10 Things to do Before the Holiday Break

Before you tackle these things, make sure you've identified and separated work time and holiday time. We don't want you or your family thinking that you are not taking a well-deserved break.

1. Unfinished business - Check all orders in the CBC and follow up with deliveries that have happened in the last fortnight. Make sure everyone is happy and correct any issues that arise.
2. Take stock - Empty your kit, bring together all of the candle accessories and candles you've accumulated over the past year, and organise them.
3. Clean - Whatever needs to be cleaned... clean.
4. Decorate - Put out nice pieces to make your home look fabulous.
5. Clear out - Create a pile of items you no longer want for your own use or your kit.
6. Price - Make a list of the items you no longer want and note the retail price (I suggest using Excel). Decide how much you would sell each piece for. I usually sell used items for 40 to 60 percent off retail.
7. Plan a home party in January - Pick a date now and let people know about it over the holidays. Sell your unwanted items to people who attend your home show.
8. Organise your January kit - Include a few items being discontinued so you can promote the discontinued list at your shows. (I sometimes use only items being discontinued to create a sense of urgency.)
9. Hostess Coach - Write a "thank you for booking" note to each of your January hosts and include a printout of the discontinued list.
10. Hostess Coach - Email the January specials to each of your January hosts (once they are released).

I will be taking December 23rd through January 4th off, so I won't do these things then, but I have 3 days this week to get this list done. And I will....

Employee Review

Today I should do a video blog because I feel like having a chat, but then I'd have to do something to my hair and I'm not in the mood. :)

Our PartyLite year is almost over. Was it a good one for you? Did you accomplish everything that you wanted to? Have you added it all up and taken stock of what you did accomplish? If you're striving for more, never forget to celebrate the victories you've had so far in your journey. They will help push you through tougher times when they occur.

One thing I absolutely love about working for myself is that I do not have to give or receive an employee review. It was one of the elements I hated most about the corporate world. I like immediate feedback and immediate corrections.

That said, I do see the benefit of a periodic look over time. A retrospective course check. Am I headed in the right direction? Am I achieving the goals I set out to achieve? Am I performing to my expectations, below them, or above them?

We start New Consultant Training with a look at your personal vision and goals. It's sometimes hard for a new consultant to do, because she doesn't yet know the potential of her business. But once you understand what is possible, you may start to increase your boldness in setting goals. I certainly did.

I revisit my goals when I need to; usually after I've accomplished a lot of what I had set out to do. This month represents an amazing crescendo of completion for me. On the 30th of March 2009, I made a vision board for my goals. It's been above my desk since I created it (see picture). Here is what the pictures represent:

• Wen & Bendy (music): Get more gigs and play
• Home: Replace the windows in my sunroom
• Home: Add a deck
• Home: Upgrade the outdoor bathroom
• Home: Upgrade the outdoor laundry
• Home: Get a jacuzzi
• Home: Buy a new car
• Travel: Ski Copper Mountain in Colorado
• Travel: Take Alan (let Alan take me) sailing off the northern Queensland coast

Before the end of 2010, I will have accomplished all but the last of these goals. I will carryover the sailing to my next vision board and start again. I know a few other things I'll be including:

• Travel: Take a trip to Spain and Italy in 2012
• Home: Refurnish and decorate the house
• Home: Complete the garden
• Work: Promote two leaders before Conference 2011
• Music: Be an important part of an amazing original band

I'll give it a lot of thought over the next few weeks and share the updated vision board with you.

My candle business is enabling me to achieve all of these goals. I use the goals everyday to motivate me to make the calls, to invite others to come on the ride, and to help the Rainbows to succeed.

Now is the time to take a look at your vision and goals for the next year or two. Will your candle business enable you to achieve your goals? Only if you let it....

ANNOUNCEMENT: At 7:30 on January 12th we will have a great Unit Meeting. I've asked Rebecca Wells, a business and life coach (among other things) to join us for some fantastic training on visions and goal setting. She is wonderful. I have room for about 30 people in my house, so if you're in Sydney on the 12th and want to come, please pop me an email. Rainbows will take top priority, but I'm sure we'll have room!

Backorders

We've had quite a few backorders over the last 30 days or so.

The extent of this backorder issue is uncommon. PartyLite will occasionally run out of stock, but we manage our inventories closely, and the delay is not usually as long as the one we've been experiencing. I've made some inquiries and learned that the problem has been exacerbated by the huge amount of imports due to the high Aussie dollar. Apparently the clearance docks at customs are chock-o-block and that has been holding up our containers.

Not an excuse, but a reason I thought worth sharing.

Most of the hard work getting the backordered stock out was completed last week. You should check with your hosts and make sure they are informed and happy.

Six Ideas to Finish October Strong

You have six days to go and you want more sales this month. So how can that be done? Here are some ideas.

1. Host a home show.
2. Take the catalogue around to a few people each day and take outside orders
3. Focus on the 2 guest promotions
1. Tealights – 3 boxes for $33. Only this month.
2. Illuminescents Porcelain Fragrance Warmers– great present idea! Only $45. Only this month.
4. Call your FRANK list
5. Follow up on people who you’ve talked to or shown a catalogue to – let them know that you’re putting in an order
6. Buy $165 in tealights yourself – that’s 15 boxes of tealights and you get 15% more for free. I calculate that with your 22% commission payment, these boxes only cost you $7.83 each. Bonus and they are even cheaper. :)

You’ve got nothing to lose. No matter what your results, it will be great practice, super for networking, and could get you some great results.

Get out there!

PartyLite Reward Card

This October, PartyLite Australia introduced a Reward Card for customers. The idea is called a "bridging" promotion. Why? The promotion will help us bridge the gap that could occur between Christmas and the new catalogue launch. In other words, it will help us get sales in January.

(Another bridging promotion we will have is the discontinued stock list. When PartyLite retires fragrances and products, it gives our clients a deadline to buy. Deadlines are gold.)

So, yesterday, Leaders received the pdf version of the Reward Card brochure showing the free products people can get when they use their Reward Card. I printed the brochure in colour, lamintated page one by itself, and laminated pages 2-3 back to back, and 4-5 back to back. I took it to my show last night.

It was FANTASTIC!

Check the CBC (it's not there yet) or ask your leader for a pdf copy of the brochure so that you can use it NOW. You'll get a good copy in Reflections later, and we can buy them on Consultant orders ($2 for 5), but using it last night made all the difference.

Now that my clients can see what they could get for free, several of them are seriously thinking about booking a party in January. I always tell them that I'll do the show if they want me to do all of the work, but I give them the opportunity to collect orders, too. (Idea: write an article for/letter to your clients with ideas about how to collect $400 in orders.)

Seeing is Believing

PartyLite always gives us an opportunity to earn things for free so that we can promote our business better. This month's sales promotion, for the Espresso Twist products, is exactly that - an opportunity worth striving for. The Espresso Twist set is part of the reward program and I think it will be so impressive in real life that people will book parties. Set your goal for October to submit at least three $550 shows so you have part of that set!

Happy selling!

Frankly Speaking

Your FRANK list will eventually be the strong,
solid tree trunk as your business branches out.

Howdy! Today I had a latte appointment with a prospective new consultant and I shared with her my suggested approach for starting her business. I thought it would probably be a good thing to share with all y'all. :)

This business is not about cold calling. It is about network marketing. The first step is to network with your network. In a nutshell, your FRANK list is a VIP list. They will get your business started if you give them some information, ask them for help, and get them excited about your new business.

The FRANK List

Take the time to write out a really good list of your friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours, and people you know through your kids (alternatively, people you know who have kids). Don't just include women in your FRANK list, this list should include everyone.

The Phone

Call each and every person on your FRANK list to share the news about your candle business with PartyLite. Use the scripts in the Power Hour section of your consultant guide to you get started.

The Offer

Invite each and every woman on your FRANK list to host a show.

The Referral

If they do host a show, they will effectively be referring their network (their FRANK list) to meet you in person. If they don't want to host one themselves, ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in hosting a show and ask for a personal introduction.

The No-Strings-Attached Invitation

Invite anyone who does not have a show to an open house at your home.

The open house will be a casual opportunity for your FRANK list (men and women) to see the products, look through the catalogue, smell the fragrances, and learn more about your business. Clean and declutter your house. Put out your kit in beautiful displays throughout your home. Turn out a few lights and light the candles. Turn on some nice relaxing music. Have simple refreshments. Put catalogues and fragrance samples on your dining room table and encourage people to sit and browse for a few minutes.

You have three goals for an open house:

1. Make people in your network aware of your business selling platinum quality PartyLite products.
2. Make people in your network aware of the benefits of hosting a show.
3. Give people in your network an opportunity to place an order and experience PartyLite themselves.

Ask for Advice

Ask each and every person on your FRANK list to give you a piece of advice about how to grow your new business.

Offer Platinum, Personal Service

Let each and every person on your FRANK list know that you would be happy to take their orders any time, happy to give them gift ideas for special events, happy to assist in candle requirements for special events (e.g. weddings, charity dinners, birthday parties).

Death and Taxes

Big disclaimer: I'm not a professional tax person. I use a professional accountant to file my taxes. I do not expect you to take this post as anything other than a story from Wendy. It is not advice. It's a story.

Once upon a time there was a candle lady named Wendy who lived in the land of OZ. She had an annual responsibility to pay her taxes because she made so much darn money from her candle business that the government of OZ considered her candle business to be just that... a business. She loved paying taxes, because it really made her feel like she had made it as a business person.

However, Wendy didn't want to overpay her taxes, because she (and any business) should only pay taxes on profit. Wendy's profit was the amount she got paid (the incommies) minus all the expenses she spent money on in order to make the incommies (the outgoies).

Outgoies

So, each year, Wendy thought about what outgoies took to run her business.

• The Car - Wendy owned her car, got it serviced, insured it, had roadside assistance, and put petrol into it regularly. She saved receipts for these things. One year, she showed her accountant the receipt for the car she bought and for the car she sold. She left it up to him to figure out if there was part of that big outgoie that could be subtracted from her incommies. Turned out there was, but it was too complicated for Wendy to figure out on her own.
• The Phone - Wendy paid a monthly bill for her mobile phone. She also paid a monthly bill for her home phone. She estimated that her business use of these two was 75%.
• The Product - Wendy bought display products to use at her shows, for door prizes, and for team raffles and incentives. She saved receipts for these things.
• Show Costs - every time Wendy's hosts had a $400 show, Wendy paid a $10 fee for the $50 bonus hostess voucher. She kept track of these payments on her Profit Statements.
• Training and Events - Wendy loved to go to training, Leader's Summit, and the Annual Conference. These things made her a better Consultant and a better Leader. In 2009, Wendy was part of the 101 Dalmatians (award winning costumes) at Conference and you know what? She even kept track of the $10 she paid Eliana for making the Dalmatian Suit. She kept track of all her outgoies for these - including the coffee at the airport.
• Books and CDs - Wendy invested in books and CDs to help her and her team improve in many areas (sales, leadership, network marketing, networking, etc.). She saved receipts for these things.
• Advertising - Occasionally, Wendy would seek approval from PartyLite to advertise her business in various publications and at fetes, fundraisers, and market stalls. These advertising outgoies would result in leads and, hopefully, sales. So Wendy kept her receipts for these.
• Customer Events - Wendy hosted parties at her home several times a year to give her VIP clients some VIP treatment. She bought food, drink, and used candles at these events. She kept track of these outgoies. 
• Consultant Events - As a Leader, Wendy ran Unit Meetings and New Consultant Training. She had raffles, gave away literature, and bought nibbles and drinks. 
• Bank Fees - Wendy set up a special bank account just for her business, so she kept track of all the outgoie bank fees she was charged. 
• Internet - Wendy used the Internet almost exclusively to build her business. She invested in a faster connection so that she could provide better customer service and so she could be more efficient in putting in her orders. She estimated that 90% of her time on the internet was related to business.
• Computer - Wendy provided receipts for her new laptop to her accountant. Laptops are equipment that can be claimed over a few years, not all at once, so Wendy left that up to her accountant to figure out. But Wendy also used lots of printer toner and paper, so she kept track of those outgoies.
• Networking - Wendy got out into the world to meet new people. Sometimes she attended breakfasts and lunches and meetings where there were fees. She kept track of these outgoies because each event helped her grow her business.
• Mail - Wendy and the post office were very close. She knew her postal delivery man by name and she also had a big fan base at the post office (they liked the way Wendy's deliveries made the place smell so good). She bought lots of stamps and cards and envelopes. She kept every receipt for those outgoies. (And she wasn't too happy every time the postal fees got raised). 
• Business Cards - Wendy had business cards made and she went through a lot of them. They help spread the word about her business, so she kept track of those outgoies.
• Display Bling and Giftwrapping - When Wendy wanted her display to look great, she bought some fake flowers, some placemats, and some coloured rocks. She also bought gift bags, organza bags, gift wrapping paper, and ribbon. Lots of things to advertise her shows and her business. Those outgoies were all carefully tracked.

Wendy put all of these outgoies into a spreadsheet and filed the receipts into a big envelope.

Incommies

Incommies for her PartyLite were easier for Wendy to track. Each week, PartyLite would create a report (a Profit Statement) for Wendy showing how much money she had been paid. Wendy would just put that information into her spreadsheet. She could also get year to date information off the CBC.

Other Jobs, Other Income, and Other Tax Deductible Expenses

When she used to have another job, Wendy got a Group Certificate for that job, too. She would give that to her accountant. She also had an investment property that she shared with her husband, so every year she had to bring that information to her accountant, too. Whenever she gave money to charity, she'd keep track of that. When her health fund would mail her its annual report, she'd put that into her tax file. (Wendy didn't have any income from places like Centrelink, so she wouldn't have had any idea how to account for that. Absolutely no idea. Definitely an area requiring special research!)

The Hero of the Story - The Accountant

Every year, Wendy took all of this information to her accountant and gave him a rundown of what she was giving him. He would ask questions and make sure she had included everything. He would look at her strangely when she asked if she could claim dog grooming outgoies since it made the dog more attractive and better smelling to consultants and clients. (Alas, no.)

She would pay her accountant every year (also a business-related outgoie). He would crunch all the numbers and make sure Wendy only paid the taxes she was supposed to pay.

How Wendy Saved For Her Tax Bill

Wendy actually liked to have all her tax money saved up before her tax bill would come. She hated surprises, especially when they were outgoies! So Wendy used the Stash Cash program to save money for conference AND for her tax bill. She found that by putting $50 aside from every show, at the end of every financial year, she had plenty of money for her annual conference, her taxes, and any leftovers were her self-created "refund." As a reward for being such a good saver, Wendy loved to spend her "refund" on full body massages.

Why Wendy Had to Deal with GST

In 2009, Wendy sold over $75000 worth of candles which was one criteria for her to have to register for GST (there were other criteria that might have made this happen, too). She dealt with this with her accountant and now keeps track of GST, too. (One hint: Don't register for GST unless you have to - it's an unnecessary headache. One other hint: If you do register for GST, tell PartyLite right away - it changes a few things about how you get paid.)

The End

So in the land of OZ, Consultants who ran their candle business as a business started keeping great track of their outgoies so that they could pay the right amount of tax. Not too much, not too little. They all got accountants to help them. They all started saving early for the inevitable tax bill (a sign that they were making lots of money).

And they all lived happily ever after.

Repeat big disclaimer: I'm not a professional tax person. I use a professional accountant to file my taxes. I do not expect you to take this post as anything other than a story from Wendy. It is not advice. It's a story.

Conference 2010: Comment and Photos

Hi. Sorry it's been awhile since I've written here. There is so much to do before and after conference that I've been a little bit offline.

Once again, conference was amazing. Everything we wanted it to be, it was. We were recognised, rewarded, inspired, motivated, informed, educated, pampered, and exhausted!

Here is a list of the free products we got for free from conference! The retail value is worth more than the cost of the conference registration.

Iced Snowberry Oil $15.95
Illuminescents Snowflake $39.95

Polar Pals Votive Holder $49.95

Garnet Tealight Holder $34.95

Ring of Light Centrepiece $99.95

Metal Snail Votive Holder $34.95

Ikat Votive Pair $44.95

Summer Tealight Sampler $27.95

Present Jar $41.00

Tealight Sampler (not for sale) $15.50

Total Value: $405.10!

In 2011, conference will be held in Sydney at the Sydney Convention Centre on July 14-16. It's exciting for me as a leader because so many of the Rainbows are in New South Wales.

I hope all of you will be able to come to conference.

See it. Have a look at these photos. Visualise yourself there. In the audience. On the stage. On the dance floor. At the training sessions.

Say it. Put it into your diary. Tell your family you want to go. Start saving a little bit of money from each party you do to ensure money doesn't stop you from attending. (Stash Cash registration will be available again in September.)

Feel it. Come to Unit Meetings and ask the people who came to conference to tell you what it felt like to be there. Go to regional events and work towards the challenges put out by your leaders. Work to get your name in Reflections.

Do it. Whatever it takes, just be there. Conference is a commitment to yourself to make this business all it can be for you.

Make it a great day! WLC.

Manual Orders

UPDATED: 28 April 2017

From May 1-July 31, starter parties orders of $550 or more must be submitted manually (or "offline").

The Consultant Guide (still available on the CBC) has a whole section on how to complete a manual order. Still, I get lots of questions about it, so I thought this post would be a good one to add to the site. In a nutshell, you need to provide PartyLite with:

1. A Party Order Summary of what the guests ordered (totaling $550 or more).
2. A Party Order Form providing details of the show, host benefits taken, and payment methods used. (If there is a host involved, you can use a bonus hostess voucher number; if you collected orders, you are not eligible for the bonus voucher.)
3. Payment information

You can fax or post in the individual order forms with the credit card information on it, but I type the credit card information on a single piece of paper. I include the card type, numbers, name, expiration date, and amount due.

When you're done, you fax the pages in to PartyLite (02 9678 9077). There are apps available to fax things in - I haven't found a free version yet, but if you find one, please add it to the comments here. You can always mail it if you don't have access to a fax machine.

NOTE: If any of the credit cards decline, head office will contact you and/or your leader to remedy.
IMPORTANT: For specials, the deadline for faxing and posting orders is close of business (5:00 Sydney time) on the last weekday of the month.

Things to do with a New Consultant:

Congratulations! You’ve met someone and offered them the PartyLite opportunity and they want to join up. What next? Here is a list of things you need to do to get her (or him) off to a great start.

NOTE: This is standard operating procedure for the Rainbows – talk to your Unit Leader to see if your processes are different.

1.  Complete a New Consultant Agreement (get Section 1 and 3 out of the way and let details in Section 2 wait until the Starter Show is complete and the six or more bookings are organised).

2.  Call your Unit Leader to arrange the kit issue (which may be able to occur before the Starter Show, depending on availability). If it cannot be issued before the Starter Show, the Unit Leader will:

• Send her the current Reflections, and
• Send her a copy of the Start with Success workbook.

3.  Set a Starter Show date

• Her target is $550 in sales or more. Details on how to handle a smaller show are in the Consultant Guide. All promotions require a $550 or higher Starter Show.
• She will not receive the normal host benefits for a Starter Show.

• Product Credit: She will receive 1:1 product credit for every dollar in compensatable sales over $550. For example, if her starter show has compensatable sales of $620, she will get $620-$550=$70 in product credit.
• Bonus Hostess Voucher: She is eligible for the $50 Bonus Hostess Voucher (because her Starter Show will reach the $400+ in sales).
• Hostess Specials: She is eligible for the Hostess Specials (because her Starter Show will reach the $400+ in sales and she will have more than the one required booking).
• Discounted Products: She would not want to take advantage of the 30% Discounted Products because she gets a better benefit as a Consultant (40% Discounted Products).

• You will not receive the normal compensation for a Starter Show. You will building your business by building your own downline. Ask your leader for details.  

4.  Help her organise 6 shows to get her business started.

• Use the Start with Success workbook to guide her in setting up these shows.
• Let her know that she will be paid for these shows. Based on a $500 show average in Australia, she will earn about $840 in commission from these shows.
• The Starter Show cannot be processed until she has identified on her New Consultant Agreement the name, phone number and date for at least six shows.

5.  Arrange for her to observe 2 shows in training. I recommend that one be a show of yours and one be a show of your Unit Leader.

6.  Set a date for both of you to attend New Consultant Training (NCT) with your Unit Leader. At the NCT, the Unit Leader will set up weekly 15 minute coaching calls for her first 10 weeks as a Consultant.

7.  Give her the dates for the next three Unit Meetings.

8.  Show her how to subscribe to the http://www.rainbowsandcandles.com/ website.

9. Her best course of action before NCT is to study the catalogue and work through the Start with Success workbook.

Things she will need that PartyLite does not provide in the Starter Kit:

• Trolley or Suitcase
• Bubble wrap
• Pens
• Calculator
• Lighter
• Stamp/labels for literature
• Business cards (you can use your Live by Candlelight Cards)

Definition: Compensatable Sales: The total dollar amount of retail show orders (guest purchases) submitted and accepted at the PartyLite head office, not including shipping and handling, tax (if shown separately), hostess purchases, 30% discounted host purchases, hostess specials or other hostess offers.

Sponsoring a new Consultant is a great thing. Make her feel welcome. Make her feel involved. Give her the tools for success. That's your job as her sponsor. If you print and use this list as a checklist, you will have a happy, well trained, and successful new Consultant. Congratulations!

10 Steps to Increasing Your Guests Per Show

Hi. One thing we can really work on with our hostess coaching is improving guest attendance. It's simple to measure; we can easily see how many guests on average we have per show. Once you know what your average guests per show is, how can you improve the number?

Do you even know what the target is?

Any PartyLite consultant should be able to tell you that the target is 10 guests. That's a standard part of 10-3-2 training. So how do you fill up 10 chairs?

It's All About Hostess Coaching

1. Do you share your goal of 10 guests per show with your hosts? You should. That's really step one. It's also the only goal I really share with my hosts. I figure the 3 bookings and the 2 leads at each show are my responsibility, but the 10 guests... well, she really has to be the one to achieve that. But she's not alone. Let her know the target. If it's less that's okay, if it's more that's okay, but the target is 10.
2. Give her a Hostess Envelope and run through the sections. Ask her to use it to keep track of who she's invited.
3. Walk her through how to develop a FRANK list. If she only invites friends or only invites neighbours, the chances of getting 10 guests is reduced. If she involves all 5 areas, she is much more likely to achieve the target.
4. Provide her with enough invitations/reminder cards and offer to provide more if she needs them. (I provide 20 to start.)
5. Write an email invitation for her. She can modify it if she wants, but it's a good way to support her.
6. Do not encourage her to use Facebook to get people excited about the party.
7. Do encourage her to call and personally invite her guests.
8. Ask her if she enjoyed the show she went to and find out what she liked. Suggest that she share that information with people as she invites them because a PartyLite show is fun, relaxing, and not a hard sales event. People like that.
9. Call her two days before the show to remind her to send reminders.
10. Encourage her to ask for her guests to bring a friend. You might offer to give a free candle to every person who brings a friend your host doesn't know. (Of course, give one to the friend, too.)

So there you go... 10 ideas on how to improve your guest attendance. Last month we had an average on only 5.9 guests per show but a guest average spend of $88.72. Imagine if you could improve your guest average by 1, you would have $88.00 more in sales at every show. If you can get to an average of 10, you'd have an $880 show average. That's working smarter!

Do you have any tips to add to my list? Feel free to comment here. I love your input!

A New Layout: Just for Fun

I was just playing and the Blogger software has been upgraded quite a bit. I love it. :)

I also found a cool little tool on another website. Have a look at what this little blog comes up with for a word cloud when a computer and a graphic artist get together and analyse it. I really like that the biggest word in the word cloud is the word "business" because I know PartyLite is a great business.

Bye for now. More coming!

July Focus

At our Unit Meeting this week, we talked about things we should keep doing, things we should think about, and things we should stop doing in our business. Here is a list of the ideas we brainstormed:

GREEN LIGHT - What we're good at:

Talking
Calling customers
Using the call tracker
Being creative
Burning candles
Paperwork

YELLOW LIGHT - What we're unsure about:

How to pack up quicker
What to take to shows
How to talk to guests as they arrive – breaking the ice
How to deal with “No”
Being persistent versus being pushy
How to address price

RED LIGHT - Things we’ll stop doing:

Procrastinating
Giving away too much
Stressing about things we can’t control
Talking too much

This month I will post articles about each of these topics to help us all. If you would like to send me your own input to these topics, I will be happy to include your ideas in the posts. You can send your input to wendy @ wlcenterprises.com. Thanks. WLC.

The Press Conference

Oct 28, 2009 - Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images Europe

Sports analogies are used all the time for businesses. I was watching a press conference last week sometime. I think it was after the NSW Blues were trashed in game 2 of the State of Origin by the Queensland Reds. Anyway, for some reason it really struck me that these coaches and players get asked questions about their performance immediately after the game whether they win or lose. They are force to analyse their performance and their feelings about their performance immediately after the event.

It's part of their job.

It made me wonder if we should do the same thing.

Introducing: On Reflection....

On Reflection... is a little press conference you can have with yourself, with your family, with another PartyLite buddy, or with your Leader. You really need to do it right after a show to get the best impact. Here are the questions you need to answer. You might need your door prize slips to answer all the questions. For highest impact, I think you should write the answers down.

1. What went right?
2. What went wrong?
3. Who was interesting?
4. Who was interested?
5. What would you change?

Don't forget to also ask yourself how you feel about the show. Sports people are always asked about how they feel. They are either elated or gutted. Either way, they make changes and then go out again the next time. And so will you. Win or lose - just keep learning from each show.

On Reflection... you will get better and better.

What do you do to recap your show experience each time? Do you think that using On Reflection... would make a difference to your business?

Getting Organised

One of my favourite strategies of late is the Daily Action Plan promoted by Eliana. It is simple and achievable. I probably don't have it exactly right, but here is my synopsis:

1. Call a client
2. Call a host
3. Call a lead
4. Call a consultant (someone in your downline)
5. Read a book (not the whole thing, obviously)

For most consultants, this daily action plan could be modified to this:

1. Call a client
2. Call a host
3. Call a lead
4. Call or write to your upline
5. Read a book

Four calls and some personal development. That's pretty simple. Maybe it'll work for you.

How am I getting organised?

Today I took some time to organise my office and my schedule around daily, weekly, monthly, and ad hoc activities. Everything in June and July has been diarised, but I used big chunks of time so that I could be a little bit flexible while still giving myself some much-needed discipline. The goal was to enable me to MAKE THAT CALL five days a week. After all, this is my job. If the plan works well, I'll do it for the rest of the year.

I did have one major breakthrough in my thinking as I set up this system. Let's say that I wanted to spend one hour making client phone calls. In the past, that process has been pretty labour intensive. That's because I would pick a name, look them up on the CBC, see what they've ordered before, decide what to call them about, and then call. It's called procrastination and I was really good at it.

My breakthrough in thinking is realising that all of that prework is important and should happen, but that I can do it as an administrative task to get ready for my calls. Then, when it's time to make the calls, I'm ready. The hour of calls is nothing but an hour of calls.

Even for a daily action plan that breakthrough works. If you are going to make four calls today, who will you call? Why will you call them? What is their number? And what actions will you have once the calls are done? That's the prework.

So, how to get organised? Each night, make a list for your daily calls the next day and do a little research so you are prepared to make those calls. Divide and conquer.

Getting organised... it's a breakthrough!

Have you subscribed to Mary Christensen's free monthly newsletter yet? Here is a link to the sign-up page.


http://www.marychristensen.com/freenewsletter.asp

Sweet, sweet carrots!

Ange and me at the Furama Resort in Da Nang

We returned from our trip to Vietnam on Wednesday morning. From the sun, heat and humidity of Da Nang to the overcast, cold and wet of Sydney took a little bit of adjustment.

It was a fantastic trip and I could wax on about it (pun not originally intended, but how great was that?) for pages and pages, but I have another idea....

My good friend Ben and I were having a coffee together this morning and we were discussing how amazing the trip was. I told Ben that I hadn't written my blog yet and that I honestly didn't know what to say. As we talked, we compared the benefits of PartyLite to all the other jobs we've had in the past. No one else had ever offered us the same sort of reward for doing our jobs. No one. We asked ourselves, why does PartyLite do it?

I think I figured it out. It's all about carrots.

After thinking about it on my walk home, I'd like to share something personal with you. Something I'm not sure you'd probably think about me.

The reason PartyLite is so generous in its rewards, recognition and incentives, is because it has to be better than every other opportunity out there to keep me involved. To keep me interested. To keep me motivated. To stop me from throwing in the towel when the going gets tough.

Yes, even I think about throwing in the towel.

This job is fun, simple, social, flexible, lucrative, exciting, and free. AND sometimes it is just plain hard. Hard to stay motivated. Hard to put up with no. Hard to deal with cancellations and postponements. Hard to fit it in with other things (work, family, and friends). Hard to regroup and get bookings. Hard to make that call.

So sometimes I do think about throwing in the towel and getting a "real job."

But that's where the carrots come in. The incentive trips are incredible: five star, exotic, no work, all play. No business will match them. The fact that I get to work when I want to (or work when I can) is amazing. No business will match that. The money I earn from my shows is great money for a simple (fun) activity. No business is as fun as a show. The money I earn from my leadership activities is unlimited. No business will match that. The training and development and inspiration and friendship I get from others in PartyLite is constant and uplifting. No business can match that. The freedom I have to do what I want, how I want, and when I want is unheard of in a "real job." No business can match that. The investment I make into developing my PartyLite business is time, not money. So even (nay, especially) starting my own business doing something else can't match that.

So when the internal voice in my head says it's all too hard, I think about the next incentive trip and I consider the possibility of not going on the next one and I completely change my attitude. I simply can't miss out.

That's why PartyLite does it. It's to motivate people like me. Because I need motivating to keep this up just like everyone else in the business needs motivating.

No matter what your goals are in this business, I can promise you this: you're not alone when you think of quitting. It is hard. We step outside our comfort zone everyday. But here's what you need to remember: That's why they pay us so well. That's why we get recognised for what we do. That's why the carrots are so good. That's why PartyLite does what no other company in my professional experience will do.

That's when you should take a deep breath, a time out, and start again tomorrow.

And you know what? It is worth it. Every time.

Eat your carrots.

Find Your PartyLite Mojo!

Hi. I'm blatantly getting a lot of this post from an email I just received from Evelyn Ayerst-Pettitt, PartyLite Australia's Sales Events Manager. She gets writing credit. I'll just edit. :)

But before I do that... I am proud to tell you that right now we have a record number of Rainbows registered to come to conference. Congratulations to all of us who have made the decision to register and go. Get those flights organised, and we'll make sure everyone has a roommate at our next Unit Meeting.

Okay, the countdown is on ... can you believe it? We have only 72 more sleeps until our National Conference, the 'not-to-be-missed' event on every PartyLite Consultant's calendar.

There are only 6 weeks left to register (deadline: June 30), and we have already reached 60% capacity for National Conference. More registration forms are coming in, so, if you have not as yet registered, I encourage you to not delay, register today! (You can get a registration form from me.)

Are you still undecided about attending this year? Let's take a few moments to consider the benefits of attending National Conference. National Conference is the opportunity to:

• Re-energise your business
• Discover powerful sales and booking techniques
• See (touch, smell) new products from our Everyday Volume 2 Catalogue
• Network - meet, connect and share stories and tips with Consultants from across Australia
• Hear first-hand the destination of our exciting Incentive Trip for 2011 and learn what you need to do to go
• Cash In! Collect your Cash In! coupons, if applicable, and go into the draw to win some amazing prizes
• Be a part of history as PartyLite Australia proudly presents a cheque to the Children's Hospital Foundation Australia
• Become inspired from key field, staff and a very special external speaker, Terry Hawkins
• Celebrate and be recognised for your achievements and those of your PartyLite family
• Applaud the recipients of our extraordinary annual awards at own Awards Evening & Gala Dinner, including the most coveted award, The Spirit of Mabel Baker.
• Receive 'free stuff' - product giveaways
• Bag a bargain or two by visiting Conference Shop
• Participate in 'Scent' Sale Auction and win some fabulous new product

It doesn't matter if you are an active consultant, striving to bonus every month, if you are brand new to PartyLite, or if your candle business has stagnated and needs a jump-start, conference is a great place to find your PartyLite mojo. Some consultants just come for the free products. Some come for the recognition. Some come for the break from their everyday life. Some come to see friends from last year. Some come just to take advantage of conference shop. Some come to absorb as much training as they can.

Whatever it is for you... you should come.

Print the PartyLite Consultant Guide

When I began my PartyLite business, we received a paper copy of the Consultant Guide. Over the first month that I was in business, I read it from cover to cover. To this day, I refer to it often: for information, for ideas, and for inspiration.

We probably asked PartyLite to provide this guide to us on a disk so that we wouldn't waste paper. However, I contend that the paper version of the guide is read, used, and important to the growth and development of our consultants, new and experienced.

For my Unit, I'm going to look into the cost of printing the guide myself, but it seems to me that the $30 investment to buy the printed guide from PartyLite is money very well spent. As I've said in previous posts, if any new Rainbow buys the guide and qualifies in her first business month, I'll reimburse the $30.

We've improved our New Consultant Training tremendously over the last five years, and I think we need to reintroduce the printed consultant guide into the starter kit to make it even better.

What do you think? Can I start a movement?

Love Thy Neighbour

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Eliana's Unit Meeting. I thought I would share the words used by one of the Ignite consultants, Laura. Laura did a successful letter box drop in her neighbourhood. She stapled a nicely printed card to the front of a catalogue. Here is what it said:

I am excited to introduce myself as your new local PartyLite Consultant!

Have a look through this fabulous new catalogue and give me a call or e-mail and we'll set a time for your own showing!

All you need is a couple of hours, a few friends to relax with and you will earn great benefits to..

Decorate your home,
Celebrate your life and
Illuminate your spirit

She, of course, included her contact details at the bottom.

I absolutely love the boldness of her first line: "...your new local PartyLite Consultant." How brilliant is that?

Letterbox drops to your neighbours are not always successful. You really need to stand out from the crowd. A note like this might be the difference between getting your catalogue noticed and getting it filed in the recycle bin.

Do you have a success story from a letterbox drop. What works? What doesn't? Leave a comment and share so we can all be better neighbours. :)

Make it a great day! WLC.

How to Achieve Bonus in May

Sell $2799 in a month, earn $615. (22%)

Sell $2800 in a month, earn $784. (28%)

That's $169 in BONUS MONEY!

It's that easy.

The key to bonusing each month is to book shows. With PartyLite’s 8th birthday being celebrated this month, it will be very lucrative for guests and hosts alike. So what you need to do is entice the hosts to book their shows this month. With at least 6 shows, you should bonus. If that is your target, you really should book 8 shows so that you won’t be disappointed by cancellations or postponements. Here are my hints:

1. Have your diary with you at all times. At our April Regional Meeting we were ultra inspired by the pocket sized diary used by our top sales person, Colleen.
2. Make that Call! Call your hosts and guests from April to make sure they are happy.
3. Give away $50 bonus vouchers to everyone you meet with a expiration date of May 31.
4. Book your own show and invite people as you run into them.
5. Revisit your FRANK list and make sure everyone on it knows that you’ve started this business.
6. Offer people the opportunity to get over $130 in free products just for hosting a show (based on a $400 show).
7. Take outside orders.
8. Find one networking opportunity each week in May (see this article for suggestions on how to network).
9. Ask everyone for referrals.
10. Treat it like a business – not a burden. Your attitude needs to be positive, passionate, and professional.

Need some personal inspiration? Take advantage of your leader and make an appointment for a free coaching session.

Get out there! WLC.

NCT #3 - What do you need to know?

Here's a little checklist of the things you need to know as a Consultant. If you feel you need help in any of these areas, check your Consultant Guide, review your New Consultant Training Notes, call your sponsor, or call your leader.

In no particular order, you need to know...

• How to manage your diary
• How to get a booking with a date and time
• How to hostess coach
• How to host a show yourself
• How to take an order
• How to set up a display
• How to process a show
• How to collect payments at the time of sale
• How to do a presentation
• How to calculate host benefits
• How to network
• How to ask for referrals
• How to identify leads
• How to burn all of our candles
• What is in our catalogue

Do you feel pretty good about all of those things? If so, great! Congratulations on your hard work and study. If not, it's not hard to learn. In addition to some reading and training, observing other people doing a show is another great way to become more familiar with our ways. Hopefully you watch two shows before you do your own. And I don't mean observing shows by going to them as a guest like you may have done before you decided to become a consultant; I mean using show observation notes and really thinking about what the consultant is doing from beginning to end. It is different.

The PartyLite way is to do things right, to not be pushy, to respect other Consultants, to respect our hosts, to respect our guests, to respect our competitors, and to be ethical in our work. We don't gossip. We don't cut down others. We want everyone to be successful.

Especially you.

Only One Week to go for the Rainbows Conference Early Bird Offer

Every time I get an email back letting me know that another Rainbow  is coming to conference, I get more and more excited. This is going to be so much fun!

For those of you who've come before, I know exactly why you're coming back. For those of you who've been part of our team for awhile and haven't been able to make it to conference - it's never to late to start. For those of you who are inactive and don't think that you should come to conference, I encourage you to rethink - conference is a great motivator and might be just what you need to start the ball rolling again. For those of you who are new to PartyLite.... I can't think of a better way to start your business.

(For those of you who aren't Rainbows, don't fret - there's lots of good information in this post that might help you make the decision to go.)

Kudos to you all for considering this investment in YOU. Now... let's get you some valuable information.

Conference Registration RAINBOW EARLY BIRD OFFER
Conference registrations are open, and I’d like you to make the commitment now. So here is my offer. Every Rainbow who registers for conference before the close of business on Thursday, April 22nd will get a fantastic early bird present when you attend conference. If you register after April 22nd, you won’t get the early bird present. New consultants who start after today will have 2 weeks from their start date to register, and, if they do, they will qualify for my early bird gift, too. EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS THURSDAY – 22/4/2010.

Conference Registration RAINBOW OFFER
I will give all Rainbows who register for conference a pack of the new catalogues once they are released (value $27.50). REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, 2010 (or earlier, if capacity is reached).

Conference Registration RAINBOW CANCELLATION OFFER
If you need to cancel your registration (which you must do in writing before the close of business on Wednesday June 30, 2010) you will still receive the pack of new catalogues. (This means it really only costs you $22.50 to reserve your conference seat.)

Conference Accommodation ROOMMATE PLANS

Part of the reason we need to register now is so that we can organise our rooms and our roommates at the Royal Pines Resort. I will be happy to assist all Rainbows in organising a roommate. Rooms are discounted to $170 per night for conference attendees, so the cost per person for 3 nights is $255. I do not recommend sharing 3 to a room, because the third person gets a trundle bed and the trundle bed costs an additional $45 per night. It is available, but I think 2 per room is more comfortable.

Conference AIR TRAVEL
Conference Registration opens at 1:00 on the Thursday afternoon and the conference starts at 3:00. Airport arrivals after 1:00 pm are not recommended. The gala dinner on Saturday ends after 11:00 and it is usually a late night, so plan your flights out according to your sleeping requirements.  I won’t leave until about 2:00 – no rushing for me.

Conference GROUND TRANSPORTATION
You should definitely share taxis getting to and from the Resort. You won’t need a car.

Conference FOOD
Light snacks are served on Thursday evening, so we usually eat a pizza or something at the hotel bar after the meet and greet. Hotel breakfasts are discounted to $22, or you can be thrifty and bring your own breakfast to the hotel. I eat breakfast in my room most mornings, but on the Sunday morning, I usually go out. Friday morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea are provided, and we will go out to dinner as a region. Cost of dinner is usually less than $50 and the restaurants in the past have been BYO (so I bring a bottle of wine from home). Saturday, other than breakfast, all food is included: morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and the gala dinner.

Conference SHOP
You are under no obligation to participate in conference shop, but there are usually some great bargains to be had – exclusive to conference attendees. I buy door prize items and small host gifts. You can also do personal shopping, gift purchases, and stock up on wax (usually discontinued fragrances). Extra credit if you can get a picture of Sandra, Nicole, and me sneaking down to conference shop in our pyjamas at 6 in the morning to avoid the crowds.

OK – I hope I’ve given you lots of reasons to ask more questions, get planning, and get your registration in! You will absolutely LOVE conference. Once you go, it’ll be something you’ll tell other people they shouldn’t miss. I promise.

NCT #2 - Bookings

The key to this business is bookings. New consultants need to organise 6 shows in order to get started. These shows are very likely to be with friends or family as hosts. These shows should occur in a 2-3 week period. The point is to use these shows as training. Most importantly, the goal is to get 2-3 bookings form each of these shows. That way you begin to expand your business outside of your immediate circle.

How?

1. Be honest. Put learner plates onto your display (yes, literally - they're free at the RTA) and from the beginning let people know that you are new to the company and in your training period.

2. Be yourself. If you practice your presentation a few times before you do your first shows, you'll be more relaxed at the shows and you'll be able to be yourself.

3. Be direct. Let the guests know that you'd love to get more bookings so that you can meet more people. Tell them that the best way for them to refer people to you is to host a show. Be sure to explain the host benefits during your presentation. Through our host program, most hosts get $150 in free products and qualify for savings on more.

4. Be prepared. Have your diary with you, have it marked with the days you are available, have a pencil, and have your Bonus Hostess Vouchers. (I have all of these things wherever I go - not just at shows.)

5. Be helpful. Rather than let someone struggle to choose a date or time, make suggestions.

"I find that Thursday night shows go really well - they are casual late night shopping."
"Most people have family plans or footy on the weekend, you might want to choose a Tuesday evening - that's a night most people are available."
"I suggest that your show starts at 2:00 - that's after lunch and before any night time plans."
"I suggest that your show starts at 7:30 - that's after dinner, but not too late if they have work in the morning."

6. Be relaxed. Don't take any no's personally. Don't force people into dates. Don't beg people to book. Don't worry if they don't.

7. Be inquisitive. 

"Did you see some items you like?"
"Did you learn something about candles that you didn't know before?"
"Did you have a good time?"
"Would you like to have $150 in free products by hosting a show?"

8. Be referred. When you arrive at the show, talk to your host. Ask her why she decided to host a show. Ask her if it was difficult to organise the party. Ask her if your help before the show was helpful (providing invitations, literature, and advice). Ask her what her favourite product is. Ask her which Hostess Special she would want. Then, later, in front of everyone, ask her to share those answers again. She will, in effect, be referring you to her guests.

9. Be professional. After taking orders and bookings, calculate the host benefits, take the host's order, confirm the shipping address, pack up quickly, thank everyone, congratulate and thank the host, and leave.

10. Be positive. You can do it. You have a great offer. You have great products. You have support from your leader. You have training in how to overcome objections (Section 5 of the Consultant Guide). Keep a positive attitude and a smile on your face whether people say yes, no, or not now.

For Your Diary: Consultant Training Dates

Hi. We've grown. And we're growing. The only boundary we have is a national one. We can sponsor anyone, anywhere in Australia. So instead of listing only the dates for Sydney, I've put the dates for all Consultant training across the nation. Action: Add the appropriate ones to your calendar and remember that all these dates are here (and on the CBC).

April 2010
19 Melbourne Area (VIC) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
21 Adelaide Area (SA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
22 Perth Area (WA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)

May 2010
15 Toowoomba Area (QLD) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
17 Brisbane Area (QLD) Leaders’ Day Seminar (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
19 Sydney Area (NSW) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
22 Rockhampton Area (QLD) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
24 Cairns Area (QLD Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
25 Cairns Area (QLD) Leaders’ Day Seminar (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

June 2010
15 Brisbane Area (QLD) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
21 Melbourne Area (VIC) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
23 Adelaide Area (SA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
24 Perth Area (WA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
26 Kalgoorlie Area (WA) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

July 2010
29-31 National Conference ~ Gold Coast, QLD

September 2010
4 Coffs Harbour Area (NSW) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
9 Cairns Area (QLD Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
15 Sydney Area (NSW) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
18 Wollongong Area (NSW) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

October 2010
16 Bundaberg Area (QLD) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)
30 Darwin Area (NT) Consultant Training Day (9.30 am – 3.00 pm)

November 2010
15 Melbourne Area (VIC) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
17 Adelaide Area (SA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
18 Perth Area (WA) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
22 Brisbane Area (QLD) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
24 Sydney Area (NSW) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)
29 Cairns Area (QLD) Consultant Workshop (7.00 pm – 9.30 pm)

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com

NCT #1

Welcome to the first of a series created especially for new consultants. I intend for these to be short and sweet suggestions, information, ideas, and actions to do in your first 30 days as a consultant. Perhaps you have good suggestions that I should include? Send them to me at wendy@wlcenterprises.com and I'll incorporate them into a future post.

Here are 5 things you should do when you get your PIN from PartyLite.

1. Log into the Consultant Business Centre (from here on in, called the CBC). You can find the CBC by going to www.partylite.com.au and clicking on the consultant log-in button in the bottom left of the homepage.
2. Click on the PartyLite learning centre and watch the Welcome to PartyLite video.
3. Make your first consultant order online and order the $30 printed version of the Consultant Guide (NOTE: all consultant orders incur a $9 shipping and handling fee). (If you are in the Rainbows, I will reimburse you the $39 when you qualify with $2000 in sales before the end of your first business month.)
4. Find online, print, fill out, and send in via mail or fax (1) the direct debit/credit form and (2) the Candle Connection registration. They are in the Downloadable Brochures section under Forms and Sales Aids.
5. Add all unit meetings, training dates, and conference dates into your diary.

That's a great start!

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com

Where's Your Commitment?

Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.

~ Barack Obama

PartyLite is about to begin the 3 months of challenges that lead us into National Conference 2010.Whether you are an active consultant right now or not, I want to ask you a simple question: where's your commitment?

First, make the commitment to attend. Conference is fun, exciting, motivational, amazing, a great boost to your business in the lead up to Christmas, and something you really should experience. It is absolutely worth your effort and your investment to go. You don't need to pay for it all now; just $50 will hold your place.

Second, make it worth your while. Read the brochure that will be in our next Reflections and get to know the criteria for earning tickets. The targets will be shows, sponsoring, and leadership development. Set your own goals for achievement.

Third, plan yourself for your trip and prepare others for your absence. 

Planning for you:

Flights are very inexpensive if you book early - travel up on Thursday morning and back on Sunday. Carpooling with other conference attendees makes transfers to the hotel inexpensive. Bringing your breakfast makes your mornings inexpensive and hassle-free ( I eat cereal and juice in my room). Finding a buddy (or 2) to share a room with will save you money and get you a new friend. It's all very affordable if you plan ahead.

Preparing others for your absence:

Put in a request at work for the Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Organise for childcare, babysitters, or pet-sitters. Call in some favours and/or offer some in return. Tell your family why you are going and how important it is to you that they support you as you go to learn more about the candle business. Share your personal goals (holiday, debt-free Christmas, new pool, new car, whatever). Let them know that when you go to conference, you'll come back knowing how to make more money and they all will benefit. It's absolutely true.

And finally, make it happen. Now is the best time to make this commitment to your business, to your family, and to yourself. Now is the best time to get your registration form in, your budget prepared, your targets in mind, and your excitement inside. Now is the time.

Conference will change your life.Where's your commitment? Make it happen.

Did You Know?

Did you know that PartyLite Australia does not send informational emails to Consultants? It just doesn't. So you need resources to get information about your business. That's easy....

Unit Leader

One role of the Unit Leader in PartyLite is to communicate all important information to the Consultants in her Unit. So when your Unit Leader writes to you... you probably need to read the email. In fact, when your Unit Leader writes to you, the information is probably incredibly important and time critical.

Consultant Business Centre (CBC) - my.partylite.com

The CBC is another really important source of information. It seems almost everyday something changes on the home page of the CBC. Today, for example, Jenny Messenger posted an update on the Children's Hospital Foundation. Yesterday, PartyLite announced a great promotion to help motivate your hosts to have 10 guests at each show. And everyday, the Product Hotline is updated.

Only active consultants can log into the CBC. If you have been inactive and can't log in, just call your Unit Leader.

Your Consultant Guide

Obviously a guide won't have "timely" information in it, but it does have enormous amounts of information critical to your business. The disk comes in your Starter Kit. Pop it into your computer and poke around for awhile. If you prefer to read it in paper form, buy a hard copy in your next Consultant order. The $30 fee gets you every page, double sided, and a nice, branded binder. I use mine every week to answer a question or to motivate myself. Buy some dividers, get out some Post-it notes and use it. Don't try to keep it tidy - get it dirty!

I think the printed Consultant Guide is so important that, starting this year, I will give all new Rainbows who invest in the printed guide their $30 investment back if they qualify in their first business month ($2000 in sales).

Your Unit Leader, the CBC and your Consultant Guide... three keys to your success.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

Simple Things to Improve Show Attendance

So you had a show last Friday where only four guests came. Funny, because the show on Thursday only had five. Neither show got to $400 in sales. You mentioned to the hosts that 8-12 people would be ideal. So what happened?

Not every show will have great attendance. So don't fret if a percentage of your shows are small. But you can improve your results with some disciplined hostess coaching.

Don't do it like this guy! :)

Hostess coaching is probably the most important thing to your PartyLite business. Learn how to do it well. Coaching is a skill that you should really work on. You want to know how I think about hostess coaching? I consider it like calling a friend to see if she needs any help getting ready for a party I'm attending. Do you want to know what it really is? It's calling a friend to see if she needs any help getting ready for a party I'm attending. It really is that simple. Don't yell... guide them through the process.

When You Book the Show

Whether you meet the host at a party, on the phone, or out and about, here's what you do when she books:

• Show her your diary and select a date. If she isn't sure, select a tentative date, and use a pencil.
• In your diary, write down her address, phone number and the start time for the party.
• Give her a filled out $50 Bonus Hostess Voucher. In case the date changes, make the expiration date the end of the month for the party.
• If you have it with you (at a show), give her a hostess pack with the invitations, the hostess envelope, and the Discover PartyLite brochure.
• If she agrees, let other people at the party know that she has booked a show. Suggest that they put the date into their diaries.

Total time: 5 minutes

After You Book the Show

Send a note in the mail (or a hostess pack if you didn't already give her one) to thank her for the booking and to confirm the date and time. I include a letter with some hints and tips for a successful show.

Total time: 5 minutes

After You Send the Confirmation Note

Two days later, call the host to make sure she received the pack. Ask her if she has 5 minutes to talk. Review the contents of the pack with her. Here's what I include and say:

• I included a  hostess envelope so you can make a long list of people to invite. There are some great tips and hints on the envelope, so have a look at it and use it to keep all of your show related paperwork.
• I suggest that you give or post the reminder cards to people who accept your invitation via text, email, or (best) phone call. I also suggest that you have 10 cards in your purse to give to people who you see as the show date approaches. A personal invitation, with a handwritten reminder card will give you great results.
• I included three order forms for people who cannot make it but who want to order.
• I also included a yellow brochure called Discover PartyLite. This brochure outlines all of the benefits you'll receive as a host. The key is to have 8-12 people at the show and you will be very likely to qualify for all of those benefits. That brochure also covers the benefits of becoming a consultant. This is a great job and your show could qualify as a starter show. If you're interested in learning more, let me know and we can set up a time to talk about it.

Review the hostess and guest specials if you have sent them. Or send them via email and discuss them. Make sure she understands the guest specials so she can promote them or take outside orders. Ask her to let you know if she needs more catalogues or reminder cards. Tell her you'll call her again to see if she needs anything.

Total time: 5 minutes

At the End of the Month

I always review my monthly bookings at the end of the month and I send another note to let the host know that I'm looking forward to her show. I do this especially for hosts who booked more than one month in advance. It's a nice reminder.

Total time: sometimes 20 minutes - but that covers all shows for the month

One Week Before the Show

I call the host to ask her if there is anything she needs from me as the date approaches. I also ask her if she wants me to bring any specific products in my kit. Most of the time, this call is a very timely reminder that I'm coming and that she needs to get people revved up to attend. Sometimes the host will comment about how many people are coming. Whether the number is high or low, I have the same advice: keep inviting new people who you think of, don't underestimate the power of a reminder call or SMS the day before the show, and always let people know that they can bring friends ("party crashers").

Total time: less than 5 minutes

The Day Before the Show

Call the host to confirm how many people she expects to come. Tell her you want to make sure you bring enough catalogues. If her numbers look good, remind her to send reminders. If her numbers look low, suggest that she calls the people who are coming and see if they would like to bring a friend. Tell her that you will give free candles to people who do bring friends to the show (give both the friend and the invited guest a nicely wrapped tealight).

Total time: less than 5 minutes

Do you have other tips and suggestions for hostess coaching? You are in this together. Hostess coaching helps the host get what she deserves for having a show. It will make her feel great to have a successful show.  Hostess coaching deepens your relationship with your host, too. And it helps you make the most of your time and effort in preparing for, driving to, setting up, presenting, taking orders, tearing down, driving home, and putting the order into the system.

I promise you, the 25 minutes you put into hostess coaching for each show will pay off in spades when you increase the number of guests at each show.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 28 - My How Time Flies!

Oh my goodness, there is so much to say.... Tick-tock, tick-tock. It just keeps going, doesn't it?

First of all, I just read a great post on the Flying Solo website. I suggest you read it, too.

Second, we had a fantastic unit meeting last night. It's not just me saying that either:

"Unit Meeting today was great to get me motivated and excited. Some fantastic ideas were discussed, too. Thanks!"

See? Not just me. :)

Third, I'll just let you know what I'm up to for this last push in January.

• Sent reminder notes via snail mail to my guests for Experience the Difference.
• Wrote emails to all my clients who have purchased the Thai Pillar Sleeves or anything in White Gardenia Truffle.
• Getting ready for three shows (stamping catalogues, preparing six host packs etc.).
• Calling people who's Candle Connection email bounced to confirm email address.
• Sending packs to all of my February hosts.
• Setting up my February home show for Saturday, February 27th 12:00-2:00

This list of things will take me a few hours. Probably three if I'm focused. I will finish all of them before the end of Friday. Make it a great day! WLC.

 
Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 22 - A Video Blog

Hi. Here's a Video Blog for your entertainment. I'm sorry if the audio and video aren't synchronised... I'm working on it.



Personal Commercial

Do you have a personal commercial? Even if you do have one, you might want to revisit it and really think about it. Why did you join PartyLite? What do you love about PartyLite? Why are you having success? Here's mine - revamped and revised - but all true.

I joined PartyLite because I had been to so many shows that I knew the presentation upside-down and inside-out. I was busy working a full time job already, but our cash flow was poor and we definitely could use some more money coming in. I had no intention of making PartyLite into a career... but I did. Here I am almost 5 years later and I absolutely love being a candle lady. PartyLite supports me with so of the things I need to run my business and I get to focus on my clients. Personally, I have the time to play my guitar, walk my dogs, see my friends, write and travel. Nowadays many people are time poor... well, I’m time rich, and I love it. My formula for success is not a secret; I make calls, I listen to people, and I manage my calendar like a crazy woman. Setting and achieving big goals for my business, my holidays, my home, and my family makes it all worthwhile.

Make it a great day! WLC.


Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 21 - Being Proactive

Today I ran out of tickets for the upcoming (sold out) Sydney "Experience the Difference" Roadshow. The people I've invited are incredibly happy. I wish I had 20 more tickets. Maybe 30 more.

As an Independent PartyLite Consultant, it is my job to buy my tickets for my clients. It's my job to call my clients and invite them to the event with enthusiasm. It's my job to order new literature and new fragrance pots. I make calls. I meet new people. I am proactive.

Yesterday I sent out an email invitation to my home show. I have had a fantastic response. I have over $300 in orders already. Today I called more Rainbows to talk about 2010. Tonight I have a show. I am really looking forward to it because the host told me yesterday that she is excited.

Do you have a "should do" list in your head or a "to do" list on paper?

Are you being proactive about your candle business?

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 18 - Monday Monday

Hi! Hope you had a great weekend. I've talked to a few Rainbows over the past few days and I'm really excited about your plans for 2010. It's exciting to have goals and work towards them.

My business? Well, today I'll be submitting 2 shows from the weekend, sending out 4 host packs for new bookings, calling 10 clients about the soon to be discontinued Thai Pillar Sleeves, and continuing my calls with Rainbows. I'm also going to send out an invitation to my Saturday afternoon home show. (You're invited to come, too - I'll have a table filled with old stock available at at least 50% off. Write me if you want the details.)

My life? I'm going to take my Golden Retriever for a walk around the bay, practice my guitar, and see Avatar in 3D.

Make it a great day. Do you have a to do list?

P.S. This morning, I posted on Profitable Party Plan - I think you'll like it and I'd LOVE your comments.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com
Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com

January 15 - Halfway to February

Hi. The month is half way done. I've just looked at my goals for the month and realise that even with this daily dose of reality to motivate me, I still have a lot of work to do. Best get to it!

Dates for 2010

Yesterday I looked on the CBC to see if training dates have been published for 2010. They have. So here is a summary for my Sydney and Brisbane area teams. (Sorry, no ACT or Gold Coast workshops are available. It's definitely worth the drive to attend these workshops; so by planning ahead, I'm sure you can make it.) There are lots of other markets, so check the CBC Events tab if you are elsewhere in Australia.

Sydney Consultant Workshops - 7:00-9:30pm - location TBA

• March 24th
• May 19th
• September 15th
• November 24th

Brisbane Consultant Workshops - 7:00-9:30pm - location TBA

• March 22nd
• May 17th
• November 22nd

Just a reminder that our Regional and Unit Meeting dates for the year have already been published here. I hope they are already in your diary. :)

Make it a great day! WLC.

Wendy Lloyd Curley - Independent PartyLite Consultant and Senior Unit Leader
www.rainbowsandcandles.com Check out my other blog: www.profitablepartyplan.com