So you’ve joined Pink Zebra, you’ve scheduled your launch party, you have friends and family coming over, what do you say? Let me share my experience first with you.
My first party was at my house and since we were living in RVs we had to take the party outside. I expected a lot of people to show up. We went all out with zebra print table covers, decorations, and Kenan BBQ’d for a small army. To my surprise only 5 people showed up. Of course, I was a little bummed. I figured everyone I invited should have dropped everything and headed to my party. This is not reality, so if only 2 or 12 people show up to your party, that’s plenty! Don’t freak out. OK? I freaked out enough that time for all of us. I promise it will be ok.
So presentation – I must have rearranged my table 16 times. I had my starter kit and a carton of Sprinkles to showcase. I’ll have to dig through my pictures and see if I can’t find some. Since I did not have an active sponsor I had no one to call either. Thank God for Kenan. He finally told me. SIT DOWN! IT’S FINE! He was right. A full blown anxiety attack wouldn’t do anyone any good. Although my Aunt was coming who was a nurse, just in case I fainted during my presentation. Kenan found no humor in this.. Men…
.The guests arrived and everyone was saying how cute it looked and what a great job I did. My mind was arguing with them and again my husband leaned over to me and said, “Take a compliment!” This is why Kenan is referred to as “my voice of reason”.
OK… So now is the moment of truth. Everyone has their drinks, snack, and has their full attention on me. I’m feeling faint and lightheaded. Are the trees swaying or is that me?
I’m thankful no one kept count of the times I said umm in my presentation.
“Hello all and thank you for coming, umm, my name is Emily as you all know, umm.
Yeah, that bad. SO please feel better if you are an “ummer” when you speak publicly. I overcame it, umm, for the most part! Lol!
Now onto serious business…
1) Thank everyone for coming! Everyone is busy and they took time out of their schedule for you! Your guests deserve a special thank you for that. Make sure they know before they leave just how much you appreciate them coming!
2) Why did you join Pink Zebra? Your friends and family are going to want to know what made you decided to join this company. Share any goals. For example. “I joined Pink Zebra because I adore the products, wanted to save money on my home fragrance, and I also would like to make enough to help with bills each month. Pink Zebra allows me to keep my commissions up front so this is going to benefit our family so much!”
OR your why may be a little more emotional. “I joined Pink Zebra after the death of my mom and was looking for a way to honor her memory. I have dedicated my business to her. It’s a fantastic company that lets me involve my children and meet other women who are suffering. Together we are changing lives.”
3) Company Background – You do not have to know every detail of Pink Zebra’s background. The facts are in your catalog or backoffice. Use Tom and Kelly’s first names as our founders. Explain that they have over 20 years in the candle company business. Their goal is to take high quality products straight to the consumer while changing consultants lives through the process. All consumable products are made in the USA. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on our products! We will replace them if you are not fully satisfied. You don’t have to say much here, but you need to touch base on WHO Pink Zebra IS.
4) Product Info – I know all of you zebras out there have studied the catalog like I did, right? If not this is your homework assignment! Know the product and know it well. What are our Sprinkles made from? Are they eco-friendly? When you start presenting the products to your guests, I like to start with our reed diffusers and soaps and lotions. A lot of times these get overlooked because once the Sprinkles come out..your guest tend to tune you out a bit. Next I show them the jars and cartons of Sprinkles. You can pass these around just like the soaps and lotions. Do NOT pass around testers. Just jars and cartons to let them see the sizes. Then focus on Simmer Pots, Glimmer Candles, and lastly our Simmering Lights which a lot of people do not understand the concept. Take a few minutes explaining the versatility of our shades. Show them that many shades can be used with our Glimmer Candles, as well as our Simmering Lights . Our shades make for beautiful home decor that can stay out all year round! Now it’s time to pass the sprinkles around. I use silver trays I picked up at our local Dollar Tree. Put a # on the trays and make your guest aware of the numbers. This way all guest will know if they have had the chance to smell all of the scents. A print out of all the scents should be given to the guest prior to the Sprinkles being passed so they can check what they like or what they don’t really care for. Everyone is different when it comes to scents. This is also a great time to pass out a catalog and order form to each guest. While the guests are smelling the Sprinkles, this is a great time for you to sit one on one with each and make your rounds. Suggest your favorites and what you suggest for them based on their specific fragrance requests. “Hello Suzy, thanks again for coming! What kind of scents do you usually prefer in your home, floral, clean scents, etc?” Based on their answer, direct them to the page in the catalog with all of our scents listed and tell them to watch for these scents as they pass by. Do this with every guest!
Do not forget about our Paisley’s Pick! Paisley’s Pumpkin Amber was our #1 seller in a Jar for August. Have these flyers printed a head of time at Office Depot or the UPS Store for a more professional look.
5) Games – These can be as simple or complex as you prefer. I like to take each guest’s name and drop it in a hat/box etc. Then at the end I draw a name and announce the winner. (When there is a good attendance.) This is usually a bigger gift than when I play my other games. I could go on and on about games to play. Visit Party Plan Games here to view a variety of games. I always give away product at my parties. I didn’t at my first and now I regret that, but it is what it is. It’s a learning experience. Give a jar of Sprinkles, a candle, a gift certificate for free shipping, etc. Get creative!
6) The close – Here you are again going to thank everyone for coming. Before you take their orders remind them of how their purchases are going to help you get your business off the ground and every little bit helps. Offer a prize for anyone who books a party with you. This can be as simple as saying, “I’m so thankful for all of you coming and helping me get my feet wet with Pink Zebra. If you could help me out I would love for you to host a party for me so I could get some more practice. It will be a fun evening for your friends! Could you help me out?” If the answer is no, then your next questions should be, “Who do you know that…..” …would like to see the product? …is looking for a fundraiser? …loves doing home parties? …would like to make some extra income? etc. They may say no but ask for referrals!
Take their orders after you have said this and thank each one again for coming. Congratulate them if they won a prize. BE EXCITED! BE POSITIVE! Your energy is contagious! Everyone asks me what my “secret” is. Attitude is 95% of doing business!!
I hope this blog post helps you out and gives you a guideline of what to do at your party. For those of you with Pink Zebra, there are a ton of resources in our ZebraNet. Read them, love them, USE them!! Don’t try to reinvent the wheel!
Kenan and I have done many parties and all were successful. Your idea of success may vary from ours. If we get to show one new person our product, it’s a success. Your outlook on your business will determine if you soar or sink! Let’s soar together!
God Bless – Stay Warm and Well Fed,
Kenan and Emily Dibrell
Visit us online at sprinklesoffaith.com
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