Is your direct sales business in a bit of a slump? Is your account about to be closed? Or perhaps you’re restarting after a pause? Or maybe you’re going for a big hairy goal?
Then you’ve come to the right place: I’ve got 7 ways to boost your party plan biz without posting desperate pleas on Facebook (“Please order something from me before my account gets closed…”) and without annoying family and friends (“Mum….can you host another party for me….please…“).
Of course you could also use these ideas to level up your thriving business and expand into new circles, pick up some more orders, and generally turbo-charge your direct selling business.
I recommend you use several of these ideas at the same time because not all these ideas will work for all of you. It’s a bit like fishing, you’ll have to try different baits and lures and see what you’ll catch in your local pond.
7 ideas to turbo-charge your direct sales business without annoying your friends and family
1.) Market, Fete, or Event
Check what’s happening in your local area. Are there any markets or fetes you can book a site at to promote your business? This can be a great way to spread the word about what you offer and pick up new bookings.
2.) Letterbox Drops
Do a letter box drop in your local area. Create a special promotion for party bookings or orders and staple a bright flyer to your catalog. When you’re planning your letterbox drop, consider the ‘rule’ that it’s better to target the same house three times than to deliver as many catalogs as you can because people need to see something more than once before they take action.
For example, if you can afford 60 catalogs or flyers, deliver them to the same 20 houses over a ten day period rather than to 60 houses. Apparently, the first time creates awareness, the second time people see your flyer they might have an intention to act but the third time they see it they’ll act. I’ve definitely achieved better results following this method but overall my results from letterbox drops have been mixed. Sometimes it’s worked well and other times I had no phone calls at all.
3.) Posters
In most neighborhoods you can find some place to put up a poster to advertise your business. I use posters with tear-off tabs with my contact details. Put at least 5 posters in different locations such as your local library, university, café, laundromat, supermarket, lunch rooms at large offices, community notice boards, etc. Don’t forget to check back and replace posters if needed. This is a great low-effort method.
4.) Party Swap
Arrange a party swap with a consultant or distributor from another party plan. This of course means you’ll be hosting a party for another company and they’ll be hosting a party for you. It’s a fun way to get a booking as you’ll have an evening of fun with your friends and you’ll have a chance to watch another consultant at work and see if you can pick up some ideas from them.
Consultants make great party hosts because they understand how it all works and how to make it fun and successful. They are often eager to help a sister out too!
5.) Neighborhood Catch Up/Get to Know You
Host your own party at your house for your neighbors. If you don’t know your neighbors that well, you can make it a ‘get to know you’ party or if you’re more familiar with them it can be a ‘catch up’ party. Make it fun, casual with plenty of time to chat.
6.) Email Newsletter
Start gathering customer email addresses to send them updates. You can let them know about sales and special offers, new catalogs, new party themes, and new products.
You can use a free email service like Mailchimp to create beautiful emails and you’ll also be able to see who opens their emails and who doesn’t. It might be a small percentage of people that take action from the emails, but as your list grows you’ll pick up some orders, bookings, and maybe even new team members. Remember, don’t send emails without permission, you don’t want to be a spammer.
7.) Business Box
If you have some spare products or testers that are just gathering dust at home, put them together in a nice box or basket and drop it at a business in your local area. Make sure to include some catalogs, order forms, and host offers for parties. It’s a good idea to have a special gift or incentive to bribe someone to be ‘in charge’ of the box at the business (eg. the receptionist). Leave the box at the business for a few days and then retrieve your box or basket and any orders.
What would you add to this list? Have you been in a bit of a slump or on pause and had to restart? What did you do?
Bonus Idea: Train Your Brain for Success
Positive Prime is an amazing app with new technology based on the latest research in neuroscience and positive psychology. The app is a bit like Netflix for your brain meets a vision board on steroids! If you want to turbo-charge your motivation, creativity and drive, then check out Positive Prime to help you do that. You can read more about it here.
