Online Parties

Online parties are similar to home parties, but the guests are able to stay at home in their pjs if they like. Its makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. You hold your party pretty much the same way you would a home party just you don't have a display case to set up.

1. Setup online parties

A) Finding a Hostess - The first step to setting up a online party is to find a hostess. Try asking friends and family members to host a online party for you. You can also put out ads on the internet looking for random hostess for your party. You could do a mystery hostess party where you would draw a name from the guest and give them the hostess benefits. Another idea is to host your own party.

B) Setting a good date -You will want to grab your calendar and find a good date for you and your hostess. But you will also want to do some research on which days are good for online parties. We have seen that during the week are good days for parties. When winter hits then weekends can be great for parties to because the family is not out doing things together instead they are home trying to stay warm

C) Getting a Chat Room - You will need a chat room to have your online party in. There are several places on the net to get a chat room. Again you will want to do some research and find the best one for your needs.

Here are some free chat rooms and some party rooms that you can use:

1. Bravenet.com - Offers a free chat room to be hosted on your own chat. Bravenet offers many things great for WAHM's
2. The Mouse Connection - Offers party rooms hosted on there site. Fees ranges from $8.00 - $45.00 a month. There are many features that come with these chat rooms.
3. Direct Sales Moms - Offers party rooms hosted on their site. Fees are $45.00 a year. There are many features that come with these chat rooms.

D) Figuring out Specials - Always know your company specials. We usually try to make up a special that is only good for the guest of the party also. This lets them know they are getting something special for taking the time to come to your party. Good specials range from a free (small) gift with a order, 10% off price, a lot of customers love the free shipping specials. Be sure that whatever you give as a special isn't going to leave you with no profit though.

E) Games and prizes - Be sure to come up with some games and prizes to be played at your party also. Games add a little competition to your party adding more fun. There are many games that can be played at parties below are some examples:

1. Scramble - Pick out maybe 10 - 15 (depending on the amount of guests) different products. Scramble the product names and type each product in one at a time. First guest to unscramble the word gets a point. Guest with the most points wins.
2. Scavenger Hunt - Pick out a certain amount of products (maybe 10 - 15 depending on the amount of guests). Give the guests a product name. The first guest to tell you what page it is located on gets a point. Guest with the most points wins.
3. Bingo - Have a list of words on your site and have guesst pick out 5 words and email you those words, then later on when it's time for the game, start picking words from your list, the first person who you call all 5 words calls bingo and wins the game
4. Auctions - These are a blast and we have done great with them. You make up a list of ways for guests to earn play money to bid with. With the highest way to earn being either purchasing or booking a party, then you pick out a few prizes to auction off. This is a great game to get competitive juices going.
5. Other Online Party Games
   

For each game you have you will want to have a prize. There are many different prizes that you could give, below is just some suggestions for a prize. When picking out a prize be sure to pick out one that is suitable for the game. For example if its a harder game you might wanna pick out a better prize than if its a easy game.

• Gift Certificates - in what ever amount you deemed suitable. Usually $5 - $10 are good amounts.
• Coupon Books made up of coupons for certain amount off a certain product.
• If you company offers sale aids for giveaways at home parties these make great gifts too.

F) Preparing Invite and sending it - A invite to a online party is like a ad. You will want it to entice people to come to your party. Be sure to include all the info that is needed for your party like date, time, place, specials etc... Send the invite out to all your friends and family and to any groups you belong to. Be sure not to send them to people you don't know or groups your not in, this can be considered spam if you do and you don't want to get in trouble for spam. You can send an invite via email or you could use evite.com and they will send your invite out for you.

Announce your part online for FREE

2. Actual Party

A) Introduction of your business You will want to greet people when they come into your party. Wait until few minutes after the time it is suppose to start and then let everyone know what it is you do. Be sure to thank them for being at your party.

B) Sales Specials and Leads Let all your guest know what the specials for the party are. Also make sure they know where to get to your site at. A suggestion would be to have the link on the party page so they can just click right on it. Watch for any questions that someone might have. Answer them to the best of your ability.

C) Games and prizes You have your games and prizes figured out, pick a good time to play them usually after everyone has had a chance to look through your specials and site

D) Recruiting & Hosting Leads Let your guest know what your hostess is getting tonight for hosting the party. Tell them they can get the same thing if they would like to host a party also. Ask them to let you know if they want to host and then try to set a date then for the party if you can't let them know you will be emailing them to pick out a good date Tell the guest what you get from starting your own business. Be sure to tell them the recruiting special that your company has going.

E) Chit Chat Make room for general chit chat all through your party. Don't want it all to be business but make sure you keep control of your room that way when you need the conversation geared back to business it can easily be done.

3. Closing the Party

A lot of times online parties don't end right when they are scheduled to so plan on being there longer than what you have actually planned. When everyone is getting ready to leave (they will usually leave at different times) be sure to thank them for coming and let them know you will be contacting them with their total (if they ordered and if you hadn't already gotten it to them). Also let them know you hope they had fun and you hope to see them around again sometime. Ask if they would like to be added to future invite lists for upcoming online parties. Be sure to thank your host for hosting and let her know you will be in contact to let her know what she has earned from her party.

This is just a basic way to have a online party. You will want to do what feels comfortable to you. Play with the idea do what works best for you.

Scented Samples

I have had many people ask me “how do you make your samples?” I use them as a marketing tool for my Scentsy Wickless Candle business, by stapling them to my business cards, but anyone can make them to use as party favors, giveaways, scented flower pots and so many more uses for them for your business.


How To Make the Basic Sample

Tools Needed:

• Candy Melting Bowls (pourable) or a Wilton Candy Melting pot
• Candy Molds
• Candy Bags
• Once brick/bar of your favorite scent (bricks make approx. 100 samples/bars make approx 25)

Instructions:

1. Melt entire brick/bar in your melting pot/bowl of choice
2. Pour into candy molds
3. Let them set on the counter (about 10 minutes) - they will turn a milky white color
4. Place in your freezer for 10 – 15 minutes
5. Pop them out and bag them in the candy bags
6. To make a two-toned samples, fill the mold half full, wait for it to set and fill with your second scent, follow the instructions in step 3

Voila! ENJOY your perfect scented samples!!


Here some recipe ideas for your two-toned samples. You can either mix the scents or place them one on top of another:

• 3 cubes - Strawberry Sweetie + 1 bar - Sugar = Strawberry Lemonade
• 3 cubes – Grapefruit Blossom + 1 bar – Sunkissed Citrus = Citrus Celebration
• 3 cubes – Sticky Cinnamon Bun + 1 bar - Exotic Vanilla = French Toast
• 3 cubes – Verbena Berry + 1 bar Strawberry Sweetie = Berry Blast
• 1 bar - Lucky in Love + 1 bar – Ocean = Love Waves
• 3 cubes Lilacs & Violets + 1 bar – Ocean Breeze = Spring Awakening
• 3 cubes – Juicy Peach + 1 bar – Vanilla Cream = Ice Cream Cone
• 3 cubes – Coconut Lemongrass + 1 bar – Havana Cabana = Tropical paradise
• 3 cubes – French Kiss + 1 bar Silk = Exotic Romance

Scentsy News

Scentsy Announces New Car Candle Packaging - 6/26/09



New Scentsy Car Candle Packaging!

Scentsy is excited to announce a new look for Car Candles! You may begin to receive orders with new Car Candle packaging as soon as June 29, 2009. Until all inventory is depleted, on or around July 1, Car Candles will ship with either all new packaging or all old packaging.

With this new packaging, you can hang your Car Candles on a display for your home parties or fairs and shows. There is room on the back for your Independent Scentsy Consultant sticker, and some fun quotes under the Car Candle to surprise your customers.

We hope you love the new look!

What Direct Sales Companies Have You Tried?

I have tried a few home based businesses and swore that I would never go into direct sales again since I had a garage full of product and not easy to sell. I was introduced 10 years later through a good friend of mine to Scentsy Wickless Candles. She swears by them and brought me a catalog. Of course I decided to buy one and loved it so much I decided to do a party which turned into me becoming a representative. I swore I wouldn't do this again, but found in the 3 months that I have been selling Scentsy that the product truely does "sell itself". I personally would never use that term unless I truly believed it and I do! It's a great company to work for, very helpful and they give you everything you need to get started. The best part is, it's completely safe to have around my kids and pets and I don't have a garage full of product I can't get rid of!

Leave me a comment and let me know what direct sales companies you've tried. Looking forward to hearing your stories good or bad!

Scentsy in the News

The Direct Selling Association recently presented its 2009 annual industry awards for outstanding achievement in the areas of technology innovation, partnership, salesforce development and program excellence. The five companies honored during the association’s annual meeting were ACN Inc., Mary Kay Inc., Oxyfresh.com, Scentsy, Inc. and ServiceQuest.
more

Scentsy, Inc., was the first recipient of the Rising Star Award, presented to an up-and-coming direct selling company that has dedicated itself to achieving a high standard of excellence in business operations. Scentsy is headquartered in Meridian, Idaho, and owned and operated by Orville and Heidi Thompson. Scentsy, Inc., opened its doors in 2004 with the idea of offering a safe, wickless alternative to burning candles in homes and offices. The company’s passion has grown from offering a safer alternative to offering a better alternative. Scentsy’s flagship product line is an array of decorative warmers that utilize a low-watt bulb to melt a fragrance-filled, wickless candle bar.

I am very proud to be selling Scentsy Wickless Candles.

120 Ways to Promote Yourself Offline

Over the years that I’ve been an independent consultant, the number one complaint that I’ve heard from other consultants has to be about the dread that they have for promoting their own business.

I have found great success in utilizing "The List" and would like to share it with all the independent consultants out there (ie. Mary Kay, Cookie Lee, Longaberger, Scentsy etc.) who are just beginning their journey and even the ones that aren't that need a little boost in sales. I still refer to it today, since I cannot remember all 120 ideas!

THE LIST

#1 Take a small zip close baggie (snack sizes work well) and include the following in it: Your Business Card, Business Oppty Mini Flyer, a Piece of Candy such as hard candy or a lollipop, mini flyer of current host specials, discount coupon (optional) etc. Hand these out to the bank tellers, retail cashiers, at your kids sport events, everywhere you go!

#2 When I stay at hotels & motels I leave a mini catalog, my business card & discount coupon and the mini coin canister for the maid! I put her tip inside the mini coin canister! I have gotten 3 orders by doing this! Be creative when you leave tips for Hotel Maids, Waitresses, Waiters, Hair Dressers, etc. Don't just hand them your business card, make it memorable! You can also buy cute little beaded change purses at your local dollar discount store!

#3 Print out flyers with your contact info (not your personal address), your website address & email address along with any current specials you are offering. Then contact local area mobile home park offices, apartment complex rental offices, housing developments and ask them if you can leave fliers in their office or hang on their tennants doors. Give the office employees a free gift or discount on their personal orders.

#4 Contact local area bridal supply stores, bridal gown stores, caterers, tux rental centers, wedding dj's etc. Ask them if you can leave your business cards & fliers about the great (Company Name) Bridal Gift Registry for them to give to their customers. Offer store owners a free gift or a personal discount for helping you spread the word about your business.

#5 Daycare Centers! They are excellent to contact and leave business cards and/or fliers at! I print out a flyer of just a few items from our Tupperware Children’s line and I attach my business card & a discount coupon. I get a lot of orders by doing this! So whatever company you represent, find some items that cater to children or to moms and make up a flier!

#6 A lot of churches hold a Spring and Fall Fest! Contact them about getting a table or a booth. Alot of times this will cost you under $15.00 for a space! Make sure you take products with you along with business oppty fliers, plenty of catalogs, business cards etc. Do a contest drawing at these types of events. Make up entry blanks that gather the customers info so that you can initiate contact with them again!

#7 Join your local area chamber of commerce! Excellent Networking opportunity
They are always holding local business events that you can participate in.

#8 College Campuses! Dorms & Housing Students are always looking to spend money! A lot of college students are also looking for an extra income so target them with the Business Oppty too! Drop off fliers and business cards to the College Student Center! They usually have bulletin boards, tables and other things where you can leave your information at for FREE!

#9 Contact your local area Welcome Wagon or Welcome to the Neighborhood Group! Ask them about you leaving mini catalogs, fliers, business cards, discount coupons, freebie mini gifts, etc with them. They are always looking for additional items to place in their Welcome Bags!

#10. Contact your local area hospitals and ask for Human Resources Dept. The Majority of hospitals hand out New Mommy Diaper Bags filled with products, samples and other stuff for New Moms who just had a baby! It's FREE for you to add in your information! I have gotten party hosts, new customers and new recruits by participating in these types of programs.

#11. Contact your local medical offices, particularly Gynecology and OB Offices and Pediatric Offices and inquire about you leaving information with them. This is a way for you to target Parents of Children with both the home party oppty, the business oppty and new customer sales.

#12. Donate a Product to your local area Radio Station, they have numerous contests and they are always looking for sponsors! Your donation can be written off as a tax deduction plus you will get FREE Advertising & Business Exposure for your donation!

#13. Donate a Product to your local area Bingo Halls! They are always looking for sponsors of their Bingo Prizes! Bingo is BIG in a lot of areas!

#14. Call your Chamber of Commerce and find out about Local Area Job Fairs. Get a booth and set up info about the fabulous business oppty!

#15. Call your Local Area Colleges and find out when their next job/employment fair is. A lot of times you can get a booth or table for less than $35 and you will get a lot of GREAT new recruit leads by participating in events like these.

#16. Contact local area car dealerships. I have my local area hand out a small packet that I made up for FREE to their customers who come in to take a free test drive!

#17. Target your local area gyms! You can get a table space for $20 or less in most cases! Make sure you have 3-5 products on display, plenty of catalogs, business cards and fliers.

#18. Network with others in your community who are in home business. Find out what events and activities that they participate in. They are usually "in the know" and can help you get started in networking in your community.

#19. Contact Companies in your area to see if you can come in and set up a table in the employee lounge or cafeteria for a employee shopping break! These days a lot of companies will allow you to do this if you ask them!

#20. Does your local area tv cable company have a local information channel? Inquire about advertising! These ads will reach thousands of potential buyers for you! I recommend you only use your website address for these types of advertising and not your personal at home address.

#21. Contact local small companies and shops to see if you can offer an exclusive discounts or freebie gift to their employees. Companies are always looking for a way to "treat" their employees to specials from the local surrounding community.

#22. Small Home Town Newspapers! I don’t get too good of a response when I do big newspaper city ads, however... when I target small town newspapers I usually get a great response. I even had them let me place an ad on their wedding and engagement announcements page which I advertised the Bridal Gift Registry. So if you are going to do any type of newspaper advertising, inquire about getting your ads on specific pages in the newspaper that targets the group of people most likely to buy from you.

#23. Get a low cost outdoor banner printed up with your business information on it. You can usually get them done for $55 or less depending on who makes it. You can have these outdoor banners displayed at outdoor music/concert events, outdoor children’s sporting events, outdoor adult sport events, outdoor neighborhood block parties, outdoor community events, carnivals, fairs, etc.

#24. Take your business on the road during nice weather. Contact local area parks & community centers to see what their schedule of events are and inquire about setting up a booth or table. This is a great way to network & market your business to those in your community.

#25. Community Clipper Coupon Packs & Sales Flyer Mailings. These days a lot of communities have mailings such as these, contact them and see how you can participate and advertise your business.

#26. Contact small local area businesses such as hair salons, massage parlors, boutiques, banks etc. See if you can set up a table for 1 week with 3 of your best selling products on it along with some catalogs, fliers, coupons and your business card. Keep a basket on the table for any customer orders which you can follow up on after you return back to pick up your display. Offer the store owner or manager a free gift for allowing you to do this. You can also offer to donate a prize for a contest if they let you display the prize donated & get a copy of the contestants entry blanks after the promotion closes.

#27. Contact local area pizza shops, diners, deli's and coffee bagel shops to ask them about advertising on their paper placemats! Customers do read those ads!

#28. Contact local area restaurants, bars and clubs and see about advertising on their paper beverage coasters!

#29. Local Television Stations are always holding on-air contests & website contests for their viewers, contact them about you donating a prize or gift certificate to sponsor one of their contests! Great business exposure for you!

#30. Attend Local Area holiday shopping events. Customers who are ready to spend holiday shopping money turn out for these events by the thousands! You can usually get a booth for less than $50.00 so they are economical to participate in!

#31. Hold a local area community Block Party at your home or local community center! Families are always looking for something to do during the nice weather seasons! Optional: Attend your neighborhood block party and set up a table with your product offerings or samples. Get out there in your community and get your business seen!

#32. Get your business listed in your cities telephone book yellow pages! A lot of them also have a coupon section too!

#33. You can take this phone book advertising one step further by finding out what company makes the plastic vinyl phone book covers which have local business ads on them and get your business added to it!

#34. Get your business information printed up on pencils and hand them out to local colleges and technical schools for them to hand out to their adult students! This keeps your business information in front of them! (make sure you only donate them to schools with adult students).

#35. Get a vehicle banner made for your automobile. I recommend the vinyl window clings or vinyl cling ones that stick to your automobile but dont scratch or remove the paint. You can easily remove them when washing your vehicle!

#36. If your city has a travel guide that tourists request, contact that business and find out how you can advertise in it too!

#37. Local City Maps! These days even city maps have advertising on them! You can usually get a small business ad printed on them for an economical price. Don't advertise your personal location. If you dont have a business location then advertise your website address or email address.

#38. Contact local area hotels, motels and bed & breakfast inns and ask them if you can do up a Lobby Basket and leave it in their Lobby. What is a Lobby Basket? You make up little packs of info about your business & products and put them into the Lobby Basket for their patrons to take. They usually have a pamphlet wall or area too with pamphlets from local area attractions etc. If they don’t have a lobby basket area, inquire about leaving your business info in their pamphlet area.

#39. Get your business info printed up on balloons! This is very economical to do! You then distribute them to local community centers, sporting events and other types of places where parents book their children’s birthday parties! These balloons can be displayed at the birthday party giving you business exposure. You can usually get them done for .3-.8 cents each. Your business name & website address is all you need on them!

#40. Find a few other self employed business owners in your community and team up! You can all sponsor a local parade float, parade clowns etc. Make up signs with your business info imprinted on them so that you can receive some great business exposure during the parade!

#41. Get some T-shirts printed up with your business information on it (both front & back sides) and hand them out to some friends, family and co-workers and ask them to wear them out and about in the community. This is their FREE gift for helping you to spread the word about your business! Optional: Get ball caps printed up with your business info!

#42. Get some canvas tote bags printed up with your business information printed on it. Find a few ladies who are very active in your community and ask them to use your tote bag and give it to them for FREE under the agreement that they will use it every time they go out in the community for errands & events!

#43. Get a license plate made up for your vehicle! If you have your normal license plate on the back of your car, put your business named one on the front of the car! You can get one with just your business name on it for about $20-$30 per plate!

#44. Wear a business name tag every time you go out into your community! Get a Catchy Slogan printed on it such as: A. Ask me about (your company name) Products! B. I work from home, you can too! C. Earn some FREE when you party with me!

#45. Local Area Magazines! Does your city publish a City Magazine? If so, contact them about advertising or if they hold contests for their readers offer to donate a product or service for their contest!

#46. Check out your local area State Fairs & Community Carnivals, there are always alot of them going on during seasonal weather. Ask about getting a booth or table & set it up with your business information! People love to shop at Fairs & Carnivals and they are looking to spend money!

#47. Get some Business Card Magnets printed up and hand them out every where you go! Have your friends & family pass them out too! People are more apt to keep a magnetic business card compared to a regular one which gets shoved into a drawer or wallet. By having a magnetized card, your business is kept in front of the potential customer/client.

#48. When you give gifts to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. make sure you give them gifts from your own company! This allows other people to see & touch your gift meaning FREE business exposure for you! (plus, you bought the gift from yourself so you are saving money!)

#49. Invite your spouse’s co-workers over to your home for a little mingling party! Serve some refreshments or do a cookout BBQ and make sure you have a table set up with some product displays! If you sell kitchen or food products, make sure you use them!

#50. Do a neighborhood children’s shopping party! I do this before Christmas and again before Mother's Day. I invite the neighborhood kids to come by and shop for gifts for their parents and loved ones. They enjoy shopping on their own and parents enjoy a small break from the children! To make this successful make sure the products you are offering are economical, I try to keep them under $25.00 each with most being around $10.00 each. Have a table set up with some inexpensive crafting supplies and let the children make their own greeting cards to go with the gifts they have purchased or have a gift wrapping table set up so they can personally wrap their gifts!

#51. Do a joint party with another consultant in a non-competing business. Partying with a friend is always fun! You can hold it at one hosts home, your home or at a local community center. Invite every one you know and have others help you spread the word. Hang up fliers at local centers & businesses too!

#52. Put an AD in the back of local high school yearbooks! You can usually get these ads for around $20.00 which makes it affordable advertising for you!

#53. Put an AD for your business in local Athletic Sport Programs! You can find these at the High School Level, Minor League Level and at Professional Sporting Events!

#54. Contact Local Churches & Religious Groups and see if you can place an AD in their weekly church bulletins & program guides!

#55. Do you have a local Community Play House? If so, get your business ad placed in their play programs! You can usually get ads in them for less than $25.00

#56. Co-Sponsor a Local Youth Athletic Group! Baseball teams, softball teams, cheerleading squads, gymnastic squads and swim teams, etc. are always looking for sponsors! Co-Sponsoring a team will help get your business noticed in your local area!

#57. Get a Yard Sign! If you have a home business, consider getting a Yard Sign printed up and proudly display it in your front yard!

#58. Does your neighborhood hold local Meet & Greets? If so, make sure you go out and attend them! Get to know your fellow community members!

#59. Donate a Raffle Drawing Prize to a Non-Profit Group or Charity in your local community! They are always looking for prize donations for their charitable raffles. Note: Make sure you get a receipt for tax purposes!

#60. Do you have a Online Business & Website? Consider getting some computer mouse pads printed up with your website address & business name on them! This will keep your website & business in front of them every time they sign online! This encourages them to check out your website often for new products, updates & features!

#61. Local Bus Stops & Bus Sheds! Have you noticed that alot of them have local business advertising on them? Call up the company and see how much it would cost you to advertise there too!

#62. Does your local area grocery store allow advertisers to place business ads on the back of their cash register receipts? If so, contact them about getting your business ad on there too!

#63. Local baby expo's and baby events/contests! Set up a booth or table with your business info! These events are always very popular and a great way for you to reach new customers!

#64. Watch your local newspaper for Wedding, Engagement and New Baby Announcements! Make a list and then go to: www.searchbug.com to try to track down addresses. You can mail off your business info to them announcing your business, bridal gift registry, baby gift registry, etc.

#65. Stamp your business info to the outside of all outgoing postal mail! Include your business card on the inside. Do this for personal mail, business mail and for paying your bills!

#66. Contact your local Fire & Ambulance companies and see if you can set up a table at their next BBQ Event or fundraiser event.

#67. Contact LOCAL Assisted Living Centers for Senior Citizens (this is different than a nursing home!) and see if you can come in & offer a shopping oppty. to their Senior Residents! Seniors can NOT get out like they used too so they appreciate being able to shop from home and the majority of them don't own computers & if they do, they are not extremely computer savvy...so offer a one on one shopping experience with them! They also appreciate the adult company!

#68. Are there local small summer concerts held in your local parks? We have them here during the summer months! Ask about advertising options during these community events!

#69. BUY little boxes of Smartie (tm) Candies! Put your Business info on one side & on the front side slap on a label that says "Be a Smartie, Earn FREE (Your Company Name) w/a Party!" Hand them out everywhere you go!

#70. Make up candy packs with your business info attached to them and hand out to the Halloween Trick or Treaters!

#71. Exchange Business Cards, Fliers or Coupons with another Home Party Consultant in a NON-Competing Business and place her filler in your bags & outgoing packages & have her do the same for you! Sort of "scratching each others backs".

#72. The PUBLIC Library! I go in there often and see all kinds of local advertisements for businesses there! See if you can leave a catalog & a few business cards!

#73. Do a CATALOG SWAP with another party plan consultant (NON competing business). See if she will swap a few catalogs with you. You hand out a few of her catalogs at the END of your party and have her do the same! Hand them out as guests are LEAVING the party!

#74. I have a friend & fellow network member who prints out for me...mint books...she prints a pretty graphic on it, along with my business info...they look like matchbooks and inside is a piece of peppermint hard candy!

#75. Do a PARTY SWAP with a Consultant in another HOME party business! (NON-COMPETING!) Tell her if she holds a (Your Company) Party for you.....you will hold a XYZ Party for her!

#76. Ask about getting your info printed onto golf tee's and golf balls & then donate them to a local golf course or mini golf course!

#77. FOAM DRINK COZIES, the foam thingie you wrap around a cold beverage can! See if you can get some of those with your business info on them & hand them out at local sporting events!

#78. Indoor Concert Arena's. Have you attended a concert lately? Tons of advertising by local and national merchants at concerts! Check into doing some advertising!

#79. Children LOVE Stickers! Buy a slew of stickers with your business name on them....hand them out! Chances are that the kid's parents will see the stickers too!

#80. Temporary Employment Agencies, again drop off packets of info about Your Business Oppty to them.

#81. Print up some flyers and get permission from local shopping centers to see if you can leave them on car windshields! Always ASK permission first!

#82. Does your community print up FREE Renters Guides, House Buying Guides Etc? (you can usually find them for FREE at your local supermarket). If so, contact them about placing your business ad inside one!

#83. Got a local ice cream man who drives around in his ice cream truck throughout your community? Talk to him about passing out flyers or letting you add a logo onto his truck via a vinyl cling logo banner!

#84. Do a web search for you local county, local township and surrounding areas. I found tons of websites for my area with FREE online business directories which I was able to get my website listed in. They also have offline ADS that you can advertise in too! A great way to also find out about upcoming local community events to participate in!

#85. Are there any professional moving companies in your area? If so, contact them! They usually give out new business packet info to their customers/clients to welcome them to their new home. See about adding your business information to their "New Move" Packs!

#86. Local small town radio stations that are usually found on the AM frequency usually offer very low-cost local area advertising on their small radio station. A great way to get your business info out to those in your local community.

#87. Get your business information printed out onto paper text book covers! You can make them yourself! Donate them to local area adult technical schools and colleges!

#88. Is there a local business in your area holding a upcoming Grand Opening? If so, contact them! Alot of times they are giving away freebies to the first few hundred customers plus they do heavy advertising announcing their Grand Opening. This is a GREAT way for you to capitalize on that!

#89. Get your business info printed up on inexpensive bookmarks! Then give them to local area colleges, adult technical schools, book reading groups, libraries etc. You can usually print up your own bookmarks with your business info on them for less than .8 cents each! This will keep your business info infront of those avid book readers! They are also great to give away for FREE with customer orders!

#90. Put your Business Knowledge to Work! Offer to teach classes to adults! Examples: If you are with a kitchen/cooking company offer to teach adults to cook! They are always looking for fast & easy ways to prepare healthy meals! If you are a scrapbooking consultant, offer to teach a class to new moms on how to scrapbook new baby pages! If you are a Bath/Body/Spa consultant offer to teach pampering classes to women & moms! You can find adult programs by contacting: Local Community Centers, Local Civic Groups and alot of High Schools & Community Colleges offer evening classes to adults. (continuing education). This generates leads & sales and only takes a short amount of time!

#91. Put the word out to your friends, family & co-workers that you offer freebies to party go'ers. What do I mean? Well, people who are holding baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, anniversary parties etc. contact me about my freebies. They make up party goodie bags and are always looking for things to stuff them with. Depending on what type of party it is depends on what I donate! I print out pretty bookmarks, recipe cards, candy wrappers, gift bag tags, shopping lists, chore lists etc. with pretty designs on them along with my business info. I also attach a coupon. I keep my cost down to .15 cents per person. An inexpensive way to reach new potential customers.

#92. Print out your own Re-ordering labels! If you sell consumable goods (foods, spices, soaps, bath products, cosmetics etc) make sure you stick on a small re-ordering info sticker with your business info on it so that your customer can easily locate your information for placing reorders! This is also important to do considering some customers purchase items from you to give as a gift, this way the person who received the gift will also know how to contact you and will become a potential new customer for you!

#93. Establish a Referral program for your business and print out referral coupons! Offer established customers a free little gift or personal discount if they refer a new customer to you! I like to give out 3 Referral Coupons to every new customer I get so that they know they will be rewarded for referring new customers to me. Established customers are more apt to refer new customers to you if they know they will be rewarded for that referral. Verbal referral programs don't work well, so print up referral coupons or referral promotion cards to hand out to your established customers. I also like to put a "referral reward" sticker in all of my Tupperware catalogs. You can also add a sticker to the backs of your business cards.

#94. Print out Coloring Pages with a small section on them advertising your business and donate them to local area restaurants, daycares etc. I was able to find 4pc. crayon sets for ONLY .05 cents a box which I also donated along with the printed out coloring pages! Parents hang them on the front of their refrigerators after the children are done coloring them which keeps your business in front of the parent daily! Cost: About .03 cents for printed out coloring page with your business info located some where on it and .05 cents for the mini box of crayons. Try to find a design that relates to your business for the best effect.

#95. Contact your local area Girl Scouts, 4-H Club and other youth groups. Talk to them about you coming in to do a project with the youth's in the group. You can also talk to them about your business fundraiser program if you offer one. During the summer time there are alot of youth camps throughout the community. You can also find youth camps through local churches. Some are seasonal and some are year long programs. The YMCA is also a great resource! For Example: If you are a Kitchen Consultant, come in and teach the youth how to cook or about kitchen safety. If you sell pet products, go in and talk about grooming a pet. If you sell candles, go in and make some mini candles or teach them how to decorate them for gifts. Be creative!

#96. If you are crafty with your computer you can print out tea bag wrappers with a pretty design on them along with your business information. I purchased a few boxes of individually wrapped tea bags and then put my printed business tea bag wrapper over it. You can hand them out throughout your community. I like donating them to: Assisted Living Centers, Senior Community Centers, Daycare Centers (to be given to the parents & teachers), School Teacher Lounges, Employee Break Rooms etc. Example of Cost: .03 cents for a printed color wrapper and about .03-.05 cents per tea bag.

#97 Make sure you leave info about Your Business on your answering machine or voice mail message! Not everyone who phones you knows that you sell or represent a particular company! (especially those pesky bill collectors & telemarketers).

#98 Take your outdated catalogs and randomly mail or distribute them thru-out your neighborhood! Make sure you stamp it OUTDATED and provide contact info for yourself so they can contact you if interested to get a current catalog!

#99 Get Business Themed Banking Checks! Your bank checks pass thru tons of hands that could become potential customers or party hosts! If possible get your email address or website URL preprinted onto them! I also suggest using preprinted postal address labels too! (try to get checks that have pictures of some of the products you sell on them or at the very least make sure some where on the check it says: Tupperware Consultant, Avon Rep, and so forth.)

#100. Get your business info printed onto matchbooks! Donate the matchbooks to candle shops, smoke shops, clubs etc. to help get your business name out in your community!

#101. Consider getting some inexpensive mini desk-top sized calendars printed up with your business information on them and hand out to local office workplaces! A great way to keep your business information in front of a potential or repeat customer/client.

#102. Take the above idea a step further. Get your business info printed up on pencils, pens, mini note pads, tab stickers and so forth. Contact local office style businesses and donate a few "business" supplies to them! When you go to the doctors or dentists office you see a slew of these types of things from various companies all over the office, so you can do the same thing by donating them to office-style businesses.

#103. Contact local groups in your own community. These can be hobby groups, collector groups, new moms, new parents, neighborhood watch groups and so forth. See what their coming up activites will be and offer a fundraiser opportunity to them or offer a party or to teach a class to them. Better yet, get involved in a group as a participant. The more you get out there in your community and make contacts the better your business will be.

#104. Local Holiday Events! Does your area hold a children’s christmas party, easter egg hunt, halloween party, etc? If so, get involved! You can donate candy or other holiday items and get yourself some business exposure, besides they are always alot of fun to participate in!

#105. Get your business info printed up on some Lanyards and distribute them to local office place environments for employees to use to keep their keys on or give as freebies to your current established customers etc.

#106. Get your business info printed up on some employee id tag holders! Hand them out to office environments that have alot of employees to get your business info seen by lots of people!

#107. Contact some local small shops in your area. Offer to sponsor a drawing box & prize. Make sure you have an attractive drawing box and have the prize on display. Alot of small shops have in-shop (in-store) drawings that are sponsored by other local merchants. You should also have on hand a few catalogs and a stack of business cards. This is a great way to get business exposure and to collect leads. Make sure your entry form states: Name, phone number and email address plus a section for: ____ more info about hostessing a party ____ more info about the consultant opportunity ____ request a free catalog ____ please subscribe me to your online newsletter

#108. Draft up a business press release. Submit it to your local newspapers, local magazines, tv stations and radio stations. Offer to be a guest on one of their live or recorded shows.

#109. Do you get a lot of magazines to your home? If so, after reading them, print up some labels on your computer that say "Compliments of __________________" and donate them to local doctors offices, dentist offices, local hospitals, libraries, community centers, senior centers, etc. Make sure your label includes your business name & information.

#110. Draft up some mini tip booklets, recipe booklets or craft project booklets. Make sure you label them as "Courtesy of ________________" and donate them to local daycare centers, salons, civic and community groups, etc. You can print them out on your home computer inexpensively.

#111. If you can afford this idea, it’s a great one! Remember those little rubbery type of change purses with the key ring attached to them that advertisers use to put their name and advertising info onto them? Well, they are popular again! I got one from our local bank! If you can afford it or co-op it with another consultant that would be a great idea to hand out to BIG office environments where employees carry around alot of change for vending machines, parking meters etc.

#112. If your company has a fundraising program the best way to promote it is to locate local area fundraisers. What do I mean? When local groups hold bake sales, sub sales, chicken BBQ's, car washes etc....go visit them and offer them a company fundraiser pack with all of the important fundraising information, catalog and a contact sheet & business card.

#113. Contact your local area Home Owners Association. See if you can drop off flyers, catalogs and business cards promoting your business to them or set up a free contest giveaway basket in their offices to promote your business and products.

#114. Do you attend a lot of outdoor sporting events & concerts? Have you seen those afghan throws that you can get personalized? Instead of getting a family name & date imprinted on one...get your business name on it! I have one that has my website address & my business name. Since we attend a lot of outdoor sporting events in the fall, I take it out with me and wrap around myself on the bleachers! Everyone sitting around me gets to see my business info! I even lend it out to friends & family when they attend outdoor events!

#115. Take the idea above one step further. Do you spend a lot of time out at the neighborhood pool or at the beach? Get your business info printed up on beach towels & beach blankets! You can also get your biz info printed up on a beach umbrella...better yet, get yourself a rain umbrella with your biz info printed on it!

#116. Does your city/town have a local taxi cab company? If so, call them up! I recently donated 35 of my mini catalogs to a taxi company who placed one in the back seat magazine holder of 35 of their cars. Since that time, I have gotten 1 new consultant and 2 new customers! Some bus companies will also accept them so check those out too! People are always looking for something to read!

#117. When you travel take numerous catalogs, flyers, business cards etc. with you when you pack for your trip. Make up a separate tote bag just for these items. Leave you catalogs, flyers and business cards ever where you go while on your trip. ie. back of train seats, back of airplane seats, hotel lobbies, restaurants, sporting events, etc...where ever. This is a great way to target non-local customers and interest in your business.

#118. Contact other work at home business people and small business owners in your community. It's more economical for a group of you to share costs on community advertisements and mailings.

#119 If you have advertising on your vehicle, see if getting a business card holder for your vehicle would be a fit (http://www.cardcaddie.ca/)

#120. Last but not least give a sample or gift to your UPS delivery girl/guy.

Written By: Shelly Hill, An Online Tupperware Manager