There's nothing like a little competition (even if it's only with myself), to get my rear in gear. If someone issues a challenge, I'm generally all over it. Most people are like that. That's why home party booking blitzes work so well for direct sellers, too.

What's a booking blitz? It's basically a specified time when a group of direct sellers decide to book as many parties as they can. You can do it over a series of hours or days, but there are a few keys to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. Here's my six step system for a successful direct sales home party booking blitz.

Step #1: Set a Goal

You've heard the saying, "You'll miss 100% of the targets you're not aiming for." That's the premise behind this step. You've got to have a goal. So challenge your team to set a goal for themselves. How many bookings are they shooting for in the time frame you've set out for the blitz? Make sure it's a goal they'll have to stretch for a bit. If it's too easy, it won't inspire them to go for it.

Step #2: Set a Time Frame

This is very important. Deadlines tend to get people moving with a little more urgency. If the clock is ticking and the gauntlet is falling, they've got to take action now in order to make it. So how long will the blitz be? An evening, a series of evenings? A whole week? Decide ahead of time and clearly communicate the time frame to your team. I recommend that you keep it to no longer than a week in order to maintain the urgency of the deadline and honestly, one-night booking blitzes work the best in my opinion.

Step #3: Prepare With Some Specific Training

People can only succeed if they know what they're doing. And just telling someone to "get on the phone and book parties" won't make them feel like they know at all what they're doing. So consider a little extra team training where you:

• Tell them how to make their list of people to call
• Teach them how to leave an effective message
• Role play with them to help them know what to say once they do get someone on the phone
• Teach them how to inspire the host to support them in the blitz competition by actually booking
  

Step #4: Set Up Social Proof and Discussion

Help your team feel supported by each other by creating a way for them to share through a Facebook group or on Twitter with a hashtag. If someone sees others excited about just booking their fourth party that hour, they're more likely to feel that it's possible and get on board too. And if they're having problems, they can request support in real time from the group. This is not an option that was even available when I was an active direct seller, and I love this idea!

Step #5: Incentivize Them With Rewards

Incentives work, especially for direct sellers. Your company knows that (which is why they're constantly giving stuff away in order to get you to work harder on your business). So set up some incentives for your team around your booking blitz. Here are a few ideas for incentives that work:

• Create a reward that anybody who participates gets. Something small (even just recognition in a newsletter) is fine
• Create a drawing for:
  • Whoever makes the most calls
  • Whoever books the first party
  • Whoever books the last party
  • Whoever books more than one party
  • Whoever books the most parties.

You get the idea. The more incentives you have, the more fun the blitz will be. Make sure you publish these and that everyone is clear about what they get if they win (and make sure it's something they want!)

Step #6: Do a Fun Wrap up

Whether it's over the phone or in person, make sure you have all of the booking blitz participants come together once it's over so you can applaud them, reward incentive prizes, do incentive drawings, and just generally celebrate. Make sure they share their results and that everyone feels acknowledged.

So, those are my best ideas. What about you? Did I miss anything? And more importantly, when will you book your booking blitz so your team fills up their calendar with bookings for the new year? I'd love to have you share below (and if you're reading this via e-mail, click on the title above to head over to the post on the website and do that).

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