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With so many people becoming involved in direct selling, the country is experiencing an increase in the number of at-home presentation parties.
Whether you are hosting a Pampered Chef event, a Silpada jewelry showcase, a CAbi trunk show or an Arbonne anti-aging skin care class, there are many similarities that can help you host your own event with panache. Follow the suggestions below and not only will your guests have a fun evening, but you could earn some fantastic hostess benefits too! Deciding to HostIn order to host an event at your home and invite your friends to shop, you must feel strongly about the company or the products that will be offered. Take the time to sample enough products so that you can provide compelling testimony supporting the company’s benefits. A good independent consultant will provide you with a wide cross-section of sample products. If the consultant is leery to do so, you may want to look at supporting a different company. Select a day and time that will ensure the best attendance for your event. If you know lots of working women, a weekend or evening event is generally more successful. However, don’t discount a shorter class at a restaurant over lunch or with appetizers and drinks immediately following work. If you are inviting stay-at-home moms, schedule your event during the school day or take advantage of Dad’s babysitting by planning the class for a weekday evening. Most at-home parties only require one or two rooms, so don’t feel you must have your entire home cleaned, sanitized and repainted. Take care of two rooms plus the bathroom, and call it a day! Keep any food and beverage setups to a minimum. A direct selling consultant does not want the class to be overshadowed by your catered, Martha Stewart-esque delicacies. Plus, you don’t want to make your friends scared to host their own events! InvitationsAlthough you may want to create your own hand-stamped or computer-generated invitation, follow the lead and advice of your independent consultant. She has been trained in the protocol that is most successful with her specific organization, so defer to her guidelines. However, you can help significantly by providing your guest list, (complete with names, email address, home address and phone number), to the consultant at least three weeks prior to the event. Generally this will give her enough time to send out the invitations and follow up with a phone call to confirm attendance. You can help the process by telling your friends about the fun event you’re hosting, and to expect the invitation shortly. Experts feel that it takes three invitations to the same event to garner the highest acceptance rate. This statement does not mean your friends don’t like you or that they don’t want to attend your class. It just is an indication that everyone is busy and that your event is not yet on their radar.
The copyright of the article Hosting a Home Party in Entertaining is owned by Janice Benoit. Permission to republish Hosting a Home Party in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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