficult challenge? My biggest challenge along the way was balancing work and family life. I ended up having too many parties booked and allowing hosts to tell me what was good for them because my schedule was “flexible.” I learned to set boundaries. I scheduled parties for Tuesday and Thursday nights (because my kids had sports practices those evenings) and two parties for either Saturday or Sunday each week. That way three weeknights and one full weekend day were focused on family. (I would also sneak in a few daytime parties when the kids were in school for the stay-at-home crowd or one-on-one demos.) I made sure to get help by recruiting team members to share the load of sharing Norwex. So, when a host would get more than one booking, I would give the extra booking to a new recruit if my calendar was full. This became a fabulous system for our family. I was doing 12-14 parties per month but only working a MAX of two evenings and one full day a week. What other job rewards you with a trip for two to Hawaii for working only that much?
Advice that I wish I had had, or had taken more to heart, as a beginner consultant: My biggest piece of advice is to truly set out to achieve ALL six of the Fresh Start goals. New consultants are afraid to recruit because they don’t know what they’re doing yet, so they feel they can’t lead someone else. But, you know what? The best thing to do in this business is to LEARN TOGETHER, GROW TOGETHER, PROMOTE TOGETHER, BE PART OF A TEAM! And what better team to be a part of than one you’ve grown yourself?
How do I balance selling Norwex and spending time with family and friends? THE ALMIGHTY HIGHLIGHTER. Use the highlighter to mark the days on the calendar that you are available to do your Norwex. Be intentional about it. For example, Bookings: Mondays, 5-5:30 p.m.; Customer Care: Tuesdays, 1:15-1:45 p.m., etc. Involve the kids during your Norwex times. On Saturday mornings, for example, they love to help me label my catalogs.
My favorite Norwex product: I love the Body Cloth! I cannot imagine putting any cleansers on my face anymore. It freaks me out. My skin is cleaner, clearer, and much, much happier! I rinse the cloth with a little shake of the Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent out of my handy, dandy salt shaker and BAM – a super clean cloth that I can use every single day for WEEKS before it goes into the washing machine.
My favorite themed party: I have done quite a few themed parties (Mimosas & Microfiber, Coffee & Cleaning) but my favorite theme is during the holidays when I’m feeling extra generous and I do a White Elephant type game, passing around products to learn about and steal. The whole party is basically a game and we learn about each product as it’s opened. If the product is stolen instead of a new one being opened, we have to figure out a NEW way to use that product that wasn’t already talked about. Super fun!
How I spend my free time: My passions outside of Norwex are: my kids (ages 7 & 8), veganism (and the environmental impacts and animal rights issues that go along with it), traveling (I’ve been to more places in the past 20 months than I thought I’d visit in my lifetime!), minimalism (although I am not very good at it!) cooking, baking (and eating!), reading and music.
