Hosting a Direct Sales Party

The burp means it's fresh!

Lia Sophia, Thirty-One, Party-Lite, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay…. All are home sales companies and you probably know one or more people who sell their products. Every so often you will get the (slightly dreaded) request... "Will you host a party for me?"

As I’m sure your entrepreneurial friend has told you, there are benefits to hosting a direct sales party at your home. The free merchandise you can earn by being a host is the publicized draw, but if you are like me, the main reason you agree to host is to support your friend.

So, you want your friend to have a successful party and you want your guests to have a good time. How do you meet both of these goals?

Helping your friend have a successful party
1. The invitations. You need people to show up or this party will be a flop! Work with the seller to find out what kids of promises you can make to guests. For example, can the invitees get a bonus raffle ticket or free merchandise for every friend they bring to the event? Will they get to sample fantastic recipes featuring Pampered Chef dishware? If you are sending an email invitation, provide a link to the current catalog, so people can start getting excited about the products.

2. Have a table cleared off or some other space for the seller to display her wares. Find out how much room she needs. If you do not have appropriate space, ask the seller to bring her own table.

3. Lighting. If this is a jewelry, make-up, or bag party, it’s nice if there is bright lighting on the products. Mood lighting is great to create atmosphere, but this is a situation where people need to see stuff! (Unless it’s a candle party, then maybe low lights would be better!)

4. Offer to wear or display the products. The guests trust you because you are their friend. If you are wearing the Lia Sophia jewelry or using a Longaberger basket, they will probably comment on the item and then you can explain how much you like it. Even if it is a piece you haven’t bought yet, your seller friend would probably like you to model the merchandise.

5. CALL the invitees the day before the party. This is a good reminder and will force the non-committed to make a decision to come or not. Calls are more convincing than email; it’s really easy to ignore an email. If you feel a little uncomfortable making the call, come up with some pretext. “I am going to the store and was wondering if people would like to have ice tea or soda at the Tupperware party tomorrow. What do you think I should get?”

6. Don’t serve greasy finger foods. People will get grease and fingerprints all over the merchandise! Ew.

Making sure your guests have a good time
1. Serve food and beverages. No, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you should have something to eat – it’s a party! Use this opportunity to try out a new dessert. Although you are not the star attraction of the party, you should still aim to impress as a hostess! I like having a simple, healthy appetizer (like fresh cut veggies and hummus), a yummy, impressive appetizer (like chicken salad in phyllo cups or meatballs), a dessert (cheesecake is always a winner), and a signature cocktail (you don’t have to serve alcohol, unless you have my friends over, then you do.)

2. Clean up the party room and the bathroom. Everyone feels more comfortable in a clean, uncluttered space.

3. Provide enough seating and places to write. Most of these parties involve catalogs and writing down orders and it’s always a pain in the butt when the only place you have to balance your beverage and your catalog is your lap.

4. Think about asking the host to donate a percent of the profits to the charity of your choice, instead of taking a hostess gift. I know that as a guest, I feel more ready to buy and just generally happier with the whole event when I know the host is doing this for a charity. My friend hosted a Pampered Chef party and made the seller give a percent of the day’s profits to cancer research, instead of taking a hostess gift/discount. Since her dad had just survived some cancer treatments, I thought it was a touching gesture. How do you say no to a party invitation like that!?! And I will admit that I bought more products knowing the proceeds were for a good cause (at least that’s what I told my husband when I came home with $100 worth of Pampered Chef gadgets.)

5. Alternatively, if you are really doing this to support your selling friend and could care less about getting free products (seriously, I’m just not a “basket” kind of person!!), ask your friend if she will waive all the shipping fees for your guests instead of giving you a gift/discount. As a guest, I HATE paying shipping charges on these products!!! It just seems unfair.

6. Prompt distribution. Once all the purchased products are delivered to your house, do your best to distribute the products to your friends quickly.

7. Don’t worry about entertainment. The seller should take care of the entire presentation.

And your obligation is complete!! That wasn’t so bad. (Hope your friend knows that she is getting the first call when you need someone to help you move… or your kid is selling Girl Scout Cookies…or you need to bring a guest to some other direct sales party…)