Any party plan sellers here?

[sudsy_kiwi]

I recently sold some B&B products to a co-worker at my "other" job, and she was so excited by them that she suggested having some friends over for me to sell to...much like the Tupperware partied of old (might be showing my age a bit here :lolno: ).

Anyway, it got me thinking, and I actually really like the idea. Does anyone here sell at parties? If so, any useful tips as I prepare for an enormous step outside my comfort zone? What sort of things should I be aware of, that I might not have considered?

TIA for any assistance.

 

[TBandCW]

I'll be watching this thread....I've often thought of doing this too. I actually did one a few yrs back and it was a success. A friend approached me and set it up, had about a dozen family and friends over and I sold about $200 worth of product! It was at her house, she provided snacks and all it cost me was a few of her favorite items.

 

[dixiedragon]

I think it's a great idea! so many of these parties you don't get your products that night, and you also have to pay fairly high shipping. I've often thought of doing one of those. One thing I would do - lotion demo (let people put the warm, fresh lotion on their hands) and also a bath salt or tub tea bar - let people add their own salts, fragrance, etc.

 

[Sagebrush]

Following! People suggest this to me every once in a while but wouldn't be something I could host until we moved to a bigger house.

It would be great for letting people wash their hands with the soaps, as this is not feasible at markets or craft shows.

Some appetizers and cheap wine (think Trader Joe's) would step things up a bit.

My wheels are turning now.

 

[Aline]

I love this idea and have often wondered if it could work. I think a demo would be great and something hands-on even better! Lots of food for thought....

 

[dibbles]

Quite a few years ago, a friend and I had a business (M&P soaps, bath bombs, scrubs, foaming liquid soap) and tried this approach. We had an open house at my home, and three parties hosted by friends. The sales at the parties were decent, but even with a 'hostess incentive' no one else signed on to have a party of their own. We did get some ongoing orders from people who attended the parties though. It is nice to have people try the products - I think that helps especially with scrubs, lotions, etc.

If you are doing CP soap, the one suggestion I would make is to have 4 or 5 choices available for purchase at the party. Even though most home party type sales are by order, it doesn't take more than a couple of weeks to get the items. I don't know how I would feel about waiting 6 weeks for a bar of soap. And for you, as the maker, making a whole batch (even a small one) to sell one bar of say Lemon Verbena, another whole batch to sell one bar of Sandalwood, etc. might not be the best approach unless you sell at markets or something to help get rid of the inventory. In which case, you would have soaps all ready to go anyway, and the ordering and delivering would not be a problem.

It is an interesting idea, and it may work well for you. It never hurts to try.