Dear Home Party Consultants,

One of the widely quotes Sanborn Maxims says

“The pleasure of the buying experience is as important as the price of the product.”

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is built on realtionships.  I have talked at length about relational capital and the principle of Make Me Feel Special And More.

Ok Party Plan Pat…er how does this relate to my business?

I walked into the GNC store tonight is search of Light Grey Celtic Sea Sale…yes I am on the master cleanse (I’ll drink to a new de-toxified skinnier me, Just Kidding!)

You always know you are going to get into trouble with the overly muscluar, bald headed, wanna be metro-sexual sales persons suffering from short-mans syndrome.  But oh well, it takes all sorts

Me: Hi? Is GNC considered a health food store?

Wanna be metro-sexual salesman: Health Food Store.  Health food store (he pauses as if to indicate he is really hard at work here…)

Me: Do you sell Sea Salt?  I am looking for the Light Grey…

Wanna be metro-sexual salesman:  Hmmmm Sea Sal.  Sea salt.

Me (now thinking did your mother drop you on your head): Do you carry any?

Wanna be metro-sexual salesman: Tell what do you need it for?

Me: Huh? (well if you want to know that, better ask me for my number too)!

Wanna be metro-sexual salesman: Yeah what do you need it for?

Me: A cleanse:

Wanna be metro-sexual salesman: Well what we have is …..

Me (tuned out be/c now I know he has no interest in me as human, I am just a dollar figure): Tell me about these digestive enzymes you carry.  Have you used them personally?

Wanna be metro-sexual salesman: No

I was practically beggin him to sell me.  But no, he walked back behind the counter and continued to play with paper, completely ignoring me.

Looking to increase home party sales?

Party Plan Pats Tip: People who are indifferent deliver impersonal service.

Martin Luther King said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.

Don’t be so focused on making a dollar that you lose out on $100.  Stop trying to sell people what you think they need.

IF you want to have a successful home party business, let your customers  lead you instead.  Listen to their questions.  Follow the cues.  Your job as a home party consultant will be a lot easier when you discover that people sell themselves.  You are just the facilitator.

Needless to say, I will not be shopping at GNC again.

You know what they say, don’t hate, facilitate!

Party Plan Pat