In a perfect world, you're keeping your home party calendar booked anywhere from four to six weeks out, giving you plenty of time for host coaching and your host time to plan her home 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 home party together" in just a week or so with any success?
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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 home party for her. IMPORTANT!! This gift is given at the home 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.
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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 put together her home party plan. Since you're looking at a short time frame with this type of booking, however, you'll probably have to do this host coaching and put together the home party plan at the home party she's booking from or on the same phone call from which she's booking.
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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.
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Choose a fun theme for her home party and coach her how to get outside orders and follow up with her guests to ensure good attendance.
- Follow up often, continue coaching and make sure your host feels supported. Pulling together a home party in such a short period of time can be stressful and your job is to alleviate as much of that stress as possible.
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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.