Cancellation to Bookings

Today is the last day of Ready Set Sell for Thirty One Consultants.  What’s that, right?  It is an AMAZING opportunity that Thirty One gives its consultants to earn up to $550 in FREE product that will be in the NEW Spring Catalog for just doing what they love – offering solutions at a Girl’s Night Out.

This is also the time of year when consultants have an increased number of cancellations.  Everyone is on board booking a parties then Thanksgiving hits.  All of a sudden the little snowball of things to do before Christmas starts to roll down hill getting bigger until it turns into a massive mountain of things to do.  The result, your hostess is too overwhelmed to worry about hosting a Girl’s Night Out.  I am sure that I am not alone but the way that we handle it will definitely make a difference in you January business.

Imagine this:  Your hostess calls you at 9:30AM on the day of her party.  You just talked to her the day before and feel confident about tonight’s party.  You know that the call can only mean one thing, she is going to cancel.  You dread picking up the phone.  Your mind is racing on what you can say to save this party.  You need it – to pay a bill or to earn an incentive.  BREATHE and answer the call in your usual bright and cheery voice.

“I don’t have enough people coming to the party tonight!” your hostess says.  “Everyone is canceling or can’t make it.  Maybe we should reschedule?”

UGH!! Your day is planned.  You’ve juggled everything to do this party AND you need it.  So, what are YOU going to do to save this booking TONIGHT?

You could say something like, “Oh, I’ve already organized other appointments around your party for today and it really is too late to cancel at such late notice.  Tell me who IS able to come so far?” This would be so far out of my comfort zone but sometimes that is where we need to be.

She responds with: “Just my mom, a couple friends and my next-door neighbor,” she says.  “You have 4 people coming?????” You ask, in a slightly excited way.  “Yeah,” she sighs.

Here is your response: “4 people is a great start!  I’ve done heaps of parties with only 3 or 4 people there and it’s quite often a fun, casual get-together.  You have a couple of options, it’s up to you, here’s what you could do.  I’m going to be in the area tonight anyway, so why don’t we still have the party even if it’s just 2 or 3 people, you’ll still get your free gift as a thank you for being my hostess and if you wish you can then re-book to have another party where the others can come and you get to choose ANOTHER free gift again PLUS you’ll receive a credit voucher to spend at your next party as your booking reward!  So, is it OK if I still come over tonight and we’ll just have a little get-together?”

What do you think?  Would it work?  Or better yet, could you see yourself saying this?  I probably wouldn’t use the same words but I can honestly say that I have done parties with only 2 or 3 people.   The results were not bad.  I am sure that the hostess would have preferred to cancel but by giving her several options, she usually decides to go through with the party.

By the end of the night (in this scene), these were the results:

• 5 guests
• $150 PROFIT
• 3 new Bookings!!!

It would have been easy to say “Okay, let’s re-book” and chances are the hostess would cancel again.  So, why not try this? What have you got to lose?

Stepping outside of our comfort zone, being confident in what we do and say as well as focusing on the benefits for the hostess will get us the results that we want in most situations.

When I first started, I used to say “let’s re-book” but now, I do everything I can to save the booking.

Funny how we get a little more brave every step of the way, don’t we? So, the next time someone wants to cancel, give this a try.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

#partywithHope, #HelpingOthersPursueExcellence, #thirtyone, #cancellationtobookings