Home Party Secrets Revealed

Transcription

1 Home Party Secrets Revealed 60 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR PAST BEHIND AND SUCCEED by Joanne Domin Success is Reached with Every Step in My Journey 1

2 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION & CONSIDERATIONS FOR BEGINNERS Terms How to use this book Where have you been and where are you now? What do you want? Some have an advantage Why 95% of all recruits fail Understanding What We Do Join the right Company What are your start up cost Commissions Minimums Products Sponsor Contracts Tax Advantages PARTY ON! SUCCESS SECRET #1 The One Skill SUCCESS SECRET #2 Split Your Prospects SUCCESS SECRET #3 - The Magic List of 100 SUCCESS SECRET #4 Struggling to get bookings SUCCESS SECRET #5-3 Lines for 3 Types of People SUCCESS SECRET #6 - The Give Away Package SUCCESS SECRET #7 Your Amazing Online Calendar SUCCESS SECRET #8 The 4 Identifiers SUCCESS SECRET #9 - The Personality Checklist SUCCESS SECRET #10 - The 4 Motivating Factors SUCCESS SECRET #11 The Rule of 3 SUCCESS SECRET #12 Hostess pre-gift SUCCESS SECRET #13 Restaurants.Com/Travel.Com SUCCESS SECRET #14 How to Work the Guest List SUCCESS SECRET #15 How to Squeeze another $100 in sales SUCCESS SECRET #16 Hostess Coaching SUCCESS SECRET #17 Know Your Hostess SUCCESS SECRET #18 The Automated Hostess Coaching CD SUCCESS SECRET #19 Only Serve These Foods 2

3 SUCCESS SECRET #20 Only Play These Games SUCCESS SECRET #21 Party Length SUCCESS SECRET #22 Only Travel This Far SUCCESS SECRET #23 Always Memorize Names SUCCESS SECRET #24 Draw Out the Quiet Person SUCCESS SECRET #25 The 5 Golden Expectations SUCCESS SECRET #26 The QVC Trick For Increased Sales SUCCESS SECRET #27 Creative Themes That Double Sales SUCCESS SECRET #28 Easy money with Tele/Web parties SUCCESS SECRET # 29 Party Basics SUCCESS SECRET # 30 Customer Relations Tips THE RETAIL GAME SUCCESS SECRET #31 Involve all 5 senses SUCCESS SECRET #32 Pick One Product SUCCESS SECRET #33 Always Display This Way SUCCESS SECRET #34 Show & Expo to the Top SUCCESS SECRET #35 Making Your Cause Their Cause SUCCESS SECRET #36 The Recorded Testimonial SUCCESS SECRET #37 The Customer Database SUCCESS SECRET # FOR-YOU RECRUITING SUCCESS SECRET #39 Recruiting Basics SUCCESS SECRET #40 How to Recruit Your Hostess Every Time SUCCESS SECRET #41 The 5 Cs of Recruiting SUCCESS SECRET #42 Overcoming the Time and Money Objections SUCCESS SECRET #43 Get the Check and the Application SUCCESS SECRET #44 Always Recruit Through Your Customers SUCCESS SECRET #45 Get Referrals SUCCESS SECRET #46 Focus Your Efforts on Where You Have Already Found Recruits SUCCESS SECRET #47 The $10,000-Per-Month Formula SUCCESS SECRET #48 The Introductory Teaser SUCCESS SECRET #49 Miscellaneous Recruiting Tips TRAINING AND MOTIVATING 3

4 SUCCESS SECRET #50 The 8 Types of Consultants and How to Identify Them SUCCESS SECRET #51 How Often Should You Have Unit Meetings? SUCCESS SECRET #52 When and How to Hold Special Consultant Trainings SUCCESS SECRET #53 Build a Strong Downline SUCCESS SECRET #54 The 5 Training Secrets SUCCESS SECRET #55 Automated Training SUCCESS SECRET #56 Online Training Seminars (they re easy) SUCCESS SECRET #57 Getting Your Recruits to Plug In PROMOTE YOURSELF SUCCESS SECRET #58 Business Cards SUCCESS SECRET #59 How to Make Internet Leads Work SUCCESS SECRET #60 Offline and Local Marketing Ideas SUCCESS SECRET #61 Why You Should Always Use Your Photo on Everything SUCCESS SECRET #62 6 Ways to Advertise That Won t Cost You a Dime SUCCESS SECRET #63 How to Ensure Your Ad is Seen by a Million People Or More SUCCESS SECRET #64 Newsletter that rocks SUCCESS SECRET #65 Do You Need Your Own Website? SUCCESS SECRET #66 The Mini-Course SUCCESS SECRET #67 The FREE ebook SUCCESS SECRET #68 It s All in the Follow-up SUCCESS SECRET 69# Pay-Per-Click SUCCESS SECRET #70 Blog On SUCCESS SECRET #71 Final Tips APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE SUCCESS SECRET #72 You Can Do It SUCCESS SECRET #73 Stay Focused on Your Goals SUCCESS SECRET #74 Your Habits Will Make or Break You SUCCESS SECRET #75 Treat It Like a Real Business SUCCESS SECRET #76 Stay Helpful, Caring, and Passionate SUCCESS SECRET #77 Teach What You Learn SUCCESS SECRET #78 You Are Doing a Great Thing SUCCESS SECRET #79 You Are a Professional 4

5 SUCCESS SECRET #80 Inspiration is Your Food to Stay Alive CONCLUSION 5

6 INTRODUCTION & CONSIDERATIONS FOR BEGINNERS Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success. Dale Carnegie TERMS This book was written to be inclusive of all home party businesses opportunities. You re particular company may use different terms to describe what is essentially a distributor, rep, consultant, independent business owner, etc. There are other terms used by companies to describe what is essentially your team, downline, unit, or group. I have chosen to use the term consultant and team through-out this book to describe these variances. It is possible that other terms I use may fall prey to semantics for example your company may use different terms to describe sales, volume, purchases, points, etc. Just grab hold of the general concept(s), bear with these terms and simply insert your companies version of the terms in your thought process. Ironically, most books that are written use male pronouns. Now we get a chance to have our turn as women. In this book I have naturally chosen to use female pronouns. However, I realize that men actively participate in the home party business and it is not my intention to offend any of you men it s just that such a small percentage of men that do participate that I think it would be more offensive to women if I didn t use female pronouns. HOW TO READ THIS BOOK There are certain foundational things that are common to every home party business. Therefore, this book contains a lot of what may be considered basic information. My approach to this business has always been what I call Basics Plus. This means that I focus on basics, but I also teach you how to maximize the basics and how to get results that you would not otherwise get. Let me explain it this way - If you can net $100 at a party that only takes you 2 hours, that s $50 per hour. 6

7 Here s what I want you to understand hear me on this. In this book you are going to hear me talk about giving a lot of stuff away all the time. Hostess pre-gifts, bonus for bookings, bonus for referrals, etc, etc and you are going feel that perhaps that you cannot afford to be as generous as I am proposing that you be. I do not want this to trip you up so I am taking time now to explain now. Hopefully you understand how water well pumps have to be primed you have to pour water into the pump before you draw a massive supply of water out. Every business, no matter what type it is, must spend precious dollars in the beginning in order to generate sales later but this is a calculated process and if you want to be big in the home party business then you have to be willing to invest (smartly). Here s an example of what I m talking about. By applying a few techniques and adding just a few simple things to what you re already doing, you can increase your sales by a minimum of 25%-50% and in most cases much, much more. Just a small 25%-50% increase in your sales takes the current average from the example above from $50 per hour to $62.50-$75.00 per hour. It s important that you see that these ideas and techniques increase your earning power exponentially and that the extra effort and resources is more than worth it. For example you re going to read about one of secrets called The rules of 3 where I teach you to send a 3rd reminder postcard to party guest - this process takes you 15 extra minutes of time and cost you an extra $5 in postage but in my experience this very little thing increases your average party attendance by one to two (1.5 average) people who show up that would have otherwise not shown up that 15 minutes of extra time and $5 worth of postage over the course of several parties bumps your average sales and consequently your per hour earnings ratio by 25% to 50% and this is just one secret! Do you see how potentially powerful just this one idea is?! Imagine what the possibilities are when you are applying all my secrets?! What s more, in the big picture of your success these secrets equate to much more than the face value of just the extra cash in your pocket. What s even more important than the extra cash is that success begets success and over time you end up making more money which in turn impresses your people (including your husband) and these extra sales equate to reaching your goals and bonus levels at least 25%-50% faster! This means you win trips, jewelry, and cars (or whatever promotions your company offers) 25%-50% faster. All from something as small as applying one small concept called The Rule of 3 and this is only one strategy. Imagine running a race and everyone else has to run 25%-50% further because you know a short cut. Now 7

8 imagine that you teach your team to do the same. What is the compound effect worth to you?! The only way you would ever be able to truly appreciate the value of what I m talking about would be to test against my ideas and track the numbers yourself. Well, I ve done that for you and that s the value in this information. Don t under estimate the power of these small ideas as they have the power to take your business to the next level very quickly! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, WHERE ARE YOU AT? If you are new to the home party business then it s important that you understand how our business works before you get caught up in the details outlined in the later chapters. And if you re new, don t feel like you re at a disadvantage either. By not having any preconceived ways of doing things you won t have any judgment to bring to the process. If you are experienced and doing well in the home party business, but you simply want to make your business better then I first want to congratulate you on having a great attitude. If you have a good system in place use it and take what I teach you to make it better. Apparently, whatever you re doing is working for you, but I m confident that you will glean many things in this book that you have never heard before and you are in a great position to benefit the most. If you are struggling in your business at any level and you are hoping to find some new break-through information that you ve been longing for, I believe you will. You will get what I believe are some phenomenal tricks, tips, techniques, and advice that you ve never heard before. These have the power to EXPLODE your business if you apply them in concert and the good news is you will see results right away. The biggest challenges you will face will be outside of the realm of this book. Many of you are struggling because of sponsorship, downline, company, or bad attitude problems. This book won t go very far in fixing those types of struggles and I suggest that you get a handle on those issues before you continue to invest in your business. There is one more struggle that I can t help you with and I see it all the time. It is the thinking that I know better. I m not going to argue with you and tell you that you don t know better than me, but if I suggest that you mention specific things in specific ways a certain number times at certain times and you think to yourself I don t need 8

9 to do that or that s a bit of over-kill or that doesn t apply to me then that will be your loss. I can only hope that you will take everything in this book to heart and read it with an open mind. I m not trying to change the way you do what you do at the most basic level of this business, I m trying to get you to do the basics plus. In other words the core of our business is what it is, but by streamlining the process and squeezing what we do and extracting just a little more, the return is exponential and more than worth the extra effort. WHAT DO YOU WANT? There couldn t possibly be a more powerful question. My feeling is that it s OK if what you want from your business changes, but I also believe that you need to have a burning motive/desire on the forefront of your mind at all times. Just like when you re a kid and you keep thinking about how wonderful Christmas morning is going to be or when you look forward to that weekend getaway with your husband or family vacation. Long-term vision is great and you need that too, but you have to have short-term vision at all times to keep you pushing in the short-term. Your short-term goal needs to be clear and vivid. If your company does not offer these types of goals or if they do and what they are offering just doesn t hit your hot button, then you need to set a short-term reward/goal system in place for yourself. If you re not sure how to do this, then simply choose a vacation destination or luxury item that excites you. You may have to literally throw a dart if you continue to struggle with your decision as to what you want because it doesn t matter what you pick just that you begin to tell yourself and others that when such and such happens then you are going to buy or go to such and such. Once you ve decided (or let the dart decide for you) you will begin to focus on this short-term goal and you will get more and more excited. This is a powerful motivation technique. I guarantee you that every time you have ever struggled in life it was because you lacked a short-term goal. Just remember to make it something that is realistically achievable, otherwise you are going to sabotage yourself. Next, you must recognize that the clearer and more focused you are on your goal the more ups and downs you will feel emotionally because when you do not have the sales you were hoping for or someone tells you no your frustration level with the business will go up simply because these become road blocks to your goals. However when things go great you will feel more elated than ever because you will be one step closer. 9

10 Some people are goal oriented and some are not. Some are more short-term goal oriented and some are more long-term. I believe that success in this business requires that you have more short-term goals than long term goals. If you notice most home party companies offer short-term promotions for this reason. Most companies will give some of the motivation you need, but anytime you find yourself board with the process you need to set your own reward system up outside of what they offer. I think it s important to love what you do, but this doesn t mean everyday will be wonderful. It s like having kids. I love having kids, but there are some days when well you know. This business is the same way. I love the business, the people, the energy, but there are some days when well you either know or will know. Every job, every career, every relationship has this dynamic. It is what it is and I suppose if we ever have our own planet we might do things differently, but until then we have to simply understand that we are going to be up and down. What are you looking for from your home party business? Money, time, recognition, friends, travel, a night out, a challenge? I know that most people purchased this book because they want to make a lot of money. I doubt that anyone purchased this book because of a conscious thought of wanting more time, travel, friends, etc Many people have said that this business offers us time freedom and it is true, but my experience is that, although these other things are great side benefits, money is number one on the list and always will be. This is because with money I can buy freedom. With money I can do whatever my heart desires (within reason) and I can redeem or save time that I would have to otherwise spend doing less desirable things or working a job that pays less. I m not saying money will make you happy, but with rare exceptions it is the major motive for all of us simply because we live in a society in which our needs, not just our desires, are met with money. I wrote this book assuming that that is what you want. YOU HAVE AN ADVANTAGE I was 28 years old when I started my first home party business. I can tell you that I know a lot more people today at age 38 than I did at age 28 simply because I ve lived longer, had kids, been more places, 10

11 done more things. So being older and consequently knowing more people is just one of those natural advantages in this business, assuming you ve not been living in a cave. If you ve had several different jobs or practice being friendly and outgoing that too has it benefits as it has most likely brought you more contacts. If that is you, then you most certainly bring something to your business that others don t always have. However, this advantage can be made up for by the people who are younger or not so quite outgoing if they are willing to work harder and be smarter. Younger people may not know as many people but they typically have fewer responsibilities which gives them the offsetting advantage of more time to work the business. If you aren t one of those people-people, then you can learn to become one and/or be smarter in marketing your opportunity. People who are older tend to also be more stuck in their ways a bit so if you are young or lack confidence look at your positives and work with what you ve got. Lastly on this note, some of you may have a lot of experience in the home party business. Some of you may have been with multiple companies in the past. This certainly gives you perspective, but it can work against you if you re not careful. Hopefully all of you reading this have attended one or more parties in your life and that experience brings an advantage as well. However, whatever your experience level, understand that what we are talking about affects all areas of life, its not just this business, so you have to work with what you ve got and make the most of it. Remember that focusing on what others have that you don t won t get you want you want so get over it. WHY 95% OF ALL RECRUITS FAIL There are many answers as to why people fail in this business. I m going to take each one of them one at a time. Fear False Experiences Appearing Real 1) Fear of rejection Those of us who have gone through those first couple of months of this business understand that it can be very scary, but it s not just the fear of getting a No. When it comes to recruiting for example this is what I hear all the time, What will they think of me if I said that, or, What will they think of me if I approached them that way, or, What if I come off as too pushy, or, I don t know what to say. It is always about what other people might think. Another way of saying fear of rejection is lack of confidence, but the 11

12 good news is that the confidence needed for success in this business can be obtained and it is done in two ways. The first way is by gaining literal knowledge (book smarts) and experiential knowledge. Of course we are thirsty for product knowledge, sales knowledge, recruiting knowledge, but most of us are really stretched when it comes time to put that knowledge into practice and begin to learn experientially. The second way to overcome fear and gain confidence is by having immediate and/or massive success. It is a great thing to see when a new person joins my business who lacks confidence, but they stretch themselves and their first week they stumble across someone who was looking for just such an opportunity and all of a sudden you find this new person talking to anyone and everyone and they are at all the meetings telling everyone how easy this business is. Success gives you a lift in your emotional sails and that momentum gives you confidence to do things you would not otherwise do. That is why it is information in this book is so powerful. It can have a profound impact on your business, your life, and the lives of other people. It gives you book knowledge that, when applied, brings you immediate and massive success, which can make up for a lack of confidence. 2) Discouragement or lack of persistency I see so many women that are chalked full of potential, but they just simply quit too early. Perhaps they don t get off to a great start and/or somewhere along they line the going gets tough and they just slowly cave in. Perhaps they have some no show parties or one or more low sales parties or they get turned down 10 times in a row when trying to recruit and even with the necessary confidence they just can t persist through it. They get discouraged and they feel that whatever the reason for their lack of success, whether it is them, the products, the economy, or the company, the business is just not for them. Many times they won t officially quit and they may do a little here or there, but they just lose heart. This is why in all my training I tell them in advance that they are going to face tough times and that by making them understanding that in advance, when that day arrives I have the right to speak into their lives and remind them that that day has arrived and that I had told them it was coming. I train them that they need to recognize it for what it is and rise above it. Distractions Sometimes life just creeps in and responsibilities that we thought we could handle begin to feel ultra demanding. The telltale sign that this is happening is when you haven t heard from a 12

13 consultant in a while and when you finally do talk to them they tell you that they are still excited but they have to just get such and such done or get through a particular season in their life, whether its kids sports or a project around the house. All this is lack of focus. They once were focused on their business and now they aren t. What these people don t realize is that regaining focus is next to impossible and highly unlikely. Fail to stay plugged in to the system - In my opinion staying plugged into conventions, unit meetings, conference calls, trainings, and industry information like this book, is the number one telltale sign of success. If there is one clue as to who is a rising star in your business, it will almost always be the person who is plugged into everything going on, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I m not sure what comes first, the chicken or the egg here, but there is a direct correlation between success in our business and being plugged in. Many people think they can get by without these things. Sometimes they are a part of a few, but after while they start hearing the same information a few times and stop being a part. What they don t realize is that it s not the information that they need. You have to hang around like-minded people in order to stay focused. You have to be around a positive uplifting team to charge your batteries or you will find yourself with a dead battery before too long and staying plugged in is the only way to do this. Won t/don t increase their skill levels These people typically think that what they do, how they do it, and who they are as a person is just fine. They may not consciously see it or say it, but they don t feel they need to improve. These are the people who will blame the products, the company, or their sponsor for their inevitable failure. Had they however been willing to become better presenters, better recruiters, better trainers, better motivators, and better in their people skills in general, they could have succeeded. They typically scoff at the tools you provide them. It s easy to see their opposites the hungry to learn, to know, to understand, to develop, always asking questions, always seeking. UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE DO We are called direct sellers, network marketers, and sometimes builders of pyramids. When pushed for a term, I prefer to tell people that I am in the home party business and in our world of direct selling, just as our name would suggest our primary way of retailing 13

14 and recruiting others is by throwing home parties. We are mobile store-fronts and, although we are always open for business, we promote special events called home parties where we hold a show and tell session and demonstrate our goods and services. Typically there is very little start up cost in comparison to a standard business and the upside of course is tremendous, per our work. Our business is not a lottery ticket, although it s sometimes pitched as one. Our business is legitimate and not approved by State Attorney Generals, although they are the ones who enforce the laws that pertain to direct selling. Most direct selling businesses are will-able, sell-able, transferable, and give you the same tax benefits as any other home based business. Let me bottom line you. Our business model involves three primary activities: 1) Retailing and 2) Recruiting, primarily facilitated by 3) holding home parties and through this we gather customers and make retail sales and we build teams of people to do the same thing. Everything else we do facilitates this process and apart from training in some rare cases these are the only activities that make you any money. The home party is just a funnel for retailing and recruiting. Therefore your objective at all times is very simple: a) get a sale b) get a recruit c) get a booking JOIN THE RIGHT COMPANY If you are currently dissatisfied with your present company and/or are in the process of looking for, evaluating, choosing, or seeking a home party company to join then understand: 14

15 There are lots of great companies but there are some bad ones too. They all work from the same premise; retailing and building a downline of retailers It can be an overwhelming feeling if you are trying to choose which company and which products to work with. Once you find a product you like, you may find that the company is not the greatest. If you find a company that is great, you may not have an affinity for their products. There are so many categories beauty, home and décor, gourmet products, lingerie, scrap-booking, books, crafts, toys, pet supplies, technology, education, and even pole-dancing (in case you hadn t heard). Given the broad scope of companies it is very tempting for women to join more than one company, but if you want to make big money you need to find one company and focus. Focus is extremely important and to make my point I ll quote a wise country boy who once said, You can t chase two rabbits and expect to catch either one of them. You must choose only one company and go for it with all you ve got. Beware of new start ups, but don t stop there with your evaluation. Many hundreds of companies wanting to use a network marketing/direct selling business model start up each year and sadly over 94% of them go out of business within their first 7 months! This is not to say that a newer company is bad, they certainly can offer you a ground floor opportunity, but remember with ground floor comes growing pains. On the flip side, well known companies can be very competitive. You may find several consultants in your neighborhood or even on the same street! At the same time, these companies that are very well known and that have been around for decades are very stable and offer you their name brand recognition upon which to build. Just keep in mind the trade off is sometimes intense competition. Management Are the people running the ship captains? You don t want to belong to a company that has people at the top who haven t been where you are. Too often, some people get together in a hotel room and dream up a home party company and how they re going to get rich and they haven t a clue how things truly work in the field. 15

16 They may actually get it up and running, but they will always filter their decisions through their paradigm and not yours. This can be bad if and when they need cash flow at the corporate office and they feel that it is in your best interest to reduce your commissions. Will they let you advertise and if they will what are their stipulations. Many companies have tough policies on advertising and you have to follow their guidelines if you intend on advertising. If you don t you can seriously jeopardize your position in the company. Many women are not aware of this. Imagine if you are a great online marketer and you discover that your company does not permit online advertising? I know it is hard to believe but many companies do not allow you to even hint at the companies name when doing any form of advertising and when they do almost all of them require that you use the words Independent Consultant and sometimes they even go so far as to tell you how big Independent Consultant has to be in comparison to the other ad copy. So if you intend on advertising, it is an absolute must that you do your homework on this issue and make your game plan accordingly. I will encourage you with this. Companies can t stop you from doing generic advertising and, as I ll show you later, this can be huge. Hostess programs Do they offer hostess incentive programs and build or create hostess incentive packages for you or is it just a percentage based or sales volume program. Do they offer pre-printed postcards or expect you to print your own? Order Taking and Tracking Is everything done online or by telephone and/or by hand? Bilingual material Do you live in an area where this may be an issue? I know when I first started my business, this was not a concern of mine, but it quickly became one once I attempted to recruit a lady who said she would join if I could get her Spanish materials. START UP COST Kit options are a part of most companies. You will see specials and discounts all the time and most of the time there are many different entry levels. My advice to you on this is beware of what is called front end loading (his is not a term that they will use). This is where they want you to buy a ton of product (usually many thousands of 16

17 dollars worth). They may push you to enter at the highest point and your kit comes with a ton of product up front that you are expected to then go sell. This is common and the pitch makes sense. After all, you are going to be so incredibly successful, why wouldn t you want the great deal they are offering? The discounts are typically significant and it can be tempting. I would advise you to simply do your homework and, as with any larger financial decision, ponder it and ask yourself, Can I afford to lose this money? Remember this is a business and you have to treat it as such. Do the math and make a business decision on how much product you will have to sell to recoup your investment and how long you expect it to take you to break even. Seek advice if the entry point is anything over $1000 and always check with the parent companies corporate office if you think that a consultant might not be completely truthful about what level you need to start with. Lastly, don t look at just the kit as your start up cost. You also need to look at business cards, advertising, craft show displays, etc Make sure you don t have other ancillary things like table coverings, baskets, bowls, mirrors, etc Ask yourself what you expect or want to make per hour and then subtract out taxes, gas, food, samples, etc Remember this is a business and you have to make a profit, but that is OK - there is a cost to doing business. COMMISSIONS You will hear or read that when choosing a company that you should look at their commission structure and how they calculate everything. Here s my take on this. I m of the belief that a good company won t be around long or wouldn t have grown to the point where they are if it didn t have a decent commission structure. It is true that there many hundreds of different commission structures out there and it s true that one may appeal to you a little more than another. Some companies pay better for retailing and some pay somewhat better for building teams of retailers, but I strongly believe that your success is not rooted in how a company pays its commissions, but rather how you apply yourself to what you ve got to work with. Although the compensation plans are an exciting part of most companies, I personally would not make this a major part of my decision in choosing an opportunity because I would much rather work with a company who may pay a little less but whose products I love. 17

18 MINIMUMS Almost every company without exception is going to have minimum orders that you have to place of a certain size, certain quantity, etc in order for you to remain active and/or get certain commissions or be able to reach and/or maintain certain levels. Here is the attitude you need to have with regard to this issue. No matter what company you are with, have the attitude that you re going to be doing so much business that minimums are always going to be a minor concern. Now having said that, I m not saying I don t think you shouldn t ever think about them and shouldn t work towards them, it s just that I m not going to pick a company based on that issue alone. Keep in mind, if a company is growing then that means that a lot of people are having no problems meeting the minimums. SPONSOR Next to what products you represent, your upline support should be your second highest concern. A whopping 95% of the time people get into a home party business through a friend or person they have met that they like and trust to some degree, and this is a winning dynamic. First, you have to like who you work with after all it is a people business and people are people, and secondly, if you re even thinking of joining, then more than likely you ve already found the product line attractive. The other aspect of having upline support is having someone close to home, preferably in your town that you can work with, that you trust, and is who is focused. They need to be willing and able to help and support you around the clock. If you are looking for a company to join, don t be afraid to interview sponsors and be sure and explain to them that you are doing. Have them give you all the reasons why you should join their team. If I were choosing a company, once I had figured out what products I wanted to represent and done some homework on the company, I would find out who in my area is the most successful and reached the highest level. I would then interview them (over a cup of coffee), maybe even a second time, and if I like them I d ask them to sponsor me. And why wouldn t you want to be sponsored by the most successful person in your area? So unless you have a friend or already made a contact, get mentored by someone who has done what you are wanting to do. When interviewing look for: 18

19 Positive attitude Trustworthiness How long they ve been in the business Have they moved from one company to another Are they with more than one company currently Ask what limitations they may have in supporting you and ask her to tell you what she is or has done for others PRODUCTS You have to be passionate about what you sell! To find lasting success and especially the kind of success we are going to be discussing, the products you represent must be something that fits your personality and even more than that, you have to be passionate about them in order to achieve maximum success. If you re not sure about what to sell, there are several categories from which to choose. If you love to eat or cook, then a food category is great choice. Don t think of it in terms avoiding food because you think you might eat more. Seriously consider what you get enjoyment out of. Do you enjoy fashion and do you put a lot of time and effort into your outward appearance? Then consider a beauty category. Do you enjoy children or animals? Then consider products in those categories. It s really a very simple thing to do. Just stay true to your heart and follow your passion(s). CONTRACT Whatever else you do read your contract. Remember, you are in business! However, don t be alarmed at what you find as there are some very normal things that may scare you. Like, how the parent company can basically take your business away under certain conditions. Understand that this is normal. You may also read how the parent company can change the compensation structure without notice. That is normal too. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that a good company would not and will not grow if it did everything that your contract entitles them to do. This is true of most large franchises 19

20 as well. They have to protect themselves and their attorneys are going to always err in their favor. Just operate your business legally and ethically and you should never have any problems. TAX ADVANTAGES I m an not going to give you tax advise. You need to seek a professional when it comes taxes. However, I will say that to my knowledge and I ve never heard to the contrary that your sales kit is tax deductible. I am also confident that your well documented mileage to and from parties and meetings is also tax deductible. Your home office and a percentage of your utilities and rent/mortgage in most cases is also tax deductible. I know I ve said a several times, but remember this is a real business and real businesses are entitled to real tax deductions. 20

21 PARTY ON Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success. Dale Carnegie SUCCESS SECRET #1 The One Skill Master Getting the Appointment/Booking If there is any single skill that creates the most benefit it would be the skill of selling the booking and booking requires ENTHUSIASM!!! Getting someone to host a home party or getting the booking is the primary way you are going to make retail sales and find recruits. The actual home party or booking is the life blood of our business and mastering the process of getting the appointment is the secret that makes you or breaks you. Everything else tends to take care of itself. The very fact that you have a booking makes you accountable to the processes. You have to prepare, you have to coach the hostess, you have to practice (if you re new). Getting yourself or a new consultant the first booking is the most critical thing you can do in your business. Although it may not feel like it, this draws the best out in you and your recruits. On the flip side, if you can t get appointments then nothing else matters. You won t have the hostess to coach, you won t have potential recruits to concern yourself with, and you won t be building your team. In your attempt to get bookings you are going to find that you will make retail sales and sometimes get recruits. This is where you find a lot of overlap between the things you do to get bookings and things you do to promote your business because when advertising for recruits 21

22 you may get a booking, when talking to someone about a booking you might make a sale, when making a sale you might get a booking. SUCCESS SECRET #2 Split Your Prospects Identifying Hot, Warm, and Cold Prospects It s really simple Remember how we boiled our entire business down earlier: get sales, get recruits, get bookings? When it comes to bookings it also comes in threes. Always think of your potential party hostess list in terms of hot, warm, or cold. When it comes to bookings your goal is warm people up to the idea of having a party. Because this is a relationship business, the closer the relationship you have with someone the more likely they are to have a party. If someone is a very close friend, then they are ready to go (usually). These are the hot ones, the ones you don t have to go to extra lengths to book. This is also the place that new consultants start. They draw on their personal contacts first. Of course, the home party business would flop if we relied completely on our own circle of friends and family. Eventually we have to extend our reach and step out of our comfort zone. If someone is a friend, but not a close friend, they can be made ready to go. These are the warm prospects. They may be acquaintances from work, the gym, play groups, parent groups, schools, etc This group of people are the next to consider when booking and can be a very rich source of future bookings because if you do not know them well, then chances are you won t know any of the people they invite to their party. This gives you ample future booking opportunities. If you know someone very little or not at all, then your first goal is to warm them up to the idea of holding a home party. This is accomplished by warming them up to YOU and it is the most challenging part of the booking process. These are the cold contacts you make such as the cashier you see at the grocery store each week or the new mom you meet at the local play group. These are also the people you just hand your card to. People have to love you, like you, or at least trust you before they will hold a party for you. 22

23 Hot sources Ready to go You re going to. Warm sources Can be made hot - Would you please? Cold sources Can be made warm Would you consider? SUCCESS SECRET #3 - The Magic List of 100 From bookings your entire business will flow. Sales and recruiting are a piece of cake if you can keep booking parties. After all, sales and recruits are a natural outcome of parties so your job is to never run out of bookings. This is easily done as long as you have successful parties from which to get most of your future bookings. The ideas in Success Secret #2 are the easiest and most obvious ways to tap into hot and warm contacts. Beginning with those ideas, your next step is to add to these ideas and create a list of at least 100 names of potential party hostesses. This may seem like an overwhelming task at first, but let me reassure you it s not as hard as you think. Many women feel that they can never get a list with a 100 names on it. I m going to show you how. Remember you are in business and your potential hostess names list is your raw material. If you owned a factory you would have raw material that you work with to produce a finished product. In the home party business it is your list of names that you will use to get most of your bookings, that will produce most of your sales, and from which you will get most of your recruits. Run out of names and you go out of business. Psychologically it s also important for you to always see 100 names on your list as that will allow you to always be working your business a position of strength. You will always be seeking referrals, having parties, advertising, etc and, consequently, adding to your names list, so you ll never run low on opportunity. It amazes me however how many women do not create a list. This is unwise for more than one reason. Even if you can be successful without a written list, what about your team? Most people work best with lists, but if you are one of those people that doesn t feel like you 23

24 need a written list, then you at least need to do it to set the right example for your team. After all, not everyone may be as smart or sharp as you and everything you do has to be something others can duplicate. Your list of 100 names will be made up of hot and warm points of contact (we will discuss cold contacts further on) and your warm contacts will always out number your hot contacts. By hot I am talking about people that love you or owe you and by warm contacts I mean people that simply like you. There are several sources you from which you can draw to make your list. I recommend starting with your Christmas card list or your address book. Next move onto your neighbors, school teachers, parents of your children s friends, etc Once you hit the inevitable mental road block remember, you are NOT finished! Its tempting to feel pretty good about your list at that point but don t. Next you need to get out your Yellow Pages and spend the time to go category by category in order to jog your memory, and your list will usually double. You ll remember the person who did your taxes or the real estate agent who sold you your last home or the person that tried to sell you advertising. Whatever you do, don t disqualify anyone who comes to mind for any reason. If for whatever reason you just cannot come up with 100 names once you have sincerely completed this process make whatever number you have reached your minimum number and determine to keep at least that many names on your list using the techniques I m going to show you. If you end up at 150 or 200 names Bonus! However, ideally you should never let your list fall below 100 names. After all, maintaining 100 names is all that is required to make big money. Once you have your list of 100 names your next step is to qualify your list. You need to put a distinguishing mark (maybe in red for red hot ) by the people that love you or owe you. Identify the people on your list that you are confident will host a party for you (your hot list) immediately. Next you need to put a different identifying mark (choose another color) next to the names of the people that you feel probably like you (your warm market). 24

25 Now remember this is the same list that you will work from in order to recruit so here s how this works. If your list is 100 names strong, the pure law of averages says that: A minimum of 15 people will join your opportunity IF given a quality presentation. At least 20 who would have no problem hosting a party IF you simply asked them to help you. At least another 30 people would seriously consider hosting a party. It s your job to find out who the other 35 people are. Your job is to find out who isn t interested. I know this seems a little backwards and you re probably saying, Why am I looking for people who don t want to hold parties instead of looking for people who do? Understand that from a psychological perspective, coming at your list backwards is a much more powerful way to go about it. If you look at your business as a game of elimination, you re less focused on person rejection because that was what you were looking for. When you find it, you are able to say to yourself, Oh, I was expecting that, and I m telling you it doesn t bother you nearly as much as it will if you make a call wanting the person to say yes. Now, to maintain your list you are going to need leads from everyone. If you have a close friend or relative (hot) that for whatever reason says they cannot or will not host a party for you, don t stop there. Tell them, You can still help me. Of course, you will reward them accordingly. If you can give me 3 names and phone numbers right now, I ll give you X. Make sure your offer to them is not a discount whatever gift you are giving has to have value that they can feel and see even over the phone. It could be cash, gift card, product that they understand and can mentally see. You are going to do the same thing with your warm contacts. With cold contacts, your job is to first get them to warm before you pitch them on the idea of hosting a party, but once their warm then you can ask. We ll talk about how to warm them up later. The Best Places to Get Names To Add To Your List 25

26 People who love you, like you, or owe you. (Sizzling Hot) People that you have a strong bond or affinity with This group usually includes family and closest friends. At Every Party (Hot) Every party is filled with warm contacts and the party is the perfect environment to move them to hot. Key things to look for when taking their temperature: Guests with the largest order Guests who give you the most input Guests who tell you they work part-time Guests who stare at you during your presentation Guests who nod their head a lot Guests who talk about needing a night out Guests who bring extra guest to the party Guests who have grown kids Past hostesses (Warm) Keep a list of all past hostess and call on them no more than once very 3 months. Exchange show (Warm) Locate a competitor and offer to exchange shows. Make sure you are confident in your product and company this works great if they are newer in their business than you are in yours. Church or organization (Warm) Agree to donate a large percentage of sales or profits from a party if anyone in your church or organization would be willing to host a party. Sometimes you can post something in a newsletter or bulletin. Trade a favor (Warm) 26

27 When asked for a favor, always say I ll tell you what, I really need help too I ll watch your kids if I ll dog sit or run your kids to practice if Your husband s co-workers (Warm) Ask him to help you have him ask his co-workers whether they would mind if you called them. Past orders (Warm) Review past orders and call them when in need of bookings Trade a recipe for a booking (Warm) Every time you go to a bring a dish to pass at a potluck, reunion, etc bring recipe cards. People love to get the recipes from potlucks or other parties. Your angle is that you will have your business information printed on the back of the recipe card. Set up in a retail store (Cold/Warm) Cross marketing. If you know someone that owns a retail business, then you can set up in their store if it is appropriate. Even if you don t know the person who runs the business, if it if it is a business that compliments yours then you can still approach them and ask if they can promote your products. Offer them a commission or offer to promote their products. Receptionists (Cold) Receptionist in any waiting room is an ideal contact to make. It is easy to strike up a conversation with them. After all, they are a captive audience they don t have anywhere else to go. If you visit the office regularly, you may want to wait until you have seen the 27