Direct Selling

www.anglophonie.fr
Direct Selling
(Msnbc 2009)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/32530742#32530742
As the recession stretches on, many people have been trying to pare down debt and one
way that’s increasingly popular -- launching a home business on top of a regular job.
NBC’s Contessa Brewer tells us about one woman’s plan that brings a new twist to the
Tupperware party.
I have popsicles for all the dogs!
In the dog days of summer, an icebreaker to warm up the crowd.
Have you ever let your pet lick your ice cream cone?
But this is no simple summer backyard barbecue in Battle Creek, Michigan. This is a moneymaker.
The shampoos and conditioners are good for dogs, cats, bunnies and ferrets.
Jenny Andrews throws Pupperware parties. A marketing director by day, she sells the pet
products part-time to pay for kids’ soccer and make a dent in family debt.
My goal is to have four parties a month. That would average me close to about four hundred
dollars a month.
She’s not alone. Since the recession hit hard in January, Sure Pets CEO Andrew Shore has seen
more people joining the sales team: up twenty percent. And throwing more parties: up eighty
percent.
The people that are contacting us today are much more interested in ways that are a supplemental
income.
We’re going to have so much fun tonight!
But whether they deal in dog bones or bracelets…You can get this bracelet for twenty dollars …
direct sellers also like the independence.
It has inspired me and only given me the ability to be my own boss.
In a recession people may feel like they can’t afford a new car or a fancy vacation but candles and
lipstick, costume jewelry -- those are affordable luxuries.
In the most recent recessions where all the economies slumped, direct sales boomed. Now it’s a
thirty-one-billion-dollar business.
All genuine stones.
But before jumping into direct selling, expects say do your homework. Beware of scams.
(Eileen Harrington, Federal Trade Commission)
Use a little common sense here. If something sounds too good to be true, as we always say, it is!
And be careful about start-up costs. Jenny says she invested just one hundred dollars to start.
Knowing if it’s a choice between pinching pennies or pampering pooches…I love my dog, she’s
like a child to me……the pets win out every time.
NBC News, New York.
Vocabulary
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
as the recession stretches on
to pare down debt
on top of a regular job
a new twist
popsicles
the dog days of summer
07. an icebreaker to warm up the crowd
perdurer
réduire
en plus de
changement, tournure
glace à l’eau
canicule
08. to lick
09. bunnies and ferrets
10. Pupperware parties
quelque chose pour réchauffer
l’assistance / briser la glace
lécher
des lapins et des furets
jeu de mots “puppy” = chiot
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
le jour
réduire un peu
Cela me ferait en moyenne …
frapper durement
en hausse de 20%
by day
to make a dent in family debt
That would average me...
to hit hard
up twenty percent
16. to throw a party
17. whether they deal
18. a fancy vacation
organiser une fête, réception
qu’ils fassent le commerce de
fantaisiste, exorbitant
19. costume jewelry
20. the economies slumped
21. direct sales boomed
bijoux de fantaisie
baisser fortement
être en plein essor
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
méfiez vous des arnaques
les coûts de lancement
dépenser le moins possible
bichonner les toutous
les animaux domestiques l’emportent
Beware of scams
Start-up costs
to pinch pennies
to pamper pouches
the pets win out