Why Attending Vendor Events is Crucial to the Success of Your Home Party Plan / Direct Sales Business 0
Lets face it......the Home Party Plan - Direct Sales Industry has changed. Technology has totally transformed this industry and it will never be the same.
Gone are the days of holding 3-5 home parties a week to build your Direct Sales Business. Heck, even holding 1-2 home parties a week is pushing it. Now, most Consultants in the industry are lucky to hold 1-2 parties a MONTH!
Home parties used to be the ONLY way to build a Direct Sales Business and be successful. The idea was to book a few parties, to meet new people, to book MORE parties, to meet even MORE PEOPLE and so on. It was about exponential growth......and it was built on building personal relationships. It was done locally in your own city.
We didn't have the internet. There were no facebook parties back then and people socialized more in person. People used to LOOK FORWARD to getting together with their friends in person at home parties. Today, people don't feel as much of an urge to get together at home parties because they already "feel" constantly connected to their friends through social media.
Maybe they should rename the Home Party Plan Industry to the SOCIAL SELLING INDUSTRY, instead! After all, that really is what it has become, right?
So how do we adapt to this change? Depending upon your age, you may not know anything is different. Holding Facebook Parties seems like the norm to you. However, what you may not know is that it is still CRUCIAL to the success of your business to build a local customer base and a Team of Consultants that you are CONNECTED to IN PERSON!!! You can influence someone when you are face to face with them so much more than you can if you are only conversing with them online. Holding Facebook parties is great, but you are still missing that personal element!
So, how do you do this, you ask, when people aren't willing to hold in home parties anymore? It's SIMPLE! ATTEND VENDOR EVENTS!!!!
Vendor events now come in 2nd place to holding parties online when it comes to building a Direct Sales Business. Home Parties, in our opinion, comes in third. So if you are not willing or able to hold in home parties, or you haven't mastered the art of Facebook Parties, vendor events is the KEY to meeting those new people and building personal relationships with them. Its how you build your local customer base of people who will come back to you to get more product, especially if you sell a consumable product! If you service your customers well, people are truly loyal. Most people know how this business works and your customers will come back to YOU because of the relationship you have built with them....in person!
This is also the best way to Sponsor new Consultants and build a local Team. Why is that important when you can just sponsor people you've met online? Because if you want to influence and inspire your team to become successful, you can do it so much more effectively in person, than you can online. Remember, the only way YOU will become successful as a Leader is to have successful Consultants on your Team!
Success at Vendor Events
Keep in mind that selling products at vendor events is just as important as meeting lots of new people. You want people to go home with your products, experience them and fall in love with them. But you also need to make sure that you have a way to get back in touch with them, too! Depending upon the event, you wont have time to sit and get to know EVERY single person. You may get too busy at times, so it is crucial to get their contact info, especially their EMAIL ADDRESS!
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have each person fill out a door prize drawing slip, which includes all of their info, so that you have a way to get back with them, or add them to your email list. Invest in giving away a really nice door prize, or a basket of a sampling of your products. Trust us, it will be worth it! Remember, you want them to give you their info.....so give them a good reason to!
Door prize slips should ALWAYS include:
1) Name
2) Phone Number
3)Email Address
Ask these three questions:
1) Are you interested in Hosting a Party to receive FREE PRODUCTS YES/NO
2) Are you interested in learning more about becoming a Consultant? YES/NO
3) Would you like to be informed about upcoming specials, sales or events? YES/NO
Now that you understand how crucial attending vendor events is to building your Direct Sales Business, now its time to FIND the events and get them on your calender!
Vendor events are easy find on facebook. Just type in "vendor events" and the "name of your city, state or county in the search field. You'll be surprised at how many groups are set up that discuss and promote vendor events and craft shows in your area!
We recommend events that are smaller.....at least at first. Doing large expos can be costly and are very ovewhelming for the first timer. Events that typically cost $25-$50 are your best best and wont break the bank.
Its also important to do MANY events. Not just one or two. Not every event will be successful. Ask others who have attended the event in the past to see if it was successful for them. Events that have been around year after year are usually best, as attendance will typically be better. The more events you do, the better you will get at it and the more people you will meet. Reinvest the money you make at one event into buying more product for cash & carry at your next event and so on. Don't be surprised when you see some of the same customers from one event at another event! Attending multiple events helps you to build brand recognition and that shows poeple that you are serious about your business. Let your customers know what other events you will be attending so that they can look for you!
Lastly, be sure to create an inviting booth or table display that really shows off your products. Keep things simple and uncluttered. (This is where Stack Displays really come in handy!) You want your booth or table to look inviting. Always have some sort of banner so that people can easily see what you sell and to also give a more professional look. Display your products at different heights using something like our tiered displays. It lifts your products off the table and allows you to group your items in ways that make sense to the customer. Be sure to always have a solid color tablecloth that not only covers the entire table, but goes down to the floor to cover the legs of the table, as well. Their are lots of articles on creating the perfect vendor display table or vendor booth, so be sure to do some research. The best thing to do is to attend some vendor events and look at how others have set up their booths, tables or displays. This will give you some inspiration on how you may want to set up yours!
Good Luck at your next event and happy VENDORING!
To your success,
The Stack Displays Team!
*Vendor Pictures Coutesy of:
Perfectly Posh
Why Attending Vendor Events is Crucial to the Success of Your Home Party Plan / Direct Sales Business 0
Lets face it......the Home Party Plan - Direct Sales Industry has changed. Technology has totally transformed this industry and it will never be the same.
Gone are the days of holding 3-5 home parties a week to build your Direct Sales Business. Heck, even holding 1-2 home parties a week is pushing it. Now, most Consultants in the industry are lucky to hold 1-2 parties a MONTH!
Home parties used to be the ONLY way to build a Direct Sales Business and be successful. The idea was to book a few parties, to meet new people, to book MORE parties, to meet even MORE PEOPLE and so on. It was about exponential growth......and it was built on building personal relationships. It was done locally in your own city.
We didn't have the internet. There were no facebook parties back then and people socialized more in person. People used to LOOK FORWARD to getting together with their friends in person at home parties. Today, people don't feel as much of an urge to get together at home parties because they already "feel" constantly connected to their friends through social media or by texting.
Maybe they should rename the Home Party Plan Industry to the SOCIAL SELLING INDUSTRY, instead! After all, that really is what it has become, right?
So how do we adapt to this change? Depending upon your age, you may not know anything is different. Holding Facebook Parties seems like the norm to you. However, what you may not know is that it is still CRUCIAL to the success of your business to build a customer base and a Team of Consultants that you are CONNECTED to IN PERSON!!! You can influence someone when you are face to face with them so much more than you can if you are only conversing with them online. Holding Facebook parties is great, but you are still missing that personal element!
So, how do you do this, you ask, when people aren't willing to hold in home parties anymore? It's SIMPLE! ATTEND VENDOR EVENTS!!!!
Vendor events now come in 2nd place to holding parties online when it comes to building a Direct Sales Business. Home Parties, IMO, comes in third. So if you are not willing or able to hold in home parties, or you haven't mastered the art of Facebook Parties, vendor events is KEY to meeting those new people and building personal relationships with them. Its how you build your local customer base of people who will come back to you to get more product, especially if you sell a consumable product! If you service your customers well, people are truly loyal. Most people know how this business works and your customers will come back to YOU because of the relationship you have built with them....in person!
This is also the best way to Sponsor new Consultants and build a local Team. Why is that important when you can just sponsor people you've met online? Because if you want to influence and inspire your team to become successful, you can do it so much more effectively in person, than you can online. Remember, the only way YOU will become successful as a Leader is to have successful Consultants on your Team!
Keep in mind that selling products at vendor events is important, too. You want people to go home with your products and experience them and fall in love with them. But you also need to make sure that you have a way to get back in touch with them, too! Depending upon the event, you wont have time to sit and get to know EVERY single person. You may get too busy at times, so it is crucial to get their contact info, especially their EMAIL ADDRESS!
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have each person fill out a door prize drawing slip, which includes all of their info, so that you have a way to get back with them, or add them to your email list. Invest in giving away a really nice door prize, or a basket of a sampling of your products. Remember, you want them to give you their info.....so give them a good reason to!
Door prize slips should ALWAYS include:
1) Name
2) Phone Number
3) Email Address
Ask these three questions:
1) Are you interested in Hosting a Party to receive FREE PRODUCTS YES/NO
2) Are you interested in learning more about becoming a Consultant? YES/NO
3) Would you like to be informed about upcoming specials, sales or events? YES/NO
Now that you understand how crucial attending vendor events is to building your Direct Sales Business, now its time to FIND the events and get them on your calender!
Vendor events are easy find on facebook. Just type in "vendor events" and the "name of your city or state" in the search field. You'll be surprised at how many groups are set up that discuss and promote vendor events and craft shows in your area!
We recommend events that are smaller.....at least at first. Doing large expos can be costly and very ovewhelming for the first timer. Events that typically cost $25-$50 are your best bet and wont break the bank.
Its also important to do MANY events. Not just one or two. Not every event will be successful. Ask others who have attended the event in the past to see if it was successful for them. Events that have been around year after year are usually best, as attendance will typically be better. The more events you do, the better you will get at it and the more people you will meet. Reinvest the money you make at one event into buying more product for cash & carry at your next event and so on. Don't be surprised when you see some of the same customers from one event at another event! Attending multiple events helps you to build brand recognition and that shows poeple that you are serious about your business. Let your customers know what other events you will be attending so that they can look for you!
Lastly, be sure to create an inviting booth or table display that really shows off your products. Keep things simple and uncluttered. You want your booth or table to look inviting. Always have some sort of banner so that people can easily see what you sell and to also give a more professional look. Display your products at different heights using something like Stack Displays. It lifts your products off the table and allows you to group your items in ways that make sense to the customer. Be sure to always have a solid color tablecloth that not only covers the entire table, but goes down to the floor to cover the legs of the table, as well. There are lots of articles on creating the perfect vendor display table or vendor booth, so be sure to do some research. The best thing to do is to attend some vendor events and look at how others have set up their booths, tables or displays. This will give you some inspiration on how you may want to set up yours!
Good Luck at your next event and happy VENDORING!
*Vendor Pictures Coutesy of:
Perfectly Posh
