Teach Soap

Hey guys! I know the old MP vs. CP debate is old (and this isn't rehashing that!)... but do any of you have one of those friends constantly signing up for (and hawking) things like Mary Kay, Scentsy, etc.? Right now, a girl I went to high school with is hustling "Perfectly Posh." I've caught her claim it's "handmade" and "all natural," but when I look at the ingredient list of the insanely overpriced products, I don't see how she can call it "all natural" or "handmade." She even tried to get me to start selling, when I have my own soaping business. Key words being MY OWN. I don't know if it's the lies, or the aggression with which she hustles this crap to our friends, who are eating it up, but I'm just really frustrated with everything Perfectly Posh. The "before and after" shots on their products are obviously fake, the fact that I hate pyramid-y things like this or the fact that they overcharge people who think they're getting a superior product, has me really frustrated. It might also be the fact that every time I leave her facebook group, she adds me back, but I'm at wits end and I don't know how to politely handle her saying the Posh crap is better than the stuff I've poured my tears into perfecting. Any tips guys? Surely someone here has had to compete with a big shiny name brand something against their own products. I'd hate to be mean or burn even a casual friendship down, but for her, it isn't personal... for me it is, as I'm sure y'all understand.

So I guess, maybe some war stories of your own or tips for dealing with competing with corporate sales training, lies and slick packaging would be appreciated. I'd hate to lose a friend, but my business isn't just about me. It's about my family too.

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Is there anything as awesome as the smell of a curing room full of soap?

The words "all natural" or "handmade" have no legal definition. I concentrate on my own business and educate my customers on what my soap contain and why.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I guess I left out the fact that she is comparing Posh's products to my own. That's what's gotten me miffed. She is actively smearing my brand to sell Posh's wares. I can delete myself from her facebook group a million times over, but the comparisons to my products is actually hurting my business. Hence the request for advice. Focusing on my own company is one thing, but trying to compete with a formulated and slick corporate strategy without losing a friend is hard. I'm the only person she knows who makes bath and body products myself and I guess because of that I'm a target. She's not openly saying, "Posh's stuff if sooo much better than her stuff!" but she is saying "Oh if you like her soaps/butters/scrubs/bombs, you're going to LOVE this! It's hand made and good for you too!" I'm only one person, I can't yet offer the hundred's of products Posh does. So focusing on just myself, isn't working anymore. Maybe I'm old fashioned or just too nice, but, I'm not the kind of person to sit there and passive aggressively go after someone I know and care about's hard work and business.

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Is there anything as awesome as the smell of a curing room full of soap?

Write to her and let her know how you feel. If she won't change her mind, then she's not a true friend.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

She might just be ignorant! Those kinds of businesses rely on people repeating what the flyers and ads say and hardly anyone really looks into the claims. It's especially frustrating when you have a business that commpetes with Perfectly Posh. I suggest writing her and letting her know that while you appreciate her trying to involve you that it is still competition and even try to push her in the direction of researching what shes selling.

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The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

My shop: The Black Currant on Etsy!
My blog: http://www.theblackcurrantshop.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!

If you send her a letter on how you feel, will she show you letter to her future clients and your current customers? I wouldn't give her any ammo.

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The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

My shop: The Black Currant on Etsy!
My blog: http://www.theblackcurrantshop.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!

Just do your own thing! You could open it up to her, and if she believes you or not, then that's not your problem. Just focus on your own soap business.

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'To whoever says that cleanliness is next to godliness, did a group of angels came down from the sky upon finishing taking a bath?'