WAHM Forums

I am trying to get my business up and running. So far my family has been luke warm and my friends have already had parties in the recent months. I do have one promising lead.


Should I do a booking incentive? I already do a $25 dollar incentive and bump it up to $50 if they have a show $500 or over. But I was thinking of an extra incentive for bookings in October and November. I was going to do a raffle for another $50 for a host to book in those months. I will pass out flyers to mygym and around the neighborhood.


What do you think?

Ann Marie,


First of all I would have to ask you.... is the $25already above your current Hostess booking specials your company may offer? If so you may need you weight out the "cost" of getting a booking.


What I would really suggest is making yourself a list of 100 people that you just "know" it may be your childrens teachers, your hairdresser, the cashier you alway go to at the grocery store.. ect..


Then I would sit down and start from the top as this will most likely be the people closest to you because they were first in you mind. Ask Them if they would like to earn so free products! Remind them of the upcoming holiday season.. and that with the current price of gas... their friends may welcome a " one stop x-mas shop" to help them get the start on the holiday season! If they say NO to the party then ask for a refferal. I know easier said then done... but quite honestly I have been selling for my company for 3 and a half years and each time I get in a " booking rut" I pull out this list and "Have at it" till I have achieved the # of parties I feel I needed to book. It has always worked for me in the past.


Good luck and let us know how things turn out!

I would be very careful in how much you give away. I would stick with my companies hostess program and promote the heck out of it and any specials that they do for you.


You want your customers coming to you for your fun parties, information and creativity, not becuase youpersuaded them with free stuff. You want to hook them on your product line, not goodies because you want them to book with you each time a new catalog comes out, not coz they know they will get freebies off of you.


Cathy gave you an awesome tool that really does work. You can do it!


Chris

I am with Home Interiors and Gifts. The Unit Director is my unit's sister unit came up with the idea of the "You Plus Two" program. Some people do not particularly care for the booking gifts that are listed in the books. I know I didn't always like what was offered.Here is how "you plus two" works: The hostess books and holds the party and two others book and hold the party and the hostess can pick something in the $20.00 range. This is still only costing me what it would have costed for a level 3 thank you gift. It was also suggested that you pick an item at $50.00 and offer it for $10.00, a $60.00 for $20.00, etc. - for the "you plus two." This is great and people will book. Home Interiors has a table top candle holder with three candles in it. We light the first candle for the hostess having her party and invite the guests to light the other two candles. If the hostess gets all three candles lit, she gets the candle holder. I did that for the first time last week and got two bookings from it.


Rachel

If I'm having a booking slump, I might offer a small gift if they book that night and actually hold the party (they get the gift at their party). I find they prefer a gift rather than cash. The gift is usually cheaper than cash for me, too. I usually will give something like a 4oz. lotion. Sometimes, to boost sales and encourage attendance, I'll offer the hostess a full-size product (lotion or her favorite product) if she has at least a certain number of attendees. A lot of hostesses seem to invite more people, and ensure that they attend if she knows she's getting something for free.