Why You Want to Offer a Hostess Benefit that is Unique to You
In Step 1 of How to Use a Booking Event to Fill Your Calendar, you remind yourself of the benefits of hosting a party with your direct sales company. This includes your company’s tangible and non-tangible hostess benefits. It also consists of the unique and exclusive benefits you offer. Knowing these benefits makes you more confident when you’re offering to do a party for someone.
You earn the hostess benefits from your booking event (assuming your company allows you to self-host). I wouldn’t run this as a mystery hostess event because they are much more useful for product-enthusiasts (we talk about the best way to do this in Spark), and because the focus of this event is on the bookings rather than the sales.
Write down your company’s tangible hostess benefits. They include free and half-priced products, availability of hostess-exclusive items and bundles, future discounts, etc. You also want to list other benefits your company offers hostesses. These benefits may or may not be listed on your website or in the catalog. They can include products automatically shipped to the guests so that she doesn’t have to deliver them or clearly marked orders and product names if she does. Maybe she gets to keep the result of the demo or can pick the theme or focus of the party. The benefits could also extend to her guests such as a free hands-on experience or monthly product specials that are only available through party orders.
You also want to offer a perk that is unique to you. This doesn’t mean that you have to invent it and be the only one who offers it. Lots of direct sellers offer a private VIP Facebook group. If you provide a Facebook group for your customers, emphasize the reasons people would want to join it and let your hostesses know that the group is only for your customers. The Success Guide has a list of other suggestions to help you create your unique benefit.
As stated in the bonus tips, keep your unique benefit simple. It should be low-cost but high-value. It should be very manageable for you and easily reproducible for your team. You want it to be interesting enough for a hostess to pick you over another consultant but not too complicated that it takes a long time to explain.
If you are with a company that does a lot of product-line changes (i.e., jewelry) or offers limited-edition items, then you might want to consider a hostess-exclusive sample sale. You can give your hostesses early access to your samples before you open it up to the rest of your customers. This gives the hostesses a considerable perk and helps you clear off your shelves.
I also like an annual hostess-exclusive event where you celebrate your hostesses. If you do this event right, they’ll not only ask you to do another party for them, they’ll also ask about joining your team. A detailed outline of this event is in Spark, and you can use it for yourself and your team.
What is the unique benefit that you offer your hostesses?
Cheering for you,
Kelly
P.S. This Success System is explained in more detail in Spark. You might want to join Spark so that you have all the tools you need to train your team.
P.P.S. Here are links to all 5 posts in this series.
#1 Get Your Guide to a Full Direct Sales Party Calendar
#2 How to Pick the Best Date for Your Booking Event
#3 Why You Want to Offer a Hostess Benefit that is Unique to You
#4 How to Create the Perfect Guest List for Your Booking Event
#5 Why You Want to Hostess Coach Yourself
