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Party Plan

by davejarvys
9 replies
I am looking at expanding my business next year and one area of interest is with party Plan.

I currently import items from China and upscale them with a complimentary additional product and branding.

I work with a margin of between 500% and 1500% and the average from sells for 60 with an average basket of 145.

The products I sell are mainly aimed at women.

Due to the above I think that party plan could be a way to move forward next year.

I'm wondering if any warriors have any experience in party plan and what difficulties and obstacles arose.
#party #plan
  • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
    Originally Posted by davejarvys View Post

    I am looking at expanding my business next year and one area of interest is with party Plan.

    The products I sell are mainly aimed at women.

    Due to the above I think that party plan could be a way to move forward next year.

    I'm wondering if any warriors have any experience in party plan and what difficulties and obstacles arose.
    I've seen those types of systems come and go over the years.

    You might be better off looking at what someone like Ezra Firestone has done with his range of beauty products for women.

    You could do better with selected placements with youtube celebrities or other social media influencers who already have female following.

    If you are going down the party route then look at Tupperware. Check out how they funnel people to a party and how they structure rewards and leverage social media.

    Do you have time to kickstart the network?

    Best regards,

    Ozi
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  • Profile picture of the author davejarvys
    Thanks for the reply much appreciated.

    I watch Ezra closely and have modelled quite a bit if my existing business on Boom. I am also in beta for some of his apps (although I prefer woocommerce to Shopify).

    As a result I'm quite free time wise. The business doesn't need a lot of input but is generating good profit.

    I'll give Tupperware a look and see what I can reverse engineer.

    I do wonder if the interest in this model has diminished though but then again everything new is old.
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  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by davejarvys View Post

    I am looking at expanding my business next year and one area of interest is with party Plan.

    I currently import items from China and upscale them with a complimentary additional product and branding.

    I work with a margin of between 500% and 1500% and the average from sells for 60 with an average basket of 145.

    The products I sell are mainly aimed at women.

    Due to the above I think that party plan could be a way to move forward next year.

    I'm wondering if any warriors have any experience in party plan and what difficulties and obstacles arose.
    The difficulties is that Party plan distribution is and entirely different business to learn.

    Creating a theme for the business, a reason for women to get excited about it, sales incentives, literature, samples, ...

    Starting a party plan company is far harder than just starting a business. You have to develop a culture, a constant enthusiasm for recruiting other women.

    Your margins aren't what will make this work. Is there a party plan business (a really successful one) that sells products similar to yours?

    And the big question; How do you know you'll like that business? The only way, is to get involved in one, and build a business. Do it for 6 months.

    If you are wildly successful at it, then you can build your own company, because you'll know how it works. Or, you'll find that you just hate the whole thing.

    Party plan is simply a slightly different form of MLM/direct sales. There isn't anything wrong with it, but the vast majority of MLM companies fail early.

    Are you charismatic? Can you build a following? Without Mary Kay Ash...there wouldn't be a Mary Kay. Avon? What is it about Avon that makes it successful?

    Really, you'll never find out by reading their literature. You have to get involved, and get your hands dirty. Party planning is group selling. Are you a great salesperson?

    If that idea turns you off, It's better to find out now, before you invested a ton of time in a business, that you'll hate.


    When I first found out that I could buy the exact same air purifiers I was selling by MLm, for $699...for $70...including freight...I thought of starting my own MLM.

    And I already had good success in an MLM selling precisely the same product.
    And I knew how to sell.
    And I was used to having employees.
    And I had some money.

    A friend of mine, the one that originally recruited me in the MLM, wrote a list of questions, to help me decide if my own MLM company was a viable idea.

    Him; "Question one. Do you care about people?"

    Me; "No"

    Him; "Do you love holding meetings motivating non-salespeople to sell?"

    Me; "No. Never mind, bad idea"

    I'm not joking, it was that fast. This friend saved me a year of "Fantasy planning", by revealing that I would simply hate the business that I would create.
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    “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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    • Profile picture of the author davejarvys
      Thanks for your input Claude, certainly given me somethings to think about.

      There is competition in the market place using party plan and I'm off to one of their recruiting meetings.

      To be honest these type of mlm recruitment things creep me with the manipulative tactics, half truths and hype. So that should be fun.

      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post


      Are you charismatic?

      I'd like to think so. Trained as an actor and worked as a magician

      Are you a great salesperson?

      it's all I know and how I've kept food on the table. Perversely it's also something I really enjoy

      Him; "Question one. Do you care about people?"

      buggar. I'm good at faking it does that count?
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      • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
        Originally Posted by davejarvys View Post

        Thanks for your input Claude, certainly given me somethings to think about.

        There is competition in the market place using party plan and I'm off to one of their recruiting meetings.

        To be honest these type of mlm recruitment things creep me with the manipulative tactics, half truths and hype. So that should be fun        .
        You seem to be on the right track.
        I don't have real experience with party plan selling, but I've sold to groups a few hundred times, from stage. So, there are similarities.

        And I studied great speakers from the audience (and on DVDs), people that make huge fortunes selling on stage. I kept note of what triggered the best responses from the audience. I also studied terrible speakers, and speakers that were great on stage, but couldn't sell anything at the end. This last group may have been the most informative...studying failures, and trying to see the mistakes.

        I also was always turned off by the tactics used to sell from the stage, selling to groups...even selling one on one.

        But I found out that many of the things that completely turned me off, were really necessary to generate large volume in group sales.

        For example;
        Pretending that their lack of knowledge was someone else's fault, never their own.
        Acting as though I was one of them, and saw the world as they did.
        Pretending to identify with their "problems", and develop rapport that I never felt.
        Praising audience members on the most banal of accomplishments.
        pretending as though my expertise was just a matter of getting the right information (which of course I sold), and not a matter of years of hard work.
        Showing emotion when telling stories that I told 1,000 times, just to trigger an emotional reaction.
        Pretending like my offer was only good for a limited time, when anyone with a brain knew that was nonsense.

        These are things I never liked. I felt like I was insulting the audience's intelligence. But I also knew...from costly experience...that these things were necessary, in order to make sales.

        When speaking at events, even 3 day events, I had to wear a mask, act a part, never break character. It was exhausting. I got used to it, but I never enjoyed it.

        My strong suspicion is that you would have to hold dozens of these parties yourself, to get the kinks out, and to recruit a core organization. But you will always have to be the person they expect you to be. There is no "letting your hair down", or relaxing your persona. If you do, even for a few minutes, it destroys their image of you, and they leave.

        I've lost complete organizations by simply forgetting who they thought I was, and answered a question as myself. I can happen if you are tired.

        One thing you'll absolutely need, is a Cause...a reason for your business to exist (other than to make money), All great sales companies have this. You have to be saving the buyers from some injustice, or solving a problem that they will see as important.

        Simply selling lots of unrelated stuff because it makes lots of money, won't work. There has to be a Theme.
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        “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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        • Profile picture of the author socialentry
          Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

          One thing you'll absolutely need, is a Cause...a reason for your business to exist (other than to make money), All great sales companies have this. You have to be saving the buyers from some injustice, or solving a problem that they will see as important.

          Simply selling lots of unrelated stuff because it makes lots of money, won't work. There has to be a Theme.
          Do you think that most people actually believe this stuff?

          I've met some true believers but I'm never too sure if they are really into it or if they are just sucking up.

          Do you think it applies mainly to sales organizations or do you think it should apply to all companies?
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          • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
            Do you think that most people actually believe this stuff?

            The buyers usually do. At least the majority of people in every audience. And that means the majority of people everywhere. In most groups I spoke to, everyone believed it. Or at least acted like they did.

            I've met some true believers but I'm never too sure if they are really into it or if they are just sucking up.

            It can be both. It can also be that they have a vested interest in thinking the way they do.
            An interesting thing I noticed at Dan Kennedy events. He would explain, from the stage, his selling process...and explained what he was doing, as he was selling from the stage. Many of us in the audience were aware of this "inside baseball". but even with people that are completely aware of what's happening, it still works.

            It's not a matter of intelligence, it is a matter of experience. Meaning, a smart audience still has to be sold the same way as an audience of untrained neophytes. The same techniques are needed. That fact took me a long time to accept. But every time I thought "These people are different. I don't need to hit every sales trigger, I'll just give the facts", it cost me in sales.

            For example, pretending that there is a deadline, and they have to buy today..and there are only a very limited number of (whatever is being sold) available......even with the people that know this is nonsense...it still increases sales. It's still necessary.

            Do you think it applies mainly to sales organizations or do you think it should apply to all companies?

            I don't know. I only know about speaking to groups, and selling. Company culture (outside sales) is a little out of my area.

            I just know that in all areas of business, there is a lot of "pretending". But that's true in society generally. And in party plan selling, and MLM, you are dealing with people that have an expectation of who leadership is, what they believe in, and how they behave.
            Not meeting that expectation will cost you.
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            “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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          • Profile picture of the author savidge4
            Do you think that most people actually believe this stuff?

            I do without question.... I always say its about "The Story" Hewlett Packard started in a Garage... Apple Started in a Garage... Walmart... "Leadership through Service" Sam Walton was the man... KFC.. the Colonel going door to door to door to sell his chicken. Sears - Richard Sears was a flat out husler.. and by chance figured out that many in not so urban places wanted urban stuff... went from coal and lumber locally to watches, and then the rest was history. Justin Beiber... some little punk kid making youtube videos.. got seen by the right people Van Gogh - a nut job... and his bother - to concerned what others would think.. once they were out of the way ( died ) the brothers wife made big bucks! LOL

            In every great sales pitch.. every great presentation.. every great story I have ever heard or seen, there is the contrast, of the story ( the past ) and where they are today. The moment you can figuratively draw that personal connection between you and the person or people you are talking to, that's when the magic starts to happen. and then throw in urgency and its over with.
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            Success is an ACT not an idea
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            • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
              Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

              [B]
              In every great sales pitch.. every great presentation.. every great story I have ever heard or seen, there is the contrast, of the story ( the past ) and where they are today. The moment you can figuratively draw that personal connection between you and the person or people you are talking to, that's when the magic starts to happen. and then throw in urgency and its over with.
              Absolutely.

              You need to create a flame to attract the moths. A story about some huge problem, some devastating loss, a terrible illness...that people can identify with.
              And then "The turning point"...the "Discovery"....where you find or create the solution...

              And spreading the word is your mission, and becomes the mission of your dealers.

              Every MLM I've ever seen has this theme. It can't just be about the money. I mean for your dealers and recruits....it has to be a Cause.

              You can't just have a lot of stuff that makes money. People want to be a part of Something, they need meaning in their lives. A great story about WHY you created your company will do that.
              It needs to be a rags to riches story, because most of your dealers will identify with the "rags" part. But they have to see that you created a path for them to follow...to also be rich.

              It's even better if you discovered the path. Because discovering something, implies that this thing is responsible for your success, not the endless hard work. And a "discovery" also means that they can copy your success, by merely buying the thing you discovered. It's just a subconscious assumption on their part, but it will move product.....


              You cannot say "I was always pretty good at running a business, and this one looked like fun". Because if they can identify with "The guy that was always good at business", what do they need you for?
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              One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

              “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought.” - Matsuo Basho
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