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