It’s spring…have you wondered how to get “Bookings”? Answer: “Start planting some Booking Seeds”

Throughout your show demo you should be planting booking seeds.  At least 12 -15 different ones.

What is a booking seed? you may be asking!

A booking seed is a Key phrase that you ‘Plant’ throughout your show demo.

Things like “my last hostess received this for free” or “if you fall in love with more than your pocket book allows…talk to me about booking your own show”.

It’s been proven that the more “booking seeds” you plant throughout your show gets more results!!!

So start today!

After all, spring is upon us and its time to start “Planting!”

Jody

www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com “Where its not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There!”

Often times when people join a business they feel overwhelmed. Many people feel that there is so much they need to know before they approach anyone. So…WHAT is it that you should know before you approach people?

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I had signed up for a business as a distributor to get a discount a couple of years ago, I’ll call that Company A. My upline coached me to see if this was a business I wanted to build since I had signed up a couple of other team members. I tried it but it just wasn’t me at the time, I had another business I was working on and it didn’t fit in with the schedule I desired.

Last summer I switched  to a product line that I felt better suited me and my beliefs, I’ll call that Company B. (I rarely switch products in this area so this tells you how I feel about the products.). While I liked some of the products of Company A, I didn’t want to order from 2 different companies so again, I signed up as a distributor for Company B and again I have team members.

Last week the upline for Company A called to tell me about some specials. WOW I thought she forgot all about me. I hadn’t heard from her in about 9 months. I also had not been ordering. I called her back to let her know that I wasn’t ordering from Company A anymore and I mentioned that I hadn’t heard from her in a while and asked how she was doing. (This upline is very likable but not very personal or relational).  She said “Oh well I never know how often people like me to contact them.”

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We’ve been asked once or Twice: “What is the best way to get Party Bookings”

Well, there is no short answer to that; however, I’d like to give you a quick tip that can get you Out THERE more!

Go out and get to a Networking Meeting. Find out if there is a “ladies luncheon” this week, perhaps through your local chamber of commerce. Get yourself a ticket and make the “intention” of meeting someone who YOU connect with!

Charlotte and I both love doing this!  We love to meet new people!  We both make it a point that if we Connect with someone, we go out for lunch….meet for coffee.  Develop a Friendship with someone NEW!

The point here is not to “Bug them about your business”; in fact, I recommend that you don’t even bring up your business…..”they will ASK YOU!” At that point, tell them what you do….what YOU Love.

Again, and this is important…..do NOT tell them about your business! Just enjoy your lunch or coffee!!!

Trust me, I’ve had more business over the years just getting to know people in this way.  Your new friend may or may not have a show with you, however they will feel more comfortable knowing that you are truly trying to make a personal connection and not a sales pitch!

What will happen is this:

• The next time you have an open house…your new friend will be more than happy to show up.
• When someone in your “new friends” circle of influence has a need…your new friend will “highly recommend” YOU as the great and wonderful person you are!

I’ve made so many wonderful connections and friendships (and yup extra money too) just by connecting at least once a week with someone new!

Good luck!

& Let us know how this works for YOU!

Jody

www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where it’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There!”

So it’s January of a new year and some of you in Home Party Businesses may be thinking “It’s the beginning of the year.. everyone has already spent all their money on the holidays and no one wants to have a party” or “People are all partied out and just want to rest”.

Uh oh! Sounds like someone is just making excuses. Delete that thought and replace it with a new one! Here are some suggested thoughts to replace those ones with….. Read the rest of this entry »

A few years ago I was doing a home party show and was doing my Hostess Coaching with a great gal!

I knew she had done a few other different parties with other companies, but even knowing this I made it a point to set a coffee date so that we could sit down and go over the hostess package!

I met her at her home, brought the package and proceeded to go over the details.

We went over some key things that I do for every hostess:

• Brainstorm for guest names
• Discuss that if someone cannot make the show, they can definitely place an order
• I always tell my hostess’s that they know their guests better than I do, and how I do not like to “push sales on anybody”, so with this in mind if she has a guest who is on a ‘fixed budget’ this would be the ideal person that she could talk to…to host her own party!
• We also discuss how the hostess will contact people, and a ‘warm way to invite them’

My hostess was ECTASTIC and over the edge with happiness!

She gushed on how “no other consultant had set out clearly” about having a party!

UH???  I was stunned.

I had “ASSUMED” (ya know the old saying…it makes an ASS-Out-of-U-and-ME) that because my friend had several other parties with other companies, she would know all the fun details about being a hostess!!!

I was also pleasantly surprised by her warm “thanks” about how to even “invite her guests”…this was always something she had dreaded doing in the past…and she mentioned such things like:

• I never knew Exactly what to say when I invited people….so I’d usually say something stupid like “oh just come…have fun…I don’t expect you to buy anything” ((uh, even tho she did want them to buy a little something))
• Sitting down and making a list was always daunting and I put it off…but now we’ve done it together..thanks!!
• I never thought of keeping the food simple…I had no idea about giving people too many choices..I always thought I had to put together a huge COSTLY spread..thanks for simplifying it!
• I’m looking forward to this party, you have made it fun!

It just goes to show ya all….never assume that people who have had tonnes of other parties know even just the basics of having a Successful party…sure you mite get the seats filled…but filled with people who have no INTENTIONS of spending anything!!!

Think about it & I’d love to hear some of your most fun Hostess’s!!!

JODY )

Jody Maley is Motivational Speaker & Trainer, mom of six,retired entrepeneur, ToastMaster, Queen of the Home Party Plan Biz!

http://www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com

“Where its not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to Get there!”

So, you have this home party business selling X, Y and/or Z. You have had a couple of parties but seem to have a hard time getting people to book the next party. You might think “how can I get some parties booked so my hostess can get rewards and I can do more parties?”.

Plant some seeds!

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When you start a Home Party Business, the first thought is how to get people to have parties. Many coaches or “uplines” advise you to have your own party first and that is a great idea! You are excited about your new position as a distributor and you are excited about the product and you think everyone else should be!

Think about why you got into the business. Some become a distributor because of the discount and then think about making money with it.. if it happens. If you don’t make it happen, it’s not  going to. Be sure you know whether or not you really want to host parties or just enjoy the discount.

When you make the decision to sell, be sure that it’s your decision and that someone didn’t just talk you into it. If you have not accepted the role, you will not be successful no matter how good your coach is.

One of the greatest challenges that new distributors come across is how to get people to book parties. I know that many distributors feel they need to have a lot of product knowledge before they can start feeling comfortable with demonstrating. The beauty of hosting your own party first is that you are surrounded by friends and family, if you make any mistakes, they know that you are new at it and are very forgiving. Making mistakes is how you learn, go ahead and get them done with those who are most forgiving. Start with the products that you fell in love with and their questions will teach you what you need to know for the next time.

When you have your party, don’t expect that people are just going to sign up to have their own party, you have to ask! Plant seeds through out the party (we will address this in another blog). Give them the idea to have their own party during the party. At the end when you observe how much they like your products or particular products… ask them if they would like to have a party of their own, so they can get a discount on the items they would like to purchase. I myself would generally say “when would you like to host your own party so that you can get more items that you like?” but you should ask with the way you are comfortable.

Be sure to have a calendar purchased before you have your first event. (We will also address calendars and booking later) and have it handy. Determine ahead of time what days you will have available. Being wide open looks desperate so schedule them with in both your and the clients parameters. Be sure to encourage booking within the month.

What to say when they say no… sort of… People will give you different kinds of “no-s” . Some will outright say, “no, I don’t want to have a party”, and your question to them is “you don’t want to have one now, in the next month or the next year? or ever?”. No is a different answer in every ones mind. Be sure you are clear on what “No” means. If they say no.. for now then ask permission to call them in a few months to check back in with them. If they say never, then respect that and ask if they can be on your mailing list for future order.

There are some who say no but may mean something else. I remember being with my upline when I was researching whether I wanted to represent this company. I had a friend of mine book a party and at the end of her party one of her friends answered the question with “…. no… I don’t have enough friends who would come.” My upline said “are you sure?” and her friend said “yeah”. My upline was about to drop the ball and let it go…but I could tell she was interested in hosting a party to get more product at a discount and free stuff too. I piped up “Oh sure you do! Sara (the host of the party…not her real name) will come, won’t you?” Sara says “of course I’ll come” and another friend pipes up “Oh yeah, I would come too, I need to spread out my order”. Then I asked her “Don’t you have a couple of friends at work that would come?..or what about  a friend from the gym?”. After I encouraged her to think of a couple of people and she felt good knowing that she had at least 2 firm commitments she decided to host and her party generated $800 in sales.  One of the girls at the party inquired about becoming a distributor herself.

Now, maybe $800.00 is not going to make anyone rich but.. the friend was happy, there was potential for more business and party bookings.. AND I got more experience. What was the secret? I figured out that some people want to host a party, it’s always a good excuse to invite people over and have fun (who may not come otherwise) and that some people feel that they don’t know enough people to make it worth your while. By assuring her that she did know people who would come and by letting her know that it’s not all about how many people who come but it’s about having fun, they feel more comfortable booking a party with you.

There are lots of people who like to have parties, there are lots who want to earn the free gifts. Take the time to genuinely talk to them without pressure and find out what it really is that they want. You have the power to empower them.

Charlotte Salafia

www.designedfordivinedestinations.com

“Where it’s not just about the destination, but the journey to get there.”

This week on a radio program I will be speaking about “Quick Tips for Home Office Organization“.

With summer just about over many ‘home entrepeneurs’ are now focusing on business for the fall, so here are some of my best tips to get your summer out of your head and how to Juice up your Fall!
Now is the time to take ACTION!
Here are a few ideas that YOU can incorporate right now to help organize your home office!

Tip#1 Organize or decide where your workspace is going to be!

I find many WAHM’s don’t have access to ‘their own space’, so if at all possible set aside the computer desk, a spare room, or even make space in a well lit area! (I personally do not like working in a cramped part of the basement and find that a well lit, natural sun spot gets my own creative ideas rolling much more better!)

Tip#2 Once you have established where your “Space” is going to be spend 15 min’s per day Getting it into a “Creative Zone”

This can be ‘de-cluttering’ or ‘beautifying’ your area! A nice plant, a few pictures, or best yet…this is where you will put your “Dream/Vision Board”
Tip#3 Make your Dream/Vision Board

If you haven’t already done one, I highly recommend this for any Home Business! You need to have handy a board that you can look at for at least 2-5 min’s before you start doing any work to “Remind” yourself of your “Why”.
I also love to have mine right beside my computer so that when I’m doing my writing I know exactly WHO my audience is that I’m attracting to me every day!

Tip#4 Have a Great Calendar on your desk!

This is one of my fav tips! I like to have a big monthly calendar right at my space.
I jot down phone numbers, my conference call schedule, set my ‘work hours’.
For those of you in a Home Party Plan Business you might want to put the days that you are doing your shows so that your family will know your schedule, and don’t forget to schedule in your ‘training time’.

Tip#5 Run your business like a Business to get paid like a Business!

If you could put your business on speed-dial to 2-3 yrs down the road and “Saw Yourself” making huge amounts of money…what would your office hours look like? Where would your children be?

I think one of the biggest obstacles holding alot of WAHM’s back is the fact that they just don’t know what to do with their children while they are ‘working’….so no set ‘working schedule’ gets put into practice.
The best tip that I can give you (especially having at least one child at home for the last 17 yrs while running a significant 6 digit business) is make sure the children know that now is “mommy’s work time”.

Arrange with them that they can quietly watch a movie, or play in their room for about a 30 minute time period. Don’t budge on this….& don’t constantly tell them that ‘mommy is working, or mommy is on the phone’ is just setting yourself up for interruptions!
I found that if I had a consistent daily time of 30 min’s to make calls, write, read etc…that the kids got used to this being my Work Time. Then immediately after my 30 min’s I make sure to do a ‘planned activity’ with the kids! (BTW I do not consider Facebook and Twitter activities into this 30 min’s…sorry girls!)

Consistency is the key here, and I found that I accomplished more in a concentrated half hour than most people do in three days!
Even if I had no calls to make, I use this time to write, answer emails, or read something that I can learn to move my business forward!
This is your “Daily Action Time” and is Essential to move forward and make your business Pay you like a Business!

So these are my top Five Quick Tips for Home Office Organization that I know will help move Your business forward to a more productive Fall!

In closing, I’d also like to say that when you & your family know that you are taking your business seriously you can move that 30 min’s into longer periods as well.
For example, I now host several ‘one hour’ radio programs, have ‘one hour’ business development TeleSeminar’s and ‘one hour MasterMind groups’ that my family (spouse and children both) know is BIZ time!

To your Fabulous Fall!

Jody Maley

owner of www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com
“Where it’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to get There!”