As anyone involved in direct sales can tell you, the secret to having a great party is to have a happy hostess that is super motivated to get people to her party and encourage them to buy products while they are there. This rings true whether you are holding a party at the hostess’s home or taking advantage of holding the party online. If you are holding the party online for your hostess here are some tips for keeping her happy and excited about her party.

Get her Excited
The first thing you should do is get your hostess excited about all the free and discounted products that she can receive by having a fantastic party. Help her become enthusiastic by showing her all the great items that she will get. She will be thrilled to do what she can to have a great party. Get her so enthusiastic that it is communicated to all the people she will invite. The added bonus is getting her friends excited about having their own party as well.

Extra Incentives
Offer your online hostess an extra incentive. Is there a particular piece of jewelry that she is just in love with? Perhaps a set of candles or maybe a bath and body set has caught her eye? Set a goal for her to have a certain amount of guests invited to the online party by a set date. Or you could challenge her to have a set dollar amount of sales made before her party. Offer the hostess the item that she wants if, and when, she meets your challenge. Give her an added incentive to perform.

Train your Hostess
Make sure she knows all the ways to ensure her guests attend her party. (Reminding them before the event, personally touching base with them, advertising, etc.) A printout or checklist can really help you here.

Games and Fun
Plan some super simple games and giveaways during your hostess’s online party. People love to have a chance to win something for free and if they need to make a purchase to enter a drawing all the better for your hostess. Everyone will have fun playing the games that you have set up and your hostess will have a blast racking up sales to put toward getting free items.

The Internet is a fantastic resource for finding more ideas that will make for a wonderfully fun party for your hostess and will create a profitable party for yourself.

Robert Paul Williams is the Editor of Work At Home Business Website. Come Browse Our Free Article Library. Stay Informed with the Latest Home Business Opportunity News, Success Tips & Strategies.

An online party is also known as a vendor fair or online expo. Online parties can be very beneficial to your business whether you have a business of your own, or if you are in direct sales (selling for another company, such as Avon, Watkins, etc.). Online parties are most popular in the WAHM (Work At Home Mom) circles of the internet, however there are other places to find online parties to sell your products as well.

At an online party, you pay for a time slot (usually either a half hour or a full hour) to advertise to the other party visitors. You get the full time slot to say whatever you would like to about your business, your products, and anything else you would like to tell them. Online parties are held in chat rooms, usually either php-based (which means any browser can use it), or Java based (which means you need to have the ability to run Java applets on your computer). During the party, which usually lasts all day, other vendors who have signed up for spots, as well as people they have invited will generally be in the chat room as well.

It is important that if you do sign up for an online party, that you promote your time slot to customers, and other people on Yahoo Groups, message boards, and newsletters. The more people you can get to come to your party, the better!

Once you have signed up, and paid for your time slot, you simply need to show up at that particular time and give a presentation on your company that you signed up to represent. Start by introducing yourself to whoever else is in the chat room, give a little information about your company, and be sure to include a link to the website address of your company. Then go into a little further detail. Let the others know about specials, discounts, coupons, or products you especially like. Tell them why they would enjoy your products and what makes your products special. Remember that this is an interactive chat room, so you may be asked questions about your company or your products. In fact, you should encourage people to ask questions if they have them, as the more people are involved, the more likely they are to buy from you!

At some online parties, you may be expected to play an online game to give away a prize. Each online party is different, so you will need to ask or read about the requirements for any games before you sign up. If you are expected to run an online game, it is very easy to do, and will help people to get more involved. There are many different types of “games” you can play, but I will go over a couple of the most common used to give you an idea of how they are done. One of the most common types of online party games is the word scramble. You will need a piece of paper and pen to keep track of scores. Make a list of 10 words that have to do with your business, then scramble up the letters of each word. Announce to the chat room what the game is, how it is played, the rules, and of course, the prize. Give out each scrambled word (one at a time), and the first person to enter the correct unscrambled answer gets a point. The person with the most points after you give the entire ten words wins the prize! You can also do a trivia game, and ask people trivia questions about your products after giving them the URL to your website, such as: “How much is a single votive candle?” The first person to answer correctly would then get a point, and the person with the most points at the end of the game would win.

Prizes given away at online parties are usually only small prizes, around $5 or $10 value. Again, be sure to confirm what is expected at the party before signing up.

At the end of the party, about 5 minutes before your time slot is up, you will want to ask again if anyone has any questions, then thank everyone for listening and being at your presentation, and let them know how to contact you if they decide to place an order later.

All in all, online parties are easy to do, relatively cheap to sign up for, and a good way to show off your business to others. Some online party groups are better than others though, so do your research before committing to purchasing a time slot. The best way to see what a particular party site is like is to visit the presentations of others on that site. Simply enter the chat room, and watch how others do it! You can generally get a good feel for the results you would get by watching that chat room and seeing how many people show up, what the participation is like, and what the general “feel” is like.

Stephanie Davies is a 27 year old Missourian with a loving husband and an 8 year old son. She currently owns her own business, Mystickal Incense & More, and sells handmade candles, incense, bath & body products and more at http://www.mystickalincense.com

Online parties are quickly becoming the better alternative to the traditional “In Home Party”. Online parties can be more accommodating for the company rep and the hostess for various reasons. There’s no driving to another persons home, getting the snacks ready, loading and unloading all your products, cleaning your house and best of all no dressing up!

So many times I’ve heard the questions, “How do I have and online party?” “What do you do at an online party?” or the ever popular “What kind of games do I play?” Hopefully this article will answer some of the burning questions out there. The following are just a few ideas of things that can happen. Things may have to be altered depending on where the party is and rules that may be applied there. For example some places may require you to have a hostess and some places don’t require this allowing the reps to do the parties themselves. So, please take in all considerations and apply changes as needed.

First decide if you will be finding a hostess or doing the party yourself. If you decide that you do want a hostess then let everyone you know that you are now in business for yourself and what you do. Be sure to let them now that you have parties online and are always looking for hostesses. Friends and family are often your best start. Another idea is to find a rep from another company and set up to exchange parties. You agree to be a hostess for them and in return they hostess a party for you. Some email groups and discussion forums allow you to request hostesses.

Please be sure to follow all rules and regulations for these boards and don’t spam. If all else fails and you can’t find another hostess, mystery hostess parties are always a great option. Mystery hostess parties can put a unique twist on the entire party itself piquing the interest of your guests. Basically, the idea behind this is that there is no “official hostess” until the end of the party. Once the party is over, take the names of all the guests and randomly pick one guest to be the “Mystery Hostess” and they receive the hostess rewards.

What are hostess rewards? Hostess rewards are used to entice people to be a hostess. First thing you should give them is a free gift. This is just a small token of thanks for having the party to begin with. Always be sure to announce at the party what the free gift and other rewards are. This may help with getting other guests interested in becoming a hostess at a later party. Other ideas for hostess rewards can include a gift certificate, percentage of sales in free products and free products for a certain amount of sales made. Gift certificates make excellent rewards because the hostess can choose what they want.

Games are always important and bring a lot of fun to your online parties. How many games to play generally depends on the amount of time allotted for your party. I personally recommend two games. The games played don’t always have to be about your products or business. If you do opt for a game that is just for fun and not for the business I recommend that you play one that is and one that isn’t. The ideas for games can be endless and sometimes just needs a little imagination. It is a little more difficult to play some of the traditional games online but with a little thought put into it can be just as fun.

Next thing to think about would be invitations and announcing your online party. There a few things that you want to make sure you include on your invites. Make sure you have the business that you are having the party for and a brief description of the products that you carry. You may also consider listing the games, prizes, and specials if any. Make sure you list the date, time and a clickable link to the party room. Keeping in mind that guests may be coming from all over the country you may consider making a list of the different time zones. This helps void off any confusion right from the beginning. “Leaving the party open” for maybe an additional day might be a good idea for those guests that cannot make it to the party but, would like to “cash in” on party specials.

If you go for this option, make note in your invitations for alternative ordering information. For example, you may want them to email you their order. Invitations should be sent out a few days prior to the party and maybe send out reminders an hour or so before the start of the party. You can create invitations for free at Evite.com

Announcing your party should be done basically in the same procedure. You can either announce your party in free or paid advertising. Purchasing solo ads in ezines with your target guests in mind is an excellent idea too. Some discussion forums and email groups allow you to announce your party too. Once again keeping in mind the “rules and regulations” to each of these groups.

Some groups even have special days that you can advertise your online parties. Check out your groups to see if these days are available.

The following are some tips and ideas to help keep things flowing nicely at the party. First you want to show up a little early. You want to make sure you are there before the guests. Don’t start the party right away. Be sure to allow a little extra time for some guests that might be running a little late and gives a little time for some general chit-chat. Make sure you greet each guest as they arrive. Once you feel confident that most of the guests have arrived, give a short description about yourself, your business and thank everyone for coming.

Next you will want to announce your specials for the party and give them the URL to your website. If you have any “special ordering info” you may want to let guests know this. Give your guests a few moments to browse around your site and ask any questions that they may have. After guests have had sufficient amount of time to browse, let them know that you will be playing a game shortly. You may want to tell them a little about the game especially if it has to do with things found on your website. After a few moments you will want to start the game, making sure that all the guests are “still with you” and not looking over your site. After the first game allow a few more moments for general chit chat and questions about your site or products. Announce the next game and repeat the steps above. Guests will probably be leaving at different times. Be sure to thank each of them as they leave, hope they had a good time and ask them if they’d like to be added to a guest list for future parties.

Hopefully this article will help you become more comfortable about having an online party. No matter how much information you get from this article or any other source online, it’s still not as good as being there yourself. The best way to learn about online parties is to attend a few yourself. This will allow you to see the whole picture.

Article contributed by:
Anita DeFrank

NOTE:  Keep an eye out on the Sales MOMS Network.  We will be adding our Online Party Rooms back to our featured services in the upcoming months!

There are many ways to make money with a home party plan business. Spending gas money to go to multiple parties can be avoided. Online parties are a great way to save time and earn more money. Many consultants are hesitant to plan multiple parties due to the time constraints and commute involved. Here are some tips on holding an online party.

Party Plan Online Works – Many home party consultants are looking for flexible options in their direct sales careers. Working has been redefined with the invention of the internet. Having home internet access brings customers to any computer with online capabilities. Online parties are an easy way to have multiple opportunities to make consistent sales without leaving home.

An online party starts in much the same way as traditional parties that take place in someone’s home. Coaching the hostess to plan the party properly is important. Instead of sending out handwritten or printed invitations, invitations are sent by email. Reminder emails are sent 24 hours prior to the start of the party.
Live web conferences are a great tool to allow visitors to clearly see and hear the presentation. There are affordable web conference services available at less than $20 per month. If the current budget is low, consider having the online party with free online chat and voice services.

Check the webcam or laptop camera before the party starts. Always acknowledge all guests that are in attendance. Try to act naturally when doing the party online. Remember to ask for orders clearly and do not hesitate to ask for an upsell. This could be by purchasing an additional item at a discount if a certain dollar amount purchase is made. Ask each person in attendance if they would like to host a party. Briefly mention the benefits of being a hostess. Follow up with all party attendees to ensure they received their merchandise. Emails that are collected can be used in the future for marketing purposes.

Expanding a home party plan business always involves marketing by doing something new. Completing sales opportunities online is a great way to hold parties around the world, and branch out beyond the local community.

Consultants who use every opportunity to available to them to market their business using creative party plan techniques will have a consistent income from home. For More Information visit: www.CreateACashFlowShow.com

By: Kara Kelso

I know most of us have held our own online party, been to one, or at least read about them. Many of the materials online are general, and the average online party (for individuals) has around 5-10 guests at the most. Maybe more, maybe less, depending on several factors. But really for those that do not belong to party groups, and are holding their first party the attendance is going to be very low.

After some thought, I realized the way we are holding these parties is wrong. In a previous article we talked about stepping out of the wahm zone, and searching for your specific customers. When looking for guests for your online party, it should be no different. Instead of mass submitting party invites to wahm groups, let’s take a step back and see what should be done FIRST.

1. BUILD a newsletter – Before you have your next party or even start to plan it, set up a newsletter. This is something you should have already for your business, no matter if it’s an informational newsletter or one that lists your specials – you NEED a list of potential customers. If you haven’t started to build one, start now! I could go into detail as to HOW, but newsletters are an entirely different subject of their own.

2. USE your newsletter list – No I don’t mean take advantage of them, but I do mean send your party notices to your list. Your list is the most important, targeted sources of free advertisement you have!

3. Give good REASONS to attend – Simply saying "online party – join us" isn’t enough. Not even saying "games and prizes" is enough anymore. Get creative and have a good reason for having your party. Such as announcing a new product not released yet, giving away free items (be specific in your email!), or featuring a specific type of product on your website. Informational chats are good as well, such as one that explains what a certain non-familiar product is.

4. Make a SCHEDULE – If you have monthly parties introducing or featuring specific products, the attendance is going to be better than if you just have them at random. Weekly is the best for repeat guests, but you also do not want to burn your guests out offering them the same products. Monthly would work best, since it’s not as often but still creates that habit. Make sure you have it on the same day every month (such as the 1st, 10th, 15th…something easy to remember).

Don’t forget to get creative with your parties! With so many offering online parties today, you really need to make yourself stand out. Granted if you do follow the first two steps, you WILL have a much better response since instead of just other wahms you will have a targeted group that may not be familiar with online parties. Even still, there is always room for improvement.

Good luck with your next online party!

About the Authors: Kara Kelso & Anita DeFrank are two busy wahms, and the owners of Direct Sales Helpers. Learn how you can be successful in your company by visiting: http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

Direct sales is a fantastic business for some people to get into. Notice I said ‘some’ and not all because this business isn’t a good fit for everyone.

But with the right training and preparation the success rate could be much higher. There are numerous reasons why so many promising superstars fail but first… the most obvious is this:

The warm market approach isn’t sustainable and here’s why:

Traditionally, direct sales has relied on consultants to sell to their friends and family through the home party plan format.

Basically you invite your friends, family, and neighbors i.e. your warm market list to your first product launch. The goal is to sell products and sponsor anyone at the party who might be interested in joining the business with you and get additional bookings.

This strategy has worked for the direct sales industry since the Tupperware and Amway days but times have changed. There are thousands of opportunities today. And with most people online to search for products and buy products there’s a lot more competition.

With that said, selling directly to consumers is a powerful way to move products. Think of Costco food demos or your grocery stores. We’re more likely to buy if we can sample and try the product in person.

The problem is – it’s challenging for direct sellers to consistently get people to attend their home parties. The warm market strategy works to some degree because your friends and family are supportive and want to help but you can’t rely on them to sustain your business.

Without leads, your business will cease to exist, especially if you have the type of business that is non-consumable i.e. home décor, jewelry, collectible items that people aren’t likely to buy on a recurring basis.

Let’s be honest here, when the good times were rolling, people were more likely to splurge but with the economy still shaky, people are cutting back. When gas prices are over $3 a gallon people are going to drive less and spend money on the necessities such as food and groceries.

That’s not to say people aren’t buying because we love to buy but the masses have become more selective on what they’re buying. There are bargains abound with retail slashing prices everywhere you go.

As a direct seller, you need to compete online, offline, with other direct sellers, and business owners. As I said, the competition is fierce but not entirely doom if…

You learn the right marketing skills. So if you’ve made it this far in my article it’s not all doom and gloom.

Hopefully the point I’m trying to make is this… there are thousands of direct sales opportunities to choose from. Do your research and think hard about the product need in the marketplace. And price points.

If it takes you the same amount of time and resources to promote a $10 product versus a $50 product earning the same 30% commission… it might be wiser to consider the higher point item.

Regardless of the type of business you choose understand that marketing and the right kind is what keeps your business growing.

Without marketing, your business will die.

So there’s nothing wrong with selling to your warm market but it only works to a degree. In today’s competitive online and offline competition, you will need to learn not only online marketing skills but incorporate as many marketing strategies as possible to build your business.

*To learn how you can start marketing your direct sales business using online marketing to generate leads get my FREE Report that tells you what you’ll need to know. Start marketing your direct sales business the RIGHT way.

*To learn how you can start generating leads, tips and techniques to start your business go to http://www.marketingdirectsales.com and get instant access to my FREE ebook that will show you how to attract prospects the RIGHT way.