Having a Successful Party

Hello fellow Jamladies!! I feel so honoured and privileged to be invited to blog about my parties that I have had! I have been a Jamberry consultant since December 1, 2013 when it opened in Saskatchewan, Canada. Since then I have had 5 in-house parties, and 3 online/book parties. I have been asked to write about how and why my parties have been fairly successful. The parties have ranged between $300-950 insales prior to the hostess rewards. Here are some of the things that I have done prior and during in-house parties!
1. When the party is booked, I meet with the hostess and give her a few samples and have her apply a wrap, and match the wrap with a coordinating polish (of her choice). This is a way for her to see the product for herself, but also she can show everyone around her what the product is, and how it compares to polish. I also give her catalogues, and order forms to carry around.
2. At the same time as step 1 - I give the hostess a handful of business cards with a sample stapled to it, with the instructions also included. I ask her to hand these out to everyone who is interested! Ideally I want them to try it ahead of time so they know how great the product is. Once they try it and see how great it really is, they are definitely more interested in coming out to buy! The product really does sell itself.
3. I encourage the hostess to set up a FB event and invite EVERYONE on her friends list. Even if she doesn't think they would be interested. Its always surprising to see who comes out of the woodworks and places orders online! I will post on the event page videos, pictures, my website and my FB page, information, etc. And really encourage them to ask questions!
4. A few days prior to the party, I contact the hostess and see if there is anything she needs -more catalogues, order forms, samples etc.
5. Once the party has arrived, I try to be at her place about 30 minutes prior to the start time. I try and set it up so that where we actually try the samples on is separate from where the guests are while I do my little speech. Otherwise I find that they are so busy playing with the samples, they don't really hear what I have said! Here I hand them each a pen, catalogue and order form, and a little kit that I have prepared for each guest. This includes a nail file (not Jamberry, but I have found packages of 32 for $1.25 at Dollarama, and they are purple!), business card, with 1 sample stapled to it, basic instructions, a sheet with my FB page on it, and an alcohol pad). I encourage them to take this sample kit home and either keep for themselves, or share with a friend, family member or someone they know who would enjoy it! Then I touch base on a few key things:
     a)I talk about why I got into selling Jamberry Nails - as someone who almost always has her nails done, and owns 45+ bottles of polish, and stickers, gems, stamps etc - this was right up my alley!
     b)I talk about what the product is, how long it can last, the ease of application and removal.
     c)I will talk about the benefits of hosting, thank the hostess and provide her with a gift - usually a half sheet of wraps (her choice), a buffer pad, rubber tipped cuticle pusher and an orange stick. I will also talk about the fun I am having being a consultant
     d) Then once I have done my piece, and answer any questions that they may have, I let them loose on the samples, after all - that is what everyone is there for!! I also lay out any lacquers I have, the nail oil and the Indulgence line to let them try it all. I own 2 heaters, and lay out 30-40 single cut samples, show them either on myself or the hostess the basic application techniques, and then let them have their fun!! This is where the product is sold in my opinion!! Once they see truly how easy it is to apply - its hard to dispute the product!
6. During this time I hand out a draw form for them to fill out in 2 ways:
     a) name only if they only want to enter to win a half sheet.
     b) name and contact information if they want more info on holding a party or becoming a consultant. Once everyone is done doing their samples, I will make the draw.
7. Once they have all tried the product, they usually have a few questions, but also start filling out their order forms. I remind them that if the combined order comes to more than $200 there is free shipping, otherwise the shipping will be split between the orders that get sent to the hostess.
8. After the party is done, I keep in touch with the hostess to see if she has received any follow-up orders. Usually this is where I see orders start trickling in, as her friends who couldn't come - see her nails, and other peoples nails who were at the party. I usually encourage the party to be left open for about a week after the actual party date. During this time, I also advertise on my FB page that I have an order going in and that it is free shipping (if the party is in or near where I live for deliveries). I usually get an additional 1-2 orders this way. I have to admit that I actually haven't done any games at the parties so far - it may be something that I incorporate in the future. So there it is - these are my steps, and what I do for each of my parties. My in-house parties have typically been more successful than the book or online, as they have the ability to see, feel and try the wraps, but I think as people hear about it up here, and see it all over the place - the online and book parties will be just as successful! Please feel free to ask me any questions, in case maybe I didn't explain very clearly! Thanks!!