So, you party for a living. I think you have the best job in the entire world. What I'm willing to bet, however, is that you're really not clear about why you're there that night, at that party, "doing your thing." Think about it for a second. Why are you there? (And just FYI, the answer is not "to sell my products.")

Let me explain. If I'm a guest, do I have to come to your party to get your products? Heck no! I can order them online from your website or place a catalog order. So the main reason you're there is to share…share the fun by booking a party, share your passion for what you do, and share the opportunity to join you in that. That's right. Booking and sponsoring come before selling (in my opinion). While all three are important (and all three happen at your party – or at least they should be), it's booking and sponsoring that really help you build your business, not product sales.

You can sell a product to someone and grab the short-term gain of a commission on whatever they purchase from you. Or you can book a party with them and begin to build a relationship on a deeper level as you work with them as one of your hosts to plan their party (and then possibly sponsor them as a result of that). Even better, you can share your passion for what you do with your host and your guests during your party and help them see how your opportunity could change their lives. Honestly, if you're doing both of these things, the product sales will naturally follow.

Unfortunately, too many direct sales consultants make their parties all about their products. Their goal is to get people to buy at the party. Period. They bring as much as they can possibly carry so they have a complicated product display and a full trunk of stuff to load and unload at every party they do. While this may very well increase their sales average a little, it actually takes away from their sponsoring results, because the host and guests are quite possibly thinking, "This job looks hard. I can't imagine doing it." I've said for years that being duplicatable and doing a duplicatable party are the best sponsoring seeds you can possibly drop.

What do I recommend instead? Take just what comes in your new consultant's starter kit as your display at your parties. Think about a few of these facts before you dismiss this idea out of hand:

• You expect your new consultants to do a party using only items in their kit, so why shouldn't you?
• Your company puts their best selling products into that kit, so you truly have all you need with just those items
• Your company spends a lot of money producing a beautiful catalog for you at least twice a year. USE IT! (People are very used to shopping from photos. Look at how many millions of products are purchased off the internet every day. They really don't need to see and touch every product you offer).
• Most importantly, this is a great sponsoring tool. (You can literally say, "This is all you need in order to do a party with my company" because it's true).

So, stop selling, selling, selling at your parties and start tapping into the real gold; bookings and sponsoring leads. It may take a little while to get used to only making one trip from your car into your host's house but trust me, you'll get used to it!

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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.