My New Niece!

Emerson Avery arrived this afternoon! She was a healthy 7 pounds, 1 once and 20 inches. A peanut compared to my boulder-babies who each weighed in at just over 9 pounds. (Yes - my heavyweight championship belt is still safe.) I am so proud of my little sister... she was a champ! Incredible through the whole delivery which was not an easy one.

Seeing my OBGYN again made me wish for one short-sighted moment that I could have another baby just so I could see more of him. There's no McDreamy-thing going on here... just my complete and unapologetic adoration that I have for the wise, soft-spoken man who made me calm and talked me through the combined 6 hours of pushing during my two deliveries. Wait... 6 hours... is that right? Oh... yeah. Okay - moment over. 2 kids is plenty and (sigh) we'll always have papsmears...

So what wisdom for my Party Girls can I take away from todays events? Got it! I think that we're doing the right thing with making our program adaptable and standing by our decision to keep it quota-free. (We took a lot of heat from lawyers, husbands and other advisors on this point when we created our program - but it's something we've always felt strongly about.)

If my sister were a Party Girl, I'm not sure how I could expect her to organize a party in the next 3 months to keep her status with us active? Stressing out a new Mom, an old Mom, a soon-to-be Mom, a single Mom, etc with our program demands is a big NO NO where we come from. So I'm patting us on the back for bucking this trend of the direct sales model.

Live your life, Party Girls.
And love your job, too!

Ahh.... we truly can have it all! ;)

Talk soon,

Heather

The Practice Party

Okay, so you just received your Polka Dots Start Up Kit (or you just ordered it) and you're head is full of ideas on how to get started, right? If so, great! If not, don't worry. We have a fail-proof idea that will let you work out the jitters and start your sales flowing!

Who loves you, girl?
Make a list of your girlfriends, neighbors, family, co-workers... all those ladies in your life that would be thrilled to support you as you start this new adventure. Now schedule yourself to host a Polka Dots Open House! This is a non-threatening way for you to get your feet wet and gain some experience talking about the products. Remember, we don't want you to be "salesy" anyway. Just be yourself. Talk about the products, why you like them and who you would give them to as a gift. Be sure to mention the Hostess Incentive and let them know to contact you if they are interested in hosting a party. Plug the website AND YOUR REP CODE so they will earn you credit ANYTIME they shop on our site.

Hostess Anyone?
So the whole idea here is to build your business by lining up your hostesses. As you must have figured out by now, we don't like to put people on the spot or harass them until they give in and host a party to make you go away.

When I wrap up a party, I like to put it this way:
"If you found that you liked a few things tonight, go ahead and order them.

"If you found you liked a lot of things tonight, consider hosting a party. As a hostess, you will earn 10% of your party's sales in free product. You'll also get a number of products at 50% off, depending on your party's total sales.

"If you absolutely loved everything I showed you tonight then consider becoming a Polka Dots Party Girl. (Go on to briefly talk about why you became a Party Girl and what you love about it. Remember you'll earn $100 Polka Bucks for every activated recruit.)"

The End. Writeup your orders. Collect $. Easy as pie, as we say down South. ;)

Cheers!

Welcome aboard!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Last week a new group of Party Girls received their kits...
Welcome to Bethany, Meghan, Kimberly, Mary and Vickie! We hope you enjoyed unpacking!

Couple of things to review with everyone this morning...

1. SEND IN YOUR EMAIL LISTS

If you haven't already, please send in your list of email contacts (to hlux@polkadotsparties.com) so that we can announce your having joined Polka Dots Parties. We'll also customize emails to your contact list to direct them to you for more information or to place an order. This month we have 4 emails going out highlighting product specials and hostess specials, so be sure to get your lists in ASAP. We just need the email address - no names. Let us get to work marketing YOU!

If you've already submitted your email list, then make sure you send us updates regularly. Don't forget about your recent party guests, customers and any other new contacts that you've added since your last submission. This is an easy way to increase your sales without lifting a finger!

2. LAPTOPS @ PARTIES
We've had some party girls ask about brining their laptops to their parties to allow party guests to enter their orders directly. This is ideal for someone who cannot stay for the whole party or presentation. We have no rules against this and we think it's a great idea - just be available for any questions as these guests enter their orders. One tip - print up a cute little sign to attach to you laptop or place next to the laptop reminding the customer to use the Party Code assigned to the event.

3. START FALL BOOKINGS NOW
Now is the time to start lining up your fall parties. I know it seems early, but the fall selling season is busy and short! The latest party dates for holiday-guaranteed delivery is November 20th this year, that's a Friday. So start talking up your holiday gifting ideas now and get your hostesses lined up and your open house booked! We highly recommend you host an open-house early in the season so you can book parties following. Early September is a good time as school is back in session and people are starting to think about the holidays.

That's it for now, Party Girls! I hope you're enjoying your summer and look forward to hearing more from each of you!

Take care,
Heather

Hostess Gifts

Hostess Gifts are gesture that exemplifies your kindness and appreciation of being invited into someone's home. Whether you're gifting the gal that organized her friends for a Polka Dots Party or your heading over to a neighbor's dinner party, a hostess gift is always in order.

Something small - cocktail napkins in a stylish holder or tied with a bit of ribbon. Or a bottle of wine wrapped in a lovely new kitchen towel. And since we rarely have time to pick up a hostess gift before you're on your way... Stock up your gift closet with an assortment of little things that you find lovely.

Hostess gifts ensure you're invited back!