Home Shows - PART 2

In the previous post which is now the post after this post - I was responding to what I take to shows and what I talk about and how I tailor my shows to the crowd. I got a bit lengthy in that post so here is the part about what I actually talk about at the shows.

Before I talk about what I say at shows and what else I do let me first start off by saying that I am scared to death of talking in front of others. My friends and people that know me would not believe this. I am great in a small crowd with people I know BUT - when it comes to strangers - I am a wreck. When first asked to be a BEE Facilitator 6 or 7 years ago I had no idea how I was going to be able to do it. I took it head on though because I knew it would be good for me. You have no idea how much it has helped me and I have gained to much from doing it. BUT I am still scared to death doing it but once I get started I'm ok.

I still get nervous at Home Shows too. What I always have to tell myself though is I know the products better than anyone in the room and I love the products more than anyone in the room so it doesn't matter as much of what you say as it matters that you show how great you feel about the products. Your confidence and conviction about Longaberger is more important than anything! So - if I can do Home Shows - being afraid of speaking in front of people - then EVERYONE can do home shows.

I don't tailor my shows too much from show to show. I have a beginning - which is a brief introduction of myself. I let them know how I got involved with Longaberger because they all look at me like - A Man? What the hell are you doing selling Longaberger? So I give a quick intro of me. Then I ask them all who is familiar with Longaberger and find out how much they know about Longaberger and find out who has never even been to a show. That way I know what I am working with. Then I do tailor how much I talk about our history because if they are Longaberger fanatics then I need to spend more time showing products. If they don't know anything about Longaberger then I have to educate them. They have to understand the true value of our products and really understand that the basket they hold in their hand was made BY HAND by another human being. I sometimes ask them what they can make with their own hands only using a few tools. This shows them the value of our baskets.

So once I get all that over with i jump right in with the monthly feature. I explain to them that it's one of the things that makes Longaberger so different. We have something DIFFERENT EVERY month. So I basically get through all the products that are featured for the month that I am in and showing the rest of the products as they fit in. If I don't have some ting in hand I show it from the flyer or catalog.

I explain that our baskets come in three stains. I explain the proper way to buy a Longaberger basket is to make sure you also get the liner and protector. It needs to be complete. People always ask if the protector and liner are included in the price. I explain early in the show that all pieces come individually - a la cart just like a fine restaurant so that they can choose all the pieces the way they want them.

I talk a bit about the fact that our pottery is vitrified china and make sure they understand that a vitrified pottery is the best kind of pottery they can purchase especially for everyday use. I also explain how affordable our is compared to what they see in a department store and I also make sure they know how many colors we offer and that they should mix and match the colors and not to stick with just one. I also let them know that our pottery is the best selling casual dinner ware in the US. I heard that somewhere I hope it's true. The other thing that you have to make sure they know about our pottery is that most companies just have place settings with a few accessory pieces or they sell baking dishes and coordinating pieces but no dinnerware. We are one of the few companies that has EVERYTHING for setting the table with all the pieces needed for baking and fixing food and serving it in.

So anyway get through explaining the products with as much detail as you can without talking too much. Try to keep things under 30 minutes. A few times throughout the show you have to mention and show the booking items. I have the hostess hold them in her hand and tell everyone what she wants and they I explain how she will get them. Somewhere at the beginning of the show I explain that we have two goals to accomplish and one of them is to help the hostess have a high show total to get the most benefits and that we also have to help her get her booking items which is another benefit of doing the show. Another thing I do at the beginning of the show is to explain that we need everyone to help make the show a success and that I have something for EVERYONE! (making them all know they are expected to make a purchase - ok - It's subtle and not pushy - of course they don't have to buy - BUT if they want to help the hostess they will make a purchase)

Do an introduction if yourself, of Longaberger, show products, give details, show value, explain benefits of doing their own show and show excitement of our products. It's that easy.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes. I forget names of things, I go blank when speaking, I drop things. Sometimes I am a complete mess. When I make a mistake I correct myself, we laugh and we move on. DON'T be stiff! Show them that you are having fun. Show them that you LOVE Longaberger and the rest will come through. You don't have to be perfect. If being perfect at a Home Show was a requirement then I better stop now!

If you don't want to get up in front of people - sit on the edge of a chair and pull it up close to everyone while you talk and act like you are just being more inclusive with everyone. It doesn't have to be like a lecture or actual program. Just get to talking and get them talking too. Sometimes if I have a very small group I take things to the kitchen table and show products while they eat. So many of our products work on the kitchen table so it's a great place to show products. If it's a larger group I usually use the family room where there is more room. That is where i do most of my shows.

Again, there is no right or wrong way. Do your shows in a way that makes you feel comfortable but at the same time makes you come off looking like a professional about our products. Be casual is you have to but don't be casual about the knowledge of the products. Don't be afraid to make a mistake though and don't be afraid of not knowing something because you can always get the answer. Make sure you are having fun and everyone else is having fun too.

Ok - I could go on and on about what do to at Home Shows so if you have anything specific you want to know that I haven't covered let me know and I will get back to you. What ever you do though - DON'T use the excuse of not knowing how to do a Home Show as a reason of not doing a home show. Don't use the excuse that you feel uncomfortable either. Figure out a way to get comfortable. The Home Show is the best way to sell our products, our company and our selves. If you haven't figured it out yet - People are hungry for our products but so many Consultants aren't hungry to get out there and give them what they want! If you aren't out doing Longaberger Home Shows - someone else is in those homes selling their products instead!