Whether you are a new Designer or a veteran make the commitment now to start sponsoring.  At your very next party you will truly never know who among the guests sitting in that living room may need the opportunity the most. You won't know who is buried in credit card debt; who has suffered a job loss or illness; or who may be making a career change. When you meet the guests at your shows, you will have no way of knowing what's going on in their lives, so it's your responsibility to offer the opportunity to everyone!

Are you getting at least one recruit lead per party? It's been said there are recruits at every party, but there's not always a recruiter there. So, always make sure the recruiter shows up, tells her story, plants her seeds to harvest later and hands out at least three information packets at every single show! Then follow up! Remember, brochures and literature don't recruit people; people recruit people! So reach out, smile, be friendly, ask questions and YOU initiate everything in the recruiting process! Our sponsoring tools work. They build your business. All you have to do is commit to using them every day. Tools make it easy to expose anyone to H&GP without memorizing a presentation. They allow you to become the messenger, not the message. They are a simple way to give people what they deserve – the chance to choose Home & Garden Party. You do, however, have to initiate the process.

Start now and before you know it you'll be in the business of changing lives and you'll be well rewarded as well.  By recruiting and building in the spring you will be setting the stage for the summer trip contest.  In August, you will have a head start on a large, productive team to maximize your fall selling season.

* Watch and listen ~ Listen to your Hostess' and Guest's conversations before, during and after the Party. Think of yourself as a detective. Be on the lookout for verbal and non-verbal “green flags” that someone may be interested in what you do. When someone waves a “green flag,” she is saying, “Go ahead! Tell me more.” Make mental notes for follow-up.

* Keep your presentation simple ~ If your presentation is “too good,” you may be scaring prospects away! You should even use your note cards at every party to help you through your presentation, even if you get it all memorized! This will help make your job look simple yet “duplicatable.”

* Tell your “WHY” story ~ Let the Guests get to know you. As you build rapport, the Guests will open up to you. Keep your story brief and interactive.

* Describe the business as a service you offer ~ “I offer three services to my Customers. I can help you pick out products that you will enjoy using to accessorize your own home. I can also save you money by offering you the opportunity to get products free when you host a Party. And my favorite service is offering you the opportunity to do what I do. I invite you to watch what I do and talk with me later.”

* Sprinkle sponsoring messages throughout your presentation ~ As a general rule, make sure you mention the business opportunity at least three times.  For many examples of planting seeds during a presentation be sure to read the Party Presentation Outline. Everything listed in bold is a sponsoring seed.

* Highest and Lowest buying Guests ~ Always consider the highest and lowest buying Guests at your shows to be great recruit leads. The one who spent the most money obviously loves the product and would be the most likely to represent it. "Nancy, thank you so much for your order. It looks like you love these products! Have you ever thought about doing something like this?" The one who spent the least probably loves the product but can't afford to purchase much, so possibly she could use some extra income. "Jane, you really loved the products tonight. Why don't you have a show and get some of them free? Better yet, why don't you book a show, earn your starter kit and MAKE money?"

* Avoid clichés when talking about your favorite benefits ~ Instead of telling the Guests that you love the high hourly earnings, be specific. “One of my goals for my business is to be able to earn enough to make our house payment. I love being able to work eight times a month and earn enough to do that.”  What are your favorite benefits?

* Use a Customer Care Card effectively ~ The Care Card does not do the work for you!

⇒ Walk your Guests through every question.

⇒ Ask your Guests to include the best time and number to call.

⇒ Use the word “invite.” “I’d like to invite all of you to consider joining me in Home & Garden Party. This business can work around almost any life-commitments you already have. Please mark the box if you’d like some information.”

⇒ After the Party, go through the cards and make notes so you will remember something specific about each person.

Inviting your Hostesses and Guests

1. When you begin coaching ~ “I’ve included some information about the business. Many of our Designers were Hostesses first, so I know you may have questions.”

2. In follow-up coaching calls ~ “You should know that your Party could be the beginning of your own business. Is there anything about my job that looks good to you?”

3. When you get to her home ~ “While I’m setting up, why don’t you ask me any questions you’ve thought of about the business?”

4. When you introduce the Customer Care Card ~ “Our Hostess is at the ‘thinking stage’ about being a Designer. If you would consider helping her get started by hosting a Party, put a star in the ‘Yes’ or ‘Maybe’ box.”

5. When you close her Party ~ Remind her that the opportunity is still available and that you would be happy to help her get started with the bookings from her Party. Continue to "recruit coach." Even though you've talked to her several times during the hostess coaching process, after the show is over, sit down with your hostess and go over the Home & Garden Party opportunity one more time! Show her just how much money she would have earned and how easy it is to get started, that the bookings you got from her show could be the start of her business.

"Karen, do you know that if you would have conducted your show instead of me, you would have made over $200 tonight?"

Or, "We got three bookings tonight! You're half way to starting -- you only need three more!"

Make information accessible.  Put business information out where it is easy to pick up and invite the Guests to take it. “If you or anyone you know might be interested in exploring the possibility of being a Designer, please take one of these.” Be sure to watch who takes it and follow up!

Plant seeds throughout your party presentation and have a good recruiting commercial:

Throughout your party presentation you should plant multiple seeds for sponsoring.  During your party presentation, after you have played the Ask Me Game, say something like “Ladies, I’d like to invite one or two gals to have the opportunity this month to join H&GP and work along with me. I would never try to convince anyone into joining Home & Garden Party but I do love to invite others to have the chance to choose if they think this is something they might be interested in. Home & Garden Party has been a blessing to me, has been a great way to earn extra income, and I’m thankful for the opportunities that our company has provided me. I do love to share those same opportunities with others. So if you think you might be even a little bit interested in learning more or if you know someone who might be interested please take one of the opportunity packets that I’m passing around.”

Pass around a whole stack of opportunity packets…not just a few because you want everyone to feel comfortable that they can take one. Watch carefully to see who takes them and then leave the extras on the coffee table for those who decide to take one later.
As the packets are being passed say “I’d love for you to look through the packet and view our opportunity DVD at your leisure. We can get together in person or on the phone in the next few days. Together, I can answer your questions so that you can decide if this is something that would be right for you and your family.

During your presentation be sure you are sharing the benefits of being a designer.  

“With an average party of $500-$600, you would start with making $150, and after your first $1500, you would make about $200."

"Basically, if you held one party a week…you could earn an extra $800 dollars on average monthly for your family’s income. How does that sound to you?"

"As far as the cost goes, you could get started with a kit for only $99.00 and for that you receive over $200 in retail value, plus supplies to get started! You can make that back in your very first party!”
 

Anyone you meet may be interested in joining. Watch for these green flags:
- Those who ask you questions. (“Do you mind carrying in all this stuff?”, Do you like doing this?)
- Those who share a need (“My daughter just got engaged…the wedding is going to cost a lot of money” )
- Someone who asks you many questions during the Ask Me Game.
- Someone who has a very high purchase…they love it all!
- Someone who only places a very small order. They might love to have it all but can’t afford to purchase

   what they would like to. Ask them “Were you able to purchase everything you wanted to this evening?”

   If the answer is no, offer them the chance to get their favorite items for free, ½ price or at a discount

   by becoming a hostess or a designer.
- Someone who volunteers to help you pack up. Always allow guests to help you!
- Someone who likes to decorate.
- People who help other people. (You hear them say…”I just finished helping my sister”).
- Energetic people, people who like to smile a lot. (These people have a genuine love for other people)

Be aware of recruiting signals and cues:

The most important key in sponsoring is to find a need and fill it.  Below are questions and statements that show an interest in what you do, and indicate a desire to hear more about HGP. This allows you to seek more information from the prospective recruit in order to find a need, and fill it with your business opportunity.

How will you know what others need? Listen to what they are saying or asking.

* How did you get started in Home and Garden Party?
* Do you do this full time? How many hours a week do you do this?
* I wish I had the money….to buy a new car, etc.
* Now that the kids are in school, I would like to work.
* I’m looking…. for something to do part time….for a new job….for a 2nd job.
* I wish I had more time with my family.
* I don’t have enough time for anything because I’m always working.
* I need something to keep me busy.
* I love Home and Garden Party products….I want it all!

Listen for concerns or questions that will allow you to respond and show how H&GP could be the answer they are looking for. Most prospects will want to know things like: How much money they can make, How much time is involved, What it costs to get started, What they have to do, training, etc.
 

Plant seeds while taking orders:
While you are taking orders is a great time to sponsor. Choose the verbiage that you are most comfortable with:

“Kelly, I hope you had as much fun with us tonight as we had with you! Do you realize you're like a magnet? People LOVE being around you! This is a common trait we find in over half of the successful Designers in our company. Have you ever considered doing what I do?”

“Kathy, I am so glad I had the chance to meet you tonight. You have such a like-able personality. It also appears that you are a great listener. These are common traits we find in about half of the successful Designers in our company. Have you ever considered doing what I do?”

“I couldn’t help but notice you tonight…” (People like to be noticed)

“Tell me about yourself…Do you work outside your home? What exactly do you do?”

“What do you like best about your job?” (always bring up something positive)

“What would you change if you could? The money? The hours? For example, would you like to make more money? Choose the hours you work?”

(Some people don’t even think about change until you bring it up).  Listen to their answers….

Additional questions you can ask:
*  “Tell me…do you like to decorate?”
* “Could you use an extra $800 a month?”

Now you can bring the answers together...

“If you would like _______(ie, earn extra income) but would like to change__________(ie, have more flexibility on when you work) have you ever thought of doing what I do?”

Possible answer: “No…I haven’t”

“Well you should think about it! May I share what you could make?”

Invite each person individually and take action.  Don't wait for recruits to approach you about joining. You need to invite everyone and then follow up. Inviting each person is so much easier than deciding who would or wouldn’t be interested. Everyone deserves the opportunity to make up her own mind. In a recent survey, most people said they joined their company because someone asked them.  Remember the numbers. Statistics say that when you talk to 10 people, at least one of them is going to join. If you have 6-8 guests at every party and you're doing four parties a month (just one a week), even the most part-time Designers can recruit 2 to 3 new Designers every month!

Your goal is to pass out three packets at every show. You will see big recruiting results when you adopt and practice the habit of handing out three recruit packets at every show you do. Statistics from the Direct Sellers Association state that when you talk to 10 people, 1 of them is going to join. Even if you’re a brand new designer doing your first few shows, the statistics show that if you talk to 10, at least 1 will indeed join. So, if you want 1 new recruit each month . . . simply talk to 10! For those who consistently want 2 new recruits each month, talk to 20 . . . and so on.

The good news is that if you are doing two shows a week, using this technique, you would be handing out 24 packets a week. Based on the above statistics, 24 packets would yield 2 ½ recruits, or 5 total at the end of two months. What if you stepped up your activity and did three shows a week? That would be 36 packets, or 7 new recruits by the end of two months. That’s exciting! Practice this technique and you will be on the fast track to meeting your recruiting goals and when the next company trip contest starts you'll have the foundation built to win the trip.

The best news is that the more packets you hand out, the better you will get at approaching people, the more proficient you will get, and your odds will increase to 1 in 7 or 1 in 6; so when you pass out 36 packets, you are likely to recruit 3 to 5 new people in a month.  Based on those numbers, if you did just one show a week – and you had two or three others on your team doing just one show a week – that would be 12 to 15 packets being handed out to prospective recruit leads each week. So, with yourself and a small team just working very part-time using this system, you would still average 4 to 5 new recruits on your team each and every month.
 

Who do we give them to, and what do we say?
I like to think of it as casting a movie. You’re the producer and director of the show, and you’re out to discover new talent to star in your show! So, who do you select? Start by approaching someone with whom you feel you’ve established a rapport, connected with or really hit it off.
What do you say? "So, Mary, did you enjoy the show this evening? Great! I couldn’t help but notice how fun and outgoing you are. You were the life of the party! Have you ever thought of doing something like this?" (Wait for response) "Well, I think you’d be great! I’d love to give you a packet of information about Home & Garden Party to take home and look at in the privacy of your own home – and I’d like to give you a call in a couple of days to answer any questions you might have. Sound good? Great! Would Tuesday or Thursday evening be better for you? Tuesday? Great!"

Another approach would be: "Susie, you really helped everyone have a good time this evening. Thanks so much! You know, you’re a natural salesperson -- have you ever thought about doing what I do? (Wait for her answer) Well, you should because you’d be great, and I’d love to work with you! Why don’t you just take a packet of information, look it over in the privacy of your home . . . and I’ll give you a call in a couple of days to answer any questions. Sound good? Would Wednesday or Thursday evening be better for you? Great!"

The one common denominator of both those encounters is . . . a compliment! Always start out with a genuine compliment. Even if someone is not really interested, they will appreciate a compliment from you. And if they say, "No, I’m not really interested," you can always say, "Why don’t you take a packet home with you, and if you know anybody who might be interested, please pass the packet along, okay? Thanks!" Compliment, then ask. Compliment, then ask. "I couldn’t help but notice how good you are with people, Susie." "You have a wonderful personality, Martha. Our company is always looking for good people like you."

Just as a surefire opening line to a prospect for booking is: "I would love to have you as a hostess!", a surefire opening line for recruiting is: "I’d love to work with you," or "I’d love to have you on my team!"

* Let the Guests know you will be asking them! “I’m sure you can tell I love what I do! I’ll be inviting each of you to consider the business for yourself or someone you know.”

* Talk to each person. Try these or make up some of your own. “I haven't looked at the Customer Care Cards yet. Are you one of the people who wanted information about the business?” or “I think you might enjoy being a Designer because __________.  If I give you some information, would you look at it?”

* Be sure to mention that the packet contains general information and your goal is to personalize it when you get together (either on the phone or in person). “This business can be for anyone! Please be sure to watch the DVD.  Let’s talk tomorrow so we can see if HGP will be a good fit for you.”

"Thanks for all your help tonight, Rachel, you are a natural. Have you ever thought about doing something like this? I'd love to work with you!"

“If you’re thinking this might be something you’d like to just give a try why don’t we just fill out an application and you can get started making money."

"That’s what is so great about H&GP…they literally give you a chance to give it a try. You can do a few shows and see if you like it. If you decide it’s not for you, you can just walk away and own some beautiful products. But you might discover that you love it. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain! We can get you started today….And you can be on your way to making some great money!”

You may have someone tell you that they want to get started right away.  For many people you will find that they have already been thinking of doing something to earn extra income.  You could be providing the answer to a concern they've have. Joining H&GP could be their answer.  

Suggest the next step.  The goal is to provide information to interested people AND suggest an interview within 24-48 hours. If possible, arrange a time to get together in person. Person-to-person always provides an added advantage. If time or distance prevents getting together, follow up on the telephone. Be prepared for any of these responses:

⇒ “Yes, I’ll look at it.” “Great! Let’s get together (or talk) tomorrow.” Arrange a specific time.

⇒ For others who may say "Well, let me go home and think about it." you can say….” Let’s schedule a time when we can get together in person or on the phone and I will share some more information and answer your questions. And then you can decide if this is something that’s right for you. That way, you’ll have all the information you’ll need to make a decision. If you want after that…you can think about it some more. “

Or

“How about if you look over the opportunity packet I’m sharing with you tonight, you can watch the DVD,  and I‘ll call you tomorrow. I’ll be able to share with you more information, answer any questions you have, and then you will be able to make a better decision.”

If after, you share details, they still want to talk it over with the family, you can say: “I’ll call you in a couple of days and you can let me know what you think….” Sometimes…they need time to think about it and discuss it with their friends and family...This is the usual answer!

Jot down what she stated in your conversation….what she would change etc. because you will be talking to several people in a week and you want to remember who said what… Now, here is where most people fail….they fail to follow through. Do not wait for them to call you! When you give them an opportunity packet set up a time to follow through.

⇒ The “yes but no” response. For example, “It looks like fun (YES), but I’m too busy (NO).”

⇒ “No, thank you.” Tell her how you feel. “That’s too bad! I would really enjoy working with you!” Check to be sure you understand. “No, like never? Or should we talk at another time?”

Add to a notebook the name of anyone who expressed some interest in the business, either for now or in the future. The number of names in your notebook will grow as you enhance your skills and invite more people. Make notes about anything you have discovered about your prospect. Follow up when you said you would.  When you realize that at every show there will probably be at least one person who could benefit by joining HGP you will start looking at your group of guest trying to determine who seems most interested, asks the most questions, seems to need the opportunity the most etc. Choose one special person at each party and share with them the "Just for you Letter," be sincere and let them know how much you would like to help them build a business.

If your prospect says, “No,” it doesn’t mean never. Ask permission to follow up. Create a system for following up that works for you! Take a few notes about your conversation and make sure you do follow up with her! Your goal in sponsoring is to provide information to interested people AND suggest an interview with them within 24-48 hours.

When closing your Party invite your Hostess to join.  At the close of the party, share with the hostess what she received free and congratulate her, then share what you earned.

“Congratulations __________, you earned __________FREE! That is so great.  Now I would like to share what I received tonight. I made _____________.  The reason I’m sharing this with you is that you could have made this money…these are your family and friends and had you been doing the party…this is what you would be making. I know you like to decorate and get together with friends…it’s one of the reasons you had this party…. If you’d like to consider joining, the two bookings that we received here tonight…can be two of your first parties.”
 

For information on how to follow up and conduct an Interview click "HERE"