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Welcome to Our Online Party Information Page

Listed below you will find lots of information on conducting and online party.  Happy Reading!

           

  Basic Steps to Having a Online Party by TBA Deals

Online parties are similar to home parties, but guest are able to stay at home in their pjs if they like. Its makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. You hold your party pretty much the same way you would a home party just you don't have a display case to set up.



1) Setup online parties

A) Finding a Hostess - The first step to setting up an online party is to find a hostess. Try asking friends and family members to host an online party for you. You can also put out ads on the Internet looking for random hostess for your party. You could do a mystery hostess party where you would draw a name from the guest and give them the hostess benefits. Another idea is to host your own party.

Here are a couple of ideas on how to get people to host for you:

Entice people to become your hostess by letting them know what they could get for free just by hosting. Most Direct Sales companies have a hostess plan, if yours seems high make up your own. You could do something like 10% off hostess order if your hostess gets X amount in sales, or an X amount GC for an X amount in sales. Show them they will get something for being a hostess, be sure to show them the harder they work for the sales the more they will get.

You could fix up a gift basket, take a picture and put it up on your site, and let hostesses know that the hostess with the most sales during a particular month will win that basket. This will get your hostesses competing against each other for the gift basket, which will boost party sales

B) Setting a good date -You will want to grab your calendar and find a good date for you and your hostess. But you will also want to do some research on which days are good for online parties. We have seen that during the week are good days for parties. When winter hits then weekends can be great for parties to because the family is not out doing things together instead they are home trying to stay warm

c) Getting a Room You will need a chat room to have your online party in. There are several places on the net to get a chat room. Again you will want to do some research and find the best one for your needs. You have the option of getting your own chat room and hosting it on your site or paying for a party room. Here are some free chat rooms and some party rooms that you can get a fee.

1) Online Party Network– Offers a free chat room to active members. Members support other network members by participating in their online party. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PartyNetwork

2) Bravenet.com - Offers a free chat room to be hosted on your own chat. Bravenet offers many things great for WAHM's you can check them out at http://bravenet.com

There are many more rooms out there, these are just 2 we have either used or been in and they are good for parties

D) Figuring out Specials ~ Always know your company specials. We usually try to make up a special that is only good for the guest of the party also. This lets them know they are getting something special for taking the time to come to your party. Good specials range from a free (small) gift with an order, 10% off price; a lot of customers love the free shipping specials. Be sure that whatever you give as a special isn't going to leave you with no profit though.

E) Games and prizes - Be sure to come up with some games and prizes to be played at your party also. Games add a little competition to your party adding more fun. There are many games that can be played at parties below are just 4 of the games we have played before:

1) Scramble - Pick 5 - 10 words from your site or your business and scramble them up before the party. Let everyone know that the words are coming from your site or your business whichever you choose.

2) Trivia - Pick 5-10 questions about your site. Let everyone know that the answers can be found on your site. The first person to get the correct answer gets a point at the end of the game the person with the most points gets the prize you have picked out.

3) Bingo - Have a list of words on your site and have guest pick out 5 words and email you those words, then later on when time for the game start picking words from your list, when you have call all 5 words of one of the guest they will then call Bingo.

4) Auctions - These are a blast and we have done great with them. You make up a list of ways for guest to earn play money to bid with. With the highest way to earn being either purchasing or booking a party Then you pick out a few prizes to auction off. This is a great game to get competitive juices going.

For each game you have you will want to have a prize. There are many different prizes that you could give, below is just some suggestions for a prize. When picking out a prize decide upon one that is suitable for the game. For example if it’s a harder game you might want to pick out a better prize than if its a easy game.

A) Gift Certificates in what ever amount you deemed suitable. Usually $5 - $10 is a good amount.
B) Coupon Books made up of coupons for certain amount off a certain product.
C) If you company offers sale aids for giveaways at home parties these make great gifts too.

F) Preparing Invite and sending it - An invite to an online party is like an ad. You will want it to entice people to come to your party. Be sure to include all the info that is needed for your party like date, time, place, specials etc… Send the invite out to all your friends and family and to any groups you belong to. Be sure not to send them to people you don’t know or groups your not in, this can be considered Spam if you do and you don’t want to get in trouble for Spam. You can send an invite via email or you could use evite.com and they will send your invite out for you.

Yahoo groups that allow you to announce your parties:

WAHMOnline - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WAHMOnline
Home Party Ads Here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomePartyAdsHere

Remember to read the rules for posting to each yahoo group also.

2) Actual Party

A) Introduction of your business - You will want to greet people when they come into your party. Give everyone a few minutes to arrive, then let your guest know what you and your business. Also thank them for taking the time to come to your party.

B) Sales Specials and Leads - Let all of your guest know what the specials for the party are. Also make sure they know the link to your site. A suggestion would be to have the link on the party page so they can just click right on it. Watch for any questions that someone might have. Answer them to the best of your ability.

C) Games and prizes You have your games and prizes figured out, pick a good time to play them usually after everyone has had a chance to look through your specials and site

D) Recruiting & Hosting Leads Let your guest know what your hostess is getting tonight for hosting the party. Tell them they can get the same thing if they would like to host a party also. Ask them to let you know if they want to host. If the agree then try to set a date for the party if for some reason a date can't be set right then let them know you will be emailing them to pick out a good date Tell the guest what you get from starting your own business. Be sure to tell them the recruiting special that your company has going.

E) Chit Chat - Make room for general chitchat all through your party. You don’t want it all to be business but make sure you keep control of your room that way when you need the conversation geared back to business it can easily be done.

3) Closing the Party

A lot of times online parties don’t end right when they are scheduled to so plan on being there longer than what is actually scheduled. When everyone is getting ready to leave (they will usually leave at different times) be sure to thank them for coming and let them know you will be contact with their total (if they ordered and if you hadn’t already gotten their total to them) Also let them know you hope they had fun and you hope to see them around again sometime. Ask if they would like to be added to an invite list you are making for upcoming online parties. Be sure to thank you host for hosting and let her know you will be in contact to let her know what she has earned from her party

This is just a basic way to have a online party. You will want to do what feels comfortable to you. Play with ideas, do what works best for you.

Still looking for information on Online Parties? We have written an ebook title How To Have An Online Party, you may read testimonials and/or order here - http://tbadeals.us/Ebook.html, now comes with a FREE Online Party Checklist! ____________________________ Written by Tricia Billie and baby Ashley, a mother, daughter, & granddaughter WAH team. Copyright © TBA Deals 2003-2004 All Rights Reserved.

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

           

  Online Party Games by TBA Deals

Games for online parties are essential, below are some parties games that can be played at your online party. Games are a fun way to add a little competition to your party, which encourages more participation.

1) Scramble - Pick 5 - 10 words from your site or your business and scramble them up before the party. Let everyone know that the words are coming from your site or your business whichever you choose.

2) Trivia - Pick 5-10 questions about your site. Let everyone know that the answers can be found on your site. The first person to get the correct answer gets a point at the end of the game the person with the most points gets the prize you have picked out.

3) Bingo - Have a list of words on your site and have guest pick out 5 words and email you those words, then later on when time for the game start picking words from your list, when you have call all 5 words of one of the guest they will then call Bingo.

4) Auctions - These are a blast and we have done great with them. You make up a list of ways for guest to earn play money to bid with. With the highest way to earn being either purchasing or booking a party Then you pick out a few prizes to auction off. This is a great game to get competitive juices going.

5) ABC Game - Pick a letter of the alphabet, the first person to give you a product that you sell, that starts with that letter gets a point. Do as many as you like, at the end the person with the most points is the winner. This game is good for getting people looking at your site trying to find products that start with each letter.

6) Scavenger Hunt - Pick out 5 words, place them on your site or your party page in a different color font, then at the party tell you guest there are 5 words they are searching for. The first person to find all 5 words and email them to you is the winner. This is a good game for getting people exploring your site.

7) Ticket Game - This works much like the auctions. You give guest to your party a way to earn tickets. Once earning a ticket you send them their ticket number. During the party call out ticket numbers. If their ticket number is called out they get a prize. Make the most tickets given away for purchasing or booking parties.

Find more games in our ebook, How To Have an Online Party
http://tbadeals.us/How-To-Have-An-Online-Party.html

The ebook shows you the steps TBA has used in having successful online parties for almost 3 years. The ebook comes with a Free Online Party Checklist.

Written by TBA. TBA stands for Tricia Billie and baby Ashley. We are a mother, daughter, & granddaughter WAH team. We own and operate http://www.TBADeals.us

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

  10 Tips for a Successful Online Sales Party by Linda Stacy

1 – Plan Ahead. Schedule your party at least a week or two ahead of time to give yourself plenty of time to promote your party and invite guests. Even if the site where you host your party is advertising the event, your party will be more successful if you also promote it.

Create more excitement by planning your party for holiday shopping or a special sale or promotion your company may be offering.

Attend other parties to observe what works and what doesn’t.

2 – Send Personal Invitations. You will have the best turnout if you invite people you know or people who have expressed an interest in your business. Send personal invitations, ask guests to RSVP, and send a reminder on the day of the party.

3 – Offer Incentives for Participation. Give guests extra reasons to attend and to bring friends. Many online parties are “Mystery Hostess” parties with the hostess gifts being given away in a random drawing from the guest list. Offer free shipping or a discount if someone brings a friend who buys something (and give the discount to both the invited guest and the friend she brought).

4 – Be the Perfect Hostess. Stay cheerful and polite. Make everyone feel welcomed and appreciated. Greet them by name when they arrive and thank them when they leave. Make sure you tell your guests a little about yourself and your company.

5 – Run an Organized Party. Have a schedule of activities and keep things moving. Have a friend help you out. She can welcome guests and keep everyone involved while you answer product questions and help people order. If you play a game, make it one that is easy for you to run. You don’t want long delays during and after the game while you tally scores and determine the winner.

6 - Give “Real” Gifts. You can use discount coupons or free shipping as an incentive to “bring a friend” or to place an order over a certain dollar amount, but for game winners or a prize drawing, give a gift of your product. Not only will your guest be more appreciative, but it’s also a promotional item – the recipient gets to try out something she may order again in the future.

7 – Inform Guests. Repeat your website URL, ordering instructions, and incentives several times during the party and for any late arrivals. Make sure guests understand shipping charges and expected shipping date. If you are keeping the party open for several days or longer after the online party, be sure to explain that the order won’t even be placed for some time.

8 – Grace Under Pressure – Be prepared for possible problems and handle them calmly and effectively. What will you do if you start having computer problems in the middle of your party? How will you answer a guest who keeps asking off topic questions? Or what if there’s a disruptive intruder or someone starts promoting sales of her products?

Be as graceful as possible when handling such issues. If your computer is making participation nearly impossible, ask for email addresses and email everyone an apology and a discount coupon.

Confrontation with rude and disruptive intruders will only escalate the problem and make your other guests uncomfortable. Most chat rooms have an ignore feature that you can instruct guests to use for the disruptive intruders. Offer to contact someone by email after the party for off topic discussions. And ask the person who is promoting her products to wait until the end of the party and invite anyone who is interested to stay for a few minutes.

9 – Bring the party to an end at the designated time and give your email address so guests can contact you with any additional questions or orders.

10 – Stay in Touch. Email your guests to let them know when their order was placed and when they can expect delivery. Inform them of any backorders or delays and offer alternatives.

© 2006 Linda Stacy For free chat rooms for your online party or business opportunity chat visit http://www.internetbasedmoms.com/online-party-rooms.html.

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

           

Online Parties with a Twist
By: Kara Kelso

We know once you have a room full of guests at your online party, getting them to play games is the easy part. While hunting for answers to your game, a guest has the chance to see some products they simply cannot do without, thus making you sales!

We also know from experience that getting the visitors to the party in the first place is like pulling teeth. We have given some ideas to increase your party and really being able to talk with your future customers in a chat room is the best. However, for those that you'll never see in the chat room here is a way to increase some party-like sales without having to hold an actual party.

After you build your list of potential customers (and if you don't have one - stop right here and do that FIRST. YOUR list of potential customers is your most valuable asset in business!), play a game with them via email. Announce on a Monday or even Friday (and you can test which days get the best responses) the start of a contest by email. Focus on a specific type of products like you would at your party, and set up some type of questions that can be emailed to you. Be sure to cover some good points about your products in a casual way (you know your subscribers want to get down to the contest part of this, so don't overload them with ads!). You can set this up in any way you wish really, just as long as it's something interactive you can do with them.

At the end of the week, send out another email with the answers (this might grab a few that didn't participate before, or maybe got stumped and you never got an entry from). Give the details again of the products, which the answers were related to, and also be sure to announce the winner. You can possibly even give a special incentive to buy the products you featured in the contest, since many of your subscribers have been eyeing these products all week - a special might just give them the extra push to buy.

You can do variations of this, such as having weekly-featured products and instead of giving away prizes each week having a monthly drawing where those that win the weekly contests are entered in. Just as long as you are doing something other than just "weekly sales" you will stand out of the crowd and increase your sales!

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

------------------------ About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. For more Direct Sales Success Tips, visit: www.directsaleshelpers.com/newsletter.html

4 Tips to More Online Party Sales
By: Kara Kelso

I know most of us have held our own online party, been to one, or at least read about them. Many of the materials online are general, and the average online party (for individuals) has around 5-10 guests at the most. Maybe more, maybe less, depending on several factors. But really for those that do not belong to party groups, and are holding their first party the attendance is going to be very low.

After some thought, I realized the way we are holding these parties is wrong. In a previous article we talked about stepping out of the wahm zone, and searching for your specific customers. When looking for guests for your online party, it should be no different. Instead of mass submitting party invites to wahm groups, let's take a step back and see what should be done FIRST.

1. BUILD a newsletter
Before you have your next party or even start to plan it, set up a newsletter. This is something you should have already for your business, no matter if it's an informational newsletter or one that lists your specials - you NEED a list of potential customers. If you haven't started to build one, start now! I could go into detail as to HOW, but newsletters are an entirely different subject of their own.

2. USE your newsletter list
No I don't mean take advantage of them, but I do mean send your party notices to your list. Your list is the most important, targeted sources of free advertisement you have!

3. Give good REASONS to attend
Simply saying "online party - join us" isn't enough. Not even saying "games and prizes" is enough anymore. Get creative and have a good reason for having your party. Such as announcing a new product not released yet, giving away free items (be specific in your email!), or featuring a specific type of product on your website. Informational chats are good as well, such as one that explains what a certain non-familiar product is.

4. Make a SCHEDULE
If you have monthly parties introducing or featuring specific products, the attendance is going to be better than if you just have them at random. Weekly is the best for repeat guests, but you also do not want to burn your guests out offering them the same products. Monthly would work best, since it's not as often but still creates that habit. Make sure you have it on the same day every month (such as the 1st, 10th, 15th...something easy to remember).

Don't forget to get creative with your parties! With so many offering online parties today, you really need to make yourself stand out. Granted if you do follow the first two steps, you WILL have a much better response since instead of just other wahms you will have a targeted group that may not be familiar with online parties. Even still, there is always room for improvement. ;)

Good luck with your next online party!

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. For free direct sales tips, visit: www.DirectSalesHelpers.com/newsletter.html

Make Your Online Party A Success
By: Anita DeFrank

So many times I've heard the questions, "How do I have and online party?" "What do you do at an online party?" or the ever popular "What kind of games do I play?" Hopefully this article will answer some of the burning questions out there. The following are just a few ideas of things that can happen. Things may have to be altered depending on where the party is and rules that may be applied there. For example some places may require you to have a hostess and some places don't require this allowing the reps to do the parties themselves. So, please take in all considerations and apply changes as needed.

First decide if you will be finding a hostess or doing the party yourself. If you decide that you do want a hostess then let everyone you know that you are now in business for yourself and what you do. Be sure to let them now that you have parties online and are always looking for hostesses. Friends and family are often your best start. Another idea is to find a rep from another company and set up to exchange parties. You agree to be a hostess for them and in return they hostess a party for you. Some email groups and discussion forums allow you to request hostesses. Please be sure to follow all rules and regulations for these boards and don't spam. If all else fails and you can't find another hostess, mystery hostess parties are always a great option. Mystery hostess parties can put a unique twist on the entire party itself piquing the interest of your guests. Basically, the idea behind this is that there is no "official hostess" until the end of the party. Once the party is over, take the names of all the guests and randomly pick one guest to be the "Mystery Hostess" and they receive the hostess rewards.

What are hostess rewards? Hostess rewards are used to entice people to be a hostess. First thing you should give them is a free gift. This is just a small token of thanks for having the party to begin with. Always be sure to announce at the party what the free gift and other rewards are. This may help with getting other guests interested in becoming a hostess at a later party. Other ideas for hostess rewards can include a gift certificate, percentage of sales in free products and free products for a certain amount of sales made. Gift certificates make excellent rewards because the hostess can choose what they want.

Games are always important and bring a lot of fun to your online parties. How many games to play generally depends on the amount of time allotted for your party. I personally recommend two games. The games played don't always have to be about your products or business. If you do opt for a game that is just for fun and not for the business I recommend that you play one that is and one that isn't. The ideas for games can be endless and sometimes just needs a little imagination. It is a little more difficult to play some of the traditional games online but with a little thought put into it can be just as fun. I've researched, attended other parties, and have asked for suggested games. I've put together a list of games that can be used. Visit http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/online-party-games.html for a list of online party games.

Next thing to think about would be invitations and announcing your online party. There a few things that you want to make sure you include on your invites. Make sure you have the business that you are having the party for and a brief description of the products that you carry. You may also consider listing the games, prizes, and specials if any. Make sure you list the date, time and a clickable link to the party room. Keeping in mind that guests may be coming from all over the country you may consider making a list of the different time zones. This helps void off any confusion right from the beginning. "Leaving the party open" for maybe an additional day might be a good idea for those guests that cannot make it to the party but, would like to "cash in" on party specials. If you go for this option, make note in your invitations for alternative ordering information. For example, you may want them to email you their order. Invitations should be sent out a few days prior to the party and maybe send out reminders an hour or so before the start of the party. You can create invitations for free at Evite.com

Announcing your party should be done basically in the same procedure. You can either announce your party in free or paid advertising. Purchasing solo ads in ezines with your target guests in mind is an excellent idea too. Some discussion forums and email groups allow you to announce your party too. Once again keeping in mind the "rules and regulations" to each of these groups. I've put together a list of yahoo groups and online communities that allow you to post your online parties. Visit http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/announce-online-parties.html for a list of places to announce your online party for free. Some groups even have special days that you can advertise your online parties. Check out your groups to see if these days are available.

The following are some tips and ideas to help keep things flowing nicely at the party. First you want to show up a little early. You want to make sure you are there before the guests. Don't start the party right away. Be sure to allow a little extra time for some guests that might be running a little late and gives a little time for some general chit-chat. Make sure you greet each guest as they arrive. Once you feel confident that most of the guests have arrived, give a short description about yourself, your business and thank everyone for coming. Next you will want to announce your specials for the party and give them the URL to your website. If you have any "special ordering info" you may want to let guests know this. Give your guests a few moments to browse around your site and ask any questions that they may have. After guests have had sufficient amount of time to browse, let them know that you will be playing a game shortly. You may want to tell them a little about the game especially if it has to do with things found on your website. After a few moments you will want to start the game, making sure that all the guests are "still with you" and not looking over your site. After the first game allow a few more moments for general chit chat and questions about your site or products. Announce the next game and repeat the steps above. Guests will probably be leaving at different times. Be sure to thank each of them as they leave, hope they had a good time and ask them if they'd like to be added to a guest list for future parties.

Hopefully this article will help you become more comfortable about having an online party. No matter how much information you get from this article or any other source online, it's still not as good as being there yourself. The best way to learn about online parties is to attend a few yourself. This will allow you to see the whole picture. MomChats.com is a great place to join an online party or host one yourself. Visit them at http://www.MomChats.com

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

Anita DeFrank is a busy work at home mom who specializes in helping others become successful home business owners. Visit her site www.MommysHelperOnline.com for additional help to become a successful work at home mom.