Maximizing Sales: The Benefits of Leaving Parties Open for a Week

[pampered1224]

How many of you insist on closing your parties within a few days of the party and why? Just wondering because again, I have proved that my way works for me. 7 days later. I had a party on Friday, Jan. 14th. I told the host we would close this weekend. She grabbed a couple of catalogs and order forms. I left with $515 in sales. On Tuesday she was at $637. By Thursday she was $820. today she is at $1062. I have to say that I gain commission in about 90% of cases where I leave the party open a week. Or in some cases, if the party is like the last weekend of a consultant promo month, I close in close and let it ride as a catalog party another a week. Love this one. A host, July 30th this year. Closed that day at $505. Can not remember what we consultants got but I wanted it and my host was willing. She actually had a second full fledged cooking party on August 8th. It closed at $540. I had a May party, not an HWC fundraiser party. We left it open a week. She ended up with so much in sales that she did a wonderful thing. I left with $410 in sales the night of her party. By the end of the week, she was at $1195. she kept the $410 and gave me the $785 to do as a fundraiser! I personally have no idea why you all close so close. Am I missing something?

 

[SPAMSTIME]

Most of my parties are Friday or Saturday nights and I always give them till the following Friday to close. I always tell them where they are that night and try to get them to the next level or 2. It usually works :thumbup:

 

[wadesgirl]

The majority of my hosts who close within 2-3 days of their party will collect more orders than those who want to hold out a week. I normally suggest 2-3 days but I leave it up to them. Some want to wait until payday, some want to wait until they see friends at church on Sunday or Wednesday. But those that hold it open for a week hardly ever get any more orders.

 

[byrd1956]

most of my shows don't get any more when I give more time, but my last Monday show is turning out great...over $800 maybe when we can finally close she will be 100 farther. I can only hope....

 

[MLinAZ]

It's been my experience that hosts DON'T get more orders after the show, although I did have one show that just kept growing too. What I find is that most hosts have people who say they will order but then never do. Maybe they said it just to be nice, maybe they did intend to but then just decide not to, I don't know, but if they are holding it open for people who said they would I suggest they nail them down in the next 2-3 days and if they don't then we'll close.

The other reason I don't is because I don't want all the customers who DID order before the show or at the show to have to wait another week for their products. I personally got burned by a consultant who NEVER submitted my show so I really try to submit shows quickly so noone is ever feeling uncomfortable with with me having their payment but not receiving their order in a timely manner.

If your hosts are increasing their sales the way you say they are then I wouldn't change what you're doing!

 

[babywings76]

Most of my shows are held on Fridays & Saturdays, so I always give them till the Monday or Tuesday. But sometimes they need to wait till the Wed or Thursday if there's people they need to follow up with that they don't see till then. Or they have to wait till a pay day hits. In those cases my hosts usually end up adding an extra $100 or so to their shows. So I don't mind keeping it open (unless there was a time sensitive promotion going on.)What I find happens is that some people ignore my host coaching and don't tell everyone they know. Or they got too busy and weren't able to mention it to certain people. At the party, they have fun and their wish list grows so then they are more motivated afterwards to round up more orders. Sometimes I have had hosts that hold out for a specific friend to get back to them. Then it turns out they don't end up ordering anything and it was a waste of time. So what I try to explain to hosts before I leave their house is that they need to contact those friends ASAP and give them a deadline. And I recommend they tell their friends one day sooner than we are hoping to close, to just give the host a little wiggle room in case her friends again didn't take the time to make their final decisions.But I really try hard to have it closed by the end of the next week. Any longer, unless there's a really good reason, usually is just a waste of time and I won't do it (well, I really strongly discourage it). I let the hosts know that it just means that their friends' items are going to take longer to arrive and they might be anxious for their things.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I close my shows within 3 days, unless the host asks for more time. Most of them just assume the 3 day closing time, because it's written on their host packet, we talk about it when host coaching, and it's also on their show online as the closing date. If you've prepared them for this date from the beginning, then there's no issues with closing. I can't have shows hanging around open...I'm too busy for that, and it messes with my schedule. I've been known to forget about closing a show if the host keeps it open too long!

I do occasionally have shows that will remain open. I had a show from earlier this month that had $650 in sales...she closed 8 days later with $1100 in sales. She emailed or called with orders every day, and continually wanted to know where she was at with sales. (She's gonna sign as a consultant, but is having a baby Monday...so wanted to wait until after that! )
HOWEVER, I have a show that's been open for three weeks, and I cannot get her to close. Her show - had $70 in sales when I left, got another online order the day after for $40, and I added an order to it...so she's at $146 in sales now....still not able to close, and I don't think she's really even tried to get more orders. She just keeps hoping someone else will randomly, out of the blue, ask to place an order, I think.

 

[dme.grant]

I always leave mine open for a few days. Mostly, because when I was a customer for so long, I really appreciated when my consultant let me have a few extra days for those out of town orders.
I also do a little something else as well. If my host can collect an additional 5 orders after the show night, then I give her a little something (usually like a mini-serving spatula or a mini measure-all cup) extra. So far that's been an average of $150 more on their orders.

 

[pampered1224]

I was wondering as I still use the 5-15-5 rule. 5 orders before, 15 guests with orders and 5 after. I rarely get the 5 before though even though I do a bribe! I also tell everyone at the party that will be closing the following Saturday. This way if they want to help by taking catalogs they know there is time. It also tells them that there will be a one week delay in my sending the orders in. So all the time tables are covered. In fact, two orders of this $1000 + party came from a lady who attended the party and wanted to show her mom and sister. It brought in an extra $130 in orders. So I guess it is all a matter of what feels right to you. I can honestly say too that the majority of the extra orders on this party came on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The end of that week. It gave Jeri time to give out catalogs and get them back with orders on Monday and Tuesday. So...Cool! Thanks for the thoughts on this.

 

[Nanisu]

I hate giving them more than a couple of days because then I get a LOT of "oh, I'mgoingto take it home and look at it (or have my husband/mother/sister/third-cousin-on-my-mother's-side-twice-removed look at it). And of course they never do.

 

[Sheila]

Because of the extended shipping times to overseas military bases, I encourage my hosts to close 2-3 days after a show. There's no point in making the ones who ordered in a timely manner wait any longer than they have to. Normal shipping times are around 4 weeks. Some get super lucky and get it in 2.5 weeks. From mid Nov-Mid Jan the shipping time is more like 8-9 weeks. Adding a full week to that is just more frustrating for the ones who ordered before or at the show.

ETA: I also only schedule shows around the military paydays. If I wait too long into the pay period, people will forget that they ordered & their cards will start getting declined. I have a short window of opportunity with the military crowd to get the highest sales & all the credit cards approved. That's another factor in WHEN we close. 2-3 days of a payday!

 

[raebates]

I really don't insist, though I do strongly suggest that shows close within a few days. I've had shows that, for one reason or another, I closed a little over a week later, but that's rare. I tell them that in my experience there's very little difference between 3 days and 3 weeks as far as the amount of outside orders. Plus, the people who attended your party are anxious to get their products, so we don't want to make them wait any longer than possible. As I said, there are exceptions. One of the exceptions was a Saturday party that we closed 10 days later. The host was going to be visiting the church that her father pastors and her sister attends. That particular sister was getting married in a few months, and the host knew what was on her wish list. She had already shared the wish list with the ladies of the church and would be collecting orders that next Sunday. Her $500 - $600 show wound up being a $1,700+ show, and that was during an extra-free-product month. She cleaned up!

 

[mountainmama74]

I shoot for 4 days to 1 week. With the weather lately, we've been leaning more towards 1 week - I've had two shows turn into catalog shows because of snow. And another that we had, but it was snowing (a dusting when I got there, and 1.5 inches when I left - that turned into a 5" storm over night) so not as many people came - so she's collecting orders for a week. I don't like to keep it open more than a week!!

 

[abigailhutch]

I usually keep mine open a few days - Monday or Tues shows, I close on Friday...Later week shows I close on Monday....and if its a Sat show, I shoot for Wednesday! It just seems to work for me. I don't want to keep them open forever but I want to give them enough time to get paid, or get a few orders.....Guess it just depends on my mood! hehe! At the retreat I went to, alot of them said they close 24 to 48 hours after the show, but I just don't see people in my little town getting things accomplished that quickly! We run on "fishing time" here!

 

[pampered1224]

See I make sure EVERYONE knows at the party that their orders will NOT be placed until the following week. Also, I make the host say it. I simply ask my host, in front of everyone, when they would like to close. They usually say in a week. I also make sure that everyone knows that the host is going to contact other people who could not make it in that time period and that we are hoping to get the host enough sales to get what he or she wants. It makes the guests know they are helping the host reach a goal by being patient. So the expectation of getting it in two weeks is already set. I also host coach each host to contact everyone who did not make it as I mention again during the show. This also gives everyone a chance to take a catalog home to show someone else to help the host even more. Like the one guest who got two orders to help Jeri with $130 in orders. And my hosts do make those calls afterward. So the expectation is set by me and through the host for a 7 day open period. Oh sure, I have closed shows within days but only because my hosts got the orders they were expecting at the show and knew they could get the rest just a few days later. No problem. I do have to ask, do you ever wonder if a host would try harder to get more orders if they knew they had more than a few days to do it? Just wondering. I ask because I have one host who books at least once a year. When I was working a deadline she booked late in the month and I asked if she could close in about 3 days. She said sure. For the first time she had no orders to add after her party. She told me that she could not do it in that short of a time period it just seemed to well, pressured! Normally she will add a little over $150 in orders on average. She could not get time to make those calls.

 

[raebates]

Sounds to me like she'd probably made up her mind not to try. Once we get something in our heads (i.e. it takes a week to get extra orders), it's hard to change it. I do make sure to set a closing date with the host before the show and announce it at least a couple of times during the show. I also sent a follow-up email reminding people they have until ___________ to add to their order or add a friend's order.

 

[lt1jane]

I work full time and usually work about 2 evenings a week. My hosts and guests know I have a full-time job. I cannot close in 2-3 days because of my work schedule. I'm with John, they know because I make a point of saying it at the party that the show will be submitted a week later.

I also do not cash checks until I submit the order. Until I have a problem with rubber checks I will continue to do this. I went to another DS sales party once where the checks were all cashed before the show closed. To make matters worse, the host had a devll of a time getting ahold of the consultant to close the show. She had to call their corporate offices before the consultant called her back. To me, it is rude to have your money in the bank before I place the order. Cash is not deposited until the show closes either. I figure credit cards wait until we close the show, we should extend that courtesy to cash and check customers too, until it becomes a problem.

 

[pampered1224]

Well it is done. Two weeks but $1195 in commissionable sales. every guest has been notified as well. I pick up the remaining checks tomorrow. I do not hold checks and my guests know that too. I would but I have been burned too many times and with this tight circumstance, the rest will be in the bank before 5 p.m. tomorrow. Only $900 plus worth including the hosts. The best part, my host got $1378 in products and paid only $536.36 for a savings of $841.64! Boy is she thrilled!

 

[kittychef]

Wow John! That's awesome!! I've had a HORRIBLE month between the snow and in Alabama that means everything shuts down!! And me having back surgery I've had shows cancelled and reshceduled. I did do 2 shows. One after good host coaching, and I do follow the 5-15-5 rule was a dud of a show. She didn't even have anough to make it a show. Ugh! So the show was on the 17th and we're supposed to close tomorrow, well I've talked to some of her friends and they know she doesn't have the orders. We'll see tomorrow. And my 2nd show, I keep motivating the hostess? She had no one ordered from her show! NO ONE!! I've never had that happened before. So I'm praying that by the 31st she has something. I usually close shows in 4 days mainly because I always have orders before the show and I don't want those customers to wait too long. But after the month I've had I might change LOL