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How to Get Bookings from A - Z!
Apartments: Check with owners of apartments complexes to see if you can get some exposure with tenants. Many complexes have clubhouses where flyers can be posted. Also, ask if they have tenant newsletters that you can advertise in. Complexes that are locally owned might trade advertising for your product. Ask if you can use the clubhouse to set up a product display. Hold a “mystery hostess” event with the tenants.
-Get to know the managers. Ask for an ongoing list of people moving in and out. For those moving in, you can offer an apartment-warming demonstration. The people moving out might be moving to their first home, and may really need your product (when you move to a new home don’t you want everything new?) Both of these groups would be great recruit prospects.
Auto Repair Shops: Have you been to one lately? Usually the magazines in the waiting room are targeted only to men. What about something for women as well (especially those who love to shop from catalogs like yours!) Of course, you will want men to shop too. Ask the owner of the shop for permission to set up a display easel to put your catalogs in, then go a step further: put a box with tear pad for prospects to write their name, address, phone numbers, and areas of interest. These can be printed inexpensively at your local printer. Offer a monthly drawing for a product gift certificate. If the owner needs an incentive, offer some of your product as a thank you for allowing you to use this space. If you don’t want to put up a display easel, at least leave a trail of catalogs or other literature.
Banks: You’ll be visiting the bank often when you the ideas from these tips. You’ll be making bigger and more frequent deposits. Get to know all the people at all the branches of your bank. Every time you make a deposit let the teller know what the check(s) are for. Let him/her know what you did to earn the deposit, how much fun you had, how much time it took. “ I earned this $300 check in two hour’s time by teaching two others people how to do my job. Now I have two new friends and the opportunity to earn bigger profits.” Believe me she/he will be very curious! In fact, this is one of the best ways to get leads for recruiting! After all, they are seeing the checks and the money you are making—they’ll want to know how they can share in the wealth.
-Drive Through. When you’re in a hurry and must drive through to do your banking, be sure to give the teller a gift of your sales literature. This is a TWIST on what most people do; they ask the tellers for suckers for the kids. The tellers will remember you because you gave them something very valuable.
Beauty Salons/Barber shops: This is another place where people normally have to wait, either for an appointment or while sitting under the dryer. Have some sales and recruiting information, and a catalog available for them to look at.
Bills: Enclose a Two A Day brochure or party mailer with your check when paying bills. Who opens the mail, usually women. When we get our bills we have to look at our statements and check the material – let them look thru your promotions! Include a special promotional flyer.
Bingo: In many parts of the country, people flock to Bingos and spend a lot of money playing the game. Do a TWIST on this and have them come to see your products and play bingo-at no cost to them. You can purchase Bingo supplies at party outlet stores. For the prizes, use excess inventory. To make this more fun, combine the efforts of other consultants in your company. The more the merrier. This is a great opportunity to talk about your company’s selling opportunity. People get caught up in the fun and excitement and want to be a part of it all!
Bridal Registry/Bridal Showers: Ask your contacts if they know of anyone getting married. Offer to set up a bridal registry or have a party for the bride-to-be. Guests can shop from a wishlist and the bride and redeem the hostess benefits for additional items. Visit Bridal Shops, exchange referrals or offer gifts for advertising at their location.
Buddy Parties/Couples Parties: Double your attendance at your shows to increase the chance of getting bookings! Invite couples to attend! A fun get together with couples can also increase attendance.
Business Cards (you can add this with a party mailer and/or a 2 A Day Mini brochure) Business cards provide a professional image. They are also very inexpensive. Make a goal to give out at least two of your business cards a day. Leave a trail of business cars everywhere you go!
Whenever you are asked to give someone you name, address, etc. When doing a business transaction (dry cleaners, doctors, etc.), give them a business card rather than dictating your information. Many stores are asking for you zip codes so they can track where their customers live. Give them your card; let it create some curiosity!
-Hand your business card out with all your transactions. When you hand a cashier your payment, give her a business card with it. When you leave a restaurant, leave your card along with a tip. Whenever you meet someone, give them a card!
-Enclose a business card with ALL your correspondence; even when mailing bills. Real people open mail; you never know who has been waiting for you to appear! If you’re sending personal letters, send your business card along to remind your friends and family about your business.
-Be sure your cards look professional with an HGP logo, your name, address, phone, and email address. Include your personal web address if you have one.
-Always ask for a business card in return for yours if the atmosphere is conducive to that (a grocery clerk probably doesn’t have a business card handy to exchange but an administrative assistant would.)
-Free lunch drawings – Many restaurants are offering these. You put your business card in the fish bowl, and you might win a free lunch. Do a twist on this one. Put a note on the front of your card offering them something free it they call you and ask about your product/service! Write the note with a different color of pen so the writing will stand out. Using attention-getting stickers is even a better idea because they can be felt not just seen.
-If a restaurant doesn’t already sponsor a drawing, see if you can sponsor one. Agree to buy a gift certificate for the price of lunch. You can begin doing a monthly drawing to keep your costs down, but do gather the cards at least once a week. This is an inexpensive way to collect a lot of names. Remember, these people are not a ‘target” audience..yet. You can go through the cards, and depending on the information on the card you can sift through and contact the ones that most seem to fit our product.
Business Card Flyer: You’ve seen flyers hanging in local stores. Someone produces an ad, then on the very bottom of the page, types or writes a phone number that you can tear off. What is wrong with this? I always lose the itty-bitty piece of paper, or I save the paper but don’t know what it is for! Here’s a much better way that is also eye-catching. Do your flyer, but across the bottom, staple your business cards in a row. ( one staple per card to make taking the card off easy). People will be drawn to your ad, and when they have your business card, most likely they will call you! (If you don’t have business cards you can use party mailers!)
Campgrounds: When you do finally get away from it all, take some of it with you. That means always using your product to be a living advertisement. If you enjoy the outdoors, going camping is a great release. This is also opportunity for informal business contacts—ones that can open many doors. If you camp at a campground, you know you’re not really getting away from itall. You have neighbors that are actually closer than the ones next door at home. But, because the atmosphere is so relaxed, people don’t seem to mind. In fact, because the stress level is so low, meeting others and visiting is really enjoyable. Invariably the conversation will turn to asking where you are from and what you do for a living. If you are using any HGP product while on this get-away trip, all the better. If not, get the name and phone number of your new friend(s) and be sure to contact them when you get back to the real world. A relaxed atmosphere can really be a blessing and advertisement for your business.
Car: If you are like most people, you are in your car at least once a day; usually more. Here are some ideas that can be working for you even while you’re running around. Hang a sign on your window. This can be a very simple sigh you make on you computer (don’t hand write it!). Make the Home & Garden Party name, your name, and phone number big enough so people can read it when you’re driving down the street. You can also order magnetic signs from our HGP vendors that stick to the side of your car door. People who have been looking for a HGP rep will be thrilled to see your signs. You can gather new leads just from driving around town or while being parked.
-Keep some of your product in the rear window of your car so when your car is parked, people can see a display (candles will melt or fade!). Be sure that you have your name and number where people can see it so they can contact you. If putting your product in the back window isn’t practical, leave your catalog and other literature in the back window so people can see what you sell. Be sure you name and number are visible. -Hang a mini-poster in the back or side windows (be sure your view is not obstructed) that reads “To by or sell Home & Garden Party, call ___________(your name and number) Do you have a windshield shade that is blank on one side? Write a large advertisement for our product or a monthly promotion. For a real twist, put your catalogs under your windshield wiper blades so interested persons can take something of yours with them. -HGP logos are great but be sure you add your phone number and that it is large enough for people to see and read, even if driving down the highway!
Car Washes: When you see an organization doing a car wash as a fund raising project, pull in and have the group wash your car. Then, ask them how much money they made so far. Normally, the amount is minimal. Find out who the supervisor or advisor to the group is, and let them know about your fund raiser and how they can earn money with your product/service. Always carry fundraising packets with you in your car!
Christmas Card Lists: You think you’ve talked to everyone, and that your leads have been exhausted. Wait…here’s a rather warm prospect list that you can do a TWIST with. You normally send Christmas Cards to everyone on your Christmas Card list. Think up your own holiday and make up a card to send to all these people. Type up a letter, it’s just like you might for Christmas. Tell them about the happenings of your family and what’s going on in your life. And, of course, tell them about your business. Send along your business card and any literature you have that would make sense to mail. You never know just which one of these acquaintances have been trying to find a consultant from your company. This would also be a good time to ask for a referral. Suggest that they e-mail you with their orders/referrals/questions. And, let them know you are interested in what they are involved in. With so many people starting in direct selling business, you might find a good support system as well as customers/recruits/ from this group of people.
Cleaning Professionals: You’ll usually find these people listed in the classified section of your paper under Services. This is another twist on using someone else’s advertising money to promote your business. Why would you contact someone who cleans homes and offices professionally? They usually work at odd hours—late in the evening—and could possibly have time for another business and might desire the additional stream of income that will help them, and you.
Copy Shops: As you begin marketing your business you’ll be making a few trips to the local copy shop to do photocopying. Locally-owned shops love to have a display of their customers’ flyers. So, whatever you copy to promote your business, hang up a copy for the public to see, and check out the other flyers that are there!
Customers’ Banks: If you want to expand your banking contacts, take a check written from one of your customers and go directly to their bank to cash it. The employees there will not know you, so you will have to show identification. This is another perfect time to tell them about your business. Because you might not go to that bank again, be sure to get the NAPEF of the persons you talk to. Offer them the free service of bringing a display into their lunch room so they can shop on site.
Day Care Providers: People who care for children have a hard time getting out to do shopping. Take your product TO them. This is a great audience for anything related to food, nutrition, and saving time.
-These providers are great recruiting prospects. Many of them love what they do; however, some of the providers do this because they don’t want to be out in the working world leaving their children, yet they need the income. You can give them another option to staying at home and earning a great income.
-Where do you find these people? Look for ads in local papers, bulletin boards, and ask people you know who use the service of day care professionals. Call the department in your state which is responsible for the licensing of these providers and request a list.
Day Care Centers: Day Care Centers have a great target audience. Both you and the owner of the center can benefit when business is generated through referrals from the center because you can give useful, desirable product as an exchange.
-Talk to the owner of the center, and agree to have a display of your products, catalogs, and literature. Schedule a week that you could personally be at the center to meet parents as they are bringing their children in or taking them home. Decide on a time period, usually no more than two weeks, that all the sales and new party bookings generated from the parents would give the owner profit. Treat the orders like a fundraiser. You can trade 20-25% of the sales for cash for the center and you take the hostess benefits instead. Encourage her to get additional orders from people away from the day care center as well. Also, if she finds any bookings you can make a cash donation instead of awarding a booking credit.
-Remember that parents are usually in a rush and won’t have a lot of time to visit with you. You can incorporate a drawing so that you get their name and phone number. Also, encourage parents to take the catalogs to their work, family, and neighborhoods to gather orders. Be sure to put a sticker or note on each catalog offering an incentive and invitation for them to call you and book a party! Award the parent getting the most orders/largest amount of sale some of your products. An important key is to let parents know credit from the sales will go toward a fundraiser for the center which will benefit their children. Everyone can be a winner here: the parents, the children, the owner, and you! Watch for green flags! Some of those moms may be looking for an opportunity so that they can be home with their children!
Delivery Day Special: Offer your hostess, at the time of the party delivery, a special gift from you when she picks up a booking as she delivers her guests items.
Delivery People: Have you ever had anything delivered to you home—packages, furniture, pizza? Do a twist and give the delivery person you sales literature and/or samples of your product. Get their home phone and name so you can contact them during their personal time.
Drive-through windows: Everyone likes surprises; even people who work in businesses with drive-through windows. When you drive through and hand these people your payments, give them a surprise—your sales and recruiting literature. These people make great recruit prospects; they typically have low wages and are eager for new challenges. Remember to get their names, addresses, and phone number!
Email: Collect emails from hostesses, guests, leads….everyone! Enter them into your online office, create a database, or use a service such as Constant Contact to develop a library of contacts. Send monthly emails to your contacts promoting hostess specials, sales, etc.
Events: (See the Garden of Roses files for complete articles on fairs/expos) This is becoming a very popular way to get new business leads. Some common denominators for success in all events are listed here:
-Choosing an event. Pick one that will bring a target audience to you. If you sell kitchenware, going to a gun show will not be the best idea. However, a home and garden show or family fair would work rather well.
-Placement of booth. Ask to be scheduled away from your competitors as well as away from others selling your same product. This is so that visitors to your booth do not confuse you with someone else. Try to get a high-traffic area; sometimes the cost is higher; you’ll have to determine if it is worth it.
-Share a booth. Booths can be costly, depending on many factors. Events can run from one to ten days. Therefore, sharing a booth with other consultants in your company makes a lot of sense because you can share the time slots and costs.
-Distributing leads. If more than one consultant is working at a booth at the same time, have your drawing slips printed up in different colors of paper. Or, stamp your name on the backs of the drawing slips that you will use. When you share like this, the most common method of distributing leads and sales is whoever talks to the customer has that customer as a lead/customer.
T-he set up. Keep everything professional looking. Do not use hand written signs. See if your sponsor or unit leader has signs or logos that you can use. Remember, at an event, you are in direct comparison with other companies, so look your best in all ways.
-Open vs. closed booths. Make your booth inviting as if customers were coming into your store. My suggestion is a “U Shape” configuration. This way you have three times more table space than if you put one table across the booth. Remember, you are paying for the space; use it wisely! Many booths have the displays behind the consultants, and the consultants at a table essentially blocking access to the booth. Potential customers don’t get to see the products very well, and the aisles get really crowded. (You’ll need to check the event contract to see what is and is not allowed).
-The purpose of your participating in this event is to meet new customers/recruits. The problem is that so do the other one hundred plus exhibitors! Make your booth stand out! The attendees are going to be bombarded with pitches and literature from every booth they visit. Make yours different.
-Be an active exhibitor. Many people just sit in their chairs, fold their arms, and some even have their noses in books waiting for people to come to their booth. The non-verbal message they send is not one of “welcome to my booth.”
-The key is to go out TO the people! Honorary days work great. When you see someone that you’d like to talk to, find something about them that you could honor and recognize. If you see someone you’d like to know who has red hair, walk up to her and say, “Congratulations, today is Red Hair day at Wilton at Home.” Give them a little token gift; stickers or product literature (something with your name on it) to break the ice and have them want to come and visit your booth.
-Put a dish of wrapped candy out to lure people to come over. Music, if allowed, or other multi-media attracts visitors as do cooking demos.
-Drawing Forms. Your goal is to get names of new customers. You must have a way of asking for this information that is a real benefit to the prospect. Drawings work wonders. Most people know why you are doing this and are usually willing to fill out a slip. Make the forms simple to fill out! Don’t ask a lot of complicated questions! A person should be able to fill out the slip in less than 60 seconds.
-You can fill out the slips for a more personal touch. If your booth isn’t really busy (I hope it is!), and you have the luxury of talking individually to each visitor, I have found that simply asking the visitor the questions on the slip and filling it out myself works very well. Why do I suggest this? So that you can get to know the people, and they are not just a name on a piece of paper. You can jot down notes about which products they are interested in, what concerns they have, what they were wearing, anything to help you remember them when you do a follow-up call. Also, attendees usually have their arms full of stuff they’ve picked up from other booths, and trying to balance your form with all this is uncomfortable. In fact, many times they hurry through it so fast, they forget important items-like their phone numbers! Remember, in most cases, you are not going to be selling as much as you are looking for new business, hostesses and recruits. The main idea is to find out who is interested or potentially interested.
-Maybe they’ll say that they’d love to have a presentation with you when school is out. Write that down. All of a sudden you have warm leads. I suggest that you give them a sample of your product, a business card, or some small, inexpensive item that they’ll want to keep to remember you by.
-Be prepared for those ready to buy or sign up. You might have someone so thrilled to meet you and see your product/service that they are ready to sign up or buy on the spot! Be prepared for this as well. Don’t make them wait to get going! This means having literature/ products for ordering, holding presentations, and recruiting. You probably will still have some follow through to do. FOLLOW THROUGH AND THROUGH AND YOU’LL NEVER BY THROUGH!
-You’ll also want to have an exclusive offer for your booth visitors. Coupons work, or if you carry inventory, bring some along and offer at a cash and carry price-especially if the items are no longer available, or if you’re overstocked...Just because someone doesn’t want your product that very day doesn’t mean they won’t have interest or a referral when you call them back.
-Many companies have a grand prize drawing with one winner, and then the rest of the people are considered runners-up and are given an offer when you call them back. Even if all consultants combined their resources to give one big item away, I still prefer to have my own Grand Prize Drawing. The runner-up prize is very effective as well. I’ve made many loyal customers beginning with this approach.
-Be prepared for sales, scheduling demonstrations, and answering questions about joining the company. Some people are ready on the spot; accommodate them.
-The most important key to any business is the follow through!! You can have the best looking booth, get hundreds of leads, but nothing, absolutely nothing works until you follow through! Remember this: Follow through and you’ll never be through!
Fairs: Fairs, expos, town fairs, craft fairs and other events are great ways of establishing new booking circles. Read the fair/expo training guide in the files to learn how to find them, set them up, what to say etc.
Fast Food Places: This is a great mom idea. Most fast food outlets have playgrounds. While the kids are playing, the moms (and dads) can network. To break the ice, carry your product bag complete with literature, samples, hostess packets and recruiting packets. This area also becomes a great mine for recruiting because families with young children have a great need for extra money and usually desire to work at home to avoid the hassles of child care.
Flyers: These can be relatively inexpensive, and can be used in a variety of ways. Keep a stack of flyers handy to give away wherever you go. Leave at businesses, give in place of business cards, hang up all over town!
-Flyers are great for your own neighborhood because your neighbors know who your are; you’re now letting them know that you can service them with your product. If you have little children, putting a flyer together and then taking a walk will help you meet new friends while entertaining your children. However, if the conversation gets involved and your children are restless, make an appointment for a return visit without the children.
-If your children are older (pre-teen and teen) who want to earn money, hire them to deliver flyers and pay them per flyer delivered with a bonus attached when the people they deliver to do business with you.
Follow up: Develop a system and follow up with everyone who said “maybe later,” follow up on leads from fairs, follow up on referrals, etc. Keep track of what your customers are interested in and contact them when their favorite products are on sale. Call all past hostesses and request a party with the newest catalog and special promotion.
Former Business Associates: Think of people you know from where you used to work or who used to work where you do. Contact them; let them know about your new business. Perhaps they are looking for a company to be involved with—great recruiting potential! If they don’t need or want what you have to offer, ask for referrals.
Garage Sales: You’re probably thinking how much work is involved in a garage sale and how this idea isn’t going to work for you. Remember the TWIST? This idea doesn’t mean holding your own; the idea is to go to garage sales and meet the people who are holding them!! You can find out a lot about people by seeing what kinds of things they are getting rid of. Let’s say you sell kitchen and baking items. As you’re browsing through the sale items ask the person a question something like this: “I see you’re getting rid of a lot of your kitchen items; are you redoing your kitchen? (“yes” is the most likely answer). You reply, “You are so lucky that I stopped by, my specialty is kitchen products and I have a free catalog for you. After your garage sale is over, may I stop by and offer my no-fee consulting service?” What if she has already replaced the items? No problem, she may not have thought of everything that your company has to offer. Most people are so impressed that you NOTICE something about THEM, that they are very open to doing business with you. Keep a stack of sales/recruiting literature handy and ask permission to leave them near the check out area. Tell her if she gets the names and numbers of the people who take your catalog, you’ll give her a bonus based on how much business you generate from her leads. Make getting the leads easy for her by supplying a tear pad for people to write their names, addresses and phone numbers.
This next idea takes some advanced planning and is very worthwhile. Read the paper for garage sale listings. Call and set up this type of referral/bonus network ahead of time. This way you can take a display box along. Who knows, this person might enjoy giving you referrals so much that she’ll be your next recruit!
-Many times garage sales will be sponsored by groups wanting to raise money. Not only can you see if they’ll help distribute catalogs, but you can also offer them the opportunity to have a fund raiser with you.
-Even though it requires a lot of work, holding your own garage sale is a great way of meeting new customers. I always kept the newest products from my company in my own home; consequently, I had older, perfectly good, products that I didn’t use and was very willing to sell at a garage sale. Without fail, I met many new people who became my customers because they first bought these products at my garage sale. Just as you would ask a person holding a garage sale to get names and phone numbers of those who pick up a catalog, you’ll want to get the names of those coming to your own garage sale.
-Do a drawing and give away a huge bag of items instead of selling them (or, do several drawings throughout the day.) Trust me, everyone who visits your sale will want to win this surprise bag; they will gladly give you their name and phone number! Again we see the beauty of direct selling; you’re able to promote your business while engaging in a non-business activity!
Gifts: Corporations spend thousands of dollars on gifts for their employees, vendors, and customers. How could you promote our products to be their gift-of-choice? While these companies are usually conscious of price, the service is what will make the biggest difference to them. Let them know that you can serve them. If you can give a corporate or volume discount, you may be able to secure the business even easier. Advertise this service by having a separate business card printed that says “I specialize in corporate gift giving.” When you meet people on a professional level, give them this card rather than your regular one.
Teachers. Sharing a gift with a teacher is a thoughtful gesture and also expands your business because other teachers see the gift ideas and wil want to purchase items from you. They also identify you with our product line, and this is also a great way to introduce our products as a potential fundraiser.
-Whenever any gift-giving occasion arises, think of our product first as an appropriate gift. Not only can you give a nicer gift because of your product discount, but the recipient becomes acquainted with our product. Include your business card as well as a catalog with the gift so the recipient can order more.
Halloween: When the trick or treaters come to your door, in addition to handing out treats, give them some literature to put in their bag such as a party mailer with a sticker offering a promotion or a mini 2-A brochure. Put your name and phone number on everything ans add a coupon. A simple note saying, “A Treat for Mom” works very well. Of course, if you have a miniature size candy bar, the parents will be thrilled. Pay Day and 1000 Grand candy bars work great! During the Halloween season, carry a treat bag or plastic pumpkin around filled with treats to give to potential customers. Tape your business card or party mailer to the treat; exchange your treat for their name and phone number.
Health Club: You can meet a lot of new customers at the health clubs. One way is to wear our HGP logo wear. Or, carry an HGP logo bag. Because you are in a casual atmosphere and tend to see the same people time after time, people will ask questions about our products.
Hostess Coaching: Great hostess coaching makes the difference in keeping your datebook filled! Ask for pre-bookings and offer an incentive. Be creative and know what will motivate your hostess. Coach her to invite her guests personally to increase attendance, coach her to tell her guests to bring friends to the party, coach her to show the catalog to others, offer her an incentive for showing the Opportunity DVD. Your best source for bookings is through your existing parties so hostess coach well!
Hotels: When you leave you room for the housekeeping staff, leave the customary tip AND some literature, and a gift certificate. A sincere thank you note is appreciated when appropriate (for good service) . Hotel housekeeping is not the best paid job, so these people are great possibilities for a new member of your team too!
Independence Day: To celebrate the Fourth of July this summer, see how many different states you can get orders from. Ask for referrals from everyone you talk to, to see if they know people from the states you don’t have friends in. It’s a great way to celebrate the wonderful country we live in which gives us the freedom to have our own businesses. Invite everyone to have a party around the 4th and combine it with a Home & Garden Party!
Internet: A Web page is nice to refer people to who already know about your business to get more information. Or, if you have links from other sites, you’ll have visitors. A twist on having people visit your site is to visit theirs. When you are surfing the net, put in some key words of the kinds of people you would like to do business with. You can do an email right then or follow through with a phone call using selling steps. Remember, you are a GO TO business. Don’t depend on people coming to you—GO GET THEM!!!
Jewel Mail: Why do people complain about junk mail? Because they believe that it is junk. Change your TWIST on this and a whole new world opens up. You’ll now look at this as jewel mail.
-Why is it jewel mail? Because the mail is valuable to you in the following ways:
1. See how other people are marketing their products. Are they using creative mail pieces that could be adapted to your business? 2. What do the pieces say? Collect those that just “grab” you. Maybe a headline could be adapted to your product. I am not suggesting to steal ideas, but to adapt them. And when you do get a twist on looking at this jewel mail, you’ll come up with ideas of your own. 3. Local businesses that you could do cross-promotions and barter with. 4. Is this a medium that you’d like to advertise in? Call other businesses and see if they liked the medium. 5. Keep this organized in a file according to how you’ll use the pieces. 6. And, if you like what the advertiser has to offer, patronize them.
Kids: Let your kids help you advertise your business. They can deliver flyers, tell their friends and friends’ families about your business.
-Do a mom/daughter or mom/son, dad/daughter, dad/son etc. presentation.
-Center a presentation around kids. Plan a class for teaching children how to cook. The idea is that kids attend and want to buy your product, and they bring their parents along. This can be a great activity during the summer or during other school vacation times!
Labor Day: This is a great holiday for recruiting. A week or two before Labor Day, anytime you meet people, ask them if they like to labor for themselves for someone else. Give everyone the opportunity to be his/her own boss! Hand out small American flags with your business card. On Labor Day, you can even do cold calls and present this question.
Laundry Mat: Doing laundry probably isn’t anyone’s favorite hobby, but when laundry can’t be done at home, this chore is even worse! When you visit laundry mats looking for leads, you can choose a couple of different ideas.
-Remember that you have a captive audience because people have to sit and wait for washers and dryers to do the work while they sit. Give them something to do. Leave catalogs, tear pads, business card bulletins, etc.
-If you have the experience of having to do your laundry there, use your time wisely and put these ideas to use. This is a great place for recruiting because you have the opportunity where people can earn money to buy their own washer and dryer. Maybe they live in an apartment and don’t have room for laundry. You have an opportunity to help them save to get into a house! Sometimes people do laundry at a laundry mat because their washer is broken. Once again, you have a great opportunity to help them!
Library: One way to grow your business is to expand your mind. Make a monthly trip to you local library. How does this bring new leads to you? Check out books that are related to our business. Obviously, you will learn form them. And, you know that you don’t want to mark you place in the book by turning the pages down, right? So, what should you use for a bookmark? Your business card or a 2-A Day mini works really well! Are you looking for stay at home moms to have a party or to join your team? Place your bookmarks in the books your children check out! When you return the book, leave your bookmark in the book for the next person. When the next person checks out the book, not only do they av bookmark, you have a target audience for you product and opportunity! You can also check out cookbooks and home decorating for ideas and leave your “bookmark” in the book. When people think of the book subject, they’ll relate it to you and want to give you a call!
Lines: Whenever you’re standing in line, you have another captive audience to meet and get to know. People are usually bored while they are waiting, and if something doesn’t interest them soon, they become agitated and get upset because of the wait! However, when engaged in a conversation, the time really does go quickly! You’ll meet some great prospects. The key is to be interested in the other person because you’ll discover what their problems, wants, and needs are. If you have a product or opportunity that will give them a solution, you’ve both benefit! If what you’re offering doesn’t suit them, ask for a referral and feel pleased that you’ve found a new friend.
Linger Longer – and Earlier: Get to know people. One way is to attend anything that you’re invited to; from a club meeting to a home party demonstration. When you attend these functions, arrive early. Get to know who is in charge of the program or who the demonstrator is. Listen carefully throughout the program. Do any of the people in the room have needs that can be met by our products or services? After the function is over (please be careful and don’t intrude on the program at hand), get to know the people you have targeted.
Malls: This is not a suggestion to go soliciting up and down the malls. Just like the grocery shopping, you can do a non-business activity while finding business leads. Salesclerks are the first group to be aware of,--not for buying, but for selling—our products. When you have received some really good service, acknowledge and thank the person and offer them a gift—our product or service. This could be a catalog, sample or service that you give to them. If you really like the salesperson and would like to work with them, tell them so. One idea is to say something like “you have been so helpful, you seem to really enjoy what you’re doing for a living.” In most cases, they don’t enjoy their job and will tell you. There are prime people to set an appointment with to tell them about our opportunity (don’t do it on their employer’s time). If they truly do love their job, ask them if they’d like another stream of income. Here’s an approach: “You have been so helpful today. You seem to love you job.” They reply: “Yes, I really do”. You say, “Would you like to hear how you can make an additional stream of income?” Remember, don’t be pushy, but don’t be a pushover.
-The second group could be people you meet while shopping or waiting in line—especially those who seem to have an interest in or buying items that are complimentary to your product/service. For example, if you are at a garden center and someone is picking out perennials for a garden, let them know you can help them with décor pieces for their garden. Remember, however, these customers belong to the retail store they are visiting. All prospecting of this type needs to be natural and nonchalant—during the course of your doing business with this merchant. The best thing is to get your contact’s phone number and arrange to explain your products, services and program at another time. This technique just helps you to identify your target market.
Mementos: A memento is something you give to customers and potential customers that is inexpensive to you, yet very valuable to your customer. They won’t throw the item away, but will use it often. The memento must have your name and phone number on it. Examples are calendars, printed inspirational thoughts, bottle openers, magnets, pads of papers, etc., etc. Give these to people you meet to open up a conversation, as a thank you for their time, order, or referral. Look in the yellow pages under Advertising Specialties or go to the HGP Web for our vendors for these products.
Messages: The message you leave on you voice mail and those youleave ont eh voice mailboxes of others can create new leads for you.
-Recorded messages for incomeing calls. Leave a commercial on your voice mail so that people calling you will know about your business and current promotions. You’re paying for your phone regardless if you do a commercial or nto, so you might as well benefit from incoming calls. Create a commercial that will cause great interest in our products and opportunity. Change the message often, and don’t keep a message with old news.
-Leaving a message on outbound calls. The rule is to always leave a message. Believe in yourself and our product! Believe in what you’re doing, and others will be thrilled to hear from you. With caller ID many people will know that you called even if you didn’t want them to know! Leave a message that will make them want to return your call. You can leave a message such as: “I have to tell you some news you’ve been waiting for.” “I have a surprise for you.” (people love surprises and want to know what the surprise is—now!) “You won’t believe what I have to tell you!”
-You can say, “Ill be calling you back, but you are welcome to call me too. My phone number is _____________. And, do call them back—if you can beat them to the phone. Most of the time, people will call you because they want to know what the news is!
-Leaving messages works well on cold calls because if the people are interested in your offer, they really will call you back. If not, you haven’t wasted a lot of time and energy. In this case, you can say “This is Deb calling from Home & Garden Party. We have a special promotion this month……To find out more, call me at __________(your phone number).
Money Bag: Instead of carrying a purse or wallet, carry your money and sales literature in a money pouch. You don’t have to carry a lot of money, but this is a real attention getter. People, especially those who wait on you and who wait in line with you will ask you about this unusual way of carrying your money. This is great for getting new recruit leads. You can tell them that you make so much money it won’t all fit in your wallet! Then, you’ll have your sales materials ready to hand them (pocket/purse presentation works well!) and all you’ll need is the follow through!
-Sometimes, you can even get a recruiting or sales message printed on the vinyl bags. Use a question that will cause others to ask you about your job.
Multiple Hostess Event: How do you work a multiple hostess event? You ask lots of different people if they would like to come to a fun night out full of prizes, beautiful home decor, sales and specials! You give hostesses invites to share with her friends, collect guest lists and mail invites (just like a home show) and everyone wins! Guests have fun, hostesses don't have to clean their house, Designers maximize their night out!
Neighborhoods: Great opportunities for parties can be found right in your own backyard! Host your own neighborhood party and encourage your neighbors to bring friends. You can also invite a neighbor to host the show and allow her the opportunity to earn the hostess benefits! Let everyone in your neighborhood know what product/service you sell. If you are new to a neighborhood or just starting your business be sure to host an open house/grand opening showcasing your products. Go personally to each person’s home and introduce yourself. If the person is not home you can leave an invitation, but remember, they will be more likely to attend if you invite them in person! Do all you can to get the person’s phone number so you can personally remind her.
-About every six months, have an annual and semi-annual Neighbor Appreciation Day where you only invite the neighbors for specials on your products or to introduce a new catalog.
Newspapers: Although print ads can be hit or miss they can be a great way for you to introduce your services to new people who may not have heard of our company or may be looking for a Designer. Ads can be run for bookings, sponsoring and fundraising.
New People in the Area: People who are new to an area feel lost and alone. A friendly “hello” and “welcome” from anyone is appreciated!
-Look in the Club listings of your local community paper for any formally-organized clubs that cater to the needs of new people. The New Comers Club is one such organization. You can offer to do a presentation to the group for one of their monthly meetings to begin to establish a relationship with the club. The real key, however, is to meet the new people as they join. This way you can personally welcome them to your area with a welcome basket. Ask the club officer for a listing of the new members.
-Some areas have services that will send out mailings or deliver samples to new residents. For a fee, you can include your information. If you choose this, be positive that you will get the contact information of all the people that receive the mailing so you can do your own follow through.
Open House/Mystery Hostess Party: Acquaint neighbors and your community with our products, send invitations to friends, neighbors and acquaintances. Give brochures to the newspaper person, put notices up in stores. Advertise that there will be refreshments and a chance to see your product. For a mystery hostess have your own party in your home and award the hostess credits to the guests. The credits can be divided up or given in different ways. For example, name goes in the drawing for bringing in a friend, for spending $50, for booking a party etc.
Organizations: What organizations are you currently a member of? Who in this organization needs your product/service? Let everyone in the organization to which you are a member know who you are and what you have to offer them.
-What organizations out in the world would be compatible with your product? A mom’s club could be very interested in home decorating, cooking, or perhaps joining as a designer. Keep in mind that organizations of all types are looking out for raising funds; can you solve their needs?
Parking Lots: Parking lots are not only full of cars, but also full of golden leads. Leaving business cards, party mailers with inviting stickers or promotions, or even flyers on cars can lead to new bookings.
Parks: If you have children and love being out of doors, you’ll love this one! Take your children to the park, and near where your children are playing, set up your product display. If you product is something other parents and families can use, people will come by to see what you have. If you did this just once a week every week in the summer, your business would boom. The park is also the perfect place for you hostess to choose to host her party. She loves this idea because she doesn’t have to clean her house, and the guests can bring the kids! This is a great place for a daytime party. You might find that you have to do your presentation in shifts. While some parents are listening to you, others keep an eye out for the children and vice versa. You’ll find that once you start doing parties in the park, others will schedule the same type.
-Another idea is to go to the baseball parks when the children are playing little league, and set up your display! You can schedule a party with the moms on a game night!
Post Office: During your visits to the post office be very observant while waiting in line. Look at what kinds of mail people are sending. If they have a lot of packages, ask if they own their own business. Many times the answer will be yes and you can network with that person. Watch for people who are sending bundles of mail. Usually, that is someone who is working for someone else. You can say “Wow, look at all the mail! You must love your job!” Many times they’ll say no and you can introduce them to HGP and ask if they would be interested in finding out more about HGP.
-Get to know the postal employees. Let them know what kind of business you have, comment to them about your successes. Invite them to do business with you and to tell others about your business. After all, they talk to people all day. Ask them to keep you in mind.
Preferred Hostess Program: Offer your hostesses an additional gift, or ½ price item when she re-books herself within 3 months, 6 months…you choose.
Pregnant Women Watch for pregnant ladies-they’re usually easy to spot. This is one of the strongest networking groups you can meet. Moms and moms-to-be love to get together and compare notes. You can be the “matchmaker” for moms to meet other moms.
-Every other month (or as you want to schedule it), plan a party just for pregnant women. Have invitations that are just for this event. As you meet a pregnant lady, tell her you represent HGP and that you do this in celebration of moms. Find out her due date and plan to invite her in about the seventh month-enough time before the baby is born, but when she’s tired of being pregnant and wants some special attention! Adapt your demonstration to the needs of new moms and new child.
-Check with obstetricians’ offices, maternity shops, and kids’ clothing and toy stores, to see if you can advertise this celebration. Remember that new moms make great recruit leads. After the baby comes, they hate to take the child to day care, yet they still need the money they were used to making, and with an extra member of the family, they need even more.
Pre-schools: Not to be confused with day care centers, pre-schools are specifically schools for children before they enter kindergarten. Many times these will be nationally-known chains, or non-profit schools who are always looking for fundraisers. Often times, you will find a group of stay at home moms with preschools, many of whom, who are looking for opportunities to spend time with other moms. They are the perfect candidate to invite to have a party. Also, many moms of preschoolers are SAHM’s looking for extra income as well. Request the opportunity to set up a small display in the morning for the moms to stop by and visit after dropping off their child. In return for any party bookings or recruits you can make a cash donation as a fundraiser for the school. Often, a preschool program lasts for only a couple of hours. If the school has available space you could set up a party for the moms while the children are in school, promote the event as a fundraiser, and make a 20-30% contribution for the school. In return, you will obtain bookings, cash earnings, and the option of taking the hostess benefits.
Prospect List: Every Designer should keep a folder or file containing a basic prospect list beginning with everyone you know. Remember, even if you do not consider the person a potential hostess or recruit, she can be a source for referrals or a booking hostess.
Quick Questions: Asking quick questions for quick responses will get prospects’ attention. I find right away if they are interested in what I am offering. However, one question I don’t like to use is, “Are you interested in ________.” They don’t know if they are or not because you haven’t given them much information, and they can easily say “no.” The object is to turn the major benefit of your product or service into a question that they respond positively to. Here are just a few ideas.
-Would you like to ___________? (attend a presentation, cut your grocery bill in half, have an extra hour a day, take your family on a trip).
-Have you received the free __________? (information, gift, catalog, product). You know they haven’t because you haven’t sent it yet, but they are now in the thinking mode about your product.
-Have you heard of___________? (our sales or hostess special this month).
-Do you want to know how to _____________?(cook gourmet meals in minutes, build a business in your spare time).
Real Estate Agents: Real Estate Agents know who is moving in and out of town. They also purchase house warming gifts for their new buyers. One way to generate new bookings is to get the names of new people from these agents. Create an alliance with them to trae referrals. Just as they know the new people moving in, you will meet many people who are ready to a home and can pass the referral on to them. Establish relationships with agents in several different areas.
-Gifts for new buyers. Agents usually spend on average $50-$75 for a house warming gift. Have them purchase from you! Before approaching an agent, prepare two or three different ideas or sets of products that you could offer. Giving a value-added price would be an incentive if the agent buys a certain amount….utilize our host benefits! The biggest advantage is the personal service you can give the busy agent. The added benefit is that you’ll know another new customer---the new buyer.
-If you don’t personally know any real estate agents, getting their names is simple. Just pick up the free real estate magazines at the grocery stores. You’ll find hundreds of names of agents! Even if they are not interested in creating this alliance or buying gifts, ask them if they would like your product for their own personal use.
Recycle: Do you have catalogs or party mailers that are retired? Do you keep track of products that will be retiring or may be listed to increase in price? Normally, you would not hand out retired catalogs to regular customers. But, don’t throw them away. Take this literature and deliver in an area that you’d like to do business in, put on car windows, leave in a dr office, etc. Put a sticker on the catalog/party mailer and invite the finder to call you for a current catalog. They may or may not be familiar with HGP but they will be glad to have the name of a local rep! The key is not selling from the old literature but rather, getting your name out there. Many people may be interested in the services you can provide them, not necessarily a particular product.
Resource Centers: Resource Centers are places you can leave information, even a party mailer or two a day brochure…and potential customers can leave their contact info so you can follow up with them. This is usually a business that you are doing some cross promoting with. Or, someone that loves our products and wants to be able to refer others to you.
-Examples of resource centers are tanning and beauty salons, nail salons, grocery stores, copy shops, auto repair centers, coffee shops, dry cleaners, health clubs, laundry mats, YMCA….the list is endless!
Referrals: The real benefit of having your own business and selling one-on-one is that your customers tell others about you and your service, and your business grows! You’ve probably noticed by now that I haven’t advised you to spend money on massive advertising campaigns. The ideas I’ve shared here cost very little in terms of dollars. The price you pay is giving outstanding customer service and follow through. You are your own best advertisement, and your customers are the next best.
-Once you have completed the first business transaction with a customer, ask her who she knows who would benefit from what you offer. I’ve found that by asking as soon as the transaction is made, you’ll get more referrals; this is when the customer is at the height of excitement. Have a system for immediately gathering and tracking the referrals. Writing directly on the order form or agreement has worked for me; when I return to my office, I put the name in my referral system. Many times I’ve had customers ask me to wait to call their friends till after they’ve had a chance to tell them about me. This suits me fine; all I ask is they call them that day or the next. Then, you can call the referral.
-Give the referral gift to the referrer. Use our hostess benefits program and booking credits and award the gift when the party is held or recruit starts. The gift need not be expensive, just valuable. And, have your name, business name and phone number attached to it. I believe that the most meaningful token of appreciation which you can attach to the gift, is a sincere note of thanks and constant, exceptional service and follow through.
Restaurants: Visit restaurants and offer them the opportunity to purchase our pottery, table and wall décor etc. Contact the owner and offer your personal service. You can also get permission to hang a flyer, leave literature, or have a business card fish bowl drawing for customers.
-When a customer you can share with your waitress a Two A Day brochure, a party mailer etc. Invite her to host a show and to invite her coworkers to attend. Your hostess or her friends may one day become a Designer!
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