| ENJOY YOURSELF AND MAKE MONEY
TOO: YOU OWN THE COMPANY One of the biggest businesses to offer easy extra cash to the 'ordinary' person has been party plan. A great opportunity to have fun and make money too. Many party plan companies have grown into multi million pound affairs! True! But - that's just the problem. The companies have grown into huge, lucrative concerns. While those that hold the parties and do all the selling have only made a fairly meagre income - nothing at all in some cases. So, if you're tempted by the idea of party plan, but don't want to make money for someone else the answer is simple. Don't be just an agent - start your own party plan organising company. Then, you can have hundreds of people all working for you - while you just sit back and do a little organisation. A great way to make money! Surprisingly enough, running a party plan company is no more difficult than being just an agent. And, there are thousands of people who'll gladly make money for you, while making a bit for themselves at the same time. A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE FOR PROFIT The idea for party plan is very simple. It has worked for many years, making many rich in the process - and it will work again and again. Best not to deviate too much from the proven and accepted course. With party plan you take an interesting and attractive product. Something people enjoy buying. Something that sells well in a social atmosphere. Then, you get willing planners to hold parties in their homes, for neighbours, friends, etc. The products are displayed at the party and sales made. You pay the planner a commission - and make considerable profit for yourself! Party plan works so well because sales are virtually guaranteed in such an environment. Your commission arrangements boosts this further. Margins are often sky high. However, the most important factor is that you can magnify party success dozens of times over, for very little extra work. The result - a small business to start but a possible enormous one - and very quickly. Just imagine you promote a product that sells readily for œ10. Imagine the profit margin is 80%. Of that, 20% goes to the planner. You keep 60% - that's œ6 clear profit. At one party it would not be unreasonable to sell 3 such items - œ18 for you. That's not a great deal of money. But - when you consider 10 weekly parties would be easy, with virtually no work for you, it's even better. What if you could build a circuit of several hundred weekly parties nationwide? The whole key to success in party plan is not large individual takings. It's a multiplication of small, almost insignificant sums that can be achieved quickly and easily. A way of magnifying money that you should always adhere to carefully. A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT The first stage in successful party plan is choosing a successful product - it's essential. Most successful companies thrive on the right product - they don't sell a product because it happens to be to hand, or they think there is a demand for it. If possible, try to keep within one product area. And, it's quite possible to succeed with just one item. Lots of other party planners have done just that! Your product should be ideally suited to sell at a party. Usually it should be something non essential, but something people like to 'treat' themselves to - perhaps a small curio or trinket. Bearing in mind most party planners are women it should be selected accordingly. Make it something bright and attractive, something that stimulates the senses. You can select a new line. But, to 'play safe' you can choose an existing party plan success. 'Tupperware' is one great success story, and could easily be duplicated with similar lines. Or, clothes are the ideal product. Gifts and crafts are a novel line - and paintings or prints are good for 'up market' parties. The choice is yours, and there are lots of imaginative ideas. You can even try to find several to find which is most profitable. When you have selected a line you will need to track down sources - and find out as much about the product as possible. Buy as cheaply as possible direct from manufacturers, wholesalers or even consider direct import. Allow for a huge mark up! The easiest way to trade is to take in stocks. However, there are still great chances if you do not have sufficient capital or storage space. Just buy samples to send to parties for which orders (and payment) are taken. This way you don't actually buy the goods until you have been paid for them. No matter what product or source you choose, do ensure it is reliable. Nothing could be worse than having several hundred lucrative orders to fill and not being able to get continuity of supply. Finally, always be on the look out for cheaper or bulk supplies. With a thriving organisation built you can be in a strong position to get cut prices from suppliers. BUILDING A NETWORK The next step is to build a network of party planners holding profitable parties for you. It is possible to start with a couple a week - and possibly end up with many hundreds! Never hold the parties yourself because the profits are in volume. It is cheaper to employ others. Many, many people would be interested in holding your parties nationwide. It's extra cash, but also a pleasant social evening. Treat your planners fairly and they will do great things for you. The companies that pay planners poorly gain in the short term, but soon lose. Press advertising is the most effective way of getting planners. Or, you could try shop window cars. Just put in a short, catchy line and a telephone number. Interested people then call you - and it's up to you to 'sell' them the idea and suggest how much money they might make! When business develops, the secret is to employ organisers as well as planners. Their job is not only to hold parties, but appoint planners too. This way a chain develops and you have very little work to do at all! When you receive an interested planner, agree with them the time and date of their party. Then, send them a supply of your product (could be demonstration stock only). A deposit could be charged for this. It is also usual to 'throw in' some attractive invitation forms they can use to invite their friends. And, some organisers send a free bottle of wine etc, to act as a buying incentive from their ample profits. You should aim to appoint as many planners as possible. For just a little organisation on your part, each will hold a party that will make you money! A PROFITABLE PARTY One great business advantage is that you have very little to do with parties. Money while you do nothing! But, it is useful to give planners some guidance as to attaining best results. Ideally, parties should be held on weekdays, Tuesday to Thursday being best. It is best if friends are invited, though club and group parties can mean huge takings! The host should do what they can to induce a pleasant party atmosphere, perhaps providing music, food and demonstrations. The parties can be enjoyable as well as profitable! If the atmosphere is right, sales will almost certainly result. Impulse plays a great part in selling, and pressure is usually unnecessary and unwanted. Most people like to buy a little something - and those little somethings add up to alot! The planner should take written orders for goods, as well as full payment - or at least a substantial deposit. The following day, the planner forwards the orders and payments on to you. This is less their commission - the level of which is up to you - but might vary between 20 and 50%. You can take a reasonable time (say 14 days) to fill orders and then forward them to the planner (not to customers) for distribution. Indeed, if you get your supplier to complete the orders you will have even less work to do. Following completion just make sure all customers are satisfied - this bodes well for repeat parties! Indeed, once you have completed a successful party, keep in touch with the planner and get them to repeat from time to time. Also approach their customers with a view to them holding parties. By this method you ever increase the chain of custom and literally multiply your profits. You've really got the chance to let profits run out of control! BIGGER AND BETTER Once you have held your first party, the sky is really the limit. It'll be obvious why owning the party plan company can be just as easy as being an agent for someone else - only thousands of times more rewarding! Just keep going, adding extra parties here and extra parties there. Each takes only minutes of your time to plan - but together they add hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds to your income. Really, party plan scope is unlimited. Just about every street in the country can bear several parties per year. And, even with 1% of that business, you'll be inundated. You're sure to find out that, although party plan is nothing new, there's as much scope to do well as ever! Perhaps the secret behind party planning can be applied to success in many businesses. Never think that because other people seem to have cornered the market, you can't too. Never think something is too difficult or risky to try - when the outlay is so low. And, above all, the sheer power of party plan takes little beating. How else could you genuinely have others working for you while you do nothing? |
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