Parties are the lifeblood of any Paparazzi Accessories business. Let’s chat about how I do my home parties.
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Home parties are a great way to meet and connect with new friends, customers, future hostesses and future consultants. They are more personal than an event or expo and a great way to make some real connections.
I absolutely LOVE home parties! Here is a quick guide to how I do my home parties, what you should remember to bring and how to get more bookings and know if someone is interested in joining your team.
Whether this is your first home party or your kickoff show you can use these guidelines the same. Just tweak them to fit you and your personality and needs.
Arrive early! This is a MUST in my book. Your hostess has probably been cleaning all day and getting ready for her friends to come. Don’t stress her out by coming at the last minute. Be sure to communicate with her during your hostess coaching and let her know what time you are planning to be there and if you need anything special like a table, chair, or anything else. This will help your hostess know what to expect and keep her relaxed and ready to party.
Ask where to set your displays up. Maybe she wants you in the kitchen or kind of spread out in the front room, just ask!
Get your groove on – I love putting on some music that the guests can enjoy while they are shopping. This helps communicate the “party” vibe and can help the guests feel comfortable and happy. Be sure to make it loud enough that they can hear it but quite enough that they can still talk over it.
Greet the guests as they arrive. Introduce yourself so they know who to talk to when then are done shopping or if they have a question. This is also a good time to give them a shopping basket. I like these little baskets that I got at the dollar store. They were 4 for $1.
Interact with the guests. I like to play a few games if things are slow or if I just want to increases the fun level. Here are some of my favs:
- I have the hostess go get an outfit (or have one already at the party) that they guests get to accessorize. Each guest can take turns picking a necklace or accessory to go with the outfit and then guests vote on their favorite.
- Have all the guests put on a piece of jewelry or an accessory that is outside of their comfort zone. They have to wear that piece for the remainder of the party! Sometimes the guests end up buying it because they get so many compliments!
- Make a set – have the guests choose 4 pieces that they think would make a perfect set. (if you are displaying fashion fix sets, they can use them for inspiration but not for their set). Have the guests vote on the best set there.
A few other ways to interact with the party guests are to:
- show them how to do a hippie headband updo
- help them accessorize an outfit or find a gift for someone
- Show them how a ring can be made into a bracelet
- point out items that match things they are looking or buying (say “Oh! I have a bracelet that totally matches that necklace. Get the bracelet, hand it to them, say something like “isn’t this total cute?!” and then walk away)
- Show the guests how to layer necklaces.
So now the guests are shopping and having fun. AWESOME!!
When the guests are done and ready to checkout, take them to your checkout area. In this area you will have drawing slips, pens, and bags. You should also have your card reader, phone or tablet (used to charge the credit cards) and some cash in case they need change. I recommend keeping the money and home on you either in your pockets or in an apron. This way it won’t walk off.
Start out by handing the guest a drawing slip and asking the fill it out while you check them out. This will get you their information and on the drawing slips there are some questions about if they want to host a party or join your team that they can answer.
While they are filling out the drawing slip, total their order, bag it and get it ready to go. Be sure to put a business card or flyer into their bag so they can find you to reorder or to book a party later on. Then they are done filling out the drawing slip, tell them their total and then while they are getting their card or money out, look over their drawing slip.
If they marked that they would be interested in hosting a party or joining your team, you can talk about it. Set a date for their party or ask if they have any questions about being a consultant. Sometimes people will mark they are interested in one or the other (or both) on a paper where they wouldn’t tell you if you asked them.
IF they didn’t mark anything for those boxes simply ask them “Would you want to host a party or join my team?” You never know who might be interested!
Be sure to keep track of what you sell so you know what hostess to give to your hostess. It can be as simple as tallies on a sheet for adult pieces and starlet shimmer pieces.
After the guests have left and your hostess has shopped, be sure to thank her for hosting a party. I also like to ask if they have thought about joining my team. Right after the party, they have had a lot of fun, gotten some free jewelry and might be thinking that joining is a good plan!
Another nice touch is to drop a thank you card to the hostess in the mail on your way home from a party. This gives that little extra personal touch that we love so much.
And that’s how it’s done! Super simple, right?!
Parties are fun, exciting and a great way to meet new people! Give it a try!
Resources:
Paparazzi Accessories Party Essentials Checklist
Call Challenge:
How many parties do you have on the books for this week? Get on the phone and don’t stop calling people until you have at least 1 party a week for the next month.