Open House Tips

• September 6th, 2007
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Can you believe it’s already September? Christmas shopping is just around the corner! In Mary Kay, that means it’s about that time of year when we hold holiday open houses.

With Open House Season practically upon us, I thought I would share some tips and ideas for holding one. I myself have not yet held my own holiday open house, but I have collected some great tips from my director’s senior.

Tip #1: Invite many! Do NOT hold an open house if you have less than 100 loyal customers on your PCP mailing list! In order to have a good turnout for your open house, you will need to invite a lot of people. If you have a minimum of 100 loyal customers, you have better odds of attendance.

Tip #2: FOLLOW UP! When inviting guests, don’t just send out invitations and hope they show up. Call each individual you invite. When speaking with her, schedule a precise time for her to be there. This way, you can create an organized event. If someone has questions, you have a set time in which to answer questions and take orders. Schedule a couple people for the same times (double book) in case someone is late or early or can’t be there at all. She can arrive early to look around, but have a scheduled time that she talks with you. This will make her accountable to you.

Tip #3: Don’t go overboard with refreshments. Keep it simple. Stick to snack foods and maybe some holiday cookies. If you put too much effort into it and have a less than amazing turnout, you will feel let down and deflated.

Tip #4: Hold your open house in October or November if possible. It’s best to aim for before Thanksgiving. Once Thanksgiving rolls around people will start to be very busy. If you do decide to hold one in December, make sure you invite early.

Tip #5: Give yourself time for orders to arrive. If you don’t stock a large inventory, make sure you hold the event early enough to ensure that orders will arrive in time for the holidays. For display, have sets made up to sit out, but don’t have them on hand. Have something simple on hand like Satin Hands or Satin Lips. Anything that is elaborate can be ordered now and prepared carefully for delivery.

Tip #6: Book faces from the open house! Don’t forget that skin care classes and facials are the lifeline of our business. Use this opportunity to book future business appointments–including holiday makeovers.

Those are my tips. I welcome any others as the holidays near. I had hoped to hold an open house myself this year, however, with my house being for sale and my husband being adamantly against holding appointments at the house, I don’t think it will be realistic this year. Please share your tips, experiences, etc. One of these years I will hold an open house!

Tags: Booking, Coaching, Open House, Sales Techniques