Home Party Businesses: Dealing With Party Cancellations

Home party businesses inevitably deal with the issue of party cancellations. One of the emails I received this month was asking advice about how to get regular home parties, as she found she was getting cancellations which broke the 'flow'.

I've had the same problem myself, but there are ways to get around it. Here are my tips for dealing with it:

• When they phone to cancel, ask them when they'd like to reschedule. Most people won't suggest a new date unless asked. If they don't want to reschedule, find out why - it may be a problem you can fix. One of my last month's cancellations has rescheduled for next month - it was just a timing issue.

• Try incentives - maybe giving a voucher when they book that's only valid at their party will persuade them not to cancel. Often people forget about hostess gifts, but if they have something in their hands that they can't use until they have a party, they might be more motivated!

• As soon as you get a cancellation, get on the phone to some other contacts you have or to previous hostesses and try to get a new booking asap. It gets discouraging otherwise. The longer you go without doing a party, the more impossible it seems that you'll ever get a booking again, so try not to let that happen.

• Perhaps it's a possibility to hold your own party on the date of the cancellation. You've already got a party in your diary, so maybe just invite your own circle of friends and have one anyway. That in turn might then lead to more parties.

Where would you like to go next?

...See our tips on increasing home party bookings?

...See how to get high attendance at your home party?

...Tips to maximize sales at home parties?

...Learn to keep your hostess happy with hostess gifts and incentives?

Home Party Businesses Page