To say she was the woman of the hour might have been an understatement.
“Thank you for being here! I totally appreciate it,” Marcie Vanbebber called out to friends and colleagues. “Hi, girls! I’ll be with you in just a second. Go get a drink.”
Vanbebber, a Lee’s Summit resident who had no sales experience just three years ago, was honored with a brand-new white Mercedes-Benz and the title of regional vice president of Arbonne International Friday night at Adams Pointe Conference Center in Blue Springs.
Vanbebber, 38, is the daughter of former Blue Springs School District superintendent Charles McGraw.
Three years ago, Vanbebber was looking for an extra source of income. Then a stay-at-home mother, she now has four children ranging from age 9 months to 6 years. Vanbebber’s previous professional experience included a stint with a fundraising company and at the Fort Osage School District.
She met with a mutual friend of her parents, Beth Studry, who explained the part-time, no inventory-required business of Arbonne International, a line of natural and botanical cosmetics.
Studry was a testimonial herself. Within one year of starting her Arbonne sales, she had quit her full-time job and had earned a brand-new white Mercedes-Benz.
The sales start small with each sales consultant’s “warm market,” which includes friends and family members who hosted presentations or referred additional clients, Vanbebber said.
“I was just consistent and kept chipping away at it,” she said. “We recommend one to two parties a week, and they say within 12 months – if you’re consistent with that – you’ll have your white Mercedes in a year.”
Not bad, especially for a woman who admits she knew nothing about makeup before starting her business endeavor.
“I hardly used anything. I tried all kinds of different companies, but really I didn’t take care of my skin,” Vanbebber said. “I pretty much washed my face and put any kind of lotion on.”
She became a “product of the product,” experimenting with Arbonne products and recommending their uses. Members of Vanbebber’s team, as well as women she hardly knew but who are Arbonne team members themselves, gathered in her honor Friday.
Most importantly, Vanbebber’s husband, Mark, was present. She plans to retire her husband before his 43rd birthday in several years so they can travel. That, she said, serves as a motivation.
“He’s been very supportive because he would work all day and then come home and help take care of the kids,” she said.
“I think when you have a dream and you know what this business can do for people, you prioritize what needs to be done. I gave up things like excessive TV and exercising for a bit – it’s the short-term sacrifices for the long-term benefits.”
Blue Springs, MO —
