A Happy Home Party Hostess

In order for this to be a success, you need to have a happy home party hostess. In addition to setting up a great home party hostess gift and incentive scheme , try to make it as easy as possible for her to host for you – before, during and after the party.

Before the party

Send the invitations to your hostess at least 2 weeks before the party date. This way she has plenty of time to get the invitations to her guests and find out whether they can make it or not. Some hostesses hand out the invitations early then just call to remind people later on, others like to do it the other way around, but if she has the invitations in hand she’s free to what she likes.

(Some people offer to mail the invitations out for the hostess if she provides them with a list of the guests. If this works for you, go for it, but personally I’m happier letting the hostess deal with the inviting herself. I’ve hosted home parties for other party plan consultants before, and I prefer to do the invitations myself, so I assume other hostesses would too.)

When I send the invitations I always include business cards and a compliment slip with a short note on to the hostess. It might also be a good idea to send her a list of tips for inviting guests , especially if she’s never hosted a home party before. And mention that if she’d like any more invitations, just to let you know (I usually send 20 to start with).

Call your home party hostess a few days before the party just to check whether she has any questions. Most hostesses are worried that they won’t have enough guests, so reassure her if necessary that she will probably have plenty, and even if she doesn’t it’s not the end of the world.

(Some party plan consultants don’t consider a party worth while if there are less than 10 guests, but I disagree. Even if there is just one other guest beside the home party hostess I may have gained an extra customer who will reorder in the future, or may even host a party of her own. And I have found the number of guests doesn’t always relate to the value of sales. I’ve made more at some parties with 5 guests than I have at others with over 15.)

It’s also worth mentioning to the hostess that she doesn’t need to put on a big spread for the guests. A lot of people are put off the idea of hosting a party because they think it will involve a lot of work preparing food. In fact it’s better for you if she doesn’t – it’s harder for guests to browse with a plate of food in their hands and anyway you don’t want sticky fingers all over your beautiful creations. Tell her that just drinks are fine – or, if she really wants to, just a few nibbles on the side.

During the Party

Do your hostess a favour and keep your set up time to a minimum. I tend to arrive half an hour before a party to set up my jewellery, though I know certain other crafts may take more time. Just don’t overdo it and spend hours before and after the party setting up and packing away.

Don’t forget to thank the hostess for having the party for you. If you are comfortable thanking her in front of the guests then this is a good time to give her the thank you gift she has chosen. Not only will this hopefully get you more bookings, but it also makes the hostess feel special and not taken for granted. And once all the guests are finished shopping let her know what commission or discount she has earned so she has enough time to browse for herself.

When the party is over, clear away your display and leave everything exactly as it was when you arrived. You don’t want your home party hostess to be irritated at having to pick up bits of price tags or whatever late in the evening.

After the Party

It’s always a good idea to send your home party hostess a thank you note soon after the party. If you are doing custom orders, then let her know when you expect to be able to deliver them, so she can tell her guests. And it goes without saying that you should deliver when you said you would – she won’t like having to chase you for them!