Friday Coffee Chat-Hostess Coaching
September 18, 2015
In lieu of a traditional Friday Coffee chat newsletter this week, here is a recap of the Hostess Coaching Team Facebook chat that I hosted earlier this week. You can now have all of my tips in ONE PLACE!
As we are slowly drifting away from the hot days of summer and moving into our BUSIEST season of the year, it is a GREAT time to recap Hostess Coaching.
We should always be prospecting to book new shows! But once you've booked, now what?
It is super important for YOU to take control of the invite system. Have the MINDSET that you are the expert and use it! It's easy for us to just rely on Facebook or text or let the hostess send her own invites, but from my experience, this will most likely result in a cancelled show or a very low turnout!
Our GOAL for each show is to invite 40! By doing this, 10 or more will attend, approx 2-3 will place outside orders and you will have $1000 in sales! No magic, just numbers!
I will share some of my personal best practices. Here is what you can expect:
Step 1: Enter show in Lounge, personalize the invite, send the Hostess save the date email and send Hostess confirmation e-mail
Step 2: Hostess packets
Step 3: Making sure we have 40 in the system
Step 4: Reminder examples, red stamps, and texts
Step 5: After the show
Following these steps will be your BEST way to get your show to $1,000-- our company's average. Here we go!
xo
Gina
PS- For our newbies-- you are already receiving a weekly training calendar from the Home office, various weekly newsletters/communications from our uplines and possibly oodles of notifications from the various Facebook groups. This is my weekly newsletter for our specific team! Let's jump into some fun and inspiring things that I wanted to share!
There are 4 parts to getting started! Let's go!
Step # 1, part 1: Enter the show into the Lounge
Simple right. Do it immediately! Enter the trunk show into the Lounge ASAP!
Does your Hostess know that AS SOON AS you enter a show into a Lounge, the show is open for business? Her guests can start shopping immediately. Once an order is placed, it ships within 1-2 days regardless if the show hasn't happened yet. Plus, the show automatically remains open for 3 weeks after the show date. Let's maximize this window for orders!
Step # 1, part 2: Personalize the invitation
Step # 1, part 3: SEND the SAVE THE DATE email!
If I have booked the show in tight, this SAVE THE DATE simply turns into a YOU ARE INVITED. I continue with my same steps.
I then will take care of the invites for her show by using those email addresses and pop them into our INVITE SYSTEM! Super easy ! When I do this, my shows are way more successful!
I give the hostess 48 hours to forward it out before I send her a reminder!
1. I always friend my hostess on FB so I can reach her via FB message as well since not a lot of people check email everyday!
2. I encourage her to give my ANY emails she has. You may get resistance! Even if there are 10-20 emails, I want them. :)
Here is my example of my SAVE THE DATE!
I use this same email format for all of my save the dates. Below is my exact text plus I add some cute photos to make it look nice. Check out my screen shot below of what I sent to this hostess using this exact text! Some pictures are also attached below. Important note: Be sure to completely erase the trunk show link below and not just back-space, as the original URL stays intact. Then completely paste or type in your hostess' link.
Save the date for
Deya's Stella & Dot Show
Thursday, March 26
7:30-9:30 pm
Hosted by Deya Warren
add her street address & city
Come see what all the buzz is about, as we check out
Stella & Dot's NEW 2015 collection of jewelry, handbags and more.
The more the merrier too!
Online invite to follow.
Come see what all the buzz is about!
Everything ships to your door in less than a week in adorable gift packaging!
Visa, AMEX, MasterCard welcome!
Want a sneak peek or can’t make it? The online shop is open now!
http://www.stelladot.com/ts/k0u56
Or contact our stylist, Gina Bogda 908-591-6329 or gbogda@gmail.com
Screen shot of my ACTUAL save the date email to my hostess from above!
Want a tip on making Save the Dates even easier? CANNED RESPONSES!
I set up “CANNED RESPONSES” for my save the dates. So I can literally forward one to my hostess within minutes of booking a show.
CHECK THIS OUT!
This is how it works in GMAIL-- - huge time saver tip!
Take 3 minutes to watch this video and another 2 minutes to set things up. I update mine every season with a new picture and text.
I standardize the subject line, message and pictures inserted. It is so easy to literally go down my list to quickly customize with an email addresses and a personalize intro sentence.
The concept of canned responses is so great! I have standardized save the dates, prospective stylist emails, etc. Check it out!
If your email provider doesn't offer CANNED RESPONSES, simply consider always having a DRAFT of your SAVE THE DATE!
Step # 1, part 4: Send Hostess confirmation email
Prepping a Hostess Kit
Next-- hostess kits!
Give your hostess the right tools to make the most of this show!
Watch my video on how I do hostess kits! I include the following this packet in a Stella & Dot folder. I use my business supply credits to purchase all of these items. If you don't have many credits, you can certainly streamline my system to work for you!
- 3 look books
- 3 order forms with a note that reads a fun challenge "Collect 3 outside orders and get a pair of studs for free from me!" (optional)
- 1 hostess planner
- 1 Opportunity booklet- always!!
- Cute S&D Stickers to mark their favorites
- A hostess letter
- Monthly Specials (if they are available to include)
- Printed invitation (either paper, 4x6 photo print of SD invite, Red stamp print out)
Why do we include an Opportunity Guide?
How duplicatable is this cute little note on the Guide!
Hostess letter
HOSTESS LETTER
Congratulations on your decision to host a Trunk Show!
I am so excited about our jewelry and accessories and I know your family and friends will love it too! My job as a Stylist with Stella & Dot is to make sure that your experience hosting a Stella & Dot soiree is easy, fun, and stylish. That’s why I’ve put together these simple steps to help you plan your party and earn hundreds of dollars in free and discounted jewelry. Remember, you can earn up to 25% of your trunk show’s retail sales in free jewelry …all paid for by Stella & Dot. Now tell me, who doesn’t want to make the most of that opportunity?!?
I've included some goodies & tips to help you prepare for your show:
• A Look Book for you (start picking your favorites and to show your friends!)
• Paper invitations (give these to friends, neighbors, etc to spread the word!)
• A few Order forms for outside orders (they can also order on-line ~ see below)
• Our trunk show specials for the month (if we have them for that month)
Keep it Simple
Everyone will be so busy trying on jewelry and socializing you really don’t need to worry about a lot of food and drink, so don’t stress about what to serve. Coffee & muffins for morning show or open a bottle of wine in the evening with some cheese and crackers and let’s indulge our inner princess!
Over-Invite
It is my job to help you get as much FREE jewelry as possible and it only takes 4 guest orders for you to earn your hostess rewards! You should expect that only 1/3 of the girlfriends you invite will be able to attend, so invite everyone you know who deserves some quality “girlfriend” time and ask them to bring a friend too (and don't forget your neighbors!)
I will be emailing you a Save the Date if I haven’t already, and then will follow up with our personalized email invitations. If you are on Facebook, we can create an “Event” so you can reach even more people! (Facebook shouldn’t be used as the primary form of inviting guests due to its limitations on notifications.) If you add me as a host I can add photos, etc to make the event exciting! I also provided you with printed invitations to hand-out to friends. I will be in touch with you within the next few days to see how I can assist you with your party planning and to answer any questions you may have.
Prep your Guests
Even if your friends are home-party veterans, they may have never been to one of our Trunk Shows! Let them know what to expect. No formal presentations, no gimmicks, just fun trying on our fabulous Stella & Dot pieces. And no obligation to buy!
Outside Orders
To maximize your hostess rewards, be sure to give anyone who cannot attend an invite & order form so they can place an order. They can also visit my website www.stelladot.com/ginabogda to place an order. As long as they enter your name as the hostess, it will count towards your credit. Shipping is $5.95 per guest order and items are shipped directly to your girlfriend and arrive in less than a week. The party will close online 3 weeks after the date of your party, so keep collecting orders and spreading the word, even after your actual party! Sales tax is charged based on the destinations zip code.
I will plan to arrive at your house about 30-40 minutes prior to the start time. If you could have a table, preferably near the food and drink, for me to display the jewelry that would be great! Should you need anything between now and the Trunk Show, do not hesitate to contact me.
xoxo
Your Stylist, Gina Bogda 908-591-6329 gbogda@gmail.com www.stelladot.com/ginabogda
And Remember, of course you deserve it! (And so do your girlfriends)!
Never use just 1 way to invite guests!
My preferred and MOST successful methods are combining the S&D email invitation system + paper invites + text reminders.
On occasion, I will get the hostess with little or no email addresses. In this case, I will still stick to my rule of 2-3 methods to invite guests--- paper invites + text and then....sometimes the dreaded Facebook events!
Facebook events should NEVER be used soley. Due to notification settings, often the guests do not even know that they are invited to your show! And regardless of you posting to the event multiple times, the guests will see NONE of your posts unless they have replied YES to attending. Beware of FB events! They can be great for laying on with the other tried & true methods, but not often successful on their own.
See my below email. Chances are the remaining 46 gals invites have never seen this invitation because their notifications do not come through to their email. I will have a lot of follow-up to do with this hostess!
Get 40+ gals invited!
Now that we have entered the show into the Stylist Lounge, sent the confirmation email, save the date and hostess packet, it is time to really dig in and make sure your hostess is excited and understands our goals for the show!!!
I check in with my hostess with CALL # 1 after I know that she has received the save the date email and kit. I want to get her excited!! What pieces does she love?? What is on her wishlist? We need to get guests in to the door to earn her those freebies, so it's all about the 40 and 10 now!
Your hostess should have forwarded the Save the Date on to her guests and copied you in on it. It's time to now take those emails and pop them into the INVITE system! If she hasn't forwarded it yet, this call is to encourage her.
Sometimes you may have a hostess that only invites 10 or 15 or 20....our goal?? 40! WE, as experts have to talk the hostess through inviting more and get her motivated! Many ladies don't understand that only about 1/3 to a 1/4 of guests actually attend. This is normal, so a show that only invites 15, may only get 3 guests! Share with the hostess that will not be enough to get those fabulous pieces on her wish list!!! Who doesn't want FREE goodies??? Be honest!
Need tips on how to add more guests and talk hostess through inviting more?
- Use the Social Mixology Sheet (found on the trunk show planner, in Stellaverse and below). What a great cheat sheet for brainstorming the different social circles to invite! http://com.stelladot.stylists.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/SDU/SocialMixologyH.pdf)
- Work on a FRANK List with her to add more guests.
Check your circles! Have you helped your hostess to invite 40? If not, keep going!
Day 4-- The show is almost here!
It is so important to stay in touch with your hostess throughout the invitation process. During the two weeks leading up to the show, be in contact with her a lot. Send fun pictures to her, friend her on FB and get her pumped and excited!!! I remember Danielle Redner telling us at Hoopla a few years back that you want to become BFFs with your hostess. so get to know her! This way, when you walk into her home on the night of the show, you feel as comfortable as if you are in the kitchen of a good friend!!!
Here is when I send REMINDERS to GUESTS!
1. I set up the invite in our system to send a AUTO reminder ONE week before!
2. FOUR days before the show, I send a PERSONAL email to all guests from my own email account. I introduce myself and let them know how the show is going to run.
3. ONE day before the show, I send a TEXT reminder to the hostess using RED STAMP and have her text all her friends a quick messages.." Hey ladies! can't wait to see you tomorrow (or tonight!)!!! Hope you can swing by!”
I always call my hostesses a few days before her show (and sometimes twice during that week before). I want to go over everything and get her super excited once again. We talk about that wish list and texting out the reminder to all guests again!
***Don't be nervous to OVER REMIND! People are BUSY!!! I always get ladies thanking me for the last minute reminders!!! Remember you are in CONTROL! You are the EXPERT!
Email to GUESTS FOUR days before.....
Hi ladies,
It's Gina Bogda, your Stella & Dot stylist. I am looking forward to meeting so many of you at Cynthia's house on Tuesday morning! It will be a casual morning with baubles & bags. So please, swing by to grab a cup of coffee and check out the jewels. I'm bringing our hot off the runway NEW SPRING COLLECTION…and with more than 50% of the line under $50. There are LOTS of incredible options to wear now AND then carry into the SUMMER! If this is your first Stella & Dot trunk show, then I can't wait to introduce you to our brand!
If possible, RSVP so Cynthia may get an approximate guest count. http://www.stelladot.com/ts/xxxx
If you can't make it and would still love to shop, you have 2 options: Send me your address and I can mail you a gorgeous Look Book OR go online to shop at http://www.stelladot.com/ts/xxxxx or BOTH! Either way, Cynthia will receive credit for your purchase.
See you Tuesday!
Best,
Gina
SECOND HOSTESS COACHING CALL TO MY HOSTESS TO REVIEW THESE REMINDERS!
During my final Hostess coaching call before her show—I have several points that I ALWAYS review with her.
- Letting her know how excited I am about her show!
- Ask her to tell me about some of the guests coming!
- Tell her I’ll be at her place 30-40 minutes prior to set-up.
- I ask her—“Hey tell me, when girls come over your house – where do they usually hang out?” I NEVER ASK—WHERE DO YOU WANT ME TO SET-UP! I know from experience that I want to be in the middle of the action. So, if ladies always hang in her kitchen, I say that I will squeeze into the kitchen on her table and counters and it will be great!
- I let her know that once everyone gets there, I'll quickly go over a few things about Stella and Dot (shipping, new pieces, etc) for only 3-4 minutes! The whole point is for everyone to try on. AKA-- GROUP HELLO!
- I tell her that my only job for her is to play with the jewelry! The more you try on as a hostess, the more your friends will follow as well. My most successful shows are ones where the hostess is really involved.
- I suggest that she wear something that will make it easy to try on lots of different pieces.
- We talk food—KEEP IT SIMPLE! Something sweet, something salty and whatever her friends like to drink.
- I’ll be sending her a cute text reminder the night before and ask her to forward and share how excited you are to see everyone later. Individually reach out to anyone you have not heard from - this is a great way to increase attendance!
- I mention that one of my goals at every show is to book other shows and ask if she knows of anyone specifically who I should ask at her show.
- And most of all….have a great time! It is my experience that the hostesses who have fun, chat, and try everything on end up having more successful shows and earn more for free
Red Stamp is great! It can be used through the Stylist Lounge, or I actually prefer downloading the app and making my own creations. Quick & easy!
Here's a great version to send the night before!
Here'a a great version for that hostess who wants to use texting as a main form of inviting.
Here is a terrific generic one to use!
The Fortune can be in the post-show follow-up too!
And guess what? Despite the actual trunk show ending, it isn't OVER! As you know, our shows close automatically 3 weeks from the trunk show date! Operation outside order can be huge!
I always send a THANK YOU email to all guests (yes, maybes, no's) the day after!
My GOAL---always get my show to PURPLE! $1000 even if we leave at $600...I will work it with the hostess!!
- I continue to challenge the hostess to collect outside orders!
- I send a thank you email after the show!
- I leave books with the hostess to bring to work and give to friends/neighbors
- I follow up with each guest individually after they receive their goodies!!!
PERSONAL SERVICE!!!!!! That is what we do!
EXAMPLE AFTER THE SHOW!
Last Call for Deya’s trunk show!
Thank you to everyone who attended Deya’s Stella & Dot show last night! It was a blast! I loved meeting so many sweet and fabulous women - one of my favorite perks of being a stylist for Stella & Dot! Your orders are in the system and your jewels will arrive in 3-4 business days in YOUR MAILBOX packages in our adorable branded Stella & Dot gift boxes. I know you are going to be delighted!
If you missed the fun and still want to shop, it’s not too late! There is still time to shop the show online and brighten up your style for spring or summer. Head to Deya’s online shopping link at http://www.stelladot.com/ts/12345 . Call or email me too and I’m happy to help you with any questions you may have!
You can also get a little style inspiration online: http://www.pinterest.com/stellaanddot/style-solutions/
I hope to see you again at another trunk show soon (or just out and about)! I'd love to share the jewels with your group and meet some other great gals. I mentioned this to a few of you, but if you did want to grab some ladies together this spring, I have some April dates available, morning and evening! Or if you are looking to make some extra money, need a fun outlet, or just cannot get enough of the jewels….Stella & Dot is hiring!! I’d love to chat with you about how Stella & Dot could be a fun fit for you!
Thanks again!
Best,
Gina
(I will attach picture like Trunk show exclusives or other featured items)
Some fun images that I have collected to include in your messages to guests!
These steps will become natural for you! I promise! And then you too will be hostess coaching like a champ!
Have a great week GEMS!
Gina Bogda, Director
Email: gbogda@gmail.com
Website: www.stelladot.com/ginabogda
Location: Lititz, PA
Phone: 908-591-6329