In Direct Sales, everything comes back to your sales average. Your individual order average, your show average, they both are key determinants in your success. If your average show is $300, you’ll have a harder time persuading someone to join your team that the consultant who cranks out $1000 shows. Your show results determine whether or not the guests think you’re successful. If they don’t think you’re successful, they’re not joining your team. Period.

Hosts want you to have a successful show for several reasons:

• It makes them look good to their friends.
• They get to have a fun time with their friends.
• They get more free stuff.

Yes, it is in that order. Whether they’ll tell you or not, hosting a party means they’re the “cool friend” for the moment. So naturally, they want their party to be outstanding. They want lots of people in attendance, because even if the party’s a flop, people will talk about how many other people will there. They want guests to spend lots of money because it means they’ll be able to brag about having a “successful” party – and everyone wants to have a successful party. When hosts feel successful, they’re having a great time – and so are their guests. Even the crabbiest of guests will stay out of the way when things are going well at a party.

Notice that “more free stuff” is at the bottom of the list. And yet, we as consultants harp on all the free goodies that our hosts receive. Playing to our sense of greed only works in certain situations, and can often turn off a potential host from booking a show. The current trend isn’t about showing off our stuff, but rather our hearts, and our generosity. This is a wave that ebbs and flows through the years. It’s a trend that if you’re not paying attention can actually do serious damage to your business.

Here are 5 tips to help coach your host to higher show sales:

Check the temperature. Listen to what she’s saying about parties she’s hosted in the past. Why does she host parties? Is it for fun, for free stuff, or to look good to her friends? Make note, and be sure to express to her how having a party will accomplish her most important goal, whichever one it is.

Verify the objectives. At your first session, and at each contact point along the way, reinforce in her mind your booking objectives. I recommend securing 1 booking before the show, as well as 5 outside orders, and 30-40 invited guests. You’ll need to calculate objectives based on your averages and the desired outcome of the party.

Reward the results. I offer small bonus gifts for each objective my hosts accomplish before the start of the party. The more valuable the objective, the more valuable the gift. If a host brings me 3 bookings before the start of the show, her reward will be greater than someone that brings just one. A booking bonus will be more valuable than 30 invitations. Decide in your business how you will reward your hosts. After all, they are the reason you stay in business.

Build up the host. Your host is the guest of honor in her own home. Treat her like a goddess. connect with her throughout the coaching process. At the show, be more than friendly. Be helpful. Ask her questions, build a friendship with her, and she will continue to refer business to you long after the party is over. Treat her like she is doing you the biggest favor in the world – because in a way she is.

Learn to let go. This goes hand-in-hand with number 4. While she is your source of income, she is not the only fish in the sea. Learn to walk the line between building her up, and letting her walk all over you. Don’t give her special considerations or relent on a prize that she didn’t earn. Be firm about your objectives and hold her accountable to them. Be gracious, be grateful, but don’t be a doormat.

Learning to set the stage for success takes practice. Once you embrace the real value of your hostess, you’ll be able to see how you’re building a temporary business partnership with her. Take time to get to know them, hold them accountable, and you’ll see more success in your direct sales business.

Lisa Robbin Young offers direct sales coaching and training to direct sales professionals looking to grow their business like a real business instead of an expensive hobby. Sign up for her free weekly ezine at http://www.homepartysolution.com.

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

I think one of the most frequently asked questions about home parties is, “How can I find hostesses?”

My suggestion is to host the first party yourself. Invite your friends, relatives and neighbors. When I’ve hosted parties, I can easily come up with fifty people to invite. Not all fifty are available to come but if even half come, I end up with twenty-five people at the party.

Quite often, you’ll find one or two people from your own party that are willing to host their own party for you.  Once this system runs dry, there are other ways to find party hostesses that are strangers to you right now:

1. Approach women in businesses and offer to do a lunch time party for them. You’ll bring the lunch if they’ll allow you to show them your products.

2. Ask your co-workers and even previous co-workers if they’d like to host a party for you.

3. Ask your children’s school or teacher if you can do a party for the teachers/staff during their lunch time. If you can’t, perhaps one of the teachers will host a home party for you.

4. Do you belong to a church or synagogue? If so, post a notice asking for hostesses for your home parties. If they have a website or news bulletin, inquire about placing an ad seeking hostesses.

5. I’ve been told that hostesses have been found by randomly mailing people out of the local phone book and sharing with them via your mailing the free products they can receive for hosting a party.

6. Ask your current customers if they’d like to host a party. If they don’t want to host a home party, perhaps they’ll host a catalog party for you.

7. Set up a booth at a local fair or bazaar and have a form available with the hostess information and ask those who stop by your booth if they’d like to host a party.

8. Attend fairs and bazaars and discreetly offer party information to those whose booths you visit. You just may find a hostess out of someone who sells something non-competing.

9. Place an ad on Craigslist or other classified services asking for party hostesses. Please read the rules of the site you’re visiting and make sure your ad follows the site’s guidelines and rules.

10. Speak with a few non profits in town. Ask if they’d like to hold a party as a fundraiser and then help them raise money for their organization.

As you can see, the ideas are endless on ways to find hostesses if you want to have home parties.

Audrey Okaneko has been in direct sales since 1983. You can read more of her articles at http://mydirectsales.com or you can Become a Tupperware Consultant

Bookings! The life blood of the direct sales industry. Everyone knows when you’re out of bookings, you’re out of business.

Party plan consultants everywhere are looking for the magic words, the best booking games and the right combination of products to entice the guests at the demonstration to book.

Recently, at the beginning of a one-on-one coaching session with a consultant, I was asked for more booking ideas. I was a bit frustrated as I had, in the previous call, provided her with several sound ideas. I asked her about the results she had in using one, and she replied, she hadn’t used it because she was afraid she wouldn’t remember all of it. I asked her about another, and she hadn’t used that one either because she was afraid they wouldn’t like her selection. The third idea I’d given her wasn’t attempted either and, again, because she was afraid she’d forget something.

So I asked her what type of ideas she was looking for and her response was, “A simple, easy game that will guarantee me bookings.”

The theme here is not the “magic” words to say or the “guaranteed game.” Those things don’t exist! The theme here was this consultant’s fear. So I asked her what she was afraid of, and her response was typical: “I don’t want to look like a fool.”

What is the number one reason why they book? To have fun!

Now I may sound like I’m changing the subject here, but I’m really not. Have you ever gone to a professional play? Didn’t the actors appear to be confident in what they were doing? Yet, at the same time the actors could go with the flow when a prop didn’t work correctly or someone forgot a line.

The other thing actors do is, they are “up” for each performance. They make you believe, at least for a little while, that this really is a sweltering courthouse in the south, and he really is Atticus Finch. They make you believe these are the streets of London, and she is Eliza Dolittle. It truly is amazing how the audience is swept away in a performance.

How do they do that? They practice! They practice and practice until every mark on the stage and every facial expression is second nature to them.

Did you enjoy the play? Did you have fun? Did you tell others about it? Did you enjoy it so much you wanted to see it again?

Isn’t that exactly the response we want from our audience? We want them to enjoy themselves and have fun. We want them to tell others about us – by booking. We want them to see it again – by the hostess rebooking. Yet most consultants recreate the wheel every time they do a “performance.” They walk into the hostess’s home and have no real idea what they’re going to say and do. They wing it at each presentation. No wonder they’re afraid! No wonder they lack confidence! No wonder they hem and haw. No wonder they don’t get bookings.

The confident consultant is the one who knows what she’s going to say and can go with the flow of the audience. She has practiced. Her confidence allows her to relax and enjoy herself. That allows her audience to relax and enjoy themselves. What happens when the audience is having fun? They book!

Practice your presentation until it is second nature to you. Once you know exactly what you are going to say you can start to analyze your presentation, tweak it, and make it better and better. The better it becomes the more your audience will enjoy themselves and the more bookings you’ll have.

Ruth Fuersten is the author of HOW TO BOOK, SELL, AND RECRUIT YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS, a step-by-step recipe for success in direct sales. Ruth has 12+ years in direct sales. She earned many incentives including international vacations. Ruth’s top show was $5,956 and she moved into management in 3 months. You can receive Ruth’s free newsletter by going to her web site. Purchase her book or have Ruth speak at your next event by going now to http://www.booksellrecruit.com

Just for a moment I want you to think about all the time, energy, and money you invest into getting a new customer. As an example, think of one particular guest you met at your last home show.

In order to meet that guest, you had to first meet the hostess, and you might have even met her at a previous show. You had to ask that hostess to book a show, you had to overcome any of her objections to booking a party of her own, you had to coach her and sell her on the idea of getting other people to come. You had to pack up your car with your products. If you have a family, you might have needed to cook dinner ahead of time or hire a babysitter. Even if you did not have to cook or hire a babysitter, your spouse might have ordered dinner out (I know mine would!). Then you had to drive to a place you have never been before (your hostess’ home). You had to set up your products. And then, after all that, you got to meet the guest I just told you to think of.

WOW! See what I mean about all the time, energy, and money you have to invest to meet a guest at a home show? It is hardly insignificant.

I do not say all this to DIScourage you but rather to ENcourage you to place real value on each guest, even if that guest only buys a $12.95 item. What happens to us in the direct sales business is that we know how much energy we invested into getting that hostess to book and hold a show, so we think that putting time and energy into a guest that only purchases a lousy 12 bucks is a waste of time. We figure she only purchased to fulfill an obligation to the hostess.

I am now going to share with you a little known marketing secret that will convince you to look at all your customers differently from now on. Here it is:

A two-time buyer is twice as likely to buy as a one-time buyer.

Not excited yet? That is because you do not yet understand what I just communicated. But hang on because I am going to explain.

When you are at a home show, it is only natural to think that the key is getting the guests and the hostess to buy from you. That is true. But that is where most consultants drop the ball. Once they get that first sale, they start judging whether or not a customer is “worth” a follow-up call. And this is when the gal that spent $12.95 gets crossed off the list!

AH! If you have ever done that (admit it, you have), it is because you did not yet know that a two-time buyer is twice as likely to buy as a one-time buyer. You see, when you follow-up with the gal who purchased only $12.95, there is actually a good chance she will order from you again. And here is where you cash in – if she places an order with you when you call, she will now be twice as likely to purchase from you AGAIN, compared to someone that has only purchased once (that includes a guest that purchased over $200). In other words, the real value of a customer is proved after the second sale!

That is why the real sale begins after the customer says, “Yes.” Even someone that first only purchased a $12 item can become a customer that purchases from you again and again and again. It is not the first sale that matters. It is that second sale. Once a customer purchases twice from you, it is twice as likely that she will purchase with you again.

If you have had your direct sales business for awhile, you can take a moment to reflect and you will realize how true this is – think of those customers that place an order every season, or those hostesses that you count on every season to host a show. All of them have purchased more than once and now they are twice as likely to buy again.

Consider this. If you are not staying in touch with your past customers, they can still buy your product again, but from another consultant in your company. If your past customers buy for the second time, but from another consultant, they will be twice as likely to buy again, but you will not stand to benefit from that, if you fail to stay in touch with them.

Now remember how much time, energy, and money you invest into meeting a guest at a home show? The key is to keep investing in follow-up. Once you connect again with each of your customers, you will have the opportunity to work on the real sale that counts – the sale that converts a customer into a loyal customer.

Want to know the secret to not having to always work so hard? I just told you. Instead of always working to get new prospects, nurture the customers you have, and discover the amazing stream of income you can generate from customers that are twice as likely to buy from you again as those who are not!

Tammy Stanley directs The Sales Refinery, a sales training firm that assists direct sales consultants generate more business through powerful marketing, selling, and leadership strategies. Get her FREE report, “3 Simple Secrets to Building an Empire in Direct Sales” at http://www.tammystanley.com

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.