Home Sales Parties

Party Plan Ideas to Book More Shows

Booking home sales parties is one of the most important tasks a direct sales distributor can do! But what happens when a direct sales distributor hits a dead end with home party hostesses? Use these party plan ideas to come up with ways to book more shows, outside of the party setting. For all stay at home mom businesses involved in home party sales careers.


Most of these ideas are “old school” which means that they have been passed along from one direct sales distributor to another for decades. Feel free to alter these party plan ideas to fit your home sales parties.

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At Home Sales Parties

Though the majority of these party plan ideas are for booking more shows outside the home sales parties setting, here are a few tips to keep in mind during your shows.

Mention your hostess half price specials and gifts at least three times during each of your parties.

It helps while demonstrating products to hold up your most expensive items and tell guests how much they cost when they have a show, giving them more incentive.

Tell guests what your average parties bring in so that they have some basis for seeing how much the items they want will cost them.

It is up to you to highlight the hostess plan during your shows. Booking more home sales parties at your current party is always the easiest way for stay at home mom businesses to date more in home demonstrations.

Utilize your hostess too. At the beginning of your show, mention her goal. Get guests excited about what she will receive, and ask her to talk to her guests (one on one or all together) about her free products, and what made her decide to book a show in the first place.

Also, encourage all your guests who didn't book a party to take home a catalog and pass it around to their family and friends. Let them know that they can receive free product for a book show. Once they've found several friends who like the products, they are more likely to book a traditional show.

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Home Sales Parties: Do It Yourself

There are several ways a direct sales distributor can use herself as a home party hostess. In fact, all stay at home mom businesses should host their own parties a few times per year.

The Open House
Having home sales parties open houses are a great way to showcase a new catalog. If your party plan company produces two catalogs per year, plan to have two open houses per year.

Invite all your past hostesses and customers over to your home to show off the new line of products.

Make sure you have refreshments available at your home sales parties and do a drawing to encourage guests to attend. Plan the open house for several hours, say Noon-4pm, and let guests know that it is not a party.

Since it's not an actual party, when guests arrive, staggered, you'll be able to give each guest your undivided attention. Use this time to show off hostess party gifts and extra incentives for dating parties.


Mystery Hostess Party
Another great way to get customers and prior hostesses to come to your home for a party is to have a mystery hostess party. This is set up like typical home sales parties in your home, and you, as the direct sales distributor, are actually the hostess. You provide refreshments, etc, for your guests.

Throughout the party, guests are given drawing tickets for various things. For example:

Arrive on time – 1 ticket

Bring a friend – 2 tickets

Have an outside order – 2 tickets

Win a game – 2 tickets

Ask questions about my business – 1 ticket

Book a party – 5 tickets

At the end of the party, do a drawing, and whomever you choose wins all the hostess party gifts for the show. This is a great way to get some of your prior party guests who've been wishy-washy about hosting a party involved, and that extra incentive of 5 tickets to someone who books a show goes a long way.


Portable Parties
Get together a large basket with some of your products, catalogs and order forms, and do home sales parties on the go! You can hold an office party during the lunch hour, either at your place of business or someone else's.

You could do a mini party before a PTA meeting, or at a mom's outing. Come up with your own great idea for home sales parties on the go!


Holiday Shopping Party
At your regular home sales parties, make sure you are having your guests fill out wish lists, along with the contact information of the person they are wishing would buy them your products! Then put together a holiday shopping party, and contact those that were indicated as the buyers.

This is especially helpful for men looking to buy gifts for their wives. As your guests arrive, go over the wish list with them, and help them pick items out. Offer free gift wrapping to make the entire process that much easier.


Opportunity Night
In addition to doing your own home sales parties, you may want to consider having an opportunity night once a month or so. All your home sales parties guests who were interested in home party sales careers and your past hostesses can be invited to learn more about your business. Give nice gifts for attending.

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TIP: If you're a direct sales distributor, make sure you are using as many of your products as you can, at all times. Use them extensively in your home, at work, bring them to parties, give them as gifts. The best way to sell your business is to let others see that you are passionate about your products.

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Get Out in Your Community

Those involved in home party sales careers need to make an extra effort to work on their business each day. And although its great to set goals and read motivational books, it is more important to actually jump in and get stuff done. And don't be shy about talking about your products or your business. Make it a point to bring it up in conversations you have.

The following party plan ideas for stay at home mom businesses revolve around different things a direct sales distributor can do in her community. Get out there and get involved.

Set Up Booths
If your school is having a fair, make sure you set up a booth and get involved. You want all your local friends and neighbors to think of you first when considering home parties. Same thing with local carnivals and craft fairs.

Another idea is bridal shows. If your party plan company would be applicable for a new bride, consider putting together a bridal registry and offering bridal shower home sales parties.

And consider offering a class at your local grocery store, if applicable. You could help customers with quick microwave meals, for example, advertising the various ingredients the store offers. (Rachel Ray got her start in a similar fashion.)


Door Hangers
A great way to get the word out in your community is to leave a flier or monthly brochure, along with your business card on door steps. Great exercise too! Make up at least 100 of these brochures, and set a goal of giving them all out before you are done.

The very confident direct sales distributor will knock on the door and introduce themselves, but those who are not as adventurous can just leave the brochure without knocking. Including a 10% off coupon, or a coupon for a party favor will increase response.


Places to Advertise
Here are some examples of places to advertise in your community. Put together a small ad looking for hostesses!

Your Alumni newsletter

Local small-town newspaper (don't do the big ones)

Church bulletin

Welcome Wagon

Wear Flair
Promote your business by wearing your company name tag, a shirt or sweatshirt with your business on it, or a pin back button. If your kids are small and they're with you, have them wear flair too. You may even want to get a clear view purse to put some catalogs in to advertise your biz as you are out and about.


You are What You Eat
If your home sales parties involve food (such as Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, etc) make sure that you are bringing food for potlucks in your containers and sharing recipes at all of these types of events. Another great way to let people know what you do for a living (without being obnoxious about it.)

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Home Sales Parties Calling Tips

If you are a home sales parties distributor, you know just how important it is for you to be making phone calls every day.

Your goal is to date two parties for every phone call session you do.

Here are some tips for phone calls for those involved in home party sales careers.

First, make an appointment with yourself in your day planner.

This will help to ensure that you take the time to make these important calls.

Next, get dressed as though you are going to be presenting at home sales parties; this will, surprisingly, get your voice to project clearer, and more professionally on the phone. (Don't let them hear your bunny slippers.)

Make sure when you call people that you constantly smile. It can be heard in your voice. When your party picks up the phone, after introducing yourself, ask if it is a good time to chat for a few minutes. If its not, even if you made an appointment to call at that time, make a future appointment and call back at that time. Make sure you keep your appointments.

Call everyone you know (carry a note pad to jot down names as you think of them); if you are in a particularly tight spot, ask friends to host a party for you. Dig out that list of people who owe you a favor and collect! Call the easiest people on your list first, and go from there.

Follow up with phone calls to particularly interested guests from your prior home sales parties. They may decide later to host a show. Call back all potential hostesses who said maybe or sometime.


When talking with people on the phone, make sure you are using open ended questions, especially when dealing with bookings. Do not say, "Would you like to book a home party show?" Instead say, "Would next Tuesday or Thursday be a better time to book your direct sales home party?"

Make sure you talk about your upcoming sales and specials with everyone, and keep a list of special requests and call and let those guests know when a particular product is on sale. Offer an extra bonus for hostesses who book on days or at times when it is particularly difficult to book home sales parties.


Prior Hostesses of Home Sales Parties
Your prior hostesses from your home sales parties make the best future hostesses! Encourage your hostesses to rebook a show in 6-9 months. Let her know that she'll be the first to see and try new products.

Have a semi annual hostess appreciation tea at your home. Use your products if possible. Have a fun tea party (ask them to bring a guest) and demonstrate only your hostess gift specials. This will encourage your hostesses to rebook.

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More Home Sales Parties Tips

How to Coach a Hostess
What to Bring to a Party
How to Give a Party
Finding New Customers
Ways to Get Bookings
Importance of Samples
Product Discount Cautions
Direct Selling Resources
The Online Vendor Fair
Find a Direct Sales Company to Join

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