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Garden of Roses!
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Join us in Cabo San Lucas!
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FAIR AND FESTIVAL TRAINING 101!
People are much more likely to be interested in what you have to offer when they meet you and see the product. The same person who would walk by a flyer posted on a bulletin board may very well be a booking if you meet her at a fair. If you consistently book events such as fairs, festivals, craft fairs, town fairs, vendor fairs etc you will never be out of bookings! You might even get a recruit lead or two as well, but focus on bookings. Once you get a person to host a show and get the product into her home, she is a better candidate for recruiting. Why do you want to participate in events? H&GP is a business of building relationships face to face. People are also visual learners and events will provide you with opportunity to increase awareness of what H&GP offers. Remember, 95% of the population has still not heard of our company! With a booth filled with beautiful products, a captive audience, and the opportunity to speak with people and distribute literature you can provide a lot of exposure for what your business offers.
*Builds awareness of our company, our services and our opportunity to potential hostesses and recruits. Get your name out there and let people know what you have to offer. * Creates a non-threatening environment for potential Hostesses, Customers, and Recruits to explore what we have to offer. * Networking! Where else could you meet so many new people in such a short period of time to offer our services to! * Are you building a team? Work the event together and help those recruits to get bookings. * Bookings, bookings, and more bookings! * Fundraisers - Many people attending an event are either personally involved in some sort of fundraising organization or know someone who is! * Sales - Although selling should not be your primary objective selling items cash and carry and help to build business, bring people into your booth, and cover your expenses for the event. All items are available full price, 1/2 price, and FREE! Ask them which price they prefer!
Finding an Event: You need to determine which event will meet your objectives. Ask questions and find out if it is a first time event (if so, it may not be well attended), ask the event promoters how many attendees they expect, how many vendors there will be, and ask to see a list of current exhibitors. You want to understand your total costs: booth space and what is included, literature, give aways etc. Choose a fair in an area that is convenient for you to go back to (for shows, or to work with new recruits). * Call around to schools, churches and other non-profit organizations to see if they are hosting a craft fair/festival in your area. * You can also call the chamber of commerce for your city/area to find out the same information. * You can also subscribe to the Craftmaster news (www.craftmasternews.com) or visit www.festivalnet.com or www.craftlister.com if you are considering doing many shows. You can also go to a major search engine like Google or Yahoo and enter key words like "CT events, CT craft fairs, CT festivals, CT street fairs, CT town fairs, CT calendar, CT state fairs, CT county fairs, CT expos, CT community calendar, CT tourism, CT Women's Expo, etc. (substitute of course with your state abbreviation!). * You can look for events listed under town or city websites or call the town halls to inquire about upcoming events. * Keep an eye out for local bulletin boards at stores, pharmacies, gas stations, restaurants etc. Look to see if there are any events advertised, or put up your own flyer in search of events, asking to be contacted. * Watch your cable community calendar channel for a listing of events. * Pick up the paid and free weekly papers at the grocery store or at drug store pharmacies and look for scheduled events. If you find something quickly that you can’t participate in go anyway! When they are not busy introduce yourself to the vendors and ask them if they have information on upcoming events they are participating in. Vendors love to share with each other participating events. Often, they will have date, place, contact name and phone number with them! * Call the newspaper offices and ask them about annual events and request the name of a contact person. * Visit community centers. Ask them what events they have on their calendar. * Look for websites for civic centers/expo hall or call them and ask for a listing of scheduled events. Think back to any place you have seen an event in the past...any hall, school, etc where an event has been held. * You can contact your local malls for craft fairs and other special events that are scheduled. Call the business office or stop by, look on the mall bulletin boards, or signage for upcoming events. * Call your local fire departments. Ask them what community events they are participating in. Many community events have the fire department either present or part of a parade. * Look up websites for your local papers. Often, they will have a calendar listing for events months out, when often the actual paper will only list what is happening in the next two weeks. * Look on the web for your radio stations. They too, will often have links for community events. Keep an open ear to the radio and listen for local events in your area. * Go to an event! Network with the participating vendors when they are not busy with customers. Introduce yourself and tell them you are with H&GP, share a piece of literature and tell them you are looking for any recommendations they can share for upcoming events. Vendors love to help one another and will often have their date book with them and be able to share with you dates, locations, contact names and phone numbers! ps, they'll even tell you which events NOT to participate in which is just as important! There are many fairs to choose from but the events directly related to home decor and are the largest in attendance will be the best events to participate in, such as a Home and Garden Show. These shows are expensive and usually run for several days so it is best to build a team to share set-up, take-down, shifts and expenses. What to ask:
Ask if the event is annual, past and expected attendance, how is the event
being advertised? etc. Ask how many vendor booths they will have. What
activities are being planned with the event? For example, a town event with
stage shows all day promoting local organizations like dance schools will
increase attendance. Bounce arounds, petting zoos, cutest baby contests, 5K
runs, parades etc will give you a good indication of the expected attendance
and the type of groups you will be attracting. Find out the size of your
space, if outdoor what happens if it rains…is there a rain date, will the
event be held rain or shine, etc. Can you set up a tent or canopy, do they
provide tables, what time can you set up etc. If the event is indoor be sure
to know the size of your space. Ask where your booth will be assigned. If
not, you may end up in a back corner! Request if possible to be to the right
of the entrance and as close to the entrance as possible. (Most people walk
to the right when they enter and you want the chance to invite them first to
have a show before the other vendors.) Some events may only provide space
for a single table while others may be a 10 x 10 booth space. Ask if they
will only take one vendor for Home & Garden Party. Always ask if they
currently have a vendor from H&GP, or if they did last year. Be considerate
and make sure you do not take an event away from another designer. You could also place a
small ad in a paper announcing the event, that you will be there, and invite
them to stop by and visit your booth! June-August events: Use
products from the Spring catalog and some fall items from the Fall catalog
when available. Continue to promote the summer trip contest…it’s not too
late! Enclose in each piece of literature you pass out an attached sheet which includes all the information you’d like to share with them. Not everyone will stop at your booth long enough for you to share all of your opportunities and special offers! Include a special offer such as a choice of discounted items if they book a show within a 2-3 weeks, outline our hostess benefits and what an average hostess earns, and fun ideas you can share such as having a barbecue, a tropical drink night, pool party, watch a baseball game night etc. You could also include a coupon for $15-$20 in free merchandise redeemable with a $300 home party. Be sure to include a note that the coupon IS transferable and can be copied to share with friends! Also include information on sharing the H&GP opportunity and that now is the time to get started so they will be able to be trained and ready to make the most of the busy fall selling season. Include a statement on the summer trip promotion and to contact you for more information. Include an invitation to call in and join the Monday Opportunity Call. Include a note that we offer fabulous fundraising programs. Include a statement
about our current monthly promotion or a unique promotion that you
personally offering. Your Presentation: Dress code is
Business! Wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing during your
shift. Do not sit in a chair. Sitting will communicate that you are
bored, not engaged in speaking with people and you will not receive a
receptive welcome from the attendees. No eating or drinking in your
booth. If needed, keep a water bottle under the table and never put food or
beverage containers on your tables. You want to place yourself out
front and center where you can meet everyone. Sitting or standing behind a
table is literally putting a barrier between you and the attendees and will
have an impact on your bookings.
Be sure to ask
them if they already know about H&GP and if so, how did they first hear about
it; ask if they have ever had any type of party with H&GP, and if they
currently have a Designer they are working with. Please be respectful to
other Designers and don't take their hostesses away! If she used to have a
Designer but lost touch offer to help her contact the Designer if she is
interested in having a party. If the previous Designer is not
available you will not only have a new hostess but one who will hold you in
high regard for being professional. When someone comments on something on your display
or in the catalog that they really like say to them "I would love to do a
show for you so you could get your favorite items for free!" If someone insists that they need to check their calendar before setting a date try to at least set a "tentative date" with them and tell them they when they get home if they find that the date is not a good time, you and she can change it to accommodate everyone. Find out what is the best time to reach them, and call them after the event to verify the date and time with them. Let them know you have enjoyed talking with them, and that you will be giving them a call, but let them know that they can call you too! Be sure to send their Hostess Packet home with them and set up a time to call them to hostess coach. If you have your booth at a traditional fair to go along with the theme create your own carnival game! Have a stainless steel tub, add water and rubber duckies! With marker add a #1 on the bottom of most of the ducks, a #2 on 20% less, #3 on even less, a few #4’s for a free jar candle, and one duck with a #5. Offer chances to play for $2.00 to attract people to come into your booth and everyone wins. Your #1’ prizes might cost you .25 cents, #2’s .50 cents, #3’s $1-$2 each. Your #5 item should be something exciting to draw people into your booth! Chances are your #5 duck will never be drawn but you’ll collect extra cash to help cover the cost of your booth. With every gift you give be sure to include your H&GP literature and special offer for playing the game! Keep your eyes open for recruits. Those "green flags." Someone that might talk to you longer: someone who fell in love with the products; someone with a great personality and smile. Plant those recruiting seeds. Let them know we are looking for people, that we have a fabulous opportunity to offer, and we also have the best overall program of any party plan on the market today. Always keep in mind that your attitude will determine
your level of success at your event so always
keep a positive attitude! Believe in H&GP and all that we have to offer and
your enthusiasm will come shining through. Raise your level of
expectation! Expect bookings, be excited and you will book shows! * Free give-aways, create an eye catching give away box, or fish bowls at your most visible location. You can give away 2 prizes (maybe a gift certificate or a "Wow" product you can order). On the free gift drawing forms, ask the visitors to complete a form with their name, address, phone number, email address and have an area where they can check off if they want more information about your business. This also serves as a great way to create a mailing list. * A small section in you booth be set up with a small table, coloring sheets and crayons for children to color. This will attract children along with their parents, who you can then talk to about your services/products. (Sheets can be created by using clip art in Microsoft word and include cute characters and information H&GP). Give out balloons with the H&GP logo on them to children walking with their parents. Wear H&GP logo clothing. Available from our H&GP vendors. * Give a flower away (carnations are inexpensive) with a business card or special offer attached. To attach a business card, you can use ribbon. This can be given to women. This is a good way to stir attention to your booth.
Handling Event
Leads: When signing up for an event, be sure you block out time immediately following the fair to make phone calls to all of your leads. It's important that you follow up no later than 48 hours after you've met the lead. The longer you let it go, the less excited the lead will be, and she may even forget who you were. She sees a lot of people at the fair. Many designers have participated in a number of fairs, dutifully collected names and phone numbers from those who wanted to win a raffle prize. They had good intentions of calling them all as soon as possible to see if they wanted to utilize one of our services. And yet, they didn't call. What happened? First of all, they got too busy with things that needed to be done right away. Then, they talked themselves into believing a lie. They convinced themselves that they would not get much business from their follow up efforts. Lastly, they decided that they would be bothering them and their follow up would just annoy them. What is wrong with this type of thinking? The problem with this type of thinking is that it will doom you to failure before you even start. The though can be to basically predict that nothing good will come from your efforts, so why bother? Also, it is not very forward thinking. “Sure, I have too much to do now but if I don't keep the pipeline of customers full, it will run dry.” What should you do? Notice that you are sabotaging yourself with negative self-talk. You are predicting the future and all your predictions are negative ones! You don't really know how your follow up will be perceived. Another important part of follow up is being dependable. If you said that you would call people who indicated that they were interested in my services you need to do so! If you don’t call them you would have been demonstrating that you are not reliable or dependable. This is not the reputation that you want to have! Make your follow up phone calls from your events and you’ll find the outcome to be predictable. Some people will be interested and some will not. The point is that all your thinking and internal fussing won’t really change the results. You’ll make some contacts that will result in business and others that won't. But if you don’t follow up, you won’t receive any new business. For those who booked a party make a personal follow up call just to say thank you and tell the hostess how much you are looking forward to her show. Never throw away a lead slip! Those who do not check any box may actually be more interested than the ones who thought they would only be in the door prize drawing if they did! You really won't know what they are or are not interested in until you invite them! Remember that it takes approximately 5 to 8 contacts with a customer before they buy from you. So find a way to make a lot of contact. You can send a flyer about yourself and our products. You can send a monthly promotion flyer. You can send some information that you know would be of interest to your customer. Writing a thank you note for time they spent with you on the phone is another way to stay in touch. Call the "HOT" leads first. Be sensitive to their time. If it seems that you called at a bad time offer to call them back at a time that will be more convenient. When you do speak with them make reference to your notes on the slips regarding their favorite item, their children, or anything you chatted about. Remind them that you promised to call if you could offer the items FREE or at a discount. This should pique their interest. If you didn't have a chance to personally talk with them about H&GP, give them some background on your, the company, and the Hostess Program if they do not already know about H&GP. Continue with soft approaches for bookings and recruiting, listening to their situation and needs. Be prepared to overcome objections. When you call a lead first confirm that you have the right person on the phone by saying, "Hello, may I speak with ________?" Once you're speaking to the person you want begin with the opening step: "This is ________ calling." Pause after the word calling. This is important. You want to initiate a "yes" response here. In addition, getting a yes response will increase your odds of getting permission to talk. The easiest way to get a YES response is to start your sentence with one of these phrases: "I understand" or, " Or "Is this a convenient time to talk?" When you politely ask either of these questions, be prepared for a NO response. If you hear "no" then simply reply by asking: "Would an hour from now be better?" Most of the time the person will say, "What is this about?" Now you have permission to talk and have accomplished your objective in this step. (There are only three responses to asking for permission to talk..."YES" "NO" "WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?") Your objectives are to: * Get an appointment, permission to ask questions, or an objection. * Tell them you are with H&GP. * Explain the purpose of your call. * Be very personable, be caring, be yourself. * Seek controlled, predictable responses.
Use words like visit, get acquainted, hoping, wondering, trying, help, need...
The bottom line here is to ask for an appointment, booking, sale, or get permission to ask questions. You are either going to accomplish one of these or get an objection. If you succeed, remember exactly what you said and repeat it on your next call!
This step will always start with: "The reason I'm calling is..."
This step always ends with an optional close (a choice of two) "If you have a minute now, I can share the benefits of _______ or we an set up an appointment to get together, which might work best for you?" When you call you can say “Hi Mary, this is ______ with Home & Garden Party. I so enjoyed meeting you at the fair on Saturday and although you weren’t our grand prize winner I’m very happy to inform you that you won one of our 2nd prize gifts!” You can then offer a special gift of your choice or a gift certificate they can either use for themselves or share with a friend! Examples based on the areas of the drawing slip they filled out: RECRUITING "The reason I'm calling is...you were so excited about our_______, and I felt you might want to learn how becoming a Designer with H&GP may benefit you (and your family.) I was hoping to visit with you for about 30 minutes and I was wondering what works better for you..._______, or ________.
BOOKING A PARTY "The reason I'm calling is you expressed an interest in ___________. I'm currently booking parties for the next four weeks and I was wondering what works better for you...______ or _______."
Your objectives are to: * Uncover a need or motivation. * Care about your prospect's need or motivation. * Listen * To uncover a need or motivation by asking questions you make it clear that you care about your prospect's opinions. You care about what they feel and think.. People really appreciate this, and can tell when you're sincerely interested. Remember, people purchase based on a need or motivation.
Should the timing not be right and the prospect does not want to accept any of your four service close your conversation with "Thank you for your time. Would you like me to touch base with you...(In a couple of weeks/months -- notify you when the new catalog comes out--when there are special promotions that might interest you)" Then immediately write the next follow-up call in your file.
Remember, just like anything else that is new with practice your verbiage with your prospects will become easier and you'll achieved better results. Learning to effectively ask questions that reveal needs or motivation is an art within itself. Stay focused, be patient, and continue to practice this step until you are getting the responses you seek.
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