Direct Sales and FUNdraising

I don’t know about you but as soon as it hit September 15th, I feel like my mailbox (snail mail and email) has been hit with LOTS of requests for donations.  Some from organizations near and dear to my heart while others are those spammy kind which try to pull on your heart strings.  As someone who does fundraising through my direct sales business, I tend to look at the pleas in a different way.

Fundraising can be done with monetary donations or by making a difference in the lives of others with gifts which will bring a smile to their face as they battle their struggle.

I know, you are wondering how to make fundraising work for your direct sales business right?  I actually issued this as a challenge to my team.  Find out what causes are near and dear to the hearts of your customers, pick one which is also dear to you and go for it!  What better way to get to know people then by finding out what causes they love.

So, why is fundraising a good move for your business?  Let’s start with your desire to build a team and move up in leadership.  In most DS companies, you earn income not only from your business but also from those who are on your team – bigger team = greater income.

If you want to grow your team, statistics show the more people you’re in front of, the more you will recruit. It’s a number’s game.

TIP #1:  Some of your best recruits can come as a result of being the hostess of fundraisers. Don’t forget to ask them to join your team and do their OWN fundraisers in the future! If they are raising money for a group, chances are-they know TONS of people!

TIP #2:  Make sure you funnel everyone into your customer group so they will continue to see your recruiting (and booking) posts.

TIP #3: Make sure you invite people from the Facebook Event to your team’s monthly opportunity night!  Find the one who comments a lot, who already has a lot of your product or the one every seems to ask for their opinion.

TIP #4: This is the most important as far as I am concerned! Send a “thank you” email to everyone who ordered from the party with links and graphics for booking and recruiting.

How can fundraisers help you with your bookings?  Again, the more people you’re in front of, the more bookings you’re going to get. Funnel everyone from your fundraiser into your customer group and you’ve created a breeding ground for future bookings!

TIP #1: Create a way for everyone who attends the fundraiser to help even more Tell by offering a booking incentive.  Something like, anyone who books a party (limit the dates) will also have 10% of THEIR party donated to this fundraiser/cause.   This is a great way to get your hostess booking parties for you! I also offer something to my hostess so she is pushing the bookings too.

TIP #2:  I do my events so they are linked to my public business page so everyone can SHARE the event! Maybe even do a giveaway for anyone who shares a certain post onto their personal timeline.  Create excitement.  Make it fun.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have an extra $500 to $1000 a month in baseline sales BEFORE you even enter in any your regular parties?

What are some of you best fundraising tips?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

The Party Host Challenge

The 25th of the month and for some in direct sales (me included) we are working on closing out a strong February while casually glancing at next month’s calendar.  It is the fine line we walk as we approach the end of the month to be sure we “don’t leave money on the table this month” while ensuring we have bookings next month.

One of the most challenging aspects of direct sales is finding people to host parties especially home parties.  We all know home parties are the best way to share our products.  By touching and feeling the products, guest are more likely to purchase them.  Or are you one of those consultants who get people to say yes to hosting? The struggle is getting them to team up with you so their living room is full of friends and family.  Or they cancel at the last minute because the excitement has worn off or no one is responding to their invitation. Sometimes, there isn’t much you can do but chalk it off as a bad experience. Or is there?

What if you could spark a fire in your party hosts they simply couldn’t refuse to follow through on?

Think about how you met your potential hosts – at a party, a referral from a customer, a vendor event or maybe they just clicked on your link.  The truth is most hosts fail due to a lack of trust in their consultant.   Crazy, right?

The fact a potential party host may not trust you has NOTHING to do with you.  It is usually based on a past bad experience with another direct seller.  They “assume” (you know what they say about ass-u-me?) you’re just like her.  You can be the  nicest person in the world, have the best referrals but those bad memories linger. So, how do we change it?

#1 – Educate them.  Don’t panic! I don’t mean a full length course – who has time?  Just some simple tips to help your host have a successful party. I use a cover letter like this in my hostess packet:

No matter what system you use, make sure you walk with them through every step you expect them to take. The point is to make it as easy as possible for your hosts so they feel like they can’t fail.  Remember you are a team working toward a common goal – her success! Her success = money in your pocket!

#2 – Compel Them With an Incentive.  This comes with mix emotions.  You know your potential host has an interest in your products.  So why not turn the interest into a desire in them to succeed.  Some would say the “hostess rewards” are enough, for some it will be.  We know incentives work, right?  The free and discounted hostess rewards is probably what prompted her to take the leap of faith and say yes to hosting her own party.  But why not offer her something more if she meets your expectations.  Here is one way:

Or offer an incentive for completing tasks such as: getting their guest list back to you within a week; having at least five guests at their party or for getting outside orders or bookings.  I know, you are in this to make money not spend it, right?  But the small cost will be outweighed by having a solid successful party.  The incentive can be free shipping or a less expensive item from your product line or a customer special or a favorite retired product you have in stock.  REMEMBER, your host doesn’t get the incentive until you show up for their ACTUAL party. Be sure to make it clear when you outline the incentives for them.

#3 – The Value Of Your Business Opportunity.  I will admit, I struggle with this some months. You know the ones I mean when  your calendar is empty and you need/want to book some parties?  Some advocate flipping your host before the party while I believe the party is her training ground to see how easy it is to be a consultant.  Your host is having a party for FREE and discounted product. She doesn’t see the bigger picture of what joining your company could mean for her or her family.  Plant seeds along the way.  Your guidance and a successful party may be just the encouragement they need to give what you do a try.  Offer to turn their party into a kickoff party and give them all the bookings you get if they say yes to starting their business.

#4 – Offer Assistance.  This one should be a no-brainer.  You want to make it super easy for your potential host to do her job.  You can help her by offering to call her guests to ensure attendance, send out the invitations for her, and offer to arrive early to help her set up which will also help to calm her nerves and build a relationship with them.  Make sure you stay in touch often before her party to give her support, answer questions, and remind her of what her next step is.

Will these tips guarantee success 100% of the time?  No, but it will definitely help to establish the trust factor.  The combination of trust and a growing relationship will decrease your cancellations and lead to more successful parties.

Are there things you do for your hosts to help them succeed? Share them with us in the comments below.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

The Canvas Crew Carry All

Happy Saturday!  I am headed back to ETTM‘s 360 Power of Connection conference.  Yesterday was full of so much information and connecting that I can’t wait to get started today.

I wanted to share with you another AWESOME Thirty One product – the Canvas Crew Carry All.  In August of this year, Thirty One offered yet another incentive.  If we, as members of Leadership made our personal and team volumes, they will send us one of these for FREE with our name and title on it.  I mean who doesn’t want custom made bag, right?  If you are wondering, yes we did it!  Despite the slow pace of August, we made it happen.  I thought the bag was going to be really big and I wasn’t going to want to use it.  Then there was that crazy thought “you can’t use white in winter”.  Okay, I can’t be the only one who has heard that and even lived by the un-written rule for most of my life, right?

This is one of Thirty One’s newest bags.  It is 17″H x 17″W x 4″D with an interior zipper pocket and one flat pocket.   Since the straps have large lobster claws on them, I have seen some even change the straps – connecting them to make a cross body.  Of course, this short person would look silly doing that but some can carry it off.  Rumor has it that it will be part of a new collection coming to Thirty One (maybe in the Spring or Summer).

I actually used it for a few weeks as a purse and I loved it.  Of course, I am tempted to carry everything in it but it is a nice alternative to my retro metro bag.  Big enough to use for a small run to the grocery store and yet not too big that you couldn’t use it as a tote/ purse to carry every day.

Off to spend the day with some AMAZING women… Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

#hopews31