Increasing My Party Average

[kitchen queen]

Hello everyone!

I am in need of some help and guidance.

I would like to work on increasing my show sales average so I can work smarter not harder.

My current show average is $448. (This includes a couple of catalog shows.)

I know one of the main keys is host coaching...and I can definately tell a difference when I really work with a host well, but what else can I do to get my sales average up....I would really like more ideas on how to shoot for a $1000 show, too.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dawnsclassycupboard]

My summertime show average has been way low but I think that is to be expected this time of year.

Here are a couple of things that I do that do seem to help.


Before I send out my host packet I take a highlighter to the show planner. The first thing I highlight is the sales level box. I use a bright color (yellow or orange) and start at the $500.00 level then go up. I do not highlight anything below $500.00 because this is not where I want their eyes to focus. (When I first started doing it, I started at $400.00 but once I saw that it was working I set the bar a little higher)

I am starting with my shows this month to mail my invitations for my hosts. I have never done this before but I think the results will be well worth the effort. (I'll let you know how it goes)

Another thing that I put new in my packets this month is the host coupons. (I don't have a file to attach because someone gave me them all printed but I know that I have seen them posted here. Do a search for "coupon" and I am sure you will find it)

The best thing that I noticed that I did was use the "bring a friend or an outside order and get a gift" stickers on my invites. I have run out now and have noticed a significant decrease in attendance since then. I would open the pack of invites (but leave them in the plastic) and put the stickers on myself beofre I gave them to the host. This way I was sure that everyone had gotten one. The reason that I left them in the plastic was because I stuck a Importance of 40 invites flyer in there that they could not avoid. This also had lots of highlighter on it so that they would read it. I will be doing this again when I send out invites for them. A lot of them would bring a friend or an outside order to give to the host.

The last thing that I can think of is to not let one person out of your show without making sure they know about the monthly special... especially when it is a "spend $50, get _________ free" My guests LOVE that !!! I have several complaints the last few months that this has not been the special and the people that are complaining are not spending the $50 either! If they know they will get something free then they will spend the $$$$ and get products they will never regret buying!!!

I LOVE these special!!!PC makes our job way too easy when they give us stuff like this!

 

[amya]

We have a lady in our cluster who has had 10 $1000 show since the beginning of the year. She did a presentation at our meeting two months ago to fill us in on what she has been doing differently and she has started doing everything Dawn said above. She also said that she made a commitment to herself to that this was the year to boost her business. At last month's meeting we celebrated her promotion to director. I have started trying to do all of this as well, hoping for some $1000 shows and maybe a promotion.

 

[PamperedGinger]

One of the things that helps with $1000 shows is getting those outside orders. I've done several things getting those outside orders. One thing that was VERY SUCCESSFUL was to offer free products for every 5 outside orders. I would give $5 in free products for every 5 outside orders. I have also done it where I give $5 for every $100 in outside orders. People will do all kinds of things for FREE stuff.

The other thing you can do is to show higher priced items in your demos. People tend to buy what they see.

 

[janel kelly]

I have yet to do a $1,000 show either but am really trying to use more "strategies" to help my sales. Here are a couple of flyers that kind of relate to what everyone has said already.

 

[PampMomof3]

I have yet to do a $1,000 show either but am really trying to use more "strategies" to help my sales. Here are a couple of flyers that kind of relate to what everyone has said already.

Those flyers are great!! The 40 flyer, what do you do with it? I mean, I know that you give the person $5 if they have it filled out but do you do the address labels for them or what exactly do you do with it?

I have had 2 $1000 shows (one was $1076 the other was $1547) and just got out of my SS period. I had 2 shows scheduled this month but one canceled so I'm doing my best to get another show after I get back from Conference. Any suggestions?

 

[kitchenqueen]

Outside orders

I bet after conference you will be filled with ideas on how to get more bookings!! You'll have to fill in the ones who can't make it (like me )!!

I have almost had a $1000 show. It ended up closing at $904. What got us up there were those outside orders!! They really do add up quick!

 

[PampMomof3]

That's awesome!! My $1547 show had 19 outside orders!! She really did great!!

 

[janel kelly]

I haven't actually used the $5 for 40 people flyer myself. In the earlier posts on this thread a couple people mentioned they want to start sending the host's invitations out themelves. I figured you could use the flyer: have the host fill it completely out, you send invitations to everyone who is one the flyer, and the host gets an extra $5 in free stuff. That way you know for sure there are 40 invitations being sent out. I personally like to have my hosts give out invitations because I don't want to pay for postage but if I notice problems with attendance being way low this is always a possibility.

 

[Deborah Czarnecki]

last minute shopping

One of the great ideas I got from my recruter who went to conference, is to use your time while you're totaling up your guest sales to do last minute shopping or cross selling. For example, if they've ordered a Food Chopper, you can say "You might want to get one of our polyethelyne cutting boards as well, because they won't dull the blades of your food chopper or any of your other knives..."
Why do you think stores put impulse buys at the counter? If you're already spending SOME money, you don't mind adding a little MORE right? This method of boosting sales does require a really good memory for cross-selling products (in fact, for myself, I'm going to go through my top-selling items and come up with a sales suggestion for maybe ten of them)
D.C.

 

[Dennis]

Increased Sales

Dawn

Thanks for the great tip about highlighting the show total. I've just mailed out some packets. I really believe that works.


Dennis
Miami

 

[kitchenqueen]

About how much is it to mail out 40 invitations? Can't be too much. I think it would be worth it, especially if you see a higher attendance and show average. I've been having my hosts mail out and pass out invitations and I really don't know for sure when or even if the guests recieved their invitations . I am definitely going to start mailing out invitations for my hosts. It's one less thing they will have to do and I will know for sure that they were sent out in time to everyone!

 

[DZmom]

Postage

If postage is the same as a letter then it would 0.37*40. Which is $14.80. I never realized it's that much.

 

[cookinthehouse]

Postage

well if you use post card stamp which is .23 x 40 = $9.20 that is not bad if you are shooting for a 1000.00 show Just depends on your goals and what you are willing to put into your business... i have done both host send out and i send out... attendance is higher when i send out.

 

[kitchenqueen]

I'd pay the $9.20 if it meant higher attendance. It is a write off and I can see how it would pay off!

 

[kitchen queen]

i think i'll try it

I think I will try mailing out the invitations for my hosts in August & see if that makes a difference.

Thanks for the great tips!

 

[rwesterpchef]

Sending out invites for Hosts

Yes, sending out invites for your host is #1, and additional responsibility...and #2, an additional expense...OR IS IT?:

How many of you have mailed out hostess packets, only to have the host call and cancel her show, or reschedule? Not only is that an unneccessary expense, but often too late to fill the show date - thus lost opportunity to make money that day. If you meet with your host to give her a host packet and pick-up her list of 40 names/addresses/phone numbers, you do it 3 weeks or so before the show. You sending out $9 in invitations takes time, (that we nor our hostess really wants to do) but YOU know how many invitations are sent out, YOU know when the invitations are sent out, YOU are in control. Therefore, odds are less that the hostess will cancel her show. That is worth the $9.

I was against the 'more work for me' idea, but have been swayed since. I still encourage the hostess to send e-vites also. Receiving evite, postcard, and phone call is a sure-fire way to improve attendance.

 

[Chef Kearns]

Isn't Conference Great

I took a workshop with Steve Wiltshire over the winter and the tips he suggests have been invaluable to my business.

At first you want to resist what he is saying, but if you try it you'll see the pay-off. Steve Wiltshire was our signature speaker at Conference this year and his big thing is Person-to-Person Host Coaching. He suggests meeting your host(ess) at a Starbucks or something, but I like to meet them in their home because it is a comfortable setting for them and it gives me a chance to see their home (what I'll be working with).

 

[PamperedByJulie]

labels for postcards

Yes, sending out invites for your host is #1, and additional responsibility...and #2, an additional expense...OR IS IT?:

I was against the 'more work for me' idea, but have been swayed since. I still encourage the hostess to send e-vites also. Receiving evite, postcard, and phone call is a sure-fire way to improve attendance.

To make life easier on the hosts, I've bought clear labels and print a sheet of labels for each host to stick on the invites before they are mailed. This saves the hosts a ton of time because all they have to do is address them. For hosts who book at a show, I mail the labels since they already have their invites. To show the hosts what to do, I open the package and stick one label on the first invite. There's 30 labels and 40 invites, but it's not too much to have the hosts fill out the last ten.

Also, I have a website, so I highly encourage the hosts to send e-invites. That also benefits me because then I can go into the website and see the invited guests e-mail addresses to add to my newsletter. I've only been doing this for a few months and I send my newsletter to over 100 people already.