PARTY PLAN
SHEFFIELD SERVICES
Today, Structure, Look and Feel of Direct Sales Companies is Changing Rapidly.
The “one-on-one” MLM sale is still going strong, partly in person, partly online. At the same time, “group sales” is a growing strategy, and party plan marketing techniques are on the rise. Friends gather in homes — or online — to explore your products and have fun together.
At the Sheffield Group, we’ve combined the traditional party plan approach with the more aggressive business-building structure of multi-level marketing. We call this the “MLM-Party Plan Hybrid” model.
Take note that what we’re talking about is not your mother’s party plan business! What worked for Tupperware and other success stories years ago has evolved into today’s “group selling” format. Though people are intrinsically motivated by the same needs and drives, the times, methods and business models have changed. Your Sheffield party plan consultant team can educate and support you in using this powerful marketing strategy and help accelerate your company’s launch, expansion or rejuvenation.
An Evolving Strategy
Today’s party plans offer women (and men) an easy way to turn their desire for additional income, the opportunity to have their own businesses or to be their own boss and turn their passion into a profitable business. These new Sheffield-designed program pay out more money, to more people, faster than ever before, while increasing company profitability. They don’t require consultants to stockpile or hold inventory. And lastly, they capitalize on available technology and social selling, which enables consultants to balance business building and retail product sales, not only where they live, but virtually anywhere in the country or even around the world.
In an industry that has to innovate to survive, the party plan has evolved to be a great blend of high touch and high-tech marketing. Many of the clients we see at the Sheffield Group are using it to market products and services that range from the mild to the wild. And even more intriguing is that many new and established companies are now seeking ways to integrate a party plan component into their and overall marketing strategy and compensation system.
The Benefits of a Party Plan Model
Here are five great benefits of the Party Plan group selling model. Your consultants can:
- Achieve higher average sales per showing. Party plan consultants average from $300-$1,000 in personal sales per month versus multi-level marketers at $50-$300.
- Reach more people in a shorter amount of time. Why present a product or service one-on-one when you can get better results with one-on-many? By utilizing party hosts, who are incentivized for inviting friends and family to a party, you have a source of new customers for your consultants.
- Party plan works well with religious and civic groups, employee lunches, parent’s groups, a great number of clubs, schools, etc. You may even choose to have a fundraising component in your plan.
- Party guests frequently help you sell by simply agreeing with you and by encouraging their friends to try or buy what they like. There is power in consensus. And once the buying frenzy starts, people are quick to follow because of the power of “social proof.”
- Converting customers or hosts to active consultants is often simple because they tried and fell in love with your product or service in a really fun environment. And everyone likes to have a business that is fun to build.
How to Start
So, where do you begin? Here are some specific questions to consider when you are starting or expanding your party plan or direct sales company.
(1) Do your products need to be demonstrated?
(2) Do they need to be touched or experienced so that people can feel and understand the quality?
(3) Do you have more than one product or product line?
(4) Is your product in a common category for gift giving?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you should consider adding a party plan or at least a group selling component to your business model.
This new and improved group selling methodology is a great way to turn people and passion into profits, and it can stand alone or blend well with network marketing and/or direct sales. So, if you’ve shied away from party plans because you thought they were outdated or one-dimensional, it may be time for you to get this party started! The Sheffield Group party plan consultant team can provide you with expert guidance to incorporate the party plan model into your marketing plan.