7 Secrets That Will Ensure Your Hostesses Take
Your Business Seriously!
Sometimes
our customers just don't take our business seriously. Have you ever picked up the phone to find it's a
hostess calling to cancel her show that night, and thought to yourself,
"Doesn't she realize this is how I earn my income? I won't be able
to replace her party at this point!"
Perhaps you've talked with a hostess on the day of the party, and find that she has only 2 guests coming and it's an hour and a half drive for you to get to her house.
Like most of us, you might find yourself thinking at times, "Do they think I leave my family, drive to their home, and spend 2 hours with them just for fun?"
It
certainly isn't the way we want to feel. We DO want to share our product,
make sure they have a great time and teach them something new. But, if we're
honest with ourselves, I don't think any of us would do this 2 nights a
week just for fun. We do it to earn an income and to enhance the lives of our
family.
So how do
we get our customers and hostesses to take our business seriously; to
understand that we count on their parties for our income?
Here are 7 secrets that will help:
1. When we take our business seriously, so do our customers.
It's okay
to think of your business as a business AND to work it like a business.
We're all passionate about our products. We want to share it with as many people as possible, and of course we love talking about it.
For many of us, it truly is
a "mission" to get it into the hands of others. So much so, that
we will spend hours talking to one person to get a $20 order. It may feel
good, but this is not a good use of our time, and our time is
valuable. In fact, time is our most valuable commodity. It's
important that we value ourselves and our time as well as our product and
our mission.
2. Highlight
your party days in your planner and stick to them.
When our customer or
hostess sees our calendar with very specific party days, it's a visual
indication that you take your business and your time seriously. It shows them
you have a plan for your business. It instills confidence and looks
professional.
3. Fill
your party calendar quickly.
When our
customer or hostess sees a full calendar it is a visual
indication to them that we take our business and our time seriously. It
shows them that we have a plan for our business. It instills
confidence and looks professional.
It also
shows them that we are busy and in demand. When they see that
we have limited dates available for shows, it says; "She's busy;
I better book a date quickly before it's taken" and,
"If I cancel, it's going to be a while before I can get another
date." They actually feel more guilt about cancelling on someone who
has a full calendar than they do cancelling on someone who appears to have
a lot of openings.
4. Dress
professionally for your shows.
People take us
more seriously when we are dressed professionally. Nice pants and a
sweater or nice shirt, a simple dress or skirt and top. We don't want to wear a
business suit, but nice.
In your
initial coaching you can say something like, "I'm so excited to work
with you! I'm going to work very hard to make sure you have a successful party!
I do share with all of my hostesses that this is actually how I earn my
income, so if for any reason you need to cancel, I really appreciate 10 days
notice so I can replace your booking."
I know some of you may be cringing right now, but that one line made a huge difference in my cancellation rate. It is a great way to communicate that you count on your parties for income.
Tip: Just make sure you
say it in an upbeat tone and with a huge smile on your face!
6. Have
a professional voicemail on the number you give out as your business number.
I have
called consultants and leaders in the past and when I got their voicemail, I
was greeted by their toddler leaving a cryptic, hard to understand message, or
rock music, or even a sarcastic message. This is not entertaining for our
customers and hostesses and it sends the wrong message. Think about what your
reaction might be if you called Nordstrom or your bank and got a similar
voicemail.
It's important that our
voicemail is professional. It will communicate to our callers that we
are running a real business.
7. If you have young children, make your coaching
calls at a time when the children are napping, in school, in bed, with a sitter
or with Dad. There are probably few people who love children more than I
do. They are one of my biggest passions. I taught the 4 year old Sunday school
class for over 20 years. Children are an absolute delight; except when
we are on the phone working our business.
It's child law, that when Mom is on the phone, it is their cue to be as loud and interuptive as possible! No matter how much the person on the other end of the phone loves children, it is incredibly frustrating trying to have a conversation with a fussy or noisy child in the background. We are so much more effective and professional without the distraction of our children when we are on the phone with a customer or hostess.
When we put these seven steps
into practice we will see very different results in your business!
When we take our business seriously, so will they!
"It's what you learn after
you think you know it all that counts."
- John Woodin, retired head coach for UCLA basketball
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Nice post!
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