What you Can Learn from McDonalds

Have you ever ordered a value meal at McDonalds? Sure you have! Let me share with you what I know about myself and those meals:

   – When I actually did the math on how much I saved with a "value" meal, I was shocked! It's less than thirty cents, on average!
   – I don't generally eat most of the fries (I certainly DON'T need them!)
   – I honestly get confused by all the choices on the regular menu.
   – I order the value meal because it's easy. That's the bottom line.

 

So, what does this have to do with your direct sales business? Well, if you're not offering your guests your own version of a value meal (I called them party packages), you're leaving money and orders on the table.

Think about it. Your catalog is an awesome tool but it can be a little overwhelming. How do I, as a guest at your party, decide what to buy? There are so many choices! People love things that are easy (you know, the no-brainer. Like when you were a kid at the ice cream truck and the driver would say "just touch the picture" instead of reading the complicated name of the ice cream treat you wanted. Yea, like that). When you offer "packages" of your products to your customers, you make it easier for them to order.

Many direct sales companies provide packages for you and those are featured in your catalog. Generally, these are offered at a discount (making them even easier to sell). Become very familiar with them, find a way to display them outside of the catalog, and start promoting them! I recently placed an outside order for a party I couldn't attend and the host offered me the customer special package as an option for ordering. It was such an easy way for me to order that I ended up spending more than if I'd picked out an item just to be polite and place an order.

If your company doesn't do this, you can create your own packages. The only difference is, I wouldn't offer a discount (you don't want to lose money). Just put together a few packages of products and make sure they're easy to order. Keep these things in mind as you're doing this:

• "Name" your packages to make them compelling and easy to understand ("The Valentine's Day Package," "The Welcome New Neighbor Package," "The Father's Day Package," etc.)
   
• Create at least three different "levels" of pricing and packages; one that's inexpensive, one that's in the medium-average order range, and one that's more extravagant (I called this my "Just-couldn't-help-myself-had-to-have-it-all" package ).
   
• Talk about your packages at the end of your parties when sharing details about how to order, payment, etc. Point out that the easiest way to order is by simply choosing the package they like best.

This was, without a doubt, the best tool I used to increase my party sales and I had party package orders at every single party I did.

---

---

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?

Julie Anne Jones is a success language consultant, a direct sales 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 more blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

Who’s in Charge at Your Parties?

In the past few weeks on the Q&A conference calls I've facilitated, I've noticed an interesting trend. Many direct sellers who do parties for a living struggle with "control" at those parties. You deal with unruly or (dare I mention) drunk guests, or large groups of "chatty" women who refuse to give you their attention. I'm sure it won't surprise you that I have some thoughts on this subject as well as some tools you can use to gain control of your parties.

First of all, I just want to remind you that it is a "party." No one here signed up for night school, and if you're expecting them to sit quietly with their hands in their laps and listen intently to your presentation, that's not realistic. The idea is to create an experience that's interactive. That means you have to be willing to tolerate some side conversations and you have to make sure it's not all about you and your products. That being said, you also have a right to be treated with respect and to command their attention at certain times during your party. I've found almost universally that people love to know what their boundaries are and, in general, people do what they're told. So take a few minutes at the beginning of your party and lay some "ground rules."

1. Make sure you give your guests permission to get involved and have fun. I actually told my guests at the beginning of my parties that my number one rule was that they had to have fun. I invited them to "play" with me by getting them involved with my product (if that's appropriate for you), my presentation, and generally starting with the expectation that this was going to be an interactive experience.
    
2. Use a "fun" reference everyone can relate to to get them involved. For me, that was asking the question, "How many of you have ever done the Hokey Pokey?" I guarantee, everyone in the room raised their hand, because we've all done that at one time or another (and if you're in my generation, you did it on roller skates!). Then I asked what the last verse of the Hokey Pokey was (in case you can't remember, it's "you put your WHOLE SELF in."). That reference was how I invited them to participate in our party – it was a "whole self in" experience and I needed them to interact and create the experience with me.
    
3. Set up a clear rule about negative behavior. I told my guest right up front that they weren't allowed to say anything negative about anyone or anything for the entire evening (one of my rules). Then to back it up, I appointed a "party cop." My party cop got a squirt gun and was instructed to squirt anyone who broke the negative behavior rule. That kept anyone who was inherently negative in line and turned responsibility for keeping things positive over to the guests (and believe me, they take this job seriously!)
    
4. Let them know up front that you'll have a few "commercials" during the course of the evening. These commercials will be kept short and sweet and it's information they'll want to know, you promise. Tell them you're fine if they want to chat with their neighbor or get a cup of coffee throughout your presentation, but during your commercials you'll expect them to listen. Then when it's time to talk about bookings or your opportunity, you simply have to announce "time for a commercial" and the whole room magically quiets down and pays attention. Really!

The bottom line is this: they're called parties for a reason and parties are supposed to be fun. You want your guests to have a great experience at your party because if she does, she'll be more likely to book one of her own. It's also your job, however, to set up a clear set of behavioral guidelines so that one or two unruly, rude guests don't spoil the experience for you and everyone else there.

What do you think? Do you have any other tactics for maintaining control and making your parties a great experience?

---

---

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?

Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales consultant and trainer, an ICF accredited coach, 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 blog, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

I Need Bookings NOW!

In a perfect world, you're keeping your direct sales party calendar booked anywhere from four to six weeks out, giving you and your host time to plan her party at a nice, leisurely pace. In reality, however, there will always be times when, either because of a cancellation or just a dry spell with bookings, you find yourself with empty spaces in your calendar within the next few weeks. What can you do? Is it even possible to "pull a party together" in just a week or so with any success?

Well, take if from someone who planned a wedding for 350 guests in less than six weeks, anything is possible if you put your mind to it. It will require that you work fast and a little harder, but in the end, if it adds to your monthly paycheck, bookings, and sponsoring results, the extra effort is worth it.

Here are a few tips for securing those last-minute bookings and making sure they are successful for both you and your host:

• Since you'll be asking your host to work a little harder (and faster), you'll need to sweeten the pot for her. I called my close-in dates "bonus" dates. When a host chose one of my bonus dates, she got a special gift (usually worth at least $25.00 retail) when I showed up to do her party for her. IMPORTANT!! This gift is given at the party, not before. Part of the idea is to ensure that the party actually holds. If it didn't, I wasn't out the item.
   
• Normally, I advise that you set up a host coaching appointment within about a week to meet with your host either over the phone or in person to get her guest list and plan her party. Since you're looking at a short time frame with this type of booking, however, you'll probably have to do this host coaching at the party she's booking from or on the same phone call from which she's booking.
   
• Be sure you have a self-addressed, stamped envelope to give her so she can mail you her guest list within the next few days. You'll want to send her invitations out asap. In this case, I also recommend that you encourage her to invite people via e-vite and over the phone.
   
• Choose a fun theme for her party and teach her how to get outside orders and follow up with her guests to ensure good attendance.
   
• Follow up often and make sure your host feels supported. Pulling together a party in such a short period of time can be stressful and your job is to alleviate as much of that stress as possible.

Work a little harder, give a little more, and you'll be surprised at how easily you can go from no bookings for the next month to a full calendar by next week!

---

---

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?

Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales consultant and trainer, an ICF accredited coach, 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 blog, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

Stop Asking and Start Offering

How many of you have ever asked the question, “Would you like to book a party with me?” Every one of you, I’m sure. You’ve even been taught to use that question by your company. You’re taught to "ask everyone." Today, I’d like to talk about that question for a moment. Think about who that question is about. Not your potential host. It’s about you! Once you understand that, you can start getting out of yourselves and start making it about the other person.

What if you stopped asking and started offering? Can you imagine the shift if you went from asking for something (which is about you) to offering something? Having something offered to you makes you feel special. It makes you feel like the person offering cares about you. It’s impossible to convince someone you care about her with the question “Would you like to book a party with me?"

Here’s some language you might consider trying the next time you're tempted to ask for something:

• “Sue, you were so much fun tonight! I cannot wait to come and spoil you and your friends with a party. I have no doubt you have to have fun friends! Should we look at February or March?”
   
• “Renee, I want you as one of my February hosts! I cannot believe how much you added to the party tonight! You are fun! Let’s look at our schedules and see when we can get together.”
   
• “Marilyn, I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation earlier tonight and how completely busy you said you’ve been. I think you need a break, and I’d be absolutely honored if you would let me be the one to set it up for you. Let’s figure out when we can find a time to get you and your friends together.”
   
• "Karen, look at your wish list! You love my products. I don't want you to have to pay for all of these. Tell you what, let’s set up a party so you can get a ton of these for free. Do you prefer a weeknight or a weekend?"

Notice that I almost always start out with acknowledgement. That’s important, because we as women aren’t acknowledged very often. Then a I find a way to support them or be of service to them based on something I knew about them. Finally, three of the above examples end with an open ended question (one which requires more than a yes or no answer and encourages conversation).

So, consider shifting from asking to offering at your next party and see what happens. At the very least, you'll end up in a conversation.

---

---

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE IN PRINT OR ONLINE?

Julie Anne Jones is a success language consultant, a direct sales 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 more blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

The Best Place to Get Booking is At Your Parties

I've made no secret about the fact that I didn't like creative bookings when I was working my party plan business. It was just no fun to pick up the phone to get bookings. That's why I always made it my goal to get as many bookings as I possibly could at my parties. There is an art to this, however. Today's home party guests are smart and, frankly, a little jaded. They've heard every "canned pitch" to book a party you can think of and don't want to be leveraged (which is what they expect).

I also only booked with hosts who were at least a little enthusiastic about doing a party with me. I had more than one conversation with someone who was being bullied by the host to have a party in which I actually talked them out of it. I would look at the less-than-enthusiastic host and ask, "Do you really want to do this?" If the answer was any variation of "no," I offered to hold a catalog party instead. The point is, you want to make sure you're not only getting bookings, but you're also booking parties with quality hosts.

Here are some simple tools to make sure you're getting enthusiastic new hosts from every party you hold.

• It's all about the experience! Make it fun for your current guests and they'll be excited about creating the same experience with their friends. If someone isn't having a great time at your party, there's no way they'll want to book one of their own.
• Use tools that support communication with potential hosts. I talk a lot during my trainings about the Guest Care Card (which gauges your guest's interest in booking a party and learning more about your opportunity using a scale from 1-10) and a Wish List instead of an order form so that you can see all of the products they like and offer to help them get many of those things for free or 1/2 price by booking a party.
• Create a booking commercial and make sure you do it at every party you do, NO MATTER WHAT! (You can learn more about creating an effective booking commercial here).
• Use the language of offering instead of asking. That means offer to come spoil your potential host and her friends with a great experience that's all about her.
• Find a fun way to display your open party dates (I used a Booking Tree. What's that? You can read about it and see what I'm talking about here)
• Most importantly, make sure you're dropping booking seeds throughout your party, focusing on the next month's host special and all the benefits your current host is getting as you go through your presentation. Just make sure they're seeds you lightly sprinkle, not full grown trees you're bashing them over the head with!

Always remember that guests and potential hosts are smart and they've probably all had a bad experience at a home party in the past. Never talk "down" to them and don't patronize them. Best to just be yourself and relax. I guarantee, more people will want to sign up to spend more time with you if you're focused on that.

How about you? What booking tools work best for you at your parties?

Next Page »