So you’re hosting an Usborne Books & More party!! That’s awesome! I can’t wait for you to earn free books!! Whether you’re new to hosting an online party, or whether you’re a party veteran, here are 5 tips for hosting a great Usborne Books & More party!
Haven’t actually scheduled a party yet? Do so here!
Tip # 1 – Personally Invite
I know, I know. Uggghhh. You actually have to talk to people…I get it. I recoiled against this suggestion when I hosted my very first Facebook party (back before I joined as a consultant). But, think about it, how many things are you added to on Facebook without anybody asking you?? You barely pay attention to them, right?? You might even roll your eyes. BUT – hold the phone – if somebody sent you a thoughtful message, clearly not copy and pasted, just asking if you would like an invite, would you get annoyed? NO! It’s pretty easy to say yes or no to an invite, especially if we help make it no pressure.
We call it inviting with L.O.V.E.
L: Lead with their name (and the names of the kids in their life, if you know them), so they can see that you took the time to message them personally!
O: Open up about what the books have done for the kids in your life.
V: Visualize the kids in their life excitedly opening up their box of books! (This isn’t actually part of your conversation with them, but picturing it will make inviting more fun!)
E: End with gratitude and give them an “out”! E.g. Would you like to come? No worries if you can’t! I would love having you there!
Look, if you were throwing a party for real, you’d be mailing honest to goodness paper invites. Those are FUN to receive. Randomly getting added to an online party isn’t fun to receive. By sending out personalized messages, you’re making the invite fun, personal, and you might even reconnect with some old friends thanks to it!! I got plenty of playdates scheduled from my personalized messages, whether or not they joined my party!!
Tip # 2 – Be visible in your party!!
Keep in mind, this is YOUR party, not your consultant’s. You are the one hosting an Usborne Books & More party, they are merely the conduit to the fun! They’ll be posting all about the books, maybe playing some games, trying to get your friends engaged and learning about the awesome catalog. BUT – you are the star of the party! If this were at your house, you’d be talking to everybody, greeting your friends, making people feel welcome. Do that in the online party, too!! Comment on all of the posts! Make a welcome post of your own! Respond to your friend’s comments! YOUR participation makes the party extra fun, and reminds people who they’re there to “see”!
Tip # 3 – Post about the party on your personal feed!
I’m gonna guess that going through your friends and family, you won’t actually message everybody. You’ll skip some people thinking “oh no, this will be too awkward” or you’ll assume, before asking, that they’ll say no. A great way to get 2-3 more people to come to the party is posting on your page! If you’re hosting with me, I even send you a graphic to use if you don’t have a good pic of your kiddos with books. Let everybody know that you’re hosting an Usborne Books & More party without filtering yourself! I promise you, somebody is going to say “Add me!!” Psst, you can’t ONLY do this step. You do actually have to message people!! It’s the very best way to get people engaged.
Tip # 4 – Follow up!!
Following up is KEY to your party being successful! I can’t decide if it’s more important to be visible in the party, or to follow up, but they are both so crucial. What does following up look like? At the very least, you should send thank you messages to everybody who came and everybody who ordered. (Again, this is a real party after all, wouldn’t you say thank you to everybody for coming?) Extra bonus: since this is an online party, you can also reach out to anybody who missed the party letting them know that they can still review the party posts! Plus, since you’re chatting with them, you can encourage them to host a party, too! Getting at least one friend to host gets you closer to the monthly host rewards.
Tip # 5 – Decide whether you would like to join!
I put this last, but you should really start thinking about whether or not you would like to join Usborne Books & More as a book consultant. Preferably, before your party starts! If you join before your party, your consultant can magically turn it into your launch and you’ll be able to earn the free book rewards and the commission. Say whaaaa?? Why am I putting this down as a tip? Because I didn’t join before my party and it’s my one regret about joining!! I lost about $250 in commission by joining after my party. Biggest deal ever? No. Bummer sauce? Yes. Still bitter about it? Maybe 😉
Feel free to ask me, or your consultant, any questions you may have before joining! We are all open books (pun intended). You can even browse my FAQs!
There you have it, my top 5 tips for hosting an Usborne Books & More party!
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