August 27, 2004

Party Animals

Forget the air-tight bowls and long-lasting lipsticks. Anyone need a pooper scooper? Shure Pets consultant Grace Lintner of Manassas sells pet products from home.

LISA CHINN

GRACE LINTNER had hosted plenty of home sales parties in the past--Tupperware, Pampered Chef, PartyLite.

The businesslike bash she held last month at her Manassas home was just a hair different.

Sure, she invited friends and neighbors, prepared food and practiced her sales spiel.

She lined up games for her guests to play, bought prizes and stuffed folders with brochures, order forms and ballpoint pens.

She dotted a cloth-covered table with products for her prospective customers to see, touch and, hopefully, buy.

But there wasn't a candle, cosmetic or kitchenware in sight.

Instead, Lintner took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and proceeded to peddle cat toys , canine apparel and pooper scoopers. The party marked her first foray into a new business venture as an independent consultant for Shure Pets.

Forty-one-year-old Andrew Shure started the Chicago-based business last September. He wanted to combine the success of other direct sales companies, like Mary Kay and Avon, with the passion people have for their pets.

Like representatives for other home sales businesses, Shure Pets consultants sign up, pay for starter kits and book their own parties.

Lintner's house was all wags and woofs last month when her first dog-owning guest and their canine companions arrived.

Susan Woslawski introduced Betsy the Pekingese and Teddy the Lhasa apso to Lintner's black Lab/chow mix, Katie.

The party got off to a precarious start, however, with someone having an "accident" on Lintner's light beige carpet. Lintner pushed past the embarrassing moment by engaging her human guests in a breed-identifying game.

Woslawski's ability to tell Dobermans from Dalmatians, Pomeranians from poodles, earned her a chance to reach inside a big, purple goody bag filled with bow-wow treats. She pulled out a jingly ball.

Lintner's husband, Will, correctly called the most cats, winning himself a cream-colored rope bone.

"If you had trouble, you might want to consult your Shure Pets catalogue," Lintner told the folks lined up around her living room.

The doggies got their due, as well, when Lintner served liver treats and rawhide.

A former secretary for the federal government, Lintner had been a stay-at-home mom for more than 10 years. Early this summer, she decided it was time to go back to work, but she refused to give up the quality time she spends with her daughters--Sarah, 7, and Elizabeth, 11.

So, she looked online for opportunities to work at home and stumbled across the Shure Pets Web site. She was sold.

"This had the best fit because I like dogs and cats," Lintner said.

Soon after she'd signed up, she received a call from Shure himself.

"I answer the phone. I want to be in touch with the customers. I give everyone my cell phone [number]," Shure said by phone from his Chicago office, his 2-year-old shepherd/chow mix, Caillou, barking in the background.

"I want them to feel comfortable with our business and the opportunity here," he said.

Lintner, who keeps a portrait of her dog, Katie, on the wall between pictures of the human members of her family, was a prime pet consultant candidate. It's that kind of enthusiasm for animals that Shure looks for in folks likely to have success selling his products.

"The people that get involved with us, they're passionate about their dog," Shure said. "They may not be the best salespeople, necessarily, but they really believe in this product."

He warns new representatives not to expect too much too soon.

"I tell people when they get involved with this, they have to be realistic with their goals," Shure said. "I tell people, 'you need to crawl before you walk before you run.'"

Selling pet supplies Tupperware-style seems to be catching on. After just one year, Shure Pets claims about 250 consultants in 42 states, Shure said. The majority live in Illinois, California and Michigan. But at least five, including Lintner, make their homes in Virginia.

Plus, the company has doubled its product line. Shure Pets sells unusual items, like striped polo shirts and party necklaces for preppy dogs, "Aromutt" therapy candles and a "Furry Angel" memorial kit, which comes with a candle and memorial card that allow owners to honor lost pets.

The company's catalogue also includes novelties, like coffee mugs, salt and pepper shakers, and decorative plates, all adorned with photos of specific breeds of dogs and cats.

But Shure Pets' practical side--carpet cleaners, pet shampoos, first-aid kits--has had the most success so far, Shure said.

The company also carries items that cater to birds, hamsters and ferrets, plus a parade of other pet-related items.

It's too soon to offer successful consultants cars like the pink Cadillacs direct sales makeup mogul Mary Kay has been known to give away.

But Shure wants his company to mirror that success. And he hopes to keep attracting enthusiastic consultants, like Lintner, he said.

"I just find people's passion for pets to be very special."

To shop for Shure Pets products visit shurepets.com. Or call Lintner at 703/791-0574.