Nervous & New

Here is what my garage has looked like the past few days...

I'm getting ready for my first parties and to tell you the truth, I feel like I'm starting from scratch!

I feel like a brand new consultant and I'm nervous!

I know once I get a few parties under my belt, it will be come simple and easy to do parties, but getting ready for these first ones has been a bit nerve-racking - even for me!

I thought I would give you a few tips as you prepare to pack up and party!

1.  Plan out what you are going to take!  Make sure it is not too heavy and that you can easily transport it to and from the car.  I always, set up my little table and plan out how I will display everything at the party.  This makes my set up process much, much faster!

2.  I love these bubble wrap pouches.  I get mine at Dillons and they come in 2 sizes.  This makes for easy packing up of products.  Not everything will fit in the bags, but they are very convenient for most products.

3.  I always like to play some type of game during my parties.  This time, I thought I'd take the simple approach and simply give out raffle tickets for different things during the party (bring a friend, booking a party, sharing an idea, etc.).  At the end, I'll draw a winning ticket and let the winner choose one of our food mixes for FREE (her choice and I'll add it to the party).  Anyway, I thought it would make my life a whole lot easier if I tore the raffle tickets apart BEFORE the party!  And I will continue to use these same tickets for every party.  I just have to remember to pick them up and keep the two piles SEPARATE!

4.  Call me old fashioned, but I feel better and more confident when I am prepared!  So, I STILL write out a party presentation and plan what I am going to say and talk about!  And I'm not afraid to use notecards or notes... as a matter of fact, I plan to use my big ol' 8*11 papers as a crutch when I start doing parties!  If you need help or advice on writing a presentation, please ask!

By the way, do any of the words in my presentation look familiar?  USE the training available on the Learning Center... it is there for a reason - it works!  If you've watched the 60 minute party presentation training video, you will recognize a few things I've copied from the consultants who were featured!  If you read my whole presentation, you would realize that I copied A LOT from them!

5.  Here are some other items I always take with me:

• Pens
• Calculator
• File Folder (for collecting orders)
• Extra Catalogs (to leave for outside orders)
• Extra Order Forms
• Raffle Tickets
• My presentation notes
• Opportunity Brochures
• Information for my "B&B" Club
• Customer Care Cards - I print them out on blue paper for something different that stands out
• Small tape measure (people often like to see visually how large something measures... this is a handy thing to have on hand!)
• My product totes + 2 tablecloths

If you are wondering what the 2 tablecloths are for, here is my party display from my 1st party last Thursday night:

I use one tablecloth to cover my hostess' table so I don't damage it.  I use the 2nd one as a drape over one of the crates I use to carry product in. In the above photo, I used the throw, but I've decided the throw is so pretty, I need people to have access to it and so I'm using the 2nd tablecloth as a drape instead.

If you have yet to host your 1st party, please know that every single one of us feels nervous and new at some point!  It WILL get easier the more you party!  In fact, it will become so easy, it won't be long before you find yourself not needing any notes at all!  So, hang in there!  Get prepared, practice, and smile... that's the most important thing!  Have fun with it and others will too!