Let Everyone Know You Are Open for Business

Once you have set your earnings goal, delegated time for your business, and participated in recommended training, the next step is to have an open-for-business party. This party will launch your new business. Or if you've been in business for a while and your business has stalled, you may want to re-launch. Imagine opening your business in a storefront on Main Street. What would you do to get customers? You would have a grand opening. You would invite people to come and check out your new store.

Even though you don't have a storefront you still must let everyone know you are open for business. Your open-for-business party, your grand opening, whatever your company calls it, should be scheduled anywhere within your first seven to ten days of joining your direct selling company. You need to let everyone know you have started a new direct selling business. You are really excited and you want to demonstrate the products you are going to be representing with your new direct selling business.


There are several things a consultant can do to maximize the results of her open-for-business party. The first thing that must be done is to create a list. Begin writing down names of everyone you know. Don't prejudge people and don't ask if they want to come before you mail your invitations. Send invitations to everyone you know. It will be easier to create your list if you begin to put guests into groups. Invite friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors, co-workers, and people you know through your kids.

Keep writing. You'll be surprised by how many people you know. Most people can easily list between fifty and one hundred names to invite. Again, don't prejudge anyone. Send everyone an invitation. You will have better results when you mail an invitation to everyone.

The most important thing is to make follow-up calls to everyone. You cannot just mail invitations and not follow up. These calls are important, as you can let everyone know you are a new consultant and this is your open-for-business party. You want to begin earning as soon as possible.

When I was actively sponsoring people in the business I would ask them, "How soon do you want to start earning?" Most would say, "I want to start earning money right away." I would then reply, "Okay, you need to schedule your open-for-business party as soon as possible within the next seven to fourteen days." I created a sense of urgency for them to get a hold this party as well as her initial bookings right away. It's very easy for new consultants to book parties when they join because they are enthusiastic. They think, "I've made a great decision." They call their friends and share their enthusiasm and excitement.

Once you have made your open-for-business party list, you will need to break it down even more. List those people with whom you would feel the most comfortable doing your first parties. This is a new venture for you. It's different from what you've done in the past, and you will probably be slightly nervous while you are doing your first few parties. So hold these parties for the friends or family members you will feel the most comfortable with.

New consultants need to book from as many areas of their lives as possible. Don't book all family members or all neighbors. Doing so will quickly lead to a dead-end business. Book a few family members, a few neighbors, a co-worker, and friend from the gym. Book a few people you've met at your child's school or at sporting events, and one or two members of your church. Look at different areas of your life, get one or two bookings from each different area, and you will soon have a growing, thriving business.

How many parties you do each week depends on your goals. Do you want to hold two per week? Three or more? How much do you want to earn? Do you want to have two hundred dollars in weekly earnings, or more? Go back to the number you decided before, and make sure you know what your company average party and average earnings per party are, as this will help you set your weekly income goal. If your company average earnings per party are one hundred dollars then you will meet your weekly earnings goal of two hundred with only two parties.

A new consultant who wants to hold two parties per week should book at least eight parties in her first thirty days, which is two parties a week for her first four weeks in the business. A full booking calendar is however many parties a consultant wants to do per week for four weeks out in the business. Teaching new consultants to do this immediately helps develop consistency in the business.