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Industry News
March 2006
Young Company Focus: Sensaria
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
appreciate 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."