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Home Parties

Are You Warm and Welcoming?

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When you are in a host’s home to facilitate a party, are you warm and welcoming to the guests? Or do you usually hang back out of the way or go the opposite direction and end up a little over bearing?

One of the best pieces of advice I give new consultants when they start with a home party company is to “make it your own.” This is contrary to the 1980’s MLM mentality of keeping everything simple and duplicatable. I’m all for simple; but emphatically disagree with duplicating some other consultant’s style. You’ll enjoy your direct selling business much more and realize more success if you are comfortable what you’re doing and if you customize it to your own style.

It would be pious of me or anyone else to give you a script of what you should say. In the sales industry it’s been proven time and time again that people will buy from those they know or who are comfortable with. If you’re reading note cards or trying to regurgitate the words that another consultant uses, and it’s not necessarily how you would do it, it’ll come off cold and awkward at best.

As with many areas in life, it’s important that you find a balance.   As a new consultant, it may take you a few tries to work the kinks out and get more comfortable.   Here are some suggestions that may help as you get your sea legs in your direct sales business. [Read more…] about Are You Warm and Welcoming?

So Call It Something Different

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Perhaps you’re not having the success you’d like because of the words or names you’re using to share your direct sales business products or opportunity. So call it something different.

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. [Read more…] about So Call It Something Different

Hostess Coaching Vital to Party Success

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I Drove All That Way for One Person

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. [Read more…] about Hostess Coaching Vital to Party Success

Overcoming Challenges of Booking Home Parties

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One of the most common challenges of being an independent consultant with a home party plan is the ability to get constant bookings.   If you can’t keep your calendar full, it’s difficult to have success in a home party business.   Below are three widespread reasons for less than stellar results in getting bookings. Keep reading, as it is also followed with solutions to overcome these challenges.

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. [Read more…] about Overcoming Challenges of Booking Home Parties

Home Party Booking Help

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Having trouble getting bookings for home parties?   There are generally three main reasons why your booking success leaves much to be desired:

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 https://la.Scentsy.us or https://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com