Industry News

Stories in this section:
Direct Selling: A Future without Boundaries
DSA Launches Image Enhancement Plan
DSEF: Building Bridges of Understanding
Industry with Heart: XanGo
Young Company Focus: Sensaria

Young Company Focus: Sensaria

If Olympic medals were bestowed on the new high-powered direct sellers who have entered the marketplace in the past few years, Sensaria Natural Bodycare, based in Shelton, Wash., would surely be among the favored contenders to bring home the gold. Sensaria's executive team-Founder and CEO Rob Barnes and President Melissa Soete-are blazing a trail in the industry. This January, sales came in 38 percent over last year's same-month sales- a key indicator that Sensaria's current financial expectations will be exceeded.

It was only five years ago that Rob Barnes discovered and fell in love with a line of unique health and beauty products that were created with the finest plant extracts and blends of botanicals. The proprietary and uniquely formulated products were sold retail in a select group of health food stores in the southwestern United States. Barnes noted that about 40 to 50 percent of this business was from people phoning in directly for reorders of the products. "If people tried the products just once," says Barnes, "they were hungry for more, and they took the time to seek the products out. I knew I could make it easier for them to purchase and enjoy these unique and special products." Barnes took the leap and purchased the company-which essentially consisted of the outstanding product formulas, a professional product mixer and two KitchenAid mixers. He moved-and then expanded-production to his home state of Washington. Sensaria Natural Bodycare was born! In 2001, Barnes was joined by Melissa Soete, who had an impressive background in both health care and direct selling. Together, they built a direct selling company whose mission is based on the belief that health, wholeness and well-being are the modern definition of beauty.

"In May 2001, Melissa held our first Spa Experience and recruited our first twelve representatives," says Barnes. "Today, we have almost five thousand representatives. We began with just a handful of customers, and today we have more than twenty thousand new customers each and every month." Along the way, Sensaria upgraded and then branded their new company-they purchased professional equipment, refined products, added exclusive new lines, created new packaging and built an enviable infrastructure that allows them to exceed customer expectations of quality in every aspect of the business. "It's my job to assure that we have the financial resources to support the growth of our business," says Barnes. "Being well-financed means we are able to be an industry leader by offering cutting-edge products to our customers and world-class training, compensation and rewards for our growing family of representatives. It also allows us to put the best service and systems in place-from customer service to shipping-and perhaps most importantly, to hire the best people. At Sensaria, it's all about the people." Barnes adds with a laugh: "By the way, we keep those two little KitchenAid mixers to remind us where we came from."

In many ways, Sensaria's President, Melissa Soete, personifies the Sensaria brand message and promise. "Beauty is defined by health, wholeness and well-being," says Soete. "It is important in today's fast-paced world that we take time out for ourselves. When individuals are able to begin and end the day with a few quiet moments of self-care, they are demonstrating to themselves that they are worth it. That is how individual beauty is created...from the inside out." The Sensaria Spa Experience allows people the opportunity to bring the rejuvenating rituals of the spa-healing aromas, renewing skin treatments and natural healing products-into the privacy of their own homes. Soete, who as President also acts as the company's spokesperson, not only walks the Sensaria Talk, she runs it, bikes it and swims it. An accomplished athlete, Melissa finished her first Iron Man Triathalon in Kona, Hawaii, after just nine weeks of intense preparation, and she currently competes in national fitness competitions. Her personal philosophy and message to the Sensaria Representatives is one they can personally embrace and pass on to their own customers as well: "Beauty radiates in proportion to the love and care we give ourselves and the love we extend to others."

Sensaria joined the Direct Selling Association in 2003 and Rob Barnes is an active member of the Strategic Planning Committee and the CEO Council. "The open communication between companies is impressive at DSA," says Barnes. "I love learning from those who have been there and done it. I also a ppreciate deeply the dedication that the committees within DSA have for the health and image of our industry and-perhaps most importantly-their continued efforts to better support those who make the industry what it is: the representatives. Our representatives are the true gold of our industry.they are the only reason we are in this wonderful and exciting race at all."