To grow your business, you need a full calendar of parties. The best way to make that happen is to have a goal of 4 virtual parties a week. 4 is the magic number because if you’re doing it right, you should have one flop, one flip (aka someone interested in the business), and two great parties. When you prepare for 2 of your parties to be dead ends for more bookings, whether that’s because they start the business themselves or the party is a dud, you’ll be able to create a more consistent stream of revenue, one that you can rely on which will motivate you to be consistent and focused on the work that needs to get done for you to accomplish your goals. And the more consistent you are with your business, the easier running it will be. It all feeds into itself.

If your booking calendar is usually sporadic, the idea of doing four every week may seem overwhelming, but if you think about it - how much more work is doing four versus one when you’re doing the same system for each of them?

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How do you fill your calendar with 4 parties a week to accomplish your goals? Book multiple parties from your parties! Watch your business grow and reach tons of new people when each party you run produces 3 or more new ones. Soon, your calendar will be booked months in advance, and you’ll coast on your newfound confidence.

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What’s the number #1 reason people book a party?

Is it because they want to help their friends?

Is it because they want free products?

Yes, but it’s not the complete answer. When you read it, you’ll facepalm yourself because it’s so obvious.

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The #1 reason people book parties is that they were asked!!

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The only way to book parties from your parties is to ask the guests in them if they are interested in hosting one too! It generally takes 3 or more times to grapple with the information before a person is willing to act on it. That’s why you need to combine asking members in the party through private messages with effective content in your templates to get the most bang for your buck.

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Nowadays, sending out mass messages to even a specific collection of people, such as those who agreed to join the party, can create problems for you on Facebook. You might get blocked or thrown into the dreaded Facebook Jail if you send out too many at once. And even if you manage to send booking messages to all the guests at your party, you probably aren’t getting the results you used to. This is because, just like everything else to do with virtual parties, getting bookings comes down to sparking a connection between you and your future customer.

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Even though the #1 reason people will book parties from you is that you asked, you must acquire skills to ask a certain way!

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First, you want to ensure you’re not dumping information onto your party guests when you do ask.

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You do this by providing chunks of information about hosting parties in your Party Template. There should be one post each day of the party that reminds members of the benefits of hosting. That way, when you start having the conversation, your future host already has some context to the question, and you’re not starting from ground zero.

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Use the posts in your party as jumping-off points to start conversations.

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Post #1 - Pre-Party Post

In this post, discuss what the current host gets when her friends book a party from you. It’s important to post this right away for everyone to see because it sets a precedent that booking a party helps their friend. Everyone wants to help their friends, so use this to your benefit. Then, when you talk to guests one-on-one, you can call back to this post and all the benefits the current host will get if they say yes.

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These benefits may be provided automatically by your home office. Perhaps it’s an additional free product after three friends have a qualifying party or 40% off or even extra money donated to the cause when someone agrees to a party if you’re hosting a fundraiser. Whatever it may be, make sure to advertise it. If your home office doesn’t offer something, this is an excellent opportunity to get creative. Offer your own benefits to the host when her friends book a party with you!

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Here’s an example of such a pre-party post:

“Who wants to help our lovely host!? When you book a party, they get x! Who is up for it?

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Depending on the crowd, the post won’t have much interaction or a handful of people will respond, saying they are already excited about booking a party with you. Again, this saves you time in fishing out who is already interested. But again, what’s important here is that party members know what is being offered to the host when they book a party from you. So that when you reference in your booking messages, “[host] will get credit,” they know what that means, and it’s more real to them.

Post #2 - Monthly Host Specials

Add the monthly host specials to your Party Template. Your home office should already have graphics created to help you advertise what extra perks hosts get when they have a qualified party this month. When you add this content to your Template, show yourself using the products on sale and all the different uses the guests will get out of them when they have them in their home, rather than just making a sterile announcement. Then, integrate the monthly specials into your Template. Then, each time the products come up, mention in passing that the hosts for the month of [x] get the special discount with a qualified party!

You can also do this to advertise next month's host specials because some folks are interested but want to book one later. Providing an alternative month gives them more opportunities to say yes to you.

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Post #3 - Show All the Host Perks!

In this post, you’ll want to showcase all the perks a host gets! This is the time to brag about your company’s generous host benefits. Go into detail about all the ½ off and free products your hosts can earn when they reach certain sales levels. Not only does this inform people at the party of what marvelous benefits hosting gets them, but it also reminds the current host what they are working towards.

There are so many host rewards available that giving the information in chunks makes it more digestible so that when conversing with guests, you can quickly reference the benefits instead of sending big pieces of text they’ll never read.

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Post #4 - Why they want to book

In this post, you want to combine all the pieces for them. Why do they want to book? Sure, they get many awesome host rewards, but what will that ultimately mean for them? Creating a post that showcases that they get to treat themselves, share something extraordinary with their friends, and learn a new skill helps your potential hosts envision themselves doing it.

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Post #5 - Games

Create content that asks questions such as "If you could choose any product to get 50% off, which one would it be?" or "What kind of party speaks to you - shared rewards, wedding shower, fundraiser, host rewards, or in-person cooking?" When guests answer the questions to get points or tickets towards the party prize, you can follow up with them privately.  Ask them more in-depth about their answer and mention that you would be happy to help them get that product discount or assist with any fundraising needs.

Games open the door to conversation.

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Post #6 - Day in the Life of a Host

Create a post that walks through what it looks like to be a host. Some people need to walk through the process themselves before they agree to a party, even if they are in the middle of experiencing one. So instead of telling your guests that they won’t have to do any work to have a successful party, especially since it’s not true because parties with inactive hosts rarely are successful, break down what it looks like to be one of your hosts.

That they invite their friends, check into the party group daily, and post things to keep the party going (let them know you’ll send them the language and ideas), check in with their friends to send reminders, and then get rewards. This also sets expectations early and helps minimize having zero parties on your calendar.

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Partner with your host:

As we all know, coaching our hosts is the key to a successful party. We've discussed in the past how to coach our hosts to increase sales, but we have yet to discuss how to partner with your hosts to get more bookings. Having the host endorse you publicly in the group and private messages will do A LOT of work for you. Referrals are at the heart of direct sales. If someone doesn't like working with you, they will not let you near their friends. So being present at the party is just as essential for bookings as for sales. If others see you working hard for their friend, they will trust that you will do the same thing for them. Moreover, the current host will reference you whenever your company pops up in conversation and be more willing to sing your praises during the party.

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Think of it like this: If you were hosting a party from another consultant, what would make you want to work with them again? What would make you feel special and valued as a customer? Implement these things when you reach out for bookings and interact with your host.

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Just as it's vital to showcase precisely what hosts receive when their friends book from them, you also want to ensure your host knows about the extra perks. Be sure to remind them a couple of times through your host coaching. Once they see what they can earn, partner with them to get bookings. Represent it as a team effort. You want more bookings to grow your business, and the host wants bookings to get extra discounts. The dual desire makes it beneficial for everyone involved. It's a win-win.

Set a goal for how many parties you would like to book. Then ask your host if they want to participate in a challenge to get x bookings.

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This first part of the challenge is to have the host post in the party about the process and what they have liked about it so far. It'll demonstrate to their friends that you are worth working with and that hosting themselves will be a pleasant and fun experience.

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Write up words for the host that showcase how easy it is to host a party with you and that you are helping guide your host to a successful party every step of the way. Make sure to include a call of action to reach out to you about booking a party because the host gets a special host perk when she reaches the booking goal.

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After they post that at their party, give them a more specific task the next day. For instance, ask them if they will reach out to their friends in a private message and add you to the chat. Explain that you will give them the exact language to send to make it easier on them.

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Write up the language ahead of time, that asks them to find a couple of friends who they think would be great hosts like them.  

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When they say yes to the challenge, ask them if they know how to create separate group messages. You do not want them to send a group chat to all five people and then add you to it. If they do that, it will immediately feel impersonal and not like a personal invitation and endorsement on your behalf. Instead, create a graphic that shows instructions on how to do it on the phone or an instructional video to send to make sure the host knows how to do it the right way.

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Here’s an example of language you can have the host send out:

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“Hi! I just wanted to send you a quick message and thank you for being a part of my virtual x party! It’s been a blast having us all together.  I was thinking that you might want to host a party with [your name], Especially if you’re in the market for some free and discounted products! She’s made it so easy.”

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After the host sends the words above in a group chat with them, their friend, and you, reply immediately with your booking pitch.

Once the host starts messaging people and gets their initial yeses, they will get excited and send out even more.

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This tactic covers a ton of bases:

1. Provides an endorsement from the host about you directly to their friend.

2. It starts a conversation that shows how it will help the host and the friend.

3. It creates a sense of urgency.

4. The host sends a message, so you don't have to worry about reaching out to that person and wasting the limited amount of people you can reach in a day.

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Get your guests to message you:

Because we have a limited amount of messages we can send guests in the party, an excellent strategy to adapt to get more bookings is to find ways to get guests to reach out to you! When someone fulfills actions for you, they are more likely to say yes to your eventual ask. In addition, having them start the conversation develops a sense of familiarity. A connection is created in their brain that you are someone they know and like! And who isn't more inclined to work with people they enjoy!?

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A great conversation starter is the "Where is the [X] game" It's similar to a "Where's Waldo" game book you'd find at your kid's doctor's office.

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At the beginning of your party, create a post to be scheduled through your PostMyParty template that explains how to play. Then, explain that they will see some posts throughout the party with a picture of a symbol on it. This will be their chance to grab extra tickets or points toward the end-of-party prize. When they see the post with the symbol, instruct them to message you with their host's name and the post they found the icon on to get those extra tickets or points.

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If you need to become more familiar with using tickets or points to gamify your party experience, check out this article on increasing your party engagement and sales.

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Pick an icon you want to use throughout your party that you can easily add to your graphics in your Party Template. Like a kitten or lipstick, a vegetable or pencil. It doesn't matter what it is - but it's ideal if it matches the theme of your party or is consistent with your brand's voice!

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Once you've decided on your icon, add it to posts you want to bring attention to - such as booking, recruiting, and new product posts. Then, on the posts where the symbol appears, add the text 'SYMBOL ALERT," so guests see it and are reminded to message you.

Once the messages start coming in, here's an example of how that conversation should flow:

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Your response: “Yay! You got the # tickets/points towards the party prize! How do you know the host?”

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Because you're having the guests send you who their host is, it's an easy transition to ask the guest how they know the host. So it has a flow to it.

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After the guest responds with an answer, respond by acknowledging what was said, add on by explaining how you met the host, even if it was just through another party, and then ask if they are interested in hosting a party! 

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This conversation is great because even though it asks for the booking directly, it still calls back to the main reason they reached out to you in the first place, and that’s to help their friend.

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Thank-yous

Another way to get bookings through guests messaging you is by posting Thank Yous in the party after guests have placed their orders. In addition, you can combine multiple orders at once.

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Here's an example:

"Thank you for your order x, x, and x! Do you want another 30 party prize tickets/points!? Please message me with your host name, fave product, or item on your wishlist."

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When they send you a message, here's an example of how the conversation should flow:

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Your response: "Hey there! The tickets/points for the party prize at the end are yours! Yay. Are you enjoying the party so far?"

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Also, respond to which product is their favorite or on their wishlist. Then, mention why you love it too.

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After they respond to how they are enjoying the party, ask them how they know the host specifically.

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Your response: "That's awesome! Thanks for sharing! I am reaching out to see if you are interested in hosting your own online party with me to start [date x?] It's super easy, and I'd love to surprise [current host name] with the news! Plus, I'd love to get [whatever item was on their wishlist] for heavily discounted or even free!

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See how in this response, you're referencing back to the previous exchange? It shows that you are listening and that the ask is relevant to the conversation. On the other hand, when the ask feels like it's coming out of the blue, it can feel jarring and disingenuous.

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Create Fear Of Missing Out in Your Parties:

Creating a sense of FOMO amongst your guests helps create hype and motivates them to say yes. You do this by highlighting how awesome it is to host with you and that others within the party are already on board. Once you get the first person to agree, convincing everyone else is easy. Unfortunately, only a few people like being the pioneer in the group, so you have to show them that the path is beaten down for them!

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Here are three ways to show others are already on board:

• Whenever someone agrees to do a party, celebrate it in the group. Create a post that thanks the future host for booking with you and what it means to you and your family!
• Once the party qualifies, create a post where you tag the previous host and who your current host booked from. Celebrate that the past host now gets the extra perk and ask them what they plan on doing with it. This reminds the past host of their reward and showcases that you have a line of success that guests can see occurring in real-time.
• When the party is closing, announce in the party all the awesome goodies the current host has earned by hosting a party with you. List all the products and add pictures of each one. This will give a big WOW factor to everyone in the party. It highlights how fantastic the host is and how the efforts of her friends have paid off, and it shows that when you say hosts can earn free products, it isn’t just a come-on line.

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Follow-Ups

Follow up! Follow Up! Follow Up! Just because someone does not initially respond to you does not mean it is a NO. It's not a NO until they flat-out tell you they are uninterested. We're all busy. Imagine all the messages you get a day you don't have time to return to. It's not because you found that person annoying or intrusive. It's just that you didn't have the mental energy to respond. It's not your guest's job to get back to you when they are free about your business. It's your job to check back in with them. If you're not doing this, you're missing bookings.

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In all the examples above, you will have people who don't respond immediately, and that's okay. A quick - "Hey, just checking back to see if you saw this" will often be enough to start the conversation again.

Remember, a person needs to interact with the idea of hosting 3+ times before they say yes. Whether through the content you schedule through your Party Template, the host posting about their experience, or through multiple avenues of personal messaging - having all the options in front of them increases your odds of a YES.

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And with each interaction, you need to create a spark of connection with your future host. Use the examples above to start conversations but make it your own.

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Mindset

I’ll leave you with this - don’t be discouraged by the NOs. In fact, for every No you get, a yes is around the corner. So collect the Nos, and cherish them. They are a disguised blessing because NOs mean you are doing your job and getting the word out about your unique products! And when you’re consistent with getting that message out there, you’ll always reap the benefits! Just keep going!

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