WAHM Tips

Here is a great tip shared at my local Direct Sales Women networking group by Karen Pavone from Once Upon a Family as a great way to keep your business going in the summer or any time things are ’slow’ or you need to take a break from “real” home parties.

Send an Evite to all your past customers, hostesses, friends and family, inviting them to participate in the challege. Give it a name like the Family Fireworks Challenge or the Hot August Hostess Challenge.

The challenge is to find 10 people who can collect just $100 in orders by a certain date, say 2weeks out. $100 in orders for most companies is only 2 or 3 orders at most in addition to the ‘hostess’ order. Explain in your Evite that you understand how busy life gets this time of year, so this isn’t an invitation to host a show but it is an invitation to win a lot of free product!
When the 10 orders for $100+ each are collected, you will then raffle off the hostess rewards! For every $100 turned in, they get one drawing entry (many will bring in more than $100!). Then draw 1st, 2nd and 3rd or more prizes according to your company’s rewards.

For example, in my Story Time Felts business, for a $1000 party, I’d be able to give away $170 in Free Felt plus one item at Half Price, one Hostess Exclusive Product, and as many $15 Booking Certificates as we’d earn if future parties are booked.

So I might have 1st prize be $100 to spend, 2nd prize $70 to spend, 3rd prize is 1 half priced item, 4th is the hostess Exclusive, and 5th is the Booking Certificates (This is assuming some of those 10 people decide to schedule a future home party in the next 3 months.)

Then to sweeten the deal whether they win or not, you can offer the ‘hostesses’ the opportunity to buy one or any of your additional product for themselves at your cost, or a deep discount, once they’ve collected the $100, or 1 at-cost item for every $100 they turn in. This way they are rewarded no matter what the outcome.

Once you get the people who say YES they will participate, get them a catalog and order forms and keep it simple for them to turn them in by the due date. If you don’t get 10 people, you can still do the combined rewards, but adjust the totals given away.

I recommend only giving the hostesses one catalog, that way they need to show people in person. You can also loan them a product to show, or give them some samples along with the order forms. Be sure to include information about your “real” home parties so their friends are enticed to schedule one of those when their lives get settled, maybe closer to the holidays when people will be in the shopping mode!
Have fun, and good luck!

Independent Story Time Felts Consultant
Executive National Director