Learn about being a Thermomix® Consultant in Australia
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My previous FAQ post about starting as a Thermomix® Consultant in Australia contains all the facts you need to know about how the process works.
I have also written about starting a super flexible side hustle as a Thermomix® Consultant.
In this post I am going to talk about my own experience in starting a Thermomix® business. This is about how I have chosen to set up my business, which is a little different to how most people set themselves up. You really have the choice to create your Thermomix® business the way you want it to be.
Why did I start thinking about joining as a Thermomix® Consultant?
For me, the reasons for considering starting as a Thermomix® consultant were:
- I wanted to upgrade my Thermomix® TM31 to the more recent Thermomix® TM6. I thought earning it as a consultant was a good option.
- I was looking for a new business opportunity.
Click here to learn more about the process for earning your Thermomix® TM6.
My background before starting my Thermomix® consulting business
I have over 35 years experience in the business world. I have worked across sectors in business management, project management, customer service and consulting roles.
I have worked for small businesses, a University, Museums, an insurance company and a large multi-national organisation.
When I moved back to Tasmania, from Melbourne, in 2011 with my husband Dale, I decided the time was right to start working for myself. So across a number of ventures, Dale and I have worked on our own (mainly) online businesses since that time.
Working for ourselves, and mainly online, has meant that we have had the flexibility to travel while still working, which allowed us to twice spend winters in Cairns, before deciding to relocate to Cairns in 2022.
Learn more about me – Jo Reardon, Thermomix® Consultant (Australia).
Why start a business as a Thermomix® Consultant compared to other options?
I was ready for a new opportunity as our other business was changing to require less of my time.
For me, having started online businesses from scratch in the past, one of the primary reasons for considering Thermomix® Consulting as a business option, was that this was a ready made product that I loved, and that I didn't need to create myself.
The pros of being able to create my business around an already exceptional product are huge for me. Along with that, you are provided with training, marketing resources, incentives and the support of your Team Leader, Business Development Manager, and the company.
I guess after being my own boss for so long, there was some adjustment to being part of something bigger. But really, that has been overwhelmingly positive. The company is set up to encourage the Thermomix® Consultants to create their own business to be what they want it to be. Whether that be a side hustle that you fit in to the time you have around your other commitments, or if you want this to be your main focus in order to create a bigger business for yourself.
My experience when starting as a Thermomix® Consultant
My start as a consultant was a bit of a whirlwind.
Dale and I are known for making decisions pretty quickly, and this was one of those! I thought about it for a few days, spoke to Dale, filled out the contact form of the Thermomix® website, and attended an information session a day later. I was then all signed up within a few days.
All of this happened in late October 2021 as we were in the midst of planning to head back to Hobart after spending the winter in Cairns.
For me this was a low risk decision. There wasn't a long term commitment and no need to sell my soul! Basically I started with the 60 day program, and the focus was to get six sales in that time so that my new Thermomix® TM6 was earned in full.
Thermomix® Consultant Training
Before my official start date, I had access to the Thermomix® online training website, where there were a few required short training courses. This probably took a couple of hours to complete.
My team leader also showed me how to use the Thermomix® backend website to manage my customers and book cooking demos. There was also the opportunity early on to watch on Zoom a virtual cooking demo and an in person cooking demo.
Other than that, once you receive your Thermomix® TM6, and your business kit, you have everything you need to start.
I feel lucky that I was a long term owner of the Thermomix® TM31, so the transition to the TM6, while very exciting, was fairly intuitive for me. I knew so much already about how the Thermomix® works, it's power, and what you can make in it.
If you are new to Thermomix® when you begin as a consultant, I would recommend cooking with it for a little while before you conduct demos with strangers!! Thermomix® does recommend that you set up some early ‘friendly' demos with family members and friends, which does take the pressure off you.
My first Thermomix ® sales!
On the day I started as a consultant, a new promotion started that gave customers the opportunity to buy a second bowl for a very low price. This was a great incentive that certainly helped with my early sales.
So on that first day I went out to my small group of Facebook friends to announce my new business and share the purchase offer. The next day, I got a surprise sale from a friend of a friend (who had shared my post). This person didn't contact me before buying, but she was ready to buy and I am very grateful she chose me as her consultant.
Similarly, my second sale was quite quick, from a friend who was ready to upgrade from her TM31 and saw my Facebook post. My third sale was to my brother and sister-in-law, who also upgraded from the TM31.
At this stage I had three sales in three days and was very happy! I then did my first Thermomix® Cooking Demo at my brother's place, with three friends of theirs. Not one of them intended to buy a Thermomix®, yet all three did over the next couple of weeks.
I feel very fortunate that I was able to earn my Thermomix® TM6, with six sales, in just over 30 days.
Did I have a large network of people to ask for Thermomix® Cooking Demos?
My network in Hobart was small. Having moved around a lot in my life, and then when returning to Hobart a few years ago I had been working from home in my own businesses, so did not have outside work to assist with building a new network.
In addition, most friends were just not interested in buying a Thermomix® or hosting a demo at their place. It can be an imposition for people, and I am not someone who is going to hassle friends to host.
So the demos which followed my 60 Day Program were mostly hosted by my new customers, and that is how the network marketing aspect of being a Thermomix® Consultant works. Your customers can choose to host a Thermomix® Cooking demo at any time and earn rewards for doing so. However, when they first get their Thermomix®, it is a great time to host as they can learn so much too.
And then we decided to move to Cairns… and start from scratch in terms of personal networks.
How I have approached building my business as a Thermomix® Consultant
Given I had experience with online businesses, I knew from the start that I wanted online services and sales to be part of my business. This also was important as my personal network for in person marketing was not large.
Since 2020, Thermomix® consulting has changed to incorporate the virtual model. Many consultants – particularly those in regional locations – are almost exclusively virtual. Some consultants have returned to being more geographically based and focused on in person sales and support, while more are embracing a hybrid model with both styles.
ThermoJo and my online presence
After my 60 Day Program was completed and I had earned my Thermomix® TM6, I started to think more about the online model. As for many consultants these days, I had already created my business brand, Facebook page and Instagram account, but I knew I wanted more than that.
I spent a lot of January 2022 creating this website, along with the beginnings of a blog. I already had website building experience, but it still takes a lot of time and energy to create the structure, content, images, and manage the technology. Luckily Dale has the tech skills to fill the gaps where my knowledge ends!
Thanks to selling a house, buying a house, moving interstate and resettling, last year was not the easiest in terms of building momentum. It wasn't until August that I seriously started to blog regularly.
The reasons I am focusing on my ThermoJo blog:
- I want to reach people beyond my local area. People who prefer to buy online and do their research from reading blogs and watching videos.
- I want to create content that helps people learn more about the Thermomix®, and has a long life. It takes a lot of time to create content for social media, for it to generally have a very short life. Instead, I create blog content that lives a long life on a website I own, and share that content on my social media channels.
- As my blog grows, I want to see my posts coming up on Google searches to answer your questions (and this is probably how you found this post!)
- Posting regular blog posts tells Google that you are current and relevant – meaning more people find my website, which from a business perspective translates into comments, enquiries and sales.
For social media, I post links to my blog posts, and use stories to share what I am cooking day to day. I have grand plans to do more with social media, but it all takes time that seems to disappear. My blog is the most important in terms of content creation. I also want to create more video content for YouTube, which when I do, is also shared through a blog post.
How I provide ongoing service to my Thermomix® customers
Also after my 60 Day Program was over and we were into a new year, I focused on how I wanted to deliver something extra to my customers in terms of service.
For me, this was about giving everything I could to help my customers learn all about their Thermomix® and use it to it's full potential. It was also about creating a point of difference for ThermoJo compared to other consultants operating online.
Video training for Thermomix® and Cookidoo
Early in 2022, I created the ThermoJo 30 Day Kickstart video training for Thermomix® and Cookidoo®. This provides my customers with short videos of me showing them everything they need to know about the Thermomix® TM6 and Cookidoo®, the recipe database.
Initially this was only for my customers and was delivered to them by a daily email over thirty days. I have now converted this to an online course format, and it is available on my website where all the content is available from day one.
ThermoJo Newsletter
Since commencing as a Thermomix® Consultant, I have had an email newsletter in place. This gets sent once or twice a month to my customers, and to anyone else who has chosen to join my email list.
In my newsletter I share some of my favourite recipes and the latest news from Thermomix®.
Click here to join my email newsletter mailing list.
Individual help for my customers
I am also available to my customers to answer their questions. Anything from – ‘help I think I did something wrong', to ‘which risotto recipe is the best?'. My customers can contact me via phone, text and email. We may sometimes do a quick Zoom if needed too.
In addition, I am more than happy to conduct a Thermomix® Cooking Demo for them with their friends. This means that my customer, as host, can earn a host reward.
Click here to learn about hosting a Thermomix® Cooking Demonstration.
How my online marketing strategy is working as a Thermomix® Consultant
A content marketing strategy does not bring quick results, and it is something that you need to work on consistently.
It has been about six months since I started publishing regular blog posts. There are now over 50 posts available, across a broad range of topics related to Thermomix® and Cookidoo®.
I am happy to report that over this time, all the important stats are climbing well and I am confident that this will continue. My blog posts come up very high on many Google searches, and I am getting more and more enquiries through my website. I have also had a few Thermomix® sales because people found me online and found what they needed on my blog.
I love that the content that is available now is enough to help you make a decision as to whether the Thermomix® is the right thing for you, right now.
How to find out more about being a Thermomix® Consultant in Australia
If you are thinking that starting as a Thermomix® Consultant is something that appeals to you, then please get in touch. I am more than happy to answer your questions.
You may also want to read my previous FAQ post about starting as a Thermomix® Consultant in Australia which contains all the facts you need to know about how the process works.
