How to get party bookings

Once you have got all your paperwork sorted, decided how the evening will run and settled on the free gifts you will give to the hostess, you need to actually start booking some parties!!!

• Ask one of your friends or family members to host the first party for you. This will help your confidence as it won't be in front of total strangers. Get them to invite as many others as possible and make sure the hostess tells her guests that if they bring a friend then they can win a free candle.

• Place an advert in local shop windows

• If you have a customer mailing list, send out a mailer to everybody within the area you are willing to travel to. Let them know what the free hostess gifts are, and let them know they will qualify for an additional extra something if they book a party to be held by a certain date.

• Before the show starts, tape an envelope underneath every chair. If it is a sofa then place the envelope under the cushion so nobody can see them. Inside each envelope is a piece of paper with different free gifts written on. It could be anything from a free votive, £2 off their order from that night's show, a 5% discount on their order ... your choice!! Once everyone is settled and sitting down, I introduce myself and then explain how having a party can be so much fun and worthwhile for the hostess. When you have their attention, ask them to look under their seats for an surprise envelope and let them know that if they book a party that night they can double whatever is in the envelope. (note, take extra envelopes incase you have extra guests that are standing)
  
  

• The 20/20 board!! Draw a large square on a piece of thick card with 20 squares inside it. Tell everyone that if they spend 20.00 or more then they get to write their name and tel no in a square. If they spend 40.00 they get to write their name twice. If they book a party then they get to write their name in 3 times. When you have names in all of the squares, cut the board up and draw a name. Do this at the party where the last name is written in. The winner gets a shopping spree gift certificate or a free gift.
  
  

• While you are in the middle of the orders, stop and add up all the totals so far. Then announce to all the guests, "okay, so far hostess has £xx in sales which means she will receive (INSERT YOUR HOSTESS GIFTS). But if she has at least one party booking within the next 30 days, she will also receive (INSERT ANY ADDITIONAL BONUS GIFTS) Any more bookings will also earn her an extra £xx in free candles!" This gets the guests all excited and more willing to help the hostess (who is usually a friend or relative) by helping her to get more free gifts. It also gets new hostesses excited for their own partiesbecause they see how easy it really is to go on a shopping spree!