Anyone who knows me well knows I am a huge Laverne and Shirley fan. One of my favorite episodes is The Diner, where Laverne is the fry cook and Shirley is the waitress. Laverne keeps saying “Betty, pick up. Betty, please pick up your hash blacks.” When Shirley asks why she keeps calling her Betty, Laverne responds, “Because it sounds so much better than ‘Shirl, pick up.’” Watch the first 30 seconds below if you want a refresher of this dynamic duo).

The scene above highlights this concept of using what sounds best in a given situation. For example, if the word “Party” as in Host a Home Party, tends to sour potential hosts, use a different term. Perhaps call it a Scent Event, Open House, Demo, Show, Get Together or even “free items for large orders”.

I’m not at all suggesting you should mislead anyone. Rather I’m talking about speaking a language that your market can identify with or that makes you more comfortable.

Another example is some men in our company are not comfortable saying they are a Scentsy consultant. To some men, the name Scentsy is not a terribly macho word to use. I suppose it’s like being in a fast food restaurant and ordering a Biggy Fry. When this seems to be the case, I tell the gentlemen on our team to just call yourself a “Wax Man” or “Candle Guy” or whatever works for them. Don’t forgo sharing the business because you don’t like a particular word or phrase.

Yet another term that tends to turn off some potential team members is Business Opportunity. True when you start your own direct selling business it’s providing you an opportunity to have a successful business. Though the words Business Opportunity can make some people run. It congers up many 1990’s style, high pressure, recruiting tactics where you’re cornered with some sales rep who wants to draw little circles on a napkin and show you the potential to become a millionaire. Or worse yet, some people equate Business Opportunity with Pyramid Scheme.

Of course those of us in direct sales who run successful, legitimate businesses understand all the positive aspects that go along with a Business Opportunity. However in some circles, those words are taboo. So call it something different. Say they can have their own candle/nutrition/makeup business. Or say they can earn extra money by selling XYZ. Tell the truth; but say what will be best received by your audience.

New consultants tend to give up or get frustrated all too easily claiming “this doesn’t work”. When really it may just be a matter of finding the right words to use with your target market. If you’re finding resistance, try calling what you’re offering something different to see if that doesn’t help.

“Betty, pick up” sounds so much better than “Shirl, pick up.” – Laverne DeFazio

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Deutschland and the UK. You can find Laurie at http://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

TWELVE DAYS OF DECEMBER!

Book your show today on any one of the first twelve days of December and receive the item listed with the day you booked your ScentEvent! * All items will be added to your party order and will be received with the rest of the orders taken from your party!

On the first day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me….one room spray!
On the second day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…2 scent circles!
On the third day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…a 3-pack of candle bars for $10.00!
On the fourth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…4 room sprays for $10.00!
On the fifth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…5-pointed Rustic Star Warmer at 50% off!
On the sixth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…6-pack of candle bars for $20.00
On the seventh day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me… 7 Room Sprays at 50% off!
On the eighth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…8 scent circles
On the ninth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…9 ways to decorate with the Any Warmer for 50% off!
On the tenth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…10-pack of a variety of samples
On the eleventh day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…an 11 Scent Circles for 50% off!
On the twelfth day of December my Scentsy Consultant gave to me…12 Candle Bars for 50% off!

* All prizes and awards are subject to having a minimum of $200 in sales at your show. These offers are in addition to the regular Hostess Program.

I was talking with a consultant recently as she lamented that she drove 50 minutes to get to a home party. When she got there, only the hostess’ mother-in-law showed up; no other guests.  The mother-in-law placed an obligatory order totaling $12.

The consultant earned 25% off that $12 sale or a sum total of $3.00 commission. She drove 50 minutes each way and went through three quarters of a tank of gas for which she paid $3.52 per gallon.  She also turned down an opportunity to do a vendor event that night because this party was booked first.  And she had to pay a babysitter while she was at the party. It doesn’t take a math whiz to calculate that the consultant lost money traveling to do this party.

The hostess spent the day cleaning her house, making cookies and chopping fresh vegetables, and setting up folding chairs around her living room to accommodate all of her expected guests. Imagine how she felt when she went to all this trouble and only her mother-in-law showed up. Talk about awkward.

This is an unfortunate situation. This is also a common scenario that many direct sales consultants may fess up happened to them at one time or another. This is also a situation that could have been avoided.

What went wrong?  From the outcome, it appears a number of things went wrong.  Likely the hostess did not invite nearly enough people. She also very likely did not call those she invited to determine if they were coming to the party or if they wanted to place an outside order.

It also may be a safe assumption that the consultant did not properly coach the hostess. Some things are certain in this business:

1. Many people will not RSVP, even though requested
2. Some people will say they are coming to the party, but will not show up
3. Only a small fraction of those invited will attend a home party

If the consultant had worked with the hostess, there would have been a much better turn out or the hostess would have told her that she didn’t have any confirmed guests other than her husband’s mom.  The consultant could have made an informed decision if she wanted to reschedule the party, turn the party into a catalog or basket party, or make the drive regardless of lack of confirmed guests.

Some consultants choose to make a personal policy that they won’t travel to a party for fewer than five confirmed guests. Others set a mileage limit for those parties where very few have confirmed attendance. You’re an independent consultant, free to set whatever policies you choose to implement for you business.

I hope you never have a party like the one described above. Of if you have, I hope you’ve made corrections to avoid it in the future.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Deutschland and the UK start and maintain a candle business. You can find Laurie at https://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

The people you talk with aren’t the party-hostess type. It may be that simple. They’re just not into having people over while someone tries to sell them something. Have you ever tried to convince your grandma to try skateboarding? Or tried to sell someone who only buys products made in the USA to purchase a foreign car? There are times that no matter what you say, you will not cause a cat to change her stripes.

You predetermine who would and would not be interested. You’ve decided in your head, “oh so and so wouldn’t be interested.” You don’t even give her the opportunity to consider it. You’ve already decided that her answer will be, “No.”  If you have these psychic abilities to read minds, this may be another career more suited for you, Oh Great Swami.

Maybe, just maybe, the words and phrases you are using make those you talk with want to run! You may say the words “home party” but the person you’re speaking with hears “root canal and IRS audit.” Perhaps saying the same thing with different words may be more palatable.

If you recognize yourself in any of the above scenarios keep reading:

Your direct sales company may permit you to sell in ways other than home parties.  Assuming you can, it may be a better fit for you to sell at craft shows or county fairs. More and more companies are allowing some degree of internet marketing; or maybe fundraisers might be your niche. If you’re getting nowhere trying to book home parties,  try some alternative methods before you frustrate yourself to the point of “this doesn’t work, I’m quitting!”

Stop pre-qualifying everyone and give people a chance to say yes, no or maybe so. Under no condition, ever, ever, use the word “favor.”  Your host wouldn’t be doing you a favor by agreeing to have a party. You would be doing her a favor by giving her the opportunity to earn free and discounted products. To think otherwise gives the message you’re not representing a company that has anything of value to offer.

Rewrite your script. Omit the words Home Party from your vocabulary. Which sounds more inviting: “Do you want to host a home party and earn hostess benefits?” Or “Free (cosmetics, jewelry, kitchenware) for large orders” ?  Both are offering the same benefits. Maybe “Open House” might bring more favorable results.

If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve been getting. It may be time to change it up a bit.

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Deutschland and the UK. You can find Laurie at http://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

1.    Your peeps are basically non-party people.  Sometimes it’s as simple as that.  Those you know or talk to just don’t get into hosting or attending direct sales home parties. Have you ever tried to convince someone who prefers country music to listen to jazz?  Or how about convincing a true blue dog-person to get a cat?  Sometimes it’s that simple; nothing you say or offer will convert them into party-people.

2.    You haven’t asked.  That may be a BGO (blinding glimpse of the obvious) but are you honestly asking people if they’d like to host a party?  Or are you making up their minds for them? Have you already decided that she wouldn’t want to have party? There might be a market for your mind-reading abilities.

3.    You’re using words and terms that make people run.  Sometimes when people hear “home party” their mind translates that into something as fun as a mammogram or paying taxes. Perhaps you can say the same thing in a more enjoyable manner that will get favorable results.

The Solution

If you fall into one of the above three categories consider these possible solutions:

1.    Review your company policies and procedures to ensure you are permitted to market via methods other than home parties.  Perhaps you’re better suited to participate in vendor events such as craft shows or state fairs.  Can you use Internet marketing?  Perhaps that’s the way to go instead of constantly hitting the wall with home parties.

2.    Open your mouth and give people the opportunity to get free stuff.  And for goodness sake don’t ever use the word “favor.”  Your hostesses aren’t doing YOU a favor – you’re doing THEM a favor by providing them the opportunity to get some products free or greatly reduced. Until you change your mindset about that favor thing, no matter how you ask, you’ll come off that you don’t really believe you’re offering something worthwhile.

3.    Try using creative language.  How about “Free (candles, jewelry, makeup, etc.) For Large Orders”?  That says nothing about a home party but gives potential hostesses the opportunity to merely collect orders or to decide how to go about getting the free goods.   Also try other names for home party – Tasting Event or Scent Samplers.

If what you’re doing isn’t working it’s really as simple as finding a different way to arrive at your destination.  Take a detour; try something different than what you originally thought was the way to go.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Flameless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

So how do you determine the best way to establish who receives the prizes?

Know your hostess and the crowd.  If you decide that you’re in front of a group of guests who may be open to some games, then play some. People are by nature a bit competitive, some more than others, and a game is a great way to get the party started. It helps people become acquainted and adds a bit of fun competition to the festivities.

Assuming you have a competitive group, pick a game, anything from a trivia game about the products or a game of strategy and skill.  Another benefit to playing games is that it provides the perfect opportunity to find people to donate prizes to.  Depending on how much time you have and how many prizes you have to give away, you can award first, second, and third place a prize.  Or you can play a couple games and the first place winner of each game gets a prize.  Just be sure to give a disclaimer that each person can only win once!

Obviously if you get blank stares or groans when you announce a game, that may not be the best crowd for games. Instead have a simple drawing.  Invite each guest to enter the drawing and the first, second, and third names drawn each receive a prize.  The upside to this method is that a drawing is a great way to generate leads.  Instead of having people simply put their name on a piece of paper, they can actually fill out a pre-set postcard.

Consider asking for the following information:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Email
- If they are interested in becoming a consultant
- If they are interested in hosting a party (and earning free gifts)

Make sure you actually use the information you’ve collected to send out information about promotions and new products.

Whether you choose to host a drawing or ask your attendees to play a game, giving away prizes is a great way to introduce new people to your products and gain future customers.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

Whether you’re selling candles, gourmet food/spices, jewelry, home decor, makeup or any other product line an open house format will work best.  This will be your official launch party for your new business so you can showcase and roll out the entire line you will be selling.  Referrals will be a wonderful tool in your business; so if people don’t know about your offerings, they won’t be able to give your referrals.  Start with a date.

Prepare

Carefully consider the date for your launch party.  You want maximum exposure, therefore choose a day when the majority of your invitees can come. Remember that no matter what date you select, it won’t be good for some people; just accept that.  Be sure to over invite.  You could invite 150 people and have 12 people show up, and that’s actually a good number of guests!

Weekends tend to work best.  Stay away from holidays unless you know people don’t mind coming.  More people will come if you give them at least a two or three week window before the event.  Ask for R.S.V.P.s so you can get a head count for food. If you don’t get a R.S.V.P. (and chances are you will not receive many) it is vital that you follow up with a personal phone call.  History has shown only those who R.S.V.P. or whom you actually speak with will show, and even then you’ll have some no-shows.

Once the date is set, the fun begins.  It’s time to plan your strategy for the party.  Keep a few goals in mind that you want to accomplish at the party:

* Let people know about the products
* Provide a non-threatening atmosphere with no sales pressure
* Have products available for sale
* Have recruiting information available
* Provide simple snacks

Most direct selling companies provide a starter business kit so that you will have enough supplies to have a show of your own.  You don’t have to keep an inventory for your open house.  It is okay to use your products as advertisements and take orders; just allow enough time to for delivery of the orders for those who purchase for the purpose of gift giving.

Planning

Above all else, keep it simple.  For an open house, there is a window of time when people talk with you, mingle, eat and look at products.  It takes the pressure off since you don’t have to be standing in front of a group the entire four-hour period.

Have a table with your products prominently displayed as well as marketing collateral including business cards (and samples if applicable) to give visitors a way to contact you later if they find that direct sales is an opportunity they are considering.  A table for the food and drinks also keeps you from feeling like you’re waiting on your guests and gives them an opportunity to do as they please according to their time frame.

Present

On the day of your launch party, decorate your mailbox with balloons and/or yard signs to alert all attendees.  Also place a sign on your door that invites guests to “come on in.” Your main assignment for the day is getting introducing your new business and the product line.

Use this opportunity to book hostess parties, sell products, and let people know who and how easy it is to order.  If you have a website or webstore, encourage orders online.  More importantly, relax; have fun; you don’t have to have all the answers; and remember to keep it simple, as you want others to see how easy it is!

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com

Don’t put background music on your website. If you want a professional website that has high traffic and retains visitors, it’s a good rule of thumb to stick with. There are always rare exceptions (which I will list later), but for the most part, you should take this small tid-bit of wisdom to heart.

Here are the reasons why:

1. Credibility – There are certain hallmarks that newbie website builders cannot help but fall for. Background music on a website is one of them. Unless you’re selling music or music services, having background music play on your website makes it seem unprofessional. This lowers your websites credibility, and thus you lose retentions of your visitors. People aren’t visiting your website to listen to music… they are probably there to find information. Think about it… does Google, Yahoo, Newsweek, Sprint, or Amazon play music on their websites? Do any ‘professional’ or ‘credible’ websites you know of play music? Now think back to all the website that you know of that DO play background music… how credible did they look? Did most of them look like a first grader designed them? Did it look like a MySpace website? How credible are MySpace websites? Would you trust content on websites like these? Hmmmm…..

2. Bandwidth – Streaming a full version of a song (4-5 minutes) as a background music for your website takes up too many resources. That being said, if your website is super slow to load and ‘choppy’ to visitors with slower connections, I can pretty much guarantee you won’t have a lot of returning visitors. Not to mention the fact that every time you refresh or load a new page, the song starts over – super annoying.

3. Repeating Music – Many people will play smaller segment of background music that loop so as to minimize load times to their websites. If anyone comes to your website and spends any amount of respectable time there, it won’t take long before they go crazy listening to a 15-20 second long song segment loop a thousand times. If you ‘play that funky music’… you’re going to have visitors leaving your website in droves.

4. Taste In Music – Everyone has different tastes in music. What songs you like, others may detest. I know, I know, it’s hard to believe not everyone loves Barry Manilow as much as you do, but the last thing you want to do is drive people away before they even look at your content.

5. Music Already Playing – Now days, people spend a lot of time on their computers. Because of this, they often have music playing from Cd’s, MP3s, Internet radio, etc. on their computer to help pass the time. How annoying is it when you visit a website and it starts playing music that mixes in with your music? Nothing fun about trying to listen to two tracks at the same time. The quick fix will be to leave your website.

6. Public Computers – Nothing like being at work and hitting a website that all of a sudden starts blaring ‘The Piña Colada Song’ at 300 decibels. It’s highly unlikely you will get many return visitors if half of them are out on the streets looking for a new jobs.

7. Legal Issues – Do you have the legal right to broadcast the song you want play as background music? If you don’t, you might get away with it for a while, but if you plan on your website ever having any amount of significant traffic, be warned. The more popular your website, the more likely you will get noticed playing songs illegally. Litigation, fines, and law suites are no fun.

8. Browser Compatibility – Not every browser is capable of playing every type of music file. Having background music on your website comes with the risk that some of your users may have older browsers that lock up when the music is attempting to upload or play.
Exceptions

There always exceptions to every rule. Here are a few cases when playing background music would be considered acceptable.

1. Musicians And Bands – If you’re a musician or in a band and are creating a website about your work, then it would only be reasonable to have some of your songs playing in the background.
2. Establishments And Events That Revolve Around Music – Dance clubs, bars, concerts, etc. Playing music might help set the mood of what to expect at your establishment or event.
3. Personal Websites – Personal websites are off the table. Express yourself freely with whatever song you like if this is what you wish to do.

If you feel its appropriate to play background music on your website, be sure to display PLAY, PAUSE, and VOLUME controls one your website in plain view so that people can have the option to turn it off or lower the volume. You might also consider not having any music play upon page load, but instead, offering the option for them to play it if they want to hear it.

Souce: http://doodlekit.com/blog/entry/3774…n-your-website

Rather consider it more that you are cheating your hostess out of her benefits if you don’t properly coach.

Coaching doesn’t always work – some will let it go in one ear and out the other.  But that doesn’t give you an excuse not to do it. Coach the same each time so you cover all your bases; don’t take short cuts. The better you become at it the easier it gets.  If you think she doesn’t need a portion of the coaching, ask her to just humor you so that you can continue to give her uniform training.

One of the most important things to educate your hostesses on is that their guest list and its importance. This is the key to the success of their show. Remind her that often 30 invites can do out and only one person will show. It’s vital to invite many, many, many!  Next on the list of importance is their follow thru with those who have not RSVP’d (and that will be a long list) or for those who can’t make it. She should ask every non-attending guest if she wants to order from the catalog.

The snacks are secondary.  Whether it’s a bowl of chips or an impressive spread, the guests are coming for your product display. It should not be any work for her.  Easier said than done, I know. Many hostesses fret over cleaning the house and having just the “right” food.  If your hostess is wigging out, offer to bring her a batch of cookies and you’ll even push the vacuum for her.  Really, she needs to relax about the house.

Generally it is not a good idea to hold her party open for days (or longer). All the order collecting should be done prior to the party. If there happens to be some people who RSVP’d that they come and then later did not show, she can always call for their orders the very next day. Remember each time you need to make another trip to the hostess it eats into your profit margin – in both time and gas. If you let your hostesses know in advance to get advance orders, they will usually do what you tell them to.

It is equally important that you remind your home party hostess what she is getting out of hosting the party and that getting every item of her wish list for free is your goal for the party.

Effective coaching increases attendance, sales and your paycheck!

Why not offer a Reverse Home Party?  When talking to a potential hostess tell her that you’ll have the party at your house.  You’ll do the cleaning, provide some chips and beverages and you have plenty of room for everyone.  The hostess will still get all the benefits of hosting a party in her own home, without all the hassle.

It’s also win/win for the consultant in that you don’t have to lug your entire inventory and continually set up and tear down your display.

Give this approach a try to see if it doesn’t increase your bookings!

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business. You can find Laurie at http://la.Scentsy.us or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com