Letter to New Consultants

Congratulations on booking your starter show! I’m looking forward to coming to your starter show on [date] at [time]. You are joining a fantastic team of consultants, selling a respected range of products, with a company that offers unlimited income opportunity, exceptional rewards and recognition, and unparalleled support. PartyLite is a great business.

Just a reminder about some of the benefits of being a PartyLite consultant:

1. Unlimited income opportunity
2. No cost to join – just host a $550 or higher starter show
3. Paid on-the-job training at your first six shows
4. Free new consultant training (NCT)
5. No deliveries
6. Online ordering and reporting
7. Monthly training and support meetings
8. No boss – you’re in charge
9. Great support - your sponsor and your unit leader are available to train, coach, and reward you
10. Great product discounts

How to prepare for your starter show:

Schedule NCT with your sponsor and your unit leader. (You should do NCT as soon as you can after scheduling your starter show.)

Organise your show planner. Make up a calendar for the month of your starter show and next month. Make sure to block out family time, training dates, and other commitments first. Then highlight the days you are available to work.

Treat your starter show like a grand opening. Make a list of all the people you want to come. Call each person on that list and let them know you are sending them an invitation. Share with them how important it is to you for them to be there. Ask them if they know someone you don’t know who should be invited. Write out some blank invitations and keep them in your purse to hand out when you see people. Restock when you need to (your leader can provide you with more invitations).

• Do call first to make it personal
• Do follow-up with an invitation via post
• Do follow-up with an invitation via email
• Do not use Facebook, Twitter, MySpace – these are not personal

Collect RSVPs and keep a list of who’s coming.

• Offer presents to people who bring guests (one for them and one for the guest)
• Encourage “party crashers” (extra guests)

If people can’t make it.

• Invite them to come over, browse the catalogue, and pre-order. Use the one on one time to share your excitement about starting and to ask for their referrals.
• Let them know that you want to set up at least 6 training shows. Invite them to host a show themselves. Tell them that most hosts receive at least $150 in free products.
• Invite them to your follow-up launch. I strongly recommend you set up another show on a different day of the week a couple of weeks after your starter show.

Don’t over cater! Candle shows are social, fun, and informative. Depending on the time of the show, your guests might just like a drink and a light snack. Most of the time, coffee, tea, and a plate of biscuits is all that is needed. Or maybe a bottle of wine with some cheese and crackers. It doesn’t need to be extravagant... the candles will be.

Ask a friend to help you host the party. Part of your training is to watch me do the show. A friend who can get drinks, answer the door, or get food out of the oven for you will be very helpful.

Call your sponsor or your leader whenever you have questions – we’re here to help!

My biggest hint: First call people to invite them. Then send the invitation.

Please do come to our unit meeting on [date and time]. It’s at [location]. For NCT, please let me know if you can do [small selection of dates and times] [include location].

Welcome to the team! WLC.

Make that call (again)

Here it is Tuesday morning. You were diligent over the weekend and called ten clients. Only three of them answered the phone. The rest you left messages for. Did the messages sound something like, "Just calling to see how you are enjoying your candles. Please call me if you need anything." Or maybe you got one of those cool (annoying) phone recordings that will leave your callback number if you wait until after the beep. Surely the person you called will phone you back if they are interested....

The cold hard truth is that you need to call those seven people back.

My husband taught me a very valuable lesson about a month ago. It's been really liberating for me. He told me that a good salesperson always takes the action to get back to the customer.

• Sorry I missed you today. I am calling you to see how you are enjoying your candles. I'll call you back later in the week.
• I'm so proud of you for lighting them and enjoying them. I'll call you next month with our specials and to see if you need any more.
• Sure, I'll pop a catalogue into the mail for you today. I'll call you on the weekend.
• Please read the information in this sponsoring pack. I'll call you tomorrow to answer any questions you may have.

I'll call you. I'll call you. I'll call you. I'll call you.

It's simply not their job to call us back. And that's why they don't.

Some of you are reading this and thinking that you will feel like a stalker. That if you have called someone 4 times and they haven't called you back then it indicates that they don't want anything. But that's simply not true.

You are a sales person. Our calls are easy. You are calling people you've met. People who've spent money with you. People who are either burning their candles and loving them, burning their candles and disappointed in something, people who gave candles away as a gift, or people who haven't opened the boxes yet.

My inspiration for this article was another brilliant post from Seth Godin. The little shovel is our phone calls. The bigger shovel is when we sponsor people.

So, this week, go back to your list and make that call (again).

Celebrating Success

Note: This site was down this morning. I'm not sure what happened, but I've corrected it (I hope).

I wanted to share this photograph with you. From left to right it is Angela, me, Eliana, and Nicole. We were at last month's Sydney Business Development Training hosted by Janelle. We were celebrating my friend Nicole's promotion to Unit Leader and my promotion to Senior Unit Leader. Angela (in case you don't know) is my best friend, upline, and she sponsored me. And Eliana is our friend, mentor, upline, and PartyLite Australia's Business Development Manager for NSW and ACT.

We make a great team! Thanks for being a part of it with us. Feel free to join us in leadership; this is the best job in the world. :)

Happy burning! WLC.

PartyLite USA

Hi. Occasionally I have a look at the PartyLite USA website. There are some really neat features that the PartyLite USA consultants have access to. Things like their own personal websites that fit in with the overall PartyLite brand image. I hope we get those someday.

I also know that there is some online training available in the US. The PartyLite Australia leader team has been briefed on this training and we hope it will be customised to our market and launched to us in the next few months. I expect we'll have a few surprises released at our conference training. Fingers crossed!

There are also some really neat online modules that cover the PartyLite USA opportunity. Unfortunately they are not tailored to the Aussie market, but they still pack a powerful punch. If you are looking for some inspiration about why PartyLite is still the right path for you, or if you are looking for some support as you discuss the incredible PartyLite opportunity with others, this website (http://usolc.partylite.com/Stage/Opportunity/) might have some things on it that you like. Click around on it and watch a few videos. They are all short and sweet.

Happy burning! WLC.

Do You Love Your PartyLite Business?

Would you be happy to shout about it from the rooftops?

I know I would. In fact, I do. And I thought you might be interested to see what other candle ladies are saying about their experience with PartyLite.

Jan Joined us in March and has this to say:

I am so excited about where I am now! I didn’t realise how much I needed this change in my life, but after being in the same job area for 36 years it is a breath of fresh air. I was aware this direction was totally outside my comfort zone but now I am so glad I rose to the challenge, finding myself in a far better place.

I cannot believe it is not that long ago I started. I am proud of myself for forging ahead, appreciative of the confidence others have in me helping me take each step as it comes. I will continue to learn about the business and about myself as a person and about my hidden abilities now blossoming!

I am enjoying the journey, meeting such lovely people along the way in both PartyLite and at my shows. At last I so enjoy going to work and I look forward to building a ‘bright’ future in the wonderful world of candles.

Jan W 6/7/09

What is is about this business that has made you a better person? Do you have a similar story to tell? Why not write to me and I'll publish your story, too. Let's start a wave! WLC.

How to Sell Our Amazing July Specials

At our Unit Meeting several really good questions came up.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

What fragrances are in the three holiday mini barrel jar sets? The Answer:

• Holiday 07 (Item 26) Iced Snowberries, Frosted Pines, Glowing Embers
• Holiday 08 (Item #27) Sparkling Amber, Black Orchid, Mistletoe Kisses

TEA FOR TWO

A few of you asked me if I would share my little Tea For Two brochure with you. Hopefully I've figured out how to attach it here well enough for you. You can make your own or just use the Tea For Two coupons.

ESSENTIAL OILS

We discussed essential oils. I have followed up with Eliana on this and she reports back:

I have spoken to the office and they stated that we don’t mention essential oils for any of our Wellbeing or Fresh Home. It’s stated they are exclusive oils in the catalogue.

So please use the words "exclusive oils" in all instances.

30 % HOSTESS CREDIT

How impressive is 30% host credit? Maybe not as impressive as our hosts getting an average of $230 in free products! Yes, the Rainbows have a $600 show average, so on average our hosts will get $600 x 30% PLUS the $50 hostess voucher.

Hi, it's Wendy the Candle Lady calling. On average my hosts will get $230 in free PartyLite products just for hosting a show in July. I have a couple of dates left, should we get the girls together for our Christmas in July specials?

Ok, now it's time for me to MAKE THAT CALL for real. See you later. Happy burning! WLC.