14 Ways Keep Your Calendar Full

 
This tutorial is one of the longest ones I offer.  I recommend you read through it and get a general idea of the info here.  Make sure you REALLY understand the first two tips.  But otherwise, use it as more of a reference for when and if your classes dry up!

Two Most Important Tips

I believe there are two main things you need to "master" in order to keep your party calendar full, but even if you are are the absolute BEST at these two things, you will occasionally find yourself facing a slow spell.  That is simply the nature of this business.

So.....I have more than just two tips for you.  I actually have fourteen!  The first two are those I mentioned that I feel are most important.  Make sure you focus on and practice them regularly.  Use them to avoid facing "slow spells" in the first place.

The other twelve tips can be used to help pull you out of a slow spell you may find yourself in.

1.  Call - Mail - Call

People who attend a class are FAR more likely to book their own.  So, not only do you need to offer classes, you need to get people to come to those classes so you can find more hosts!  This should be your #1 focus as a new consultant!  Hands down the BEST way to do this is through the Call-Mail-Call system you learned about in the PATH.

Make sure you master Call-Mail-Call when you host your own classes.  Don't be afraid of it.  This is the #1 thing I find most new consultant don't do, at least not fully.  And if you don't do it, you will quickly find yourself dead in the water with no class leads.  So, fully invest yourself in it!  If you practice it and see the positive results from it with your self-hosted parties, it will be far easier for you to teach your hosts to do it.

Eventually, the classes others host for you will be incredibly important.   These are the classes you want to book more classes from because they open you up to a market of people that you do not know.  You can't sell to friends & family forever.  If you are to make it in this business, you must break out of the friends & family circle.  You want every one of your hosts doing Call-Mail-Call.

You can quickly review Call-Mail-Call by clicking on the review below:

 

2.  Book Classes From Classes

Now that you have people attending your classes, you will need to "master the art" of committing some of those guests to book their own class.  People will typically host a class for you for one of the following two reasons:

• They really understand the benefits of these products and want to share that with others.
• They want free and 50% off product.

Your absolute best hosts become a host for BOTH reasons.  You want hosts who fully understand both of those things because they will invite lots of people to their class and help you teach those they've invited.

First, make sure you are teaching instead of just showing at your classes.  Those who attend should leave knowing how THRIVE offers solutions to problems in their lives.

Second, focus on the double dip during your actual classes.  This allows you to point out the Host Benefits without making your host feel uncomfortable.  During each class try mentioning something like this:

"THRIVE Life is serious about getting their healthy food into every home, so they want to give it to your for free! If you purchase as part of Jane's class, THRIVE Life will set aside some free and discounted product for you that you can claim when you host a class of your own, and if your friends and family purchase as well, you will earn even more free and discounted product!. When we are done tonight I will get out my calendar and you can each let me know when you'd like to host your class and claim your free product."

More Tips:

If you've mastered the above two tips, your calendar should stay pretty full.  But even the absolute best consultants have slow times.  Here are a few additional tips for getting classes booked on your calendar:

3.  Use the double dip

Did you know there is NO expiration to the double dip?  If someone placed an order or created a Q one, two, three years ago or even longer and hasn't hosted a class, they can STILL claim their double dip!  Isn't that incredible!?!?  Wow.  I love this company!

Use that!  First, go through all your Q customers (because they will have the biggest double dips...30% of their budget).  Call those that have not yet hosted a class (even if their Q is not currently active, they can still earn their double dip as long as it was active for 3 months):

"Hey!  I know you've had a active Q now for a while.  I'm glad you are enjoying it.  Thrive Life really likes to reward their Q customers.  If you host a class for them and tell your friends why you love your Q, they will give you $30 in free product*.  If any of your friends & family order or create their own Qs, you will earn even more free product.  I've got time for a class on Monday the 12th, Thursday the 15th or Wednesday the 21st.  What day works best for you?"
*A $100 Q would earn $30 in free product.  A $50 Q would earn $15, a $200 Q would earn $60 etc)

Then, call customers who have placed orders (especially large orders).  They get 10% of their order back in free product!

 

4.  Call previous hostesses

If you've had a fantastic host in the past who did not become a consultant, they will likely host for you a 2nd time.  Offer to cook up a different dish or sample new products or offer a 72 hour kit or water storage class etc.  Change things up a bit!  She may invite the same people, but with a different presentation, you can still have lots of success.  Some of my best customers have come to numerous classes I've offered.

 

5.  Offer a "mystery hostess" class

This can be a GREAT way to get guests to a self hosted class.  You will get people who might not come otherwise.  Invite everyone the same way (Call-Mail-Call), and don't leave out anyone who has
already been to a class.  Especially focus on those who you know like the product but have NOT yet hosted their own class.  Getting them to this party will give you another chance to convince them to host their own.

When you Call-Mail-Call, tell the guests that at the end of the class you will be drawing one of their names to win all the free and 50% off benefits instead of keeping them for yourself.  They get one entry for coming, and extra entry for bringing their spouse and 2 extra entries for bringing a friend.  Then, at the actual party, you could also have an additional list of ways they can earn extra entries (though you don't have to).  Here are a few ideas:

• 1 extra entry for providing their contact info / signing up for your newsletter
• 1 extra entry for answering a question correctly
• 1 extra entry for every $25 they spend
• 2 extra entries for creating any Q
• 3 extra entries if that Q is over $100
• 4 extra entries if they create a Smart Start Q
• 5 entries if they book their own class
• 5 entries if they become a consultant.

 

6.  Do a home show / botique / expo.

Google search for these types of opportunites in your area.  Or, post that you'd like to do one on the THRIVE Crew facebook page  (a large number of consultant "hang out" here), and see if anyone else in your area knows of one and would be willing to team up.

I don't recommend spending an enormous amount of time and money resources on shows and expos.  You will usually get LOTS of leads from them, but the leads you get (purchase, host and consultant leads), tend to be of lower quality.  So, you often have to spend a lot of time sifting through (calling) a lot of "poor" leads to find the "good" ones in the day or two after the show.

But doing 2-3 shows a year can help keep your calendar full and avoid slow slumps!  Or, if you are out of class leads entirely, focusing on shows and expos for a week or two can be a great way to get a BIG ol' list of leads for you to call and try to set up classes with.

 

7.  100 leads in 10 minutes

Really, honestly and fully fill out the 100 leads in 10 minutes sheet.  Then, start calling / contacting all those leads.  Some of them will only be acquaintances.  That is okay.  Be Brave.  Be Confident.  Remember that you have something truly awesome to offer.  If they aren't willing to host, ask if they are willing to attend one of your self hosted classes.  Then, once they've done that, invite them to host again!

8.  Expand Geographically

How far are you willing to travel?  My trainer, Rachel Mano, was one of the first consultants and when she first started, she would drive up to 3 or 4 hours for a good, solid, class. The immediate return on that one class wasn't always "worth it."  Say she got two $100 Qs.  Up front, that was only worth about $40 commission.  But now, 4 years later, she has earned $520 from those two Qs ($5 / month each plus the original $40).

Or maybe all she got was one consultant ($50 enrollment bonus) with a $50 Q ($10 in commission).  Up front, $60 doesn't really seem worth it.  But if that consultant goes on to work hard and build their own business, the payback could be HUGE!

Because of her incredible dedication and hard work, Rachel & her husband Chad (who watched the kids during all those early classes) are now the top earning consultants in the company with solid consultants (12 of them are Platinums) on their team from all over.  Those long distance classes were more "worth it" than they may have seemed at first.

My situation was a bit different than Rachel's with a nursing baby when I first started, so 3-4 hours was a bit too far for me.  But I still traveled 2-2.5 hours for a good class.
 
Again, I ask how far are you willing to travel?   Heather Lorimer (a Platinum consultant) once did the following when she was out of class leads:

Make lists of everyone you know that lives in each geographical area you are willing to travel to.  Even if you can't travel more than an hour or so, you should be able to separate that area into a bunch of smaller areas.  Focus on each area by making a list of people you know there (even acquaintances)  Then, call them.  Be brave!

"Hey, I know we don't exactly live next door, so you may not know this, but I teach cooking classes with a fantastic food product called THRIVE.  It is basically healthy convenience food that actually tastes really good!  It has saved me a lot of time, money and effort in the kitchen.  I'm trying to get some classes going in your area, but I don't know too many people.  Would you be willing to host a class for me?  I'd be happy to "reward" you and say "thank you" with some free and discounted product."

If you do travel for classes, here are two tips that have helped me:

• Try to book more than one class in that area on the same day.  For example, book one class on Saturday morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening (or similar).
• Focus VERY heavily on getting a new consultant to enroll in that area.  Offer to give all class leads in that area to your host if she becomes a consultant.  If she doesn't want to enroll, offer the same thing to all of her guest.  The first to enroll gets all the leads!

 

9.  Hand out samples

People will be much more interested in this product when / if they taste it.  If you can't get them to come to your home for a class or host their own, then take the food to them!  This isn't as effective as an actual cooking class, but it can be helpful if you are all out of leads!

Fill a bunch of sample bags with products that taste great dry.  I would put a pineapple, strawberry, grape and a few pieces of corn in each bag.  Then, start with people you know and knock on their door.  Offer them the sample and invite them to a self-hosted class for more info.  Make sure you leave a business card with your name, number and website on it.  If you run out of those you know, start knocking doors of those you don't know, but that live in your area. Tell them teach cooking classes and that you'd like to get to know your neighbors better, so you will be hosting a free class in your home.

 

10.  Host a "Dinner Party"

I typically recommend against calling your classes a party.  (-:  But in some cases, it works.  Offer to make dinner, drinks, and dessert for a bunch of couples as a couples date night of sorts.  Lots of people love to get out and a free meal with friends is always fun!

Don't do too much selling or teaching.  Cook everything beforehand.  But once they are "wowed" with the taste of THRIVE make sure you tell them how little time it took to make all that great food.  Let them know you teach classes about how to use this food to save time, money and effort in the kitchen.  Offer to let them attend a class you will be teaching in you home later that month or let them know you'd also be willing to come to their home to teach the class as well.

 

11.  Host an Open House

I'll be honest.  I don't love open houses.  I've tried them and rarely do I feel they are immediately worth the effort.  Open houses are just too casual and require no commitment from people.    People become loyal customers, hosts and consultants when they attend a a class where they learn about the product in detail and watch it being cooked.

But that isn't to say that open houses don't have a place in your business.  I'd offer two suggestions to make them more effective: (1) Call-Mail-Call.  Don't just hand out flyers or put up a facebook message.  It won't work.  (2)  The main focus should be booking more classes, not selling product or Qs.  Focus in on that ONE commitment you are looking for from people and you will find more class leads.

Treat it similar to the dinner party.   Don't too much selling or teaching.  Cook everything beforehand.  But once they are "wowed" with the taste of THRIVE make sure you tell them how little time it took to make all that great food.  You may even have signs up by dish that say something like: "Non-GMO.  Prepared in 10 minutes.  No additives, preservatives artificial colors. Ask about attending a free class to learn more."

Make sure you verbally tell each person who comes that you teach classes about how to use this food to save time, money and effort in the kitchen.  Have a sign up sheet where they can leave their info to be contacted about attending / hosting a class and earning free products.   Keep one sign up sheet by the food and another in your arms on a clipboard that you can hand to people when you talk to them.

 

12.   Support your customers

If you take the time to really support your customers....especially your Q customers, this will come back to benefit you later on.  Those who USE their food regularly are FANTASTIC hosts.  And if you provide great customer service, they will often want to "pay you back" somehow.  So, make sure that
with every new Q customer you get, you make an effort to support them.   Pay attention to what they get in their Q each month.  Then, send them tips and recipes for those specific products.  Call them once a month or so.  Ask what they've made with THRIVE lately and offer to answer any questions they have.

The, when the time comes, they will be much more willing to host a class for you if you need it.  During a dry spell, call them up!

"Hey!  I'm really trying to expand my THRIVE business and I'm wondering if you'd be willing to help me out.  I know you love your Q and use your Thrive all the time.  If you'd be willing to share why you love it so much with some family and friends, I'd be happy to teach them how to cook with it and reward you with some free and discounted products.  Will you host a cooking class for me?"

 

13. One-on-one consultations

One-on-one consultation can be a great way to expand your business.  While they are more time consuming (per person) than a class, they typically result in very loyal customers.  Often, when you take the time to do an in home one-on-one consultation for someone, they are willing to host a class when you are done.  Here are some ideas for one-on-one consultations:

• Offer to look at the food storage they have a help create a plan to fill in the gaps.  
• Offer to convert 5-10 favorite family recipes to use shelf stable ingredients
• Offer create a custom Q for them based what they already have in inventory and what they'd like to have.
• Offer to walk them through how to cook their favorite family recipe with THRIVE (practice at home first).