This is a question to ask the consultant as everyone feels differently about kids at the party.   There may be rules about having kids at parties depending on the product but for the most part, kids can be allowed if the hostess wants them there.

One thing to consider is if your kids can behave for an hour or two while the event is going on and ordering is taking place.  If you do not think they can, it may be best to leave them at home or not attend.   Maybe their grandparents would like to watch them for a few hours or they have friends they would like to visit.

If you feel that they can behave themselves for a few hours, it likely is okay, but check with the consultant.  Depending on the product, kids may not be welcome due to the breakability factor or due to costs.  I find at my candle parties the kids are sometimes the most engaged as they enjoy sniffing all the scents and they make no secret as to what they do and do not like.

One exception to this is adult toy parties.  Anyone under 18 or the age of majority where they live is not allowed.  This is not because the consultant does not want the kids there; it is due to the law.  A consultant can be fined and have her business shut down if she does not follow the rules.  If she is not sure, she can also ID people.  I know of reps that have left as there were minors in attendance who would not leave.

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Want to know more?

lia sophia Says National Small Business Week Spotlights the Earning Potential of the Direct Selling Industry

As a host of a direct sales party, there are some things that you can do to increase the amount of sales that you get and therefore, increasing the amount of product that you get for free or discounted.

Invite Everyone – Invite everyone you know to attend.  Even if you do not think that they will attend or that they have any interest in the product, invite them.  Some people will surprise you by showing up and being your biggest spenders, or even booking their own party.

Remind People – Remind people of your event.  Some people book their schedule a few weeks out but some people cannot tell you what they are doing until a few days before the event. For this reason, make sure to send a few reminders and call a couple days before the party to remind them that it is almost there.

Collect Outside Orders – If you have people who tell you that they wish that they could attend, but cannot, give them a catalogue and tell them that they can still order.    Sometimes they just tell you that they cannot attend as they do not want to attend or spend money, but by offering to show them a book, you will find out who truly wants to attend and those that are just avoiding it.  Remember, not every product works for everyone, so if they just do not want to attend, that is okay.

Give Testimonials – When you invite people to the party, make sure you tell them how much you love the product.  This gets people excited to attend and prepared to spend some money at your event.  If they need to speak to their partner before spending money, this allows them an idea of what they may want to buy and establishing a budget.

Share the Website – Even if your consultant does not give you a website for people to check out, find the companies website and share that with those you invite.  They can then see the product in advance and start planning what they may want to buy.

When it comes to hosting a direct sales party, you may already know the rep that you want to deal with. But, you may not know someone who is a consultant for the company you want or maybe you would like to deal with a new rep due to issues you may have had with a prior rep.  If this is the case, there are a few things you can do.

Talk to Reps – If you know any direct sales reps, you can ask them if they know anyone in the company you are looking for. For those that have been in the business for a while, there is a good chance they know a variety of direct sales consultants and they may be able to find someone for you.

Ask Friends – Another option is to talk to people you know and see if they know someone who sells the product you are looking for.  It is a small world and you never know when you will find someone through word of mouth.

Classifieds – Try visiting your favourite local classified site and see if any direct sales consultants are advertising their services on there.  This can be hit and miss as some companies do not allow their representatives to advertise online.   That said, there are ways around this but you may have to be a bit more creative to find them.

Company Website – if you cannot find direct sales consultant with any of the above methods, then you should head to the company’s website and do a search for a local consultant.  Chances are there is some sort of function to allow you to search for a rep, but if there is not, or you cannot find someone, email the company and ask them for a name.   They likely will give you a name and contact the consultant to get in touch with you.

Apparently this can be an issue for some people, as in asking people for ideas on what they would like me to cover on this blog, one thing people asked about was how to get people to leave.  The majority of people are likely going to leave once they have put in the order, but you may have those people who just do not figure it out and you think may be planning to spend the night.  Here are a few things you can try:

Clean Up – One of the signs of an evening being over is cleaning up.  If you don’t want to ask people to leave, you can try cleaning up any snacks or treats and see if people get the idea.

State the Obvious – Chances are, once the consultant has left, you may want your friends to leave.  But they may not be getting the hint.  So one of the first things you can try is just asking everyone to leave.  You might try stating something like “Thanks for coming out everyone.  But it’s getting late, and I need to be …. “and see how that works.  They may not have realized how late that it has gotten.

Turn out the Lights – If people still do not get the hint when you politely ask them to leave, you could try turning out the lights.  If they are sitting in the living room and you turn off any lights in that room, they should get the idea that you are serious about them going.

Call a Cab – If any of your guests need a cab, or a ride home, let them know that you have already called their cab or if they are the last guest, you can tell them that you are ready to take them home.  If you have someone else who is driving them home, contact that person and have them come get them.

Call the Cops- If nothing else, you could try calling the cops to get people to leave your home, but depending on how busy they are, and how important they feel your complaint is, they may take a few hours to arrive.  It is likely best to handle it on your own.

One of the biggest frustrations for a direct sales consultant is dealing with customers or hostesses and not getting any resolution.  So here is what you can do to be a good customers or hostess.

Respond to Phone Calls – If your direct sales consultant contacts you, please return their calls.  They likely are not calling you just to chat as they have other people to be in touch with (and quite honestly, a lot of reps do not like making calls, so it’s hard work for them to do!).  Chances are they will leave a message if at all possible to tell you why they are calling – so please return their call with the information they have asked of you.

Respond to Emails – Just like the phone, please respond to emails they send you.  The consultant may know that you prefer email or they may prefer email.   In a perfect world, they will call you but they may try email instead or especially if you do not return their phone calls.

Make a Decision – If you tell the direct sales consultant that you want to host a party, but when they call to schedule you, and you keep putting them on, please quit.  If you do not feel that you can host anymore due to changed circumstances, tell them this.  If you cannot host for a few months, please ask them to call you back in a few months time.   This should not be a problem for the consultant and they will appreciate you letting them know.

Fill out your Form – When you are placing an order at a party or outside of a party, please fill out the form completely.  This means item number, name of product and the price.  Sometimes people do not have the right number for the right product, and this can help clear up any confusion.

The answer to this question depends on a few factors.  Make sure you consider each one when you are thinking about hosting multiple parties, especially if you want to host them close together.

Company Choice – Are you planning to host the same type of party each time – for instance, jewellery? Or do you want to host a jewellery party, a candle party and a purse party?   If you are looking to host direct sales parties that are different types of products, you could probably do a party per month.  But if you are looking to host another party with the same company, it is best to wait until they have a new catalogue out as a reason for people to attend a second party.

Money – A big factor to consider is your own personal finances as well as your friends. Quite often the products that are sold through direct sales parties are those that are luxuries for people.  For this reason, your friends may not be able to attend all that often and make a purchase.  But, you could host if you have funds to make some purchases and your friends may decide to book their own party to get the items for free.  And depending on the company, you could get some rewards just for them booking.

Time – Another consideration is how much time you have or your friends have.  Some people just cannot attend a party too often due to work commitments, needing a babysitter or other reasons.   But depending on what their reasons for not attending are, you may be able to get around some of them.  For instance, if you are having a jewellery party, kids could possibly come if there is a bedroom they can play in.

Attendance – Do you have enough people that you can invite that you will get a decent attendance at each event?  While you may not mind if no one shows up, or only one or two people, the consultant will not be impressed if she shows up and gets no sales.  Of course, if you are putting in enough sales to make it a party, then it is not such a big deal.

Of course, these are just my opinion.  Do you think there are different considerations for how often to host a party?

If you host a lot of parties with a consultant, or you place a lot of orders, you may want to consider joining up yourself.  But before you switch to being a consultant instead of a customer, there are a few things that you want to consider.

Quotas – Many companies have a quota of some sort.  Would you put in enough orders to make this quota – of course, orders for friends and family would count towards this and assist you.  Make sure you ask about this quota and any conditions involved in it before you sign.

Hassle – It is definitely more work being a consultant than a customer.  Even if you are signing up just for personal use and the discount, it is a good idea to keep up on what is going on, when new catalogues come out, if items go on back order and changes in the hostess plan.

Have a Party – You never know when someone is going to approach you about doing a party for them.  Do you want to deal with this?  You can always pass these leads on to your upline if you do not want them.

Recruiting – You may also have people ask you about signing up.  Depending on what you want to know, you may want to sign them but you may prefer not to.  Again, this is something that you can pass up to your upline.  Even those who work their business to earn an income do not necessarily want to recruit.

Of course, you may sign up and then decide that you want to sell the product and make an income.  That is one of the great benefits to direct sales – you can do whatever you want with your business as long as it is in the rules of the company.

Do you ask your hostess to create a wish list?

Sometimes.  Often they know already what goodies they hope to buy! – Amanda

I do. I ask what Jamberry Nail Shields she wants. Then we work together to reach her sales goals
so she can receive the most hostess rewards as possible. Goals are always great so we both have
something we are striving for. - TaVona

I do suggest that she make a wish list sometimes but often times, if her party doesn’t sell enough, it can be a disappointment. Being that her rewards are soley based on monetary amounts, I try to just tell her hope for the best and we can discuss her discounted or free items after her party. – Amy

About our Guest Posters:

Amanda is a consultant with Gold Canyon Candles.  You can check out her website at  Gold Canyon -Candles~Body~Home

TaVona "T.J." Jefferson is a consultant with Jamberry Nails.  Check out her website at http://www.nomorenailpolish.com

Amy is a consultant with Pink Zebra. You can shop with her at  www.pinkzebrahome.com/scentsationalsprinkles

Close the Party that Night – Many consultants like to close an in home party that night, or the next day.  This allows them to process the cheques and credit cards and make sure they clear before they put in the order but not delay shipment.  But many hostesses prefer to keep the party open for multiple days after the actual event.  If you have people who are not sure they can attend, get their order in advance!  Tell them that they can come and change their order the night of, but you need it before the party as the consultant will close without.

Create a Wishlist – One holdup can be the hostess being unsure about what she wants.  I have had hostesses that take a few days to make their decisions.  Create a list of items you want before your event holds and over estimate how much you will earn.  Mark those you absolutely want and those that you would want if you have if you still have room.  Even if you need to make final decisions regarding colour/size/scent the night of, this is a big step done.

Keep Snacks to a Minimum – A lot of hostesses stress out about hosting and that they need to provide a buffet of snacks.  This is simply not true!  All it takes to have a good evening is good friends and good conversation.  A few snacks are nice but you can easily pop a bowl or two of popcorn or pick up a tray of brownies and call it done.

Save the Alcohol for Later – This one can be especially important for consultants who do romance parties, but please keep the wine and other alcohol for after the direct sales event is over.  There is nothing wrong with a glass or two for before and during, but no more until the consultant has left.  When people get drinking, they tend to ignore the consultant, get rowdier and do not think about what they are ordering and then call to cancel later.  This then affects your hostess rewards and may cause more issues for the consultant.

Did you catch part 1?  If not, head over to Consultant Wishes – Part 1 and see what you may have missed.