If you’re doing parties as part of your direct sales business plan, you’ve no doubt experienced a “drought” in bookings at some time in your career. I want you to imagine for a moment what it would be like if bookings came naturally for you, meaning that people were eager to book parties, their parties were holding on the original dates and were demographically close and convenient for you to get to, you had good turnouts for your home parties, you were making great income, and you were sponsoring, on average, one to two people per home party. Would you do more parties (or maybe even consider doing parties if you aren’t now) if that were the case? Of course you would!
There are two kinds of bookings in the direct sales/home party industry:
- Bookings from home parties (which I define as easy)
- Creative bookings (which are a heck of a lot more work).
So your goal at your home parties has to be to continuously duplicate your parties from your parties (or get bookings!). Here's the core “truth” about home parties – Its got to be about the experience for your guests, not your products. It’s the experience your guests are having at your current party that will compel them to want to book a party of their own. Your job is to connect with them and provide that fun, relaxing experience. I always say, if someone isn't having a great experience at your party, there's no way they're going to want to repeat that (not so great) experience with their friends.
Here are a few ideas for creating an experience that will bring more bookings at your home parties.
Make a connection
Consider what would happen if you made the first fifteen to twenty minutes of your party about nothing but connecting with your guests. Make it your goal to be “one of the crowd” during this time instead of setting yourself apart as the consultant. Get involved with them and make your interaction about them, not you. That means you have to:
• Get curious
• Ask them questions about them, not you or your products
• Get out of yourself and make a commitment to learn about them
The more you can connect with your guests during the first fifteen to twenty minutes of your party, the more parties you’ll book, sponsoring leads you’ll get, and sales you’ll have at the end of your party.
Figure out what makes your party special
In order to create that experience, you have to ask yourself what sets you apart from others who do what you do. What makes your party experience special? And what would make someone want to book a party with you? Here are a few ideas:
- You’re fun personality
- Free & reduced product
- Fun night out with friends
- To help the current hostess
- Theme parties
Make a list of what makes your party experience different and then look for places where you can change what your doing so your results change as well.
Change your mind
Finally, there's a very simple change you can make right now that has the potential to make all the difference. Change your thinking about your results. Here's what I mean by that. If you don't have bookings now and you haven't been having success getting bookings lately, you're probably very focused on your lack of bookings. You talk about it, think about it, and are frustrated by it. The problem with that is, by focusing on what you don't have, you're attracting more of that! Energy flows where attention goes, and if you're showing up at a party feeling frustrated and like no one wants to book a party with you, your energy won't be the least bit inviting and no one will book a party with you!
So change where you're putting your attention. Start telling yourself (even if it feels like a lie at first) "I AM A BOOKING MAGNET!" "Everyone loves to book parties with me!" "I have more bookings than I know what to do with!" Tell yourself this when you wake up and before you go to sleep. Make a sign that says it and put it up in your office. Say it before you walk into your next party or pick up the phone to book parties. And then watch what happens. If you're changing your mindset in conjunction with using some of the powerful booking tools I've shared in this and other posts, you'll be amazed at how quickly the universe will rush to make your new mindset a reality!
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Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.
