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This is Laura Worachek with some great info that will help you with your direct sales and home party businesses

Home Jewelry Parties - How to Help Your Hostess Have a Perfect Party

If you've recently become a direct seller for a jewelry company, or you're thinking about becoming one, here is what you need to know to turn a "diamond in the rough" party into a solid gold opportunity for your hostess. (And ultimately create a more profitable business for you.)

Hosting a home jewelry part is a little different from hosting other types of direct sales products, such as kitchen and cooking gadgets, home décor or personal care products.

On of the main reasons for this are the customers themselves. Women who come to a jewelry home party are usually there with one main thought in mind - to buy jewelry. Socializing and having fun is an additional bonus (and helps you to make more sales) but it's almost secondary in their minds.

The parties are also run a little differently. With other home shopping parties, watching demonstrations, playing games and even eating are main components of the evening and take place before the actual ordering begins.

With a jewelry home party, there is no need for a demonstration, games or even a menu, which takes a lot of the pressure off your hostess.

Also, jewelry home parties are usually run more as an open-house type of event. Rather than having guests come at a specific time and staying for two hours, most home jewelry hostesses invite guests to come any time during a specific three-hour period. (Three hours seems to be the optimum amount of time for a jewelry party, rather than the usual two-hour period of other direct sales parties.) Because of hectic schedules, many people actually prefer this type of event, because once they've chosen the jewelry they want, they're not locked into staying for the entire evening out of politeness.

If food is provided at all, it's usually nothing more than coffee and cookies, or cheese and wine - you want light, non-messy finger foods - and it is usually provided at the end of the evening, while you're packing up. (After all, you don't want the jewelry getting dirty or sticky while you've got lots of customers trying different pieces on!)

Once you've got the jewelry set up, you don't need to demonstrate anything, as guests will try on the pieces that interest them, and basically talk themselves into buying the ones they want. (Depending on the size of the room - or rooms you'll be in, have several tables set up with jewelry displays, to allow people to walk around and look and try on different pieces.) Throughout the evening you can hold a prize drawing for a piece of free jewelry - once an hour is usually plenty, unless it's a very large party or guests are coming and going frequently.

It's also a good idea to set up one table that is labeled "gifts" to get people thinking about upcoming special occasions and people they need to buy presents for. (Don't forget to put a little banner or card on the table that announces you provide "free gift wrapping.")

How to Ensure that You Get the Most People to Come to the Party

1. Encourage your hostess to invite about three times as many people as she normally would. (Most women who have hosted home shopping parties say they prefer the home jewelry party because it's so much easier for them - no fancy food to plan for, guests come and go in the open house format, so the usual concerns - seating, providing games or any of the other stress that can go along with hostessing don't apply.)
2. Handle the invitations yourself. Have your hostess give you a list of names and addresses of the invited guests about three weeks before the event. Your invitations should be postcards and should include sharp, clear photos of different types of jewelry that will be available during the party.
3. Mail the invitations out at least two weeks before the event - and mail one to your hostess as well. But also give your hostess extra invitations and encourage her to tuck them into her purse or the glovebox of her car, to give out to other people not on her mailing list.
4. Include a notice on the invitation that guests receive special jewelry bonuses (or discounts) for every person they bring with them.
5. Top Tip: Successful home jewelry representatives suggest that you should have the hostess call everyone on the mailing list - whether they've RSVP'd or not - the day before the jewelry party, to remind people and encourage those who haven't replied to attend. Having her personally call will increase the attendance rates dramatically!

That's all there is to it. Help your hostess follow those simple tips, and she'll have less stress getting ready for the party, she'll have more people coming and there will be more sales made - which means she gets more free jewelry. (And you'll make more profit at every party - it's a win-win situation for everyone!)

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If you watch the news, read the papers or keep up with the latest happenings, you've probably already heard about home purse parties - they've been popping up all over the country lately!

Whether you've got a "passion for fashion", or your friends call you "the bag lady" because of the number of purses perched in your closet, having a home purse party is a great way to enjoy a wonderful shopping experience with the latest in fashion and accessories, and spend a little time with the girls, too!

A home purse party is pretty much just the way it sounds - you invite a bunch of your friends over and everyone enjoys a fun and personalized shopping experience without having to waste gas driving all over the place, fight traffic, search for parking spaces or deal with the crowds at the mall. Instead, you'll have the chance to sit back, enjoy a cup of coffee or iced drink, talk, and laugh and enjoy yourself, all the while seeing the very latest in purses, fashion accessories, briefcases, luggage and more. You're invited to touch the soft leather, look at the many different colors and styles, and try things on at your leisure. No pushy salespeople, no pressure. Just an afternoon or evening of fun and shopping!

There are many different direct sales companies that offer personalized home purse parties. To find one in your area, check out your local yellow pages or go online. Once you find a home purse party consultant in your area, just give her a call.

Your consultant will help you every step of the way - from designing an individualized party that meets your needs (and that of your guests), to creating a theme, making your guest list, deciding on games and refreshments. And if you've got any questions before the big event, she's only a phone call away.

Something you may not know about having your own home purse party is that there are definite benefits to becoming a hostess - everything from free hostess gifts (you know that metallic clutch bag you had your eye on?) to discounts on all merchandise you purchase. Make sure and ask your purse consultant what benefits she offers and what the different sales levels you need to reach in order to get the gifts you want.

Your purse consultant will give you a hostess kit which should have everything you need to get started planning your purse party - most hostess kits include checklists, invitations, guest lists, party game ideas, themes, ideas and recipes for refreshments, and several brochures or catalogs that you can pass around to friends and co-workers and anyone who can't attend the party, but still wants to buy a new bag.

Talk to the consultant about ways that you can guarantee more people show up, and how to increase your sales before and during your home purse party, so that you are sure to get the gifts you really want. Here are a few tips from other hostesses:

• Always invite about twice as many people as you think will show up - and follow up with phone calls, to personally invite people or to remind them a day or two before your party.
• Be excited and enthusiastic about your party and stress the fun! Everyone likes to have a good time - so if you don't sound like your party's going to be great, neither will anyone else!
• Put that prizes will be given if to guests who bring people with them. Remind people to bring their old purses (you can offer to take them to the local thrift store, or give them to charity) and that they should bring their current bag too for one of the party games
• Having a theme is a great way to get people excited to come and you can tie everything - your decorations, invitations and the food you serve into the theme. It makes the whole party easier and more festive.

Having a home purse party is a guaranteed way to make sure that the party is in the bag and have a wonderful time shopping for the perfect purse!

Laura Worachek is the creator of the new step by step direct sales success system http://www.earn592.com/ Click here is you want to make money with a direct sales or home party business.