“If you work hard at your job, you make a living… If you work hard for yourself, you make a fortune”. - Earl Schoaff.

Passion for your Product, Belief in Your Product, Enthusiasm for your Product albeit necessary ingredients to the success of your work at home business, are not the end all be all!

Home party opportunities are often the first choice for women who want to own their own home business.  Start-up costs will not break the bank, training is usually provided and hey, your whole business is a party! What’s not to love?

If you are considering a home party business, here are some things to think about:

FINANCIAL FREEDOM IS NOT AN EVENT, IT IS A SKILL!

After numerous home party plan consultations, after reviewing bundles of information on the success rate in the party plan industry, after attending endless hotel meetings and home party demonstration; I find that there are 4 reasons why people fail.  These reasons can be best remembered as the acronym MAPS!– we all need “MAPS” to help us get to where we want to go:
M – Lack of money (no monthly marketing budget)
A – Lack of activity (not taking business building action)
P – Lack of prospects Or too many prospects
S – Underdeveloped skills and/or Lack of Skills
Of these 4 reasons I have listed, which ones do you most identify with?

Of the 4 reasons listed, the lack of skills and/or underdeveloped skills is the number 1 leading cause of the 95% failure rate in the direct sales opportunities industry!

The following skills will see you experiencing a dramatic increase in home party sales!

Time Management Skills:  When I first started in my work at home business, I got a planner and I kid you not I scheduled every minute.  At the time I was working 2 jobs and working tirelessly getting training on how to build a successful home party business, while getting into action!  As I reflect on those days, it was the best thing I did.  Time management is  one of the best home business tips that I have to offer!

Organization Skills: If you thought you were not a master juggler, well…there is nothing like work at home opportunities to debunk the myth. You have to keep track of your consultant supplies.  You have customers to follow up with, you have home party recruits to train, orders to fill.  If you are a work at home mom, you have children to feed, a husband and a home to take care of!  Good organization skills are important in ANY business, and the party plan business is no different.  Remember the fortune is in the follow up, manage your time well and organize your duties well and there is no stopping you!

Home party plan demonstration skills is the MONEY SHOT for direct sales business.  That said, public speaking is the number one fear plaguing many people!   If you are afraid of talking to people, it will do you well to acquire this skill!  It will make the world of difference!  I highly recommend you cultivate and develop the ability to present! Many people think they can skip the party facet of these businesses and just have “book” or catalog parties. Remember the old adage Practice makes perfect?  WRONG Practice makes IMPROVEMENT (See Kung FU Pandemonium).  Public speaking is a skill that you build on–the more you do it, the better you get.

Home Party Plan Success Tips: FACTS TELL, STORIES SELL!

Accounting Skills:  And you thought those Mathematics classes you took wouldn’t come in handy!  Home party plan customers will need help to tally their tab. You will need to confirm that to make sure the numbers add up on your end and their end.  You definitely want to be in the know when you deposit that commission check resulting from your successful in home party sales!  Then there is taxes!

Sales/Closing Skills: After you have hosted a killer home party, wowed your guests and outdone yourself, at the end of the day, YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR THE SALE!  Hmm…
Need some booking tips?  Always be gracious to the host (see hostess coaching for ideas)!

Communication Skills :  Have you ever met someone who just loves to hear the sound of their own voice?  Just how interested were you in what they had to say?  Exactly!  To succeed the skill that will be most valuable to you, will be LISTENING!  This how you gain all the information you need.

Home party plan success TIP: You must GET INFORMATION before you can GIVE INFORMATION!

When you listen, you know what questions to ask.  When you listen you know how to intonate for effect, when you listen you will learn how to ask effective questions.  When you listen you will allow prospect home party recruits to sell themselves and this is the art of selling!

Here’s looking at you kid!
Party Plan Pat