If you are in the party plan or direct sales business, you may find that some hostesses prefer to collect orders from friends as an alternative to holding an actual home party.

A home party presentation is always preferable because it provides guests a multi-sensory experience with your product. However, in some instances (such as a long-distance friend or family member) a catalog party can be a viable alternative.

The following are some tried and true tips for helping your catalog hostess experience success in this alternative venue to a traditional home party.

1) Set a deadline. Keep a catalog party open for no more than about 10 days. By keeping the deadline close in, your hostess will keep it high on her priority list.

2) Coach your hostess to keep a few catalogs circulating amongst as many of her friends and co-workers as possible. This limits the amount of time that a guest has to lose track of the catalog in the scurry of life. Suggest, for example, that your hostess drops a catalog off at a friend’s house on her way to the grocery store and pick up the payment and order on the way home. That way she can quickly share the catalog with someone else.

3) Offer to mail catalogs or send your website link to long distance family and friends. Let your hostess know you usually do follow up calls to explain product to these people as well. She should make an initial call to be sure they are interested in the product before you spend money on postage.

4) Be sure your hostess knows how to complete your order forms and properly add up orders including tax and shipping.

5) Do not assume your hostess will know what to say…help her with scripts for talking to her friends. “Mary, I was thinking about you when I decided to do this catalog party. I just KNOW you’re going to love (name a specific product) because (you love to entertain, you have so many birthdays to buy for, you love to cook, you love to decorate, you are so great about playing with your kids, you take so many pictures, you care about family values…FILL IN THE BLANK based on your product!) When is a good time for me to drop by for about 5 minutes?

6) If your hostess is local, consider leaving your hostess a small sampling of product to show her friends while circulating catalogs.

7) Do a mini demonstration your products to the hostess before she begins to collect orders to build her enthusiasm and help her know what to say.

8 ) Goal set with your hostess. Find out what is on her wish list and (based on a low average customer sale for your product), help her know how many orders she will need to collect to get the items she would like for free or at a reduced price.

9) Be sure to offer your hostess the opportunity to join you in the business! Anyone who is a successful catalog hostess should absolutely positively become a consultant. After all, she is really doing YOUR job, right? Let her know that if she would like to join you as a consultant on your team, she can use this first catalog party as her own! This is a great way to get her business off to a fast start.

10) If you have a hostess who is particularly successful, ask her how she collected so many orders. This information is invaluable in training team members and in coaching your next catalog hostess!

FINALLY, once again remember that a catalog party should be booked only as frosting on the cake. DO NOT consider them to be replacements for home parties which are the real bread and butter in the direct sales/party plan business.

Dede Gruenberg is a freelance writer, trainer and business coach. She has been sharing her extensive experience in the direct sales/party plan business since 2004 working with The Success Factory. TheSuccessFactory.com is a unique resource providing specific strategies, techniques and resources to exceed in business, family and life.  http://TheSuccessFactory.com


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