Coaching Hosts Re:guest Lists (Without Mailing Invitations)

[cheflorraine]

If you don't mail invitations for your hosts (and thus don't have an actual reason to ask them to send you their guest lists), how do you go about coaching them specifically about the size of their lists?
I verbally suggest, and include this in my host pkg, to invite 40 people (and I've included the 5 in 50 sheet, but not all the time).
But how do you know if your host is actually inviting that many people??
I haven't really felt comfortable asking so specifically... but I just did a show on Thursday where there were only 3 people there, and orders came to only $80 (hopefully the host will be able to gather enough outside orders from some people that couldn't come to make it a show!!).
So now I don't know how many people the host actually invited (she also didn't use the evites on my PWS, so I can't track the number there).

Any suggestions for more assertive ways of host coaching??

 

[raebates]

The best thing to do is use the host coaching calls templates from the HO as a guide. The exact wording doesn't work for me, but it's a great place to start. Also, be sure to remind your hosts that the postcards aren't the most important thing. The key is to invite everyone. I tell them to call, text, IM, FB, whatever.

 

[cheflorraine]

So you don't necessarily feel the need to ask your host how many people they have on the guest list?

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

I usually tell them that if they invite 40, 20 will RSVp but only 4 will show up. I explain that life happens and people can overschedule themselves so it's important they invite many and important that the crowd be from different groups.

I also ask how many have RSVP'd? When they give the number, I say...Great! Now who else do you think you'll invite? At that point is when I tell them the numbers breakdown again!

HTH

 

[letmepamperu13]

I do send invites but there are those on my team that don't and what I coach them to do is still request a guest list from their host to "secure their date". If they don't have the guest list by a specific date then rebook the date.
As far as for coaching for the 40, as soon as they book their show I ask: "Do you want me to show you how to have an uber-successful show?" Of course they say "yes!" I tell them that in order to have a successful party we need to invite AT LEAST 40 people since that will insure that 12-15 will show. Then I ask, "are you a social bird and this will be absolutely no problem to do or are you having heart palpations and wondering if you even know half that many?" If they are the latter then I pull out my 40 guests in 4 minutes flyer (aka List of 100) and take time and we go through each category together as they write down names. Works like a charm!
You gotta be pro-active if you don't want surprises at your show (and by surprises I mean "Surprise! we have 1 person at the party!" EEK!
I also dangle the carrot that if when they give me a list of 40 names I will provide the ingredients for the recipe for free (if they don't hit 40 then they reimburse me $12).