Monu at Home

[Vanilla Pod]

Do you think Monu has sold out,
I enquired about Monu at Home, although I have a trade account with them just out of interest.

Do you see less opportunity for retail, and will this ruin their image etc.

I have been informed you need to cancel your trade account if you want to join with Monu at Home?

 

[Matthew Taylor]

Are we to assume this is more of a party plan thing?
Allowing none therapists to sell retail products?

 

[applepie]

Yes I'm not happy about this either.

I use Monu in my salon and noticed a tiny little bit in the latest newsletter mentioning this development. There is no info on the trade website and the only info I could find was a facebook page for someone who is a monu at home rep but it appears to be party planning along the lines of Virgin Vie etc.

Really naff!

I just sell a bit of retail to regulars but am more worried about the brand image than loss of retail.

I would never have chosen a brand that was not pro salon only.

The newsletter is trying to make out it will help us by 'driving people into our salons'!!

Yeah, right!

 

[Zooks]

Hmmm, first I've heard of this Vanilla Pod.

I have actually been thinking of changing my skincare brand anyway as Monu just doesn't sell for me. Even when I do facials I barely ever shift it so it's sits on my shelf making me no money.

If they have indeed "sold out" this will make my decision for me. I will have to sell it off cheaply and decide on another brand.

Booo.

 

[Vanilla Pod]

Yes to Matthew, and anyone else who has replied, it's party plan, looks like I made the correct choice with opening an account with Spa Find and Pure Fiji years ago, they are both fantastic in their own way.

Zooks - Spa Find is great, but OMG, Pure Fiji is so lush and everyone loves the tropical fragrances.

 

[Zooks]

Spa find doesn't agree with my skin atall. I liked Pure Fiji but found them to smell very heavily fragranced.

Shame on Monu for this

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek

 

[abbiewill]

I think the fact that Monu Skin Care and Cosmetics is going into party plan will be a fantastic thing for all of us. It will raise the awareness of this wonderful product and although yes we might be a little down on selling the Monu products in our salons don't forget that our clients will still come to us for facials and massages. I am sure this will work well for all of us. I love Monu products always have and I am sure it will not hinder with anything I do from my salon.

 

[stacy]

This is the first I know of this and I don't like the sound of it.

Is Monu at Home consultancy available for the unqualified? If it is then I think its going to cheapen the whole brand.
Have just done a quick search and found a lady on facebook saying she is a consultant and advertising for more consultants so looks like anyone may be able to do it.

As a Monu stockist myself I'm not very happy that they've taken this route and not kept us informed, I feel like they've been a bit sneaky.

Have been looking at phasing out this brand because I find they have too many products and over complicate things anyway so it looks like I shall now be doing it sooner rather than later.

 

[squidgernetball]

I don't see how this can be good for the professionals. I'm afraid that once that 'salon exclusive' title gets sold down the river, anyone can sell it - usually with an opening order of around £200. I have been approached by a party plan company to stock their skincare, and I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. I stock Environ (salon exclusive) and had a new Environ client last week who travelled 20 miles for a full consultation and has spent over £300 with me. Would be very miffed if she could go for a drink at a friends and buy it from someone without the same investment and commitment to the brand as me!

 

[Lynne Baker]

I think the fact that Monu Skin Care and Cosmetics is going into party plan will be a fantastic thing for all of us. It will raise the awareness of this wonderful product and although yes we might be a little down on selling the Monu products in our salons don't forget that our clients will still come to us for facials and massages. I am sure this will work well for all of us. I love Monu products always have and I am sure it will not hinder with anything I do from my salon.

It might very well raise the brand awareness, but at the almost certain cost to the professional salon.
Yes, your clients will still come to you for treatments, but retail should play a big part of your salon's revenue, and you run the risk of losing that to the party plan.

I'd be flippin' furious if a brand I'd invested in did this to me. Showrooming is on the increase, and I don't think it's too big a leap to imagine it going from party plan to being retailed on the high street.

The overall brand value could very well be decreased from this too, especially if people misdiagnose their own skin type and condition, and then believe that it's the fault of the products.

 

[srr27]

I have decided to stop using Monu after finding moisturisers and serums for sale in a TK Maxx near my business. After I enquired with Monu their reply was that they only sold a small selection to TK Maxx to raise brand awareness and that it was a wonderful thing for all of us! This party plan thing only devalues their brand more and not what I wish to associate with my brand image. And one last question, who do you work for abbiewill?

 

[classixuk]

Hi skin geeks.

I've popped in from hair. My experience with skin care is doing mini-facials and prescriptions for 2 years when I worked for Steiner some years ago, and I used to retail quite a bit, so I kind if have some insight into what you are seeing as a threat.

My impression looking from the outside is this: if I were a 30 something lady who was quite well connected and picked up your price list to see you were doing a Monu facial for say £30, I might think to myself, "My friend Georgia on Facebook has been talking about these products and she has sent me an invite to her Monu party next weekend. I think I will save the £30 and go to Georgia's party where we can all give eachother facials with these products for free. I'll then use the £30 I would have spent here on products. Not only will it save me money, but it will help out my friend Georgia too!"

I can only imagine that I might pop in to ask you about which products you would recommend for my skin type (before the party) so that I can go there armed with a 'professional shopping list'.

If you are happy with the products, the only way I can see to compete would be to arrange 'free facial parties' yourself where you donate 2 hours of your time to groups of 8 or more in the hope you would then sell retail products by the close of the evening and perhaps some professional services too?

Either way though, it is the product company who gains the most.

 

[Kate Minerva]

Wow I'm so glad I found this thread I am looking into training for facials and have been researching skincare products to use!! I have spoken to the customer service people at monu and they sent me some samples and offered to come to me for a meeting. I had No idea they were going into party planning and will definitely not be using them for this reason. Thanks geeks 😄

 

[Lynne Baker]

If you'd like a sample and info pack about Swissdermyl drop me a pm. We'll never go into party planning!

 

[jojo309]

Well this is pants I'm looking for a skin line that I can retail aswell as brill treatments as I am in the process of going from mobile to salon, Monu was top of my list as I have used it before not now!!

This will do loads for their brand awareness but diddle squat for us :sad: Thank you Vanilla Pod for starting the thread I will re-start my search (Jo wanders off grumbling )

 

[squidgernetball]

This is what is so great about SG - this sharing of information can help prevent some costly mistakes. I expect Monu don't advertise the fact that they do 'party plans' to professional therapists looking to open an account with them!!!

 

[Zooks]

This is the straw that broke the camels back for me.

I have been wanting to change for some time. I think Monu is a "nice" product and a less than average brand. I have barely sold a thing and I have even been trying to push my facials. I know people enjoy my facials and I have recently printed out aftercare sheets to give out with recommended products on, I still don't sell a thing. Possibly because my enthusiasm has gone but I do try not to let that creep in.

I will be changing if I am lucky enough to get the ball rolling with my own place!

 

[applepie]

There is now a website advertising for party consultants:

Monu at Home

I am incensed and so disappointed that they have treated their salon account like this.

I have invested thousands with them over 6 years and feel they have built their company up on our backs and are now selling out on us.

I have had a couple of issues in the past I wanted to bring up with them and felt quite patronised and belittled by their response so don't hold out much hope that they may change their mind on this development.

For those of you that are going to change brands - how will you manage a transition while minimising financial loss and waste of exisiting stock?

 

[Zooks]

I am also interested in this.

I have yet to restock any of my existing working Monu stock except for the massage oils and a couple of retail bits so I still have a good amount left, I have been using it for 18 months so you see how little it's being used!

I am contemplating working it alongside the new brand once I invest. I am planning on going with Environ when I have the funds and they seem to be more of a skin treatment brand, I personally find Monu to be more aimed at the relaxing facials so I will run them like this I think until it's gone.

What would you do?

 

[applepie]

Zooks - it's difficult isn't it?!

This is why I have carried on using them even when I have been unhappy as I would run out of something and need to reorder it as the alternative would be to waste all the other products plus find the outlay to invest all over again in a new range.

I don't have any bright ideas but would say that running 2 ranges at the same time didn't work for me when I tried to do this to phase out an old nail polish brand and introduce a new one.

I found all my clients would just keep picking the old one as it is what they were familiar with. So my new polishes were gathering dust and in the end I had to bite the bullet and just throw away the old ones in order to move forward.

I couldn't bear to see that wastage with my facial products hence why I am stuck in this dilemma.

Hopefully some wise geeks will have some ideas for us!