Recently, I hosted one of those parties–never mind what the product was, but it was the typical in-home party where I invite my friends and then a direct sales representative comes in and demonstrates the products. We sat around and ate fondue and chocolate mint cake, sipping sangria and the main event was the merchandise. I’ve had a few of thee parties and while I have never been tempted to become a sales representative myself, I do have some “critique” from this end that could be helpful to those who are…
My first suggestion is to arrive early and get set-up at least a half-hour before the guests. If you consider that the party begins at 6 PM, expect the first guest to arrive at a quarter to. This means that if you are there by 5:15 or so and get all set up, then you can have a chance to meet and chat with the host or hostess prior to the first guest arriving. It gets additionally hectic if you are unloading and setting up as the guests are arriving.
Provide detailed information on how to order. I don’t know how many of these parties I have been to where the representative said something like “there are order forms in your booklet, I’ll take those after you’ve filled them out.” No information on who to write checks to or what sort of payment he or she takes. I think the more information, the better. Please provide details on how and when to pay, how long it takes for items to arrive, how they are distributed, etc.
Additionally, try to maintain a comfortable and loose control once it is time to talk about the products. With a bunch of friends it can get loud and off topic very quickly and while this might be fun for some, there are also those who need to stay focused, leave early, etc. So I think the sales representative should keep things moving along without being to regimented or pushy.
Finally, when you leave, make sure the host or hostess knows exactly what is expected and all the details of what to do to “close out” the party. Chances are, the hostess will get phone calls from other customers and will have an order herself and she needs to know what to tell people and how to take care of all the paperwork herself.
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