The goal of virtually every Party Plan consultant would be to fill their calendars. In the end, the best place to market your products and book more parties are at a party. But getting those dates filled is only the very first step. They just count if they hold.
The best maxim for this case is “the best defense is a good offense.” And in the event of Party Plan businesses, it’s all in the hostess coaching cancelled TV shows. Hostesses find a variety of reasons to cancel. Some are, of course, legitimate. In those cases, she probably will reschedule. However, many just aren’t. I believe the most unreasonable one I’ve ever received was the “I’ve company arriving, and I’ve a doctor’s appointment (lucky her to obtain a doctor’s appointment on a Friday night!).” It would be better to never hear the lame excuses, so how do we prevent them? Why do hostesses cancel? Let’s look at three different reasons hostesses cancel and what we could do about them.
1. She procrastinated sending out invitations.
Although she may never admit it, your hostess will most likely cancel if she has not sent out invitations. It is simpler not to have you appear then to just have a couple of people there. This is really one of many easier situations to avoid. Many companies train their consultants to distribute invitations for their hostess. This is a superb service for the hostess and a good marketing tool for you. In the event that you don’t already, offer to distribute invitations as an easy way to save your hostess time and money (the cost of stamps). You can accomplish several things simply for the price of stamps by doing this. First, you understand the invitations were sent. Second, you are able to increase her party attendance. Have the hostess to produce her last minute calls by telling her that you numbered five of the invitations. If she finds the people with the numbered invitations, she’ll receive a prize at the party. Third, you are able to follow-up with all the individuals who didn’t attend and possibly boost your party sales or bookings. Usually only 25% to 50% of invited guests actually attend. In the event that you don’t have the guest list, you’ve missed out on reaching half her guests.
2. She’s no further excited concerning the party.
Hostesses can loose their enthusiasm for the party for several reasons. Regardless of life just getting in the way, you can find usually two significant reasons for this. First, the party is simply booked too far out. The more time in between her party and the one she attended, the more likely she would be to forget why she booked it in the very first place. It is usually a good guideline to book your parties a maximum of three to six weeks out. Keep them close to help keep them booked. The next reason she looses her interest is because you are not excited. One of the biggest complaints hostesses have about their party reps is that they were not contacted enough. Of course, when you’re on the rep’s end of the phone, it will often feel like you’re pestering them. But in this case, less isn’t more. Keeping touching your hostess does not signify you’ve to call them. Be creative about keeping in touch. Aim to contact her four times before her party date. Send her a thank you note for booking the party (with your business card on a magnet so she doesn’t loose your contact info). Email her to look for the guest list. Call her to let her know the invitations were sent out. Send her a postcard reminding her of the date and time. Call her the week of her party to remind her to produce her last minute phone calls. This scenario is especially important when you have to book the parties farther out. People appreciate good customer service. And the more contact you’ve with her, the greater chance you’ll have of catching a scheduling problem early.
3. She doesn’t respect you as a business.
Although it’s blunt, it’s the truth. Unfortunately, many people view Party Plan businesses as a hobby. It isn’t an actual job. You simply do it to get free or discounted products. Because they think this way, they don’t view it as being any real problem to cancel on you. This dilemma can be difficult to tackle because it takes you to change your perspective on your business. First, make sure you treat your business as a business. Nobody can respect you, in the event that you don’t respect yourself. Along the exact same lines, you must think highly of yourself and everything you have to offer. And (hardest of all) you can’t often be available. Oh, I know. Easy for me personally to say. But look at the psychology behind the statement “you always want everything you can’t have.” If you’re always available, bending over backwards to meet up the wants of your clients’ schedules, how can they possibly respect you. If she knows that she can cancel this weekend’s party and you’ll have another weekend available for her, what is her incentive to help keep her party on the initial date? You simply cannot act desperate irrespective of just how many dates you don’t have on the books.
The crazy thing is, the more in demand you look like, the more in demand you’ll be. Whenever a hostess is able to book her party, offer her a selection of several of the next dates you wish to fill. If she suggests as well as demands another thing, simply let her know that date isn’t available. You don’t have to explain why. Then, to show so just how busy you are, you are able to offer to see if one of your co-workers has that date available. (Can you hear her gasping? Who have you ever heard of a consultant giving away parties?) Most hostesses may wish to book with the rep they know, so they’ll pick one of your dates. If not, this is a superb way to help new recruits fill their calendars. You still benefit from the party. But if you are so booked that you will offer to provide away an event, you will be more attractive as a rep. Everyone will want you to do their shows. They’ll also help you as more successful and will be more enthusiastic about joining your team. And soon, you is going to be as busy as you claim to be.
Cancellations are somewhat inevitable in the direct sales business. These steps can help you to minimize your cancellations, to help you better build an income you are able to depend on. Please email me along with your success stories!