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How Do I Keep My Parties From Canceling?
By: D.L. Mayer

The goal of almost every Party Plan consultant is to fill their calendars. After all, the best place to sell your products and book more parties is at a party. But getting those dates filled is only the first step. They only count if they hold.

The best maxim for this situation is “the best defense is a good offense.” And in the case of Party Plan businesses, it’s all in the hostess coaching. Hostesses find all sorts of reasons to cancel. Some are, of course, legitimate. In those cases, she most likely will reschedule. But some just aren’t. I think the most unreasonable one I have ever received was the “I have company coming in, and I have a doctor’s appointment (lucky her to get a doctor’s appointment on a Friday night!).” It would be better to never hear the lame excuses, so how do we avoid them? Why do hostesses cancel? Let’s look at three different reasons hostesses cancel and what we can do about them.

1. She procrastinated sending out invitations.

Although she may never admit it, your hostess will usually cancel if she has not sent out invitations. It is easier to not have you show up then to only have one or two people there. This is actually one of the easier situations to avoid. Many companies train their consultants to send out invitations for their hostess. This is a great service for your hostess and a great marketing tool for you. If you don’t already, offer to send out invitations as a way to save your hostess time and money (the cost of stamps). You can accomplish several things just for the cost of stamps by doing this. First, you know the invitations were sent. Second, you can increase her party attendance. Get the hostess to make her last minute calls by telling her that you numbered five of the invitations. If she finds the people with the numbered invitations, she’ll receive a prize at the party. Third, you can follow up with all the people who didn’t attend and possibly increase your party sales or bookings. Usually only 25% to 50% of invited guests actually attend. If you don’t have the guest list, you’ve missed out on reaching half her guests.

2. She is no longer excited about the party.

Hostesses can loose their enthusiasm for your party for a couple of reasons. Aside from life just getting in the way, there are usually two main reasons for this. First, the party is just booked too far out. The more time in between her party and the one she attended, the more likely she is to forget why she booked it in the first place. It is usually a good rule of thumb to book your parties no more than three to six weeks out. Keep them close to keep them booked. The second reason she looses her interest is because you are not excited. One of the biggest complaints hostesses have about their party reps is that they were not contacted enough. Of course, when you’re on the rep’s end of the phone, it can sometimes feel like you’re pestering them. But in this case, less is not more. Keeping in contact with your hostess does not mean that you have to call them. Be creative about keeping in touch. Aim to contact her four times before her party date. Send her a thank you note for booking the party (with your business card on a magnet so she doesn’t loose your contact info). Email her to ask for the guest list. Call her to let her know the invitations were sent out. Send her a postcard reminding her of the date and time. Call her the week of her party to remind her to make her last minute phone calls. This scenario is especially important if you have to book the parties farther out. People appreciate good customer service. And the more contact you have with her, the better chance you’ll have of catching a scheduling problem early.

3. She doesn’t respect you as a business.

Although it’s blunt, it’s the truth. Unfortunately, many people view Party Plan businesses as a hobby. It isn’t a real job. You just do it to get free or discounted products. Because they think this way, they don’t see it as being any real problem to cancel on you. This issue can be difficult to tackle because it requires you to change your perspective on your business. First, make sure you treat your business as a business. Nobody can respect you, if you don’t respect yourself. Along the same lines, you must think highly of yourself and what you have to offer. And (hardest of all) you cannot always be available. Oh, I know. Easy for me to say. But consider the psychology behind the statement “you always want what you can’t have.” If you are always available, bending over backwards to meet the needs of your clients’ schedules, how can they possibly respect you. If she knows that she can cancel this weekend’s party and you’ll have another weekend available for her, what is her incentive to keep her party on the original date? You just cannot act desperate no matter how many dates you don’t have on the books. The crazy thing is, the more in demand you appear to be, the more in demand you will be. When a hostess is ready to book her party, offer her a choice of two or three of the next dates you want to fill. If she suggests or even demands something else, simply let her know that date is not available. You don’t have to explain why. Then, to show just how busy you are, you can offer to see if one of your co-workers has that date available. (Can you hear her gasping? Who ever heard of a consultant giving away parties?) Most hostesses will want to book with the rep they know, so they will pick one of your dates. If not, this is a great way to help new recruits fill their calendars. You still benefit from the party. But if you are so booked that you will offer to give away a party, you will be more attractive as a rep. Everyone will want you to do their shows. They will also see you as more successful and will be more interested in joining your team. And soon, you will be as busy as you claim to be.

Cancellations are somewhat inevitable in the direct sales business. These steps can help you to minimize your cancellations, so you can better build an income you can depend on. Please email me with your success stories!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Deanna Mayer is the stay at home mother of two. When she isn't carting her boys around their Denver suburb, she is busy building her ideal career at www.itvventures.com/dlm. She is currently launching her newest product line, Naked Minerals, the first 100% pure pressed mineral cosmetics. Feel free to email her at deanna@goaheadgetnaked.com.

           

Direct Sales | Cut Down on Party Cancellations with Excellent Host Coaching Techniques
By: Shelly Hill

When you work in Direct Sales you will experience some party cancellations from time to time for genuine emergencies that have been encountered by your party hosts. However, you will also encounter party cancellations that are just "excuses" by hosts who were not properly prepared for his/her party or by hosts who do not take your business seriously.

Today I thought I would share some of my Host Coaching techniques that worked well for me in cutting down party cancellations and re-schedulings of my host's parties.

Tip #1. When you first set the date for the host's party you need to be very firm and very clear that this is "YOUR BUSINESS" and that you take it seriously. Let them know that this is not a hobby and that you are counting on them to hold the party on the date they selected.

Let them know up front that if they need to cancel (in an emergency) that you would appreciate a minimum of 72 hours notice and that you expect the party to be rescheduled only one time within a week of the original party date.

This is very important because some hosts will reschedule a gazillion times with 100 excuses to go along with it. Those dates that you marked off for that particular host could of been filled with other excited hosts who really want to host a party.

Tip #2. Many times a host will cancel a party using the excuse that they forgot to mail the invitations or that only 1-2 people said they were coming. To cut down on this entire problem I recommend that you personally fill out the invitations and that you personally mail them out!

Tell your host when you sent them and ask your host to call everyone on the guest list a week after you sent out the party invitations to get a RSVP out of them. In is also advisable that you ask your host to recontact all of the party guests 2-3 days before the party date to remind them about the party.

Tip #3. Keep in touch with your party host at least once a week leading up to the party date. Do your best to keep her excited about her upcoming party and keep reminding her about all of those fabulous booking gifts, free gifts and 1/2 price gifts he/she will receive for having a successful party. Communicating with your party host on a regular basis is one of the BEST keys to a successful home party.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Shelly Hill has been working in Direct Sales for over 25+ years and owns the popular Work at Home Business Options web site at www.workathomebusinessoptions.com where Direct Sales consultants can get free business tips, read Direct Sales articles and get free business related resources geared towards those in Direct Sales.

Invest Your Time In Hostess Coaching To Ensure Home Party Success
By: Shelly Hill

If you are consultant with any of the Direct Sales home businesses, it is very important that you concentrate on coaching your home party hosts on how to have a successful home party. Why you might ask? Studies have shown that party hosts who have been properly coached have higher product sales and party bookings.

If you are not sure how to coach a party host, let me give you a few tips on how to do it.

1. When the individual books and sets the date, it is important that you immediately get a hostess pack to them. This packet of information should include your contact information, guest lists, extra order forms and catalogs for outside bookings, business opportunity information, booking and product specials, and other printed materials that they will need to help guide them through the coaching process.

2. Set up regular coaching telephone calls or emails with them. I recommend starting this process 4 weeks in advance of the home show date and I recommend that you contact them on a weekly basis. You will use these 'coaching' sessions to motivate your host about the party, answer any questions that he or she might have, and to inform them of any specials or booking offers. The more you motivate and excite them about the party, the more effort they will put into it to make it a success. A successful home show for the host, means a successful home show for you.

3. As you are conducting your coaching sessions, keep planting the seeds about your booking specials, product specials and home business opportunity. Over the years, I have found that the more I remind them of these specials and opportunities, the better return rate I have gotten out of it. We all lead busy lives, so keeping all of this information front and center in your hosts mind can pay off big time once the party time arrives.

4. If you have never done this type of coaching before, I suggest you talk to your manager or upline for guidance. In most Direct Sales companies, uplines have been properly trained by their respective home companies on how to do hostess coaching and they can pass that knowledge onto you.

When you take the time to properly coach your hosts, they will be excited when their party time finally arrives and this excitement will pay off for you! There will be great attendance, higher product sales and more bookings from the party attendees, and all of this means you and your host will have a successful home show.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Shelly Hill has been successfully working from home in Direct Sales since 1989. Shelly owns the popular Work At Home Business Options web site at www.workathomebusinessoptions.com where you can pick up free home business tips, Direct Sales articles and free home business resources. You can visit Shelly's Two Classy Ghostwriting Chic's web site at www.twoclassyghostwritingchics.com to learn how a ghostwriter can help you with your Direct Sales business.

5 Reasons Why Investing Your Time In Hostess Coaching Pays Off
By: Shelly Hill

When it comes to being a successful Direct Sales consultant, one of your biggest business assets is to invest your time in coaching your party host/hostess. If you are not investing your time to properly coach your host, you are doing yourself and your party host a disservice.

Let's take a look at the benefits of hostess coaching.

1. When you are in proper contact with your party hosts and coaching them before the show date, they will be more excited about their upcoming party. This excitement will encourage them to work harder to make the party a complete success.

2. Working closely with your host reduces the risk of cancellation or rescheduling of party dates.

3. Hosts who are properly coached have higher guest attendance at their home shows. The more guests there are...the more sales you will make. In addition to the sales you make, your hostess will be satisfied because he/she will earn more free and half-priced products.

4. The more attendees that you have at the party, the more bookings you will receive. Keeping your booking calendar full equals a steady paycheck.

5. A big part of a Direct Sales business is building a team. Again, the more attendees at the party, means you can generate more recruit leads.

When you invest your time coaching your host towards a successful home party, you reap the rewards. Studies have shown that when you coach your hosts, they have higher party attendance which means higher party sales. Those higher party sales equals more commission for you.

If a host/hostess is completely satisfied with their home party experience, they are more apt to rebook parties from you in the future or refer others to your business. Do yourself and your business a favor…Take the time to properly coach your party hosts and you both will benefit.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. Shelly believe that coaching your party hosts is an important part of your Direct Sales business and guarantees a successful party. You can contact Shelly at: Web: www.workathomebusinessoptions.com/ Web: my.tupperware.com/Ravish30

Direct Sales - Tips To Get More Bookings and Higher Home Party Sales
By: Shelly Hill

Are you in Direct Sales? Are you struggling with getting more dating's and higher party sales?

As a Direct Sales Consultant, it's important to keep your dating and booking calendar full. Why? Keeping a full calendar means consistent income for you!

It's equally important to work closely with your home party hosts. You want your host to have a successful home party so that they achieve the goals that yield them the most free and half-priced items. The more successful the party, the more bookings you will get from it. If the party host feels completely satisfied, she will rebook another party from you.

Try these tips to increase your party bookings.

1. Offer an immediate dating gift to someone who books a home party with you and sets a date for the party within the next 21 days.

2. Half-Price selections are one of your most valuable tools. Let party guests know they can purchase these products at the half-off price by holding a party with you.

3. Reward hosts who have a "Dating in Waiting," a party dated before you arrive. I like to offer a product that retails for $10-$15 as my extra incentive for outside bookings.

4. Re-Bookings. Offer an incentive to your host if she rebooks another party with you, to be held in 90 days.

5. Offer Exclusive Host Gifts. These are products that only party hosts can earn for free or 1/2 price for having a home party with you.

Try these tips to increase your home party sales.

1. Attendance Specials. Provide an incentive for hosts who have 10 guests at their party. Provide an additional incentive for hosts who have 20 guests at their party.

2. Encourage party guests to bring an uninvited friend to the party. One way of doing this is by labeling the party invitation with the bring a friend to the party information. I personally reward guests with a 10% discount off their personal order for bringing along a friend.

3. Offer several Purchase with Purchase Specials, also known as Bonus Buys.

example: With a $50 purchase, you can add-on xyz item to your order for only $10.00 or with a $100 purchase, you can add-on xyz item to your order for only $25.00

Enticing customers to buy more to receive a special offer is a great way to increase party sales.

4. Have plenty of items to demonstrate at your home parties. The more items guests see, the more they will buy.

5. Make your parties fun and interactive. Get your guests involved in the party. Play a few games, offer some great prizes and more importantly, make sure you enjoy yourself.

By offering incentives like these, it helps to increase party attendance, which in turn increases your party sales. When you have satisfied hosts and guests, they will in turn, book parties from you!

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a Manager with Tupperware. You can visit Shelly online at www.workathomebusinessoptions.com for Direct Sales articles and home business tips. You can also visit Shelly online at my.tupperware.com/Ravish30