Secure the Date…No Matter What!

Can't see the video? Click here to watch it now.

Need more bookings this summer? You might find the below blog posts useful as well:

The Best Place to Get Bookings is at Your Parties
How do You Get People Interested in Doing a Party? (With links to 5 more helpful blog posts on bookings!)
Turning a Maybe Into a Yes (using Think About It Packets)

Summertime Booking Ideas You Can Use NOW!

You've probably heard that it's difficult to get bookings during the summer. You may even believe it, but I'm here to tell you I know it's not true. If you approach bookings with the right attitude and you focus on being creative, you'll find your schedule for this summer filling up with enthusiastic hosts in no time.

Here are my best ideas for "jump starting" the bookings on your calendar, especially if you don't have many to start with. Choose one or two out of the seven ideas below and watch what happens!

1. Get Your Catalogs Out There Your company spends lots of money creating your most important marketing tool – your catalog. Get it out there and it will bring you bookings. Here are some ideas:

• Send a catalog to a friend, neighbor or co-worker who has moved
• Put a catalog in the teacher's lounge at your child's day care.
• Put a catalog in your employee lunchroom.
• Give a catalog to the receptionist at your doctor or dentist office.
• Put current catalog in your neighbor's door.  Include a 10% off coupon.
• Have your spouse or friends take a catalog to work

2.  Throw Yourself a Party Find a reason to celebrate something (your company’s new products, your business anniversary, a promotion, working on a new incentive trip, the fact that it's summer) and invite everyone you know to come help you celebrate. Offer incentives if they bring a guest and host it as an open house to increase attendance. It could even be a fund raiser for your favorite charity.

3. Get Yourself Out There! If you’re face to face with people, they’ll get your enthusiasm and want to share in it. Here are some ideas for getting out there and meeting new people:

• Work with other consultants in your downline or area and host a booth at your local county fair or summer bazaar.
• Check out local job fairs – they’re filled with people looking for work!

4. Advertise Get the word out to people who need to know about you. Here are some ideas for where to advertise:

• The service area of your local newspaper
• Your church bulletin
• Your college alumni newsletter

5. Think of New Places and Environments to Host Parties You can do your presentation in some interesting places – not just a host’s home. If you can do an open house format, the possibilities are endless. Here are some ideas:

• Host an office party during lunch or after work. Attendance will be automatic!
• Host a restaurant party – the host doesn’t have to do anything except invite people and show up!
• Hold a “multiple host” event, holding several shows in the same place on the same night. 

6. Make your Party a Booking Event!

• Create an awesome booking “commercial” which highlights the benefits of booking a show with you
• At the beginning of the party mention your host’s goals. Have the hostess tell why she decided to host a party.
• Offer a gift wrapped gift to the host at your show; one booking, she takes off the bow, two bookings, she takes off the wrapper, three bookings, she gets to keep the gift!
• Offer “instant booking gifts” as a bonus for hosts who book on days and/or months you need to make a goal.
• Make your parties fun so your guests will want to book!

7. Use One of These Other Awesome Ideas:

• Include a business card or flyer with ALL your bill payments
• Wear clothing with your company logo on it.
• Have your business information printed directly on your checks
• Call your realtor with suggestions for "new home packages"
• Carry a notepad to jot down names of potential hosts as you think of them.

Do you have any ideas I missed?

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

Julie Anne Jones is a 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 more blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

A Successful Home Party is as Easy as 1…2…3

If you're a direct seller working in the party plan profession, you quite literally "party for a living." That seems easy enough, right? You just get someone to host a party for you, you show up on the designated night with your products, you do a presentation, and people buy from you and book their own parties. It's not brain surgery.

So if that's the case, how come I hear from so many people who aren't succeeding with this model? I think it's because they're not clear about the formula for creating a successful home party experience for their host and guests. Just like with everything, there's a right way and a wrong way to do a home party.

So I thought I'd share my own formula with you here. It's actually pretty simple:

• Phase #1: Connect and Engage – This is one of the most important concepts I teach. If you spend the first ten to fifteen minutes of your party learning about your guests, you'll not only have a more successful presentation, but at the end of the evening you'll know valuable information about them that might support you in encouraging them to book a party or learn more about joining your team.

  The key to this phase? BE CURIOUS AND LISTEN! Make it your goal to get out of yourself and learn about them.
   

• Phase #2: Party and Educate (in equal parts!) – Once you step into your presentation, it's crucial that you focus on not just your products and your agenda for the evening, but also on why your guests are there. Namely, to HAVE FUN. If you're making me sit quietly with my hands in my lap while you educate me about your company and products, that doesn't exactly feel like a party to me. It feels more like night school!

  The key to this phase? If you're having fun, your guests will be having fun, so LOOSEN UP and focus on finding ways to inject fun into your presentation.
   

• Phase #3: Shop and Sell – This comes at the end of the evening, once everyone has had an amazing experience, interacted with you and your products, and things are winding down. Being intentional as you step into the shopping portion of your party is crucial. Let everyone know what's going to happen next and what your role will be (as in "I'll be coming around to help you place your order. My goal is to be sure you choose exactly the right products for your needs.").

  The key to this phase? Give the host a job so she doesn't inadvertently sabotage your party by changing the focus (as in "Come upstairs and see my new curtains" or "Look at these pictures of my daughter's wedding."). I did this by telling the guests the host's job was to sit and pick out her free shopping items.

So, there you have it. My "easy as 1,2,3" formula for a successful party experience for both you and your guests. And what do you think? Did I miss anything? Add your "phases" below. I'd love to read them.

Oh, and just in case you're wondering about more specific tools for implementing these three phases, you'll find them on my most popular product "Designing an Amazing Party Experience" audio program. It's part of our "Buy one, get one 1/2 off" sale this week in celebration of our anniversary month. Check that out here.

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

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 more blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.

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