origami owl
Hostess Coaching Challenges
Hostess Coaching is one of the most important things you can focus on in your business.
You do all this hard work to get these parties books and then many times, you don’t fail because of a script or hostess…you fail because YOU failed to do hostess coaching.
When you slack on hostess coaching:
- Your sales go down
- Your bookings go down
- Your recruiting goes down
- Your hostess experience goes down
- Your “repeat hostess” rate goes down
I could really go on and on…the effects of poor hostess coaching are endless.
So we’re trying something new this month. It’s a different form of the hostess coaching envelopes we’ve previously done.
Here’s the deal:
We’re going to have 5 hostess challenges. All income producing activities.
For each step they complete, they get a gift from me. It’s a very small and inexpensive gift, but COOL!
The biggest mistake you can make in hostess coaching is assuming your hostesses know what to do. They don’t.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED…HAVE YOU JOINED DIRECTLY SOCIAL ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE GREAT TIPS?
JOIN DIRECTLY SOCIAL HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/directlysocial/
Hostess Coaching #1:
Challenge your hostess to get $200 in orders BEFORE her party even starts.
Send her packet early and get her talking to people.
I created this post and printable to help mine get started:
CHALLENGE #1: Print this form (or just post in the comments below) your top 20 people. Message them all and let them know you’re having a 31 party that starts July 1st. And then ASK THEM if it’s ok to add them to the party! ONLY 20! That’s it!
All you need is 20 friends to join your party, interact, and have fun!
So your message might look like this:
Hey girl! I’m having a 31 party (all online). Is it okay if I add you to the party to take a look? It won’t start until July 1st but I wanted to make sure it would be ok to add you when it starts! My consultant has a pretty crazy line-up, she does things a lot different than the normal!
CHALLENGE #1: Text me a picture of your list completed or messages you sent your friends!
You can actually print this PDF by downloading it here:
https://1drv.ms/b/s!AkYgT2PVhSEHjHtZMuITHkqfBTpl
Hostess Coaching #2:
This one I create in Mad Mimi, a messaging service. Mad Mimi is $10 a month. MailChimp is free. I use Mad Mimi and I created a video to show you exactly how I use it to hand my hostess a tool for Hostess Coaching #2.
She is challenged to send this text message/link to everyone she can and post on her timeline. The goal is collecting orders and getting people added to her Facebook party.
Here is my LINK: https://madmimi.com/s/25966a
And here is the video on how to create your own.
Hostess Coaching #3:
Challenge your hostess to go Facebook Live and ask her friends to join her party. IT WORKS! I’ve had huge success with having my hostesses do this!
Hostess Coaching #4:
Have your hostess send a message to everyone she knows with a LAST CHANCE TO ORDER:
- Have her text message people
- Have her post on her Facebook profile
- Have her send people a Facebook message
Give her the words to say. Hand her a scripted message WITH A LINK to send to her friends. Make it easy and they will do it!
Hostess Coaching #5:
Book a party for 6 months from now with the new catalog.
Now you’re front loading your calendar like a BOSS.
There are MANY different things you can do with hostess coaching challenges, but these are the ones I picked for this month. I challenge you to think about what YOU need to get in your business and revolve your hostess coaching around that.
Happy Hostess Coaching!
Melissa Fietsam,
Graphics: How to Create Amazing Content
Have you ever looked at someone else’s graphics and said, “How did they DO that?!”. Or…”Where in the world do they find those cool graphics?”.
Well, I’m no expert, but I get by pretty well. So I want to show you some things I’ve done and some tips and tricks to help you get started!
First, you can’t do ANYTHING worth doing, without investing some time into it. It took a lot of practice and a lot of research. Was it HARD? No. Was it FRUSTRATING at times? Yes. But was it worth it? Heck yeah!
Here’s some graphics I created with a program called Canva. It’s a FREE website where you can create your own graphics. I’m going to give you LINKS to the video tutorials that helped me get started designing great graphics.
And I learned everything from a Cinchshare Facebook post that I’ll share with you below.
Rules of Graphics & Where to Find Them:
So, first…let me throw out some etiquette tips on graphics. NEVER, and I mean NEVER take someone else’s graphic and change the information to your own and use it. The ONLY exception to that is if you have permission from the original creator to do that. This goes for Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, blogs, anything…do not take someone else’s hard work and claim it for your own without permission!
Now…let me send you to a Cinchshare post that talks about WHERE to find great FREE graphics that you can edit for your own business. And you’ll want to follow that page while you’re over there. Cause…those people are smart peeps. And they post a lot of really great stuff you don’t want to miss! Here’s the link to the post that tells you how to find free graphics:
FREE GRAPHICS: https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14494657_1337316782960250_5533310808981908782_n.jpg?oh=815bde544d975b46f6a9e7edbafb6c64&oe=590E1B18
Now How to Get Started Creating & Editing in Canva:
I had NO idea what I was doing in Canva. I was a die hard fan of Picmonkey.com. And I still use Picmonkey on occasion, but if you want amazing, professional, classy photos, I highly suggest Canva.com.
So here are the people at Cinchshare again, making my life easier and teaching me how to reach for the stars! Heili Erika, pretty cool kat, walks you through a series of videos on how to get started on Canva. And…you can actually use Canva INSIDE of your Cinchshare account if you have one.
So check out this playlist on YouTube and do it when you have TIME. This will not be an overnight success. But you will get better and better every single time you create something. I learn something new every single day! And I LOVE IT!! This playlist will get you started and there’s tons more on YouTube. Don’t know how to do something? Search YouTube for the answer. You have zero excuses anymore!!
So here’s to all you creative monsters who have been hiding behind, “I just can’t do that”…now you CAN. There goes Melissa…taking your excuses away AGAIN! #YouAreWelcome 🙂
Canva Tutorials Cinchshare Playlist:
Love ya, Hugs,
Melissa Fietsam
Use Email Templates for Your Thirty-One Business
You know when someone messages you and asks you for more information on booking a party?
And you’re right in the middle of a manicure, or soccer practice, or waiting in line at Walmart (you’re gonna be there awhile). Well…here’s a way for you to copy and paste a message to WOW your customers and seal the deal!
Check out this quick video:
So WHY would you want to create email drafts and templates for your Thirty-One business?
You’re going to look like a professional:
When you email your customer back in a SHORT amount of time, with this AMAZING and informative email…they’re gonna be like…”Man, this lady is good”. And that’s exactly what you want. To look like the BOSS you are.
You’re not going to FORGET:
How many times have you been at the grocery store and gotten a message. And you’re like…”crap. I’ll answer that when I get home”. 2 days later…you realize you forgot. Your moment to look and act like a professional is GONE.
You’re going to save yourself TIME:
How much time does it take for you to create the same daggone information to send each time? Too much time. It’s stressful, you’re in a hurry, and it’s a PAIN. Now when you copy and paste this message for the first time (and every time after), you’re gonna be like…”yeah, i know I’m the boss.”
You’re not going to leave important information out:
How many times are you in a hurry to send something and you forget to put something in there? Like a file, or the link to your website, or the customer special? And then you have to email them back. Or…you just say “screw it”. And don’t send it at all. Don’t be that guy!
So…there ya go! Secrets of success. Create your templates. Take your time. Check your spelling. Add links. Add pictures. Make it GREAT. But SIMPLE.
And your Thirty-One business will thank you. And so will your customers!
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyone #recruiting #booking #followup #customerservice #directsales #marykay #avon #posh #jamberry #pamperedchef
Making Connections at Your Thirty-One Home Shows
Video Posted on Updated on
Making a connection with your customers at the home show can make or break MANY things!
I want to show you really quickly how to increase sales, bookings, and even recruiting at your Thirty-One home parties. Take a look at this quick video:
So there you go! How EASY is that?
Take these little hand sanitizers, I got mine in a 3 pack at the Dollar Tree:
You slap a business address label on the back and now you’re giving each guest something they will NOT throw away that has your contact information on it.
By asking them these three questions:
- How do you know the hostess
2. What’s your occupation
3. and…do you have any kids
You’re making a CONNECTION. You’re making a connection that will help you:
- be able to SERVE her
- If she’s a nurse, what bag would be GREAT for her?
- help you with having a conversation with you
- Maybe you find a common thread. I used to be a nurse. Where do you work? Oh really, do you know so and so…
- help YOU to remember her
- when you START with a conversation, you connect the dots. You’ll remember who she is
- find some common ground to even START a conversation with her
- You said your son is in baseball…so is mine!
- figure out a conversation starter for a booking
- So…you just moved into a new house? You would probably love to host a party, show off the new house, and get some great new organizing products for FREE for your new house. Or…baseball is SO expensive. Have you ever thought about doing a fundraiser?
Make it a point to TRY this at your next home show. And don’t forget to introduce YOURSELF the same way they do. So THEY make a connection to YOU!
Happy Partying ladies!
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #directsales #origamiowl #marykay #posh #pamperedchef #homeshow #homeparty
Christmas Dice Booking for Your Thirty-One Parties
Video Posted on
Oh my gosh! This was SO much fun! So I took the Dice Booking Game and added a small twist with Christmas present boxes. And my guests LOVED the boxes!
My goal with the boxes was to get them in the spirit of GIFTING and thinking about Christmas presents! It was cute, fun, and festive. And I’ll be using this through the holidays! Find the rules below, but watch this video first!
Supplies:
1. fiesta bowl or vegetable tray…whatever that thing is called (from the original game):
2. Eleven Christmas boxes. I found mine at Dollar General for $1
3. Large colorful dice (or regular dice if you want to be that guy. Just kidding! Regular dice are fine!)
4. Some slips of paper to insert your prizes into the boxes. I used cardstock and made sure they fit in there pretty tight so they would stay in the bottom.
Prizes:
It is VERY important that you use these exact #’s for the prize boxes. Someone out there has done the statistics of how many times a # was likely to be rolled. So, for instance, the #2 was the least rolled #. So you’re going to want to put your Gran Prize in that box!
#2- Grand Prize
#3 and #4- Prizes
#’s 5-9 are Book a Show
#’s 10-12 are prizes
What do you give away as the prizes?:
~key fobs
~$5 off your order
~free customer special (only if it’s cheap) and write “with a $35 purchase”
~Pick a prize (have a prize box with lots of little goodies from your company-key fobs, nail files, things from dollar bins at Target. etc)
What happens if two people get the same number?:
Nothing! When someone rolls the dice and gets their number, they open the box and see what their prize is. And then they put the box back on the table! So it’s ok if someone rolls the dice and gets the same number.
How does this compare to my purse booking game?:
I will use them BOTH! They are both equally effective when it comes to booking. However, I like this dice booking game because I don’t have to switch out the prizes or anything. They just stay in the box. It’s cheap, but it’s adorable and kind of irresistible, so they can’t stand not to play!
The biggest time consumption I had with the purse game is that I had to change out the slips in them. And with 20 purses, it is sometimes a chore. Effective, but a chore.
So…final conclusion is that I will alternate this Dice Booking Game AND the purse booking game. When I have a party with a ton of repeat guests, I’ll be able to switch it up a little!
Happy Booking Ladies!!
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #booking #games #BookingGame #directsales #pamperedchef #avon #scentsy #velata #tastefullysimple #posh #premierejewelry #silpada #marykay #origamiowl #jamberry #itworks #Christmas
5 Ways to Book a Party for Your Thirty-One Business
I recently did a training on booking for my team. Here is a list of ideas on “Booking 101”. These are the fundamental ideas to keep you going with a solid booked calendar for your direct sales business. Check this out below:
There are 5 main ways to keep a full booking calendar:
- Booking through new customers
- Booking through past customers
- Booking past hostesses
- Booking at the party
- Customer Page/Facebook
Check out the video above as I go into detail on all 5 ways to book a party.
Handing out mini catalogs:
Everybody always asks me…WHAT DO YOU SAY….when you hand out mini catalogs??
“I just don’t know what to say”
Ready for it??? This is monumental…this is going to be a turning point in your career….pay very close attention…..you ready for it????……………..”Do you mind if I leave this with you?”
-she’ll say……. “Sure, what is it?”
-and you’ll say…. “I help people organize their lives. And this is our mini catalog. And if you fill out the form on the front and text me the picture of it, I’ll send you a free gift!”
A great way to remind yourself to do this is to put a post it note on the front of each mini catalog
All you need to make your own is…………
-a mini catalog
-catalog label
**that was tough, right? It’s not hard. You simply have to get over the fear of talking to strangers.
#1 Where do you put the mini catalogs?
IN YOUR PURSE!!
IN YOUR CD VISOR
IN YOUR FRONT SEAT
**every Sunday….make up 25 mini’s….and put half of them in your purse and half of them in your CAR! Your job each week is to hand out 25 mini catalogs a week to complete strangers…
Who do you leave them with??
*** EVERYONE!!!! When you go into the……
-grocery store, give it to the cashier
-bank, send it in the tube
-gas station, give it to the clerk
-library, give it to the lady checking you out
-walmart, give it to the cashier
-doctor, leave some for the staff
-dollar store, give to the cashier
-WORK…leave in the BATHROOMS, breakrooms…
-servers….attach your bill to the mini catalog
ANYONE you come into contact with. And when you get really good at this…you not only go into the dollar store you intended to, but you go into the store NEXT DOOR! Why not? You’re already THERE!
AND WHAT DO WE SAY WHEN WE HAND THEM OUT????? “Do you mind if I leave this with you???”
Now one more thing that’s fun to do……
You CAN get some kiddy looking goody bags and a sticker book, mini notepads, and a pack of 64 crayons at your dollar store. Put some stickers, two sheets of paper folded over, 2 crayons, and a mini catalog packet. Hand them to rowdy kids in stores-the moms will love you 🙂
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #directsales #bookaparty #bookparties #bookingtips #origamiowl #marykay #scentsy #posh #pamperedchef #tastefullysimple #silpada
Matchbox Dice Booking Game for Your Direct Sales Parties
Video Posted on
I found the most AWESOME booking game for my Thirty-One home parties! I’m going to call it the Matchbox Dice Booking Game, cause I like to make up words. LOL!
It was so easy and so fun for the guests! I saw a blog post from Deb Bixler that sparked the idea, so I knew I had to make it my own! Watch this video to learn more and then find major details below on how to make your own, what prizes go in the boxes, etc.
So here is what it all looks like
(now there’s a #1 box in that picture. You won’t need a #1 box)
Supplies:
1. fiesta bowl or vegetable tray…whatever that thing is called 🙂
2. Matchboxes (I found mine at Hobby Lobby. They were made by Paper Studio)
3. Large colorful dice (or regular dice if you want to be that guy. Just kidding! Regular dice are fine!)
4. Some slips of paper to insert your prizes into the boxes. I used cardstock and made sure they fit in there pretty tight so they would stay in the bottom.
Prizes:
It is VERY important that you use these exact #’s for the prize boxes. Someone out there has done the statistics of how many times a # was likely to be rolled. So, for instance, the #2 was the least rolled #. So you’re going to want to put your Gran Prize in that box!
#2- Grand Prize
#3 and #4- Prizes
#’s 5-9 are Book a Show
#’s 10-12 are prizes
What do you give away as the prizes?:
~key fobs
~$5 off your order
~free customer special (only if it’s cheap)
~Pick a prize (have a prize box with lots of little goodies from your company-key fobs, nail files, things from dollar bins at Target. etc)
What happens if two people get the same number?:
Nothing! When someone rolls the dice and gets their number, they open the box and see what their prize is. And then they put the box back on the tray! So it’s ok if someone rolls the dice and gets the same number.
How does this compare to my purse booking game?:
I will use them BOTH! They are both equally effective when it comes to booking. However, I like this matchbook dice booking game because I don’t have to switch out the prizes or anything. They just stay in the box. It’s cheap, but it’s adorable and kind of irresistible, so they can’t stand not to play!
The biggest time consumption I had with the purse game is that I had to change out the slips in them. And with 20 purses, it is sometimes a chore. Effective, but a chore.
So…final conclusion is that I will alternate this Matchbox Dice Booking Game AND the purse booking game. When I have a party with a ton of repeat guests, I’ll be able to switch it up a little!
And if you haven’t tried the Purse Booking Game, you’ll want to check that out too:
Happy Booking Ladies!!
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #booking #games #BookingGame #directsales #pamperedchef #avon #scentsy #velata #tastefullysimple #posh #premierejewelry #silpada #marykay #origamiowl #jamberry #itworks
#1 Guest Packets for Your Direct Sales Home Parties
Guest Packets for Your Thirty-One Home Parties:
Your guest packets for your home shows should be SIMPLE~EASY~FUN!
They should include:
1. Information about the opportunity to join Thirty-One
2. Information about the monthly customer specials
3. Information about booking a Thirty-One party for the current or following month
4. and somewhere on them…put something that shows YOU, your family, your 31 WHY, something to make it personal. Give them something to connect with on a personal basis.
Check out this video on my new Guest Packets for my home show, Thirty-One parties. The CONTENT is the same, but my friend Christina Rupracht had the idea of taking our guest packets and putting them into a binder. I tested them on a party last week and they LOVED them. And one thing I will be changing from this video, is on the front clear page pocket-I’m going to put a page of nothing but #’d product bundles for the current month’s special. So they can literally say…I want bundle #2, or whatever bundle they want. So check it out:
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#homeshow #directsales #marykay #posh #scentsy #velata #tastefullysimple #pamperedchef #avon #origamiowl #guestpacket #homeshowtips #consultant #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyoneparty #thirtyoneguestpacket
Tracking Your Hostesses in Your Direct Sales Business
Video Posted on Updated on
I wanted to show everyone a system that has worked VERY well for me in tracking my hostesses each month. It helps to keep everything I need for my hostesses: orders, contact information, and all information pertaining to her Thirty-One party. First, check out this video where I explain how I use this to track my Thirty-One hostesses: The best thing about this hostess coaching tracking binder, is that I can take it ANYWHERE. So when I’m going to pick up kids, or going out of town, or sitting at practice for one of the kids…I can take this with me and get a TON of work done! Working smarter not harder! It’s SO easy to take control of your hostess coaching for your Direct Sales business. Would you like my hostess tracking sheet? Cause you can have that too. We’re all in this world for a reason. My reason is to help others. So enjoy my hostess tracking sheet. I LOVE it because it allows me to track mileage, outside orders, hostess information, gifts, etc. GREAT for tax purposes too! I found this a few years ago from someone else, I wish i knew who to give credit to. But I adapted it to fit my personal hostess coaching needs with checkboxes and other things like that. So thank you to whoever posted the original file for me! HOSTESS TRACKING SHEET: Click here: https://buymybagsblog.wordpress.com/melissas-shared-documents/. It’s under Hostess Documents and it’s called Hostess Tracking Sheet I use the Arc system. This is a folder you can ONLY buy at Staples. It costs $10.49 for the started binder looking thingy-ma-jig. This is mine, and there’s a link below it to show where you can purchase it online: 
PURCHASE THIS AT STAPLES FOR $10.49: http://www.staples.com/M-by-Staples-Arc-Customizable-Hibiscus-Design-Notebook-System-Black-White/product_886420?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:886420&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=886420&KPID=886420&kpid=886420&gclid=Cj0KEQjw1duqBRDPlLKsuJCUiuABEiQAxgHwJ3TXKYndWJDfe_WiXvQIhmW9Grg2aGhdpClbgjl1-KEaAsLk8P8HAQ I also use these zip pocket folders that go into the Arc. I like them because I can keep all their orders and their hostess tracking sheet nice and handy. Each hostess has their own pocket. So you can decide what your average # of hostesses a month is, and then buy a few more than that, just in case you’re having a rock star month;) This is mine below, just showing you how the pockets fit in there. The link to purchase them is below the picture: 
PURCHASE THE ZIP POCKETS FOR $6.00 (2 PACK): http://www.staples.com/M-by-Staples-Arc-System-Poly-Zip-Pockets-Clear-8-1-2-x-11-/product_321297 I also like having my calendars in there, so I bought the page protectors to go in them too. They come in a pack of 25, but they’ve lasted me a year, because I don’t use these for much else than the calendar. You may or may not want this in yours. Just showing you mine! I print the calendars by simply googling “free calendars” and printing them on my own. I like to be able to mark parties, important dates, etc. I really don’t know WHY…but I can only find those Arc specific page protectors in the actual store. I have not been successful in finding them online. 
And the last picture is showing you my hostess tracking sheets folded in half, in the zip pocket. 
Happy hostess tracking!! Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts http://www.buymybags.com #hostesscoaching #hostesstracking #hostesstracker #directsales #marykay #origamiowl #posh #tastefullysimple #pamperedchef #scentsy #velata #avon #trackhostesses #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyoneparty #thirtyoneguestpacket
20 Minute Power Hour System for Your Direct Sales Business ((files included))
So here is a video for all of my Direct Sales friends. Want to see what this Power Hour did for my OWN sales over a one year period? Check this out!
Watch this video below, and then scroll on down to grab the pictures of my binder, so you can make your own binder! AND…don’t forget the files I’ve uploaded for you on the “Melissa’s Shared Documents” tab on my blog too.
Now you’re all set! You have no excuse to NOT work your business in 20 minutes a day. Everyone has 20 minutes a day!!
Here is my Power Hour Binder:
8 tabs with pockets, in a 1 inch binder:
1. Booking
2. Recruiting
3. Hostess (home show)
4. Catalog (catalog parties)
5. Trots (turkey trots)
6. Fundraisers
7. VIP
8. Follow Up
I love the pocket dividers because I can put my extra papers in there. I can also add papers to the pockets, so I could throw them in there unitl I had time to work on that portion of my business. So any leads, I just throw them in the pocket 🙂
I got all my supplies at Walmart
I have 100% faith that anyone can do this. YOU can do this! All you need is to stop making excuses of why you can’t find time, and figure out when you CAN find 20 minutes to get it done!
Happy Power Hour ladies!
Melissa Fietsam, Ind. Senior Executive Director at Thirty-One Gifts
#powerhour #directsales #recruiting #booking #homeshow #catalogparty #fundraiser #turkeytrot #VIP #followup #marykay #avon #tastefullysimple #origamiowl #posh #swissjust #scentsy #velata #pinkzebra #pamperedchef #thirtyone #thirtyonegifts #31 #31bag #31bags #thirtyoneparty #thirtyonepowerhour
