What Kind of a Hostess Are You?
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Perspective....

We tell our hostesses all the things that we know will get them a really great show total, but when you have a show for whichever other company, what kind of hostess are you? And do you consider how it reflects on your business?

I recently had a guest at a show invite the other guests to a PC (you know kitchen stuff) party. I have no problem with that. Then she booked a party off of that show with me and invited me as well to her other show. When I got there, I found out that this was her starter show with PC and she did a great job. So I figured, she is starting a business of her own, and I'd like a few things from the catalog, I'll book a show for her, no prob!

It turned out that her candle party was dated before my kitchen show. Because she ended up with some conflicts, she changed it to a book show and I ended up sending it in on someone else's show. She had gotten 3 orders, one of them was her own. She got a single item with her 15%.

My kitchen show was 2 weeks later. Because PL was on the ball, she had already gotten, and was almost out the candles she had ordered and was discussing with me needing more. Meanwhile I had been working for my kitchen stuff. I invited about 40 people, I had 12 yes RSVPs the night before and 4 showed up. One person brought a guest, and the guest invited someone else. I got about $400 in sales from the 6 people at the party. We closed my show one week later and my sales were over a thousand. Why? Because I did what we all tell our hostesses to do. If they said they couldn't come before the show, I showed them the catalog and got an order. If they didn't show, I took them the catalog and got an order. I turned in 19 outside orders, simply because I did what I ask my hostesses to do.

Now, keep in mind that I was given basically the same advice as we give to our hostesses, so it isn't as if she didn't know how to have a good show. Between my hostess coaching her and her hostess coaching me, we were on the phone to each other at least twice a week. Now (she told me the other day) she feels bad that she did so poorly on her candle party, since I worked so hard at hers, and gave her a show to brag about. She intends to do another show in the fall, and will probably work harder at it, but what must she have been thinking before she came to my house? Did she figure that since I got such a poor show from her, she'd probably be wasting her time coming?
Did she dread that I would not have put any effort into it, since she put none into hers?

What kind of Hostess are YOU? And how does it affect your business? Have you invited friends to a party at your house who know you sell candles, and had 2 people show and no outside orders? Do you think your friends don't notice? Do you think they are as interested in being a hostess for you, when you make hostessing and getting hostess product, look so hard or unprofitable?

And while you're thinking about that...what kind of guest are you also? Do you RSVP? Do you go when you say you'll be there? Do you just order something little and never book for YOUR hostess? Do you look at the catalog and order something if you can't go? Do you go to the shows that book off of yours and do you order something there? How is your life reflecting on your business?

As an aside, PC does their hostess program entirely differently than what we're used to. You earn points for different things, including levels of sales, half-price items at sales levels, and a discount on any other items you order off your own show. I earned a huge amount of points, that I got 4 expensive items free with, 3 half-priced items (actually combinations of items), and a 30% discount, along with the monthly special package for sales levels with 2 more expensive items in it free. All told, I earned and purchased a retail value of more than $800 worth of product and I paid less than $180 dollars for it! HOODY HOO!!! I got almost everything in the catalog that I wanted, but left several things to order from the shows that booked from me (I had 4 bookings).

Have YOU even BEEN a hostess for something lately? We keep telling our friends and new acquaintances how easy it is to have shows. But do WE ever have any, (besides candles I mean)? Do a show for something else you're interested in and show everyone how a hostess is supposed to do it! And keep in mind how what you do and say as a hostess can reflect on your own business. And don't forget to ask your consultant to compare programs with her (For example PC pays 20% on sales, and gives 20% discounts to consultants. They don't get a "raise" or any special sales bonus until they
have sold a total of $15,000 in career sales, and then it's only 3%. Don't you just LOVE PL!!!). You never know if she might decide that our program is worth trying out.

Loren Devine, Dream Big

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This page last updated July 06, 2005