Congratulations to our April Vendor Spotlight Nominee, Robin Brostovski! I was so excited that you got this recognition, Robin!

Let’s learn more about her and her businesses!

Where are you from?

I was born in NJ (lived in Montclair, Verona, Cedar Grove…then in Barnegat, Freehold…and when married in Red Bank…WHEW!).  We moved to Virginia 16 years ago to get away from the rat race.  We now live in the middle of nowhere..in Virginia.

Favorite things to do on your time off?

Scrapbooking and crafts!!!  I enjoy spending time with family.  I enjoy the outdoors - hiking, biking, canoeing, swimming.

What companies do you rep for? (please include your link)

Close To My Heart    www.shopwithrobin.myctmh.com (my main squeeze!)

Wrap it Right    www.wrapitright.com/store/affiliate.asp?aff=900

Stuff A Pal     www.stuffedpals.com

Home and Garden Party    www.shoppingwithrobin.com

How long have you been in direct sales?

about 2 1/2 yrs.

Have you won any awards for being in direct sales?  If so, can you share with us?

Well, this Vendor Spotlight (LOL).

I have gotten certificates for achievement.  I am presently working on a degree program given by Close To My Heart for business building and technique.

What is your most gratifying moment of being a WAHM?

Watching my children grow up..they took their first steps with me there…plus we homeschool, so watching them read for the first time, and moving up the ladder there.  Also being independent and able to do direct sales from home.  We sacrificed a LOT for me to stay home - but it was worth the loss of salary to be able to be here for my children and home.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I have been honored and grateful to find such wonderful WAHM’s out there!  I have learned from you, and I have had the joy of meeting some of the most amazing women!  I am honored to have been chosen for this Vendor Spotlight!  I hope my journey continues in a positive direction and look forward to meeting more of your in the future!

List your specials here:

For Close to My Heart:  - buy one card kit, get one 20% off.  Buy one scrapbook kit, get one 20% off.  Buy one stamp set, get one 20% off.  Don’t forget we have our already discounted stamp of the month.  And for April (starting on the 15th) we have our Make Magic scrapbook kit!!  A kit that you can make 2 scrapbook pages EASILY a month for a year - you get 24 level 1 sheets, 24 feet of ribbon, brads, memory protectors and instructions. EXCELLENT for beginners or even those who have little time.

For Wrap it Right - our products are excellent for business builders!!  Take 10% off any order.  But you must email me.

For Stuff A Pal - 15% off all orders in April!  Check out our little pals stuffed with fluff and make a friend for life!  Top quality…excellent company!

For Home and Garden Party - 15% off all orders in April!! Email me for those.  And check out the Treasure Chest of savings online!!

You can order online at any time, but email me if you want the specials at rbiz@shoppingwithrobin.com

Thank you!!

Congratulations to our February Vendor Spotlight Nominee, Susan Baird! The votes were unanimous, and what is so awesome was that Susan saved us with coming in on a last minute spot to fill in for someone! You always to a wonderful job, Susan, and you are a great asset to our website. Let’s learn more about Susan! (Her answers are in bold)

Where are you from? Southeast Ohio

Favorite things to do on your time off? I spend most of my time with my 5 year old son. I also enjoy reading and cooking.

What companies do you rep for? (please include your link) I am the proud owner of Letters By Design www.LettersByDesign.com

How long have you been in direct sales? I started in direct sales over 10 years ago and have been active in the online direct sales community for a few years now.

Have you won any awards for being in direct sales? If so, can you share with us? Not that i know of.

What is your most gratifying moment of being a WAHM? Opening my own company. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time.

Congratulations, Susan! You deserve this recognition hon! I am so happy to have you a part of this site!

Check out this generous special from Susan!

Take 10% off your order by using Coupon Code TY10 at checkout at www.LettersByDesign.com

I have been to a lot of online parties, and there are things that you want to do and not want to do.

Here are the do’s of online parties:

• Do - tell your friends, family, co-workers, etc. about the party and support your fellow WAHMs
• Do - try to make a purchase from at least one vendor or book a party with them to help their business
• Do - participate in the chat and the presentations; let them know you are there and paying attention
• Do - thank the presenter/vendor for their time; their time is precious and shouldn’t be wasted
• Do - be respectful to the host of the party

Here are the don’ts of online parties:

• Don’t - advertise your own party site while attending a party at someone else’s site
• Don’t - only participate when a game is about to happen, win the prize, and never order
• Don’t - come in the chat and never say a word
• Don’t - hijack sales of the presenter (if you do not know what this is, ready my part 1 article on etiquette)
• Don’t - leave without saying thank you and goodbye
• Don’t - come in and spy to see how many people are in a chat room that is going the same time as yours; it is rude and who cares how many people are in my room versus yours….I wouldn’t do it to you.
• Don’t - HATE!

These are just some of the things that people do in the parties that drive me nuts.  Feel free to comment and let me know what you think about the do’s and don’ts, and also let me know if there is anymore do’s or don’ts you would like to add.

So, you have booked your online party with your consultant, and you are waiting for the date of your party to see who shows up. The day of your party comes, and you are excited! You have blasted all your friends on Yahoo an hour before the show, and you have spammed all your Yahoo groups; however, no one shows to your party. As a hostess, you have a duty to yourself and your consultant. What are they you ask? Let me help you.

1. Make a list of people that you want to invite. This can be friends, family, co-workers, church friends, etc. Make sure these friends are both online and offline, because maybe your offline friends would like to order some of the products too. Don’t assume that they will not want to see it because many people will love to see a catalog.
2. Give your list to your consultant, so she can remind and follow up with them the day before the party. If you have someone who wants to book a party, she would be able to get them booked off your party so you can get more rewards. If you have a person interested in joining the business, your consultant can give them the information that they need before the party. See how important it can be to be in constant contact with your consultant.
3. Call everyone you know the day of the party and see if you can count on them to be there for you. If they can’t be there, ask them if they seen anything that they wanted to order in the catalog or on the website. Outside orders will help boost your sales and get you closer to your goal.

Following these steps not only help you but your consultant too. She is providing you with a product that she loves and believes in, so she needs to know that you feel the same way too.

Feel free to comment or add any ideas you may have to this article.

Thanks,
Amy

Now that you have learned to have a party online, I would like to share with you some of the games that you could use to give away goodies at your online party.  Be sure that you allow time to play the game during your presentation because you do not want to stall the next presenter.
Here are some of the games I play, and you can change them up how you would like:

1. Pick a number — You can have the guests in the party choose a number between, for example, 1 and 20.  The one that gets closest to the number without going over wins the prize.
2. Scavenger Hunt — You can mix this game up a few different ways.  You tell them the product, or ask a question about it, and then they have to tell you the price of the product you asked about.  First one to reply gets a point.
3. Scramble — Pick some products from your product line and scramble them up to where your guests will have to unscramble the word or words.  First one to reply gets a point.

These are just a few of the games that we play, and I will be adding more as I come across them.  Please check back often to find more fun games to play with your customers.

Thanks!

Amy

Do you have a business that you are looking to market in another way?  Or do you want to know how to have an online party?  You have come to the right article.  I am going to share with you every aspect I know of having an online party.

Here are the steps you can follow to get started:

1.  Check your calendar and finances to be sure that you can book a party for the date you want and the time you want from the schedule.  You also need to be able to pay for your spots.  Most of us use Paypal to process orders through our websites.
2. After you have purchased your spot, remember to get there about 15 minutes early to be sure that you are there in time for your party spot.
3. Now you need to prepare for the party.  If you are going to use a script to help guide you through the process, you need to have that ready to copy and paste into the chat room when it’s your time to shine.  I always use a typed up script as a guide as to what I am going to say during the party.  Another tip while preparing for you spot is to have a game ready to play for the people that have attended the party to win something.  I usually give a Free Gift Certificate of $5 or $10.  Some people give a free sample of their product.
4. You are ready to party, right?  Wait for the host to introduce you, and do your “thang”.  Remember to include any sales or specials, and be sure to give out your contact information like email address and yahoo ID in case they have any questions or want to order.  At the end of the presentation you will want to repeat this information.
5. Last, but not least, thank the host for having you and your potential customers for listening to your presentation.  Try to stay the remainder of the time and support the other vendors while they do their spot in case there is something out there that you would like to purchase as well.

Sounds easy enough, right? It really is once you get the hang of it.  I would like to share my story of my first online party.

I thought I was going to die the first time I presented.  I wasn’t prepared, my palms were sweaty, and I thought that the world would end when I got done doing my presentation.  This is why I wrote this article.  Online parties can be a great way to market yourself and your product.  I want you to be successful in all that you do, and I am always here if you need a helping hand.