Five Ways to get your Party Plan Business Un-Stuck

by Work-At-Home.org

OK. You started your own home-based party plan business. It may be candles, health care supplements, household products, fine wine… whatever. You had your first six bookings, and your bookings off of them… and you’ve experienced cancellations, or worse, parties that have no bookings.

Now what?

Here are five great ideas for getting un-stuck with your home-based party plan business.

Set out drawing boxes. This is a lead-builder. With a little time and ingenuity, these can be made easily. Take them to convenience stores, oil change stores, your local photographer, dentists’ and doctors’ offices. Ask if you can leave them, and record anywhere you’ve left them. Again, make the prize exciting. Collect your names weekly, and add them to your newsletter list. Be sure to put your business cards out, too, and let them know (on the box or on the flyer) to check your website… make it easy… the first week of the following month.
If you haven’t already, create a newsletter that you can send via e-mail or snail mail (email is free). Use your door prize slips (or the ones you’ve created) to build your contact database. Send newsletters each month, even if they haven’t had a party in several months… your hostess might be ready for another one.
Throw yourself a Party! Be your own hostess and throw yourself a party. Invite your family, friends, and everyone in your database. Advertise the party just as if you were the hostess, use your door prize slips, and either have a drawing for a guest to win the hostess benefits, or use the hostess gifts yourself to stock up on your items for your contests and drawings.
Giveaways. These are fun. Take an item that is in your product line, but is inexpensive, and create little giveaways. For example, if you are a Candle Consultant, buy several boxes of candles, some tulle or individual treat bags, and some confetti. Spread out a small piece of tulle, sprinkle some confetti, and place a single tealight in it. Take your business cards and using a single hole punch, punch a hole in the top left-hand side of the card. Take a small piece of curling ribbon, slide your card onto the ribbon, gather the tulle and wrap it tightly around the top of the bag. Now, leave these anywhere you can think of! Give them to your hairdresser, cashier at the mall, waitresses (with a generous tip), the girl at the drive-thru taking your change, and the one giving you your food, the lady at the post office, the receptionist at the dentist and doctor’s offices… and, if you live in a city, take a day (or a lunch hour) and drop them off at every receptionist in one building. Always see if you can get a card from that person, at the same time, and add them to your list. If not, you’ve still made their day and brightened your own spirits, and they’re likely to at least drop by your website and check out your product line. The giveaways can be adapted to any party plan, with a little imagination… if you don’t have something in your product line that can be used as a giveaway, then purchase something inexpensive that’s related to your business and use that. Get creative, and have fun!
Co-op with other party ladies in your area and have a “Party Day”. Get together with a candle consultant, make-up consultant, jewelry consultant, fashion consultant, and scrapbooking consultant. Go together to create an “Open House” and each of you advertise the party to your leads. The loyal scrapbooking patron may also love jewelry or candles. Again, you can each either hold a drawing for the hostess benefits, or be the hostess, and use the benefits to add to your kit, or use for your drawings and raffles.

So go ahead, get unstuck and PARTY!

This article was inspired by information from Kim Earley. For more information about party plans and home-based topics you can visit her website at www.kimberlyearley.com.