Complete hostess coaching includes 10 contacts with your Hostess. Sound like a bunch? It's probably not much more than you already do. Here is a checklist. Be sure to hit all these contact times for the best hostess coaching. Proper hostess coaching will lead to fewer postponed or cancelled workshops and higher workshop sales.
10 hostess contact times:
1 - At the workshop where your new Hostess decides
to host a workshop.
2 - Thank you for scheduling postcard
3 - Coaching phone call
4 - Mail invites to Hostess/for Hostess
5 - Call 1 week before workshop
6 - Call day before workshop
7 - At workshop
8 - Close workshop
9 - Receipts and Thank You card
10 - At next booking or hostess follow
up call 10-14 days after her workshop.
At the workshop where your new Hostess
decides to host a workshop.
You want to do no "heavy" hostes coaching at this contact. The
time spent at workshops should be dedicated to the current hostess and
customers. You do, however, want to plant seeds with your future hostess.
Keep this coaching contact to less than 3 1/2 minutes. If possible,
gather all future hostesses and coach them at the same time. Have
Hostess Packets ready.
The five points you want to cover at this contact are:
a - "Thank you for hosting a workshop with me. Here is your hostess packet with the date we have reserved." If they are unsure of a date: "How about if we pencil you in on ______?" or "Of these dates available, which do you think is the most suitable for your schedule?" then "You can call me if you need to change your date".
b - This is the most important. The guest list is beginning of whether she will invite people or not. Getting this guest list allows you to be better prepared for the workshop and causes your hostess to goal set herself. Ask her to send you a list of the people she has invited. "Please fill out your guest list and get this information back to me." "Fill this out for me so I will know who you are inviting". or "Fill out your guest list and I will mail you the appropriate number of invitations." If she only has 5 guests listed on her guest list, you can help her build her list. Use 40 Guests in 4 Minutes flier.
c - "Here is your complimentary catalog. Start a wish list for yourself. Think about what you would like to receive for free. The catalog will help you to get outside orders. Try to have 3-5 outside orders before your workshop. I have a special gift if you have 5 outside orders before your workshop." Your hostess having outside orders before her workshop is to your benefit. If they are focused on getting outside orders before the workshop, she may have received orders enough to qualify for a workshop even before the workshop date. Then if something comes up that she has to cancel her workshop, she will already qualify for benefits and you will still be able to submit sales.
d-"I’ll be in touch with you in the next few days I can't wait until your workshop"
then add....
e-"Have you thought about doing anything like what I do?" You can expect one of three answers:
no, but shows interest, yes, shows interest, no, shows no interest. "I’ve included some literature in there for you. I give it to all my hostesses. You can take a peak at that too. Did you know on average we do make about $60 in an evening. If you have any questions or you want to know more about that I’ll be happy to cover it with you when I talk to you okay?" If they show no interest, "If you know anyone who could use $60 in an evening, would you pass the information on to them? Thank You!"
f-Ask when is the best time to contact them. Agree on day and time to go over hostess plan.
2. Thank You for scheduling
postcard
A hand-stamped postcard is best. Postcard.doc
/ Postcard.pdf. Who doesn't like to receive
a hand-stamped card in the mail. Isn't that the heart of our business?!!!
You can make up a bunch ahead of time with the preprinted message
on the back. Send this when you arrive home from the workshop, or the
next day. This keeps the excitement up and reminds them of key points:
date of workshop, guest list, wish list, outside orders and your next contact
time. Always highlight something on the postcard or include a handwritten
message "We're going to have so much fun!". People tend to read a handwritten message first.
The postcard link will print two postcards to a page. Print
them on cardstock and cut to 4.5"x6". This is the maximum size for
a 23 cent postcard.
3. Coaching call.
This could be substituted with Home Hostess Coaching. Make this
call at agreed upon time: "I'm calling to confirm with you our date for
your Stampin' Up! workshop on (Day/Date/Time)."
1. Thank her for Guest List or remind her to mail it.
2. Ask if she understands the Hostess Program?
"Do you understand how you are going to get your free product? Have
you picked out a few of the items you are interested in? What are
those?" Write them down, add them up. "That’s $60 products, You
will receive $60 in free Stampin' Up! merchandise with a $500 workshop. On
average, about 13 orders would take you to a $500 workshop. So let’s
work on getting 8 people there, get 5 outside orders."
3. Ask if she has personally called to invite her guests.
4. Ask how many guests she is expecting?
5. Has she collected any outside orders yet? If not, who will she ask?
6. Who does she think will want to book a workshop?
7. Remind her to encourage guests to bring friends.
8. Ask if she has had a chance to take a look at the recruiting literature.
Does she have any questions?
9. Ensure her it will be a fun evening. Relay your excitement
about her workshop.
If you need to leave a message:
"When would be a good time that I can call and go through the hostess
pack with you? I am available ... (list dates and time available).
Think about which products you would like to earn for free, what you would
like to see demonstrated at your workshop, and any questions you have for
me. Let me know when is a good time to reach you and I will call.
Talk to you soon!"
Be sure to do Home Hostess Coaching when they have booked as a referral.
They have not attended a workshop. You want to bring them their
Hostess Packet and introduce them to yourself and your product so they are
excited about it when they invite their guests.
4. Mail invitations to your Hostess
or to her guests.
Mail invitations to your Hostess or to everyone on her guest list
as a service for your hostess. To your Hostess, include a letter.
Letter.doc / Letter.pdf.
In this letter, encourage her to follow up with phone call to all her guests.
Things get lost in the mail, sometimes people receive an invitation,
set it aside, and forget about it. Have your Hostess encourage her
guests to bring a friend. Remind your Hostess to keep refreshments light.
Include a handwritten message "Remember outside orders and attendance are
key factors in a successful workshop. Have you been working on outside
orders?" After you mail these, follow-up with a phone call to be sure your
Hostess received the pack. I currently offer a service where I will
fill out and address the invitations for my Hostesses. You can run
them through your printer or print labels to stick on the postcards, or give
a sheet of mailing labels to your hostess to fill out and return to you as
her guest list. This assures the task is completed in a timely manner.
I mail all the postcards with the above letter to my Hostess and let
her put a 23 cent postage on each postcard or hand them out as she wishes.
I also ask my Hostess to include me if she sends an e-vite, so I can
track the responses there.
5. Call 1 week before workshop
How are things going? Did you get your invitations out? Have
you been hearing from people? Are people excited? Have you called
people to see if they are coming? Any idea on what attendance may
look like?
If she says there are only three people who will be attending, encourage
her to call those three people and mention if they bring a friend, you will
have a special gift for them.
1. Ask how she is doing on outside orders and bookings.
2. Encourage her to have her outside orders ready when you arrive.
3. Review her wish list -- write it down!
4. Ask if she has thought about owning her own business, or earning some extra income, or doing what you do. Remind her that her workshop could be the start of her business.
5. Ask her if she knows anyone who would be interested in owning their own business (earning extra income, eliminating one monthly bill or doing what you do). Encourage her to invite them.
If you have to leave a message, also send a note:
Message: How are things going? Did
you get your invitations out? Have you been hearing from people?
Are people excited? Have you called people to remind them about your workshop?
Any idea on what attendance may look like?
Note: Note.doc / Note.pdf Hi Suzie,
I left a message on your machine. Just want you to know I’m getting
excited about your workshop wanted to make sure you’ve done the following:
a, b, c. The postcard link will print two postcards to a page. Print
them on cardstock and cut to 4.5"x6". This is the maximum size for
a 23 cent postcard.
6. Call day before workshop, final
guest count, directions.
1. Ask for directions to her home. "I just called to get directions
so it would be fresh in my mind. How’s it going? I’ll
be there at …. "
2. Ask how many guests she is expecting. Explain you need to know how many catalogs and supplies to bring.
3. Tell her to call her guests and remind them of her workshop, and ask them to bring friends. Give your hostess this script for calling her guests: "Hi Carol, I'm calling to remind you about my workshop Friday night. Remember if you bring a friend, my demonstrator will have a gift for you." Coach your hostesses to not ask if their guests are coming, that would give them the option to say no!
4. How many outside orders? What do they total? Get her excited about receiving the items on her wish list!
5. How many bookings does she have? Ask for names and phone numbers, so you can call and secure dates before the workshop (offer special incentive or gift for each booking dated before her workshop).
6. Remind her to keep her refreshments simple and to serve them after the shopping period is over.
7. Let her know how excited you are to meet her friends and family. Be enthusiastic about what a great workshop it will be. "We’re going to have fun no matter what. Don’t even worry about it."
8. Ask her if she's thought about making this her decision (or starter) workshop.
7. At workshop, treat her like a queen
Get there 20-30 min early so you are set up and ready meet and greet
your customers. "My pleasure meeting you. So glad you could
come tonight." Throughout workshop, treat your hostess like a queen.
"All the samples I make this evening go to Suzie as a thank you for
hosting the workshop this evening" At the end of the workshop, go
over her workshop totals. "This is where we are now, this is where
you want to be. Don’t get discouraged. Let’s try to get you to $500.
Who wasn't able to attend tonight? If you touch base with some of
these people, they may still want to order. Who do you know that
didn’t come tonight that might still want to order? Who do you think
might be interested in these products?" Write it down for her on a
sheet of paper, "Here’s the "x" people you mentioned, show them the
projects we made this evening. Ask if they would like to place an order or
host a workshop." Set a date to close her workshop.
8. Close workshop
Make this call/visit at agreed upon time. "Hi Suzie. How's
it going? Did you get any additional outside orders? Great,
that gives you this much hostess credit. What would you like for free?"
Finish filling out the paperwork. "Thank you for hosting a workshop
with me".
9. Mail receipts and Thank You card
Send copies of receipts with Thank You card. "It has been a pleasure
having you as a hostess. This is just the beginning of our ongoing
relationship. I look forward to helping you with all your stampin’and
scrappin' needs. Please contact me if you have any questions."
10. At next booking (someone
who booked off her) or Hostess follow-up call 10-14 days after her workshop.
10. If you see her at booking, ask there. If you do not see her
at bookings, call her 10-14 days later. Ask if everything came in
okay, "How is it going? How are you enjoying your products? How’s that workin’
out for you? Are you using it? Did you get your sets mounted? Did
everyone receive their orders? Is everyone enjoying their products?"
Ask if anyone mentioned hosting a workshop. You can still give your
hostess booking gifts for bookings received after the workshop.