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[carole harris]

This material is written by Carole Cunningham Harris, and property of. No reprints without permission, thanks for reading!

Explosion of the online vendor party

The explosion of the online vendor party
Why has it happened? Quite simply it has exploded within the last three years, and the answer is simple. MONEY. It's an easy way for direct salesman to showcase their wares without spamming their customers. It saves them, the direct salesmen/saleswomen money. An outside show would cost the salesperson 70 dollars and above to show case their wares. Online vendor parties are nominal fees. There is so much to be saved.

Pitfalls: One pitfall of the online vendor party is again, MONEY. Since the boom, many direct sales people feel they can just set up a chat, and have FREE online parties for direct salespeople, and this will surely attract salespeople and customers, right? Not so. It takes so much to build a site, and do other things then to throw up a chat room, and blast out on your yahoo/msn instant messenger that you want to have an online vendor party. With so many free sites, it detracts from the legitimate sites that really do try to do a great job for the direct sales person.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with free. However, you get what you pay for. If you want a free vendor party site, and there are many on cafe mom and ning, then don't expect a lot of outside traffic. Instead, what many of these sites, cafe mom, ning, and single wahm sites do is yim blast and email blast several times throughout the day that there is a vendor party and sales. While this is a good technique in part, it is not the only way to advertise, but the ONE way many rely on.

Those sites that do charge a nominal fee, charge because of the time spent advertising in yahoo, google and social networks. They are established sites, and may have a positive google rating. Their sites may have many beneficial things going on such as prizes, games and other freebies. These sites also have good word of mouth, as well as advertise outside. Meaning they do fliers and outside promotions to bring in actual customers, and not just the typical vendors. This is not to put down sites such as ning, cafe mom and the good wahm sites out there that are free, but merely point out differences. Paid party sites also give out free slots, bargain packages, and free advertising. There are pros and cons to both types of party sites, and vendors should even out their sites to go to. For instance, for good exposure, a direct salesman/woman, would NOT want to always go to a free site to try and sell their wares.

Why? It simply sends the wrong message to the buyer. Everyone understands the economy, but spending $3 to $70 dollars is quite a savings. Then the customer looks at you more for the discount, handout, and doesn't truly understand why you need the sales if you are saving so much money. Spend a little, and you might get a little back in return.

What to look for in a party site:

1. Look for someone who is in direct sales currently. They understand the market. They know the groups to check out if a company is going sour, and they are around the internet. They are the ones that are always in the know. Think of the popular guy in high school. This is the person that you MAY want. Being popular can be over rated.

2. Look for someone who is IN CHARGE. Like I said, being popular can be over rated, if the owner of the site isn't at the site, there may be no one regulating the party to keep it running smoothly.

3. Moderators: Are they moderating, overbearing? No one likes an over bearing salesperson, bully or moderator. Owners should assign a moderator that can keep the party flowing smoothly, and command the attention of the vendors without causing chaos. Moderators are also someone who is in direct sales currently and has knowledge of how vendor parties operate, and also remain present during the party.

4. Rules: A) What are they? Are they too strict? Too restrictive of a party site is a turn off for many. If vendors, while visiting aren't allowed to network, or say who they are, that is a turn off. One way party site owners attract people to their site is because of networking. If vendors aren't allowed to network, they won't come back.

B) Always keep the lines of communication open with the site owner. Make the site owner a friend if you can, you might find out this is someone very useful in your network. Don't become friends however, to copy her ideas. This has been done to MANY site owners, and can be a turn off to many people.

C) No matter how many parties you've been to, don't assume you know all the rules or everything there is to know about parties. All too often a little information can be harmful.

D) Test drive the chat site. If it is a site you are not familiar with, check it out before your presentation. Just like if you were doing an AV presentation in college or high school, check out the site so you can make sure you are fully prepared.

E.) Observe a party, if you've never done one. Sometimes even behind a computer screen, typing a presentation can be intimidating. See how it's done, or ask an experienced vendor. Most honest party site owners will tell you to observe a party before doing a free or pay for slot show.

F.) Script vs non script: This is up to the individual. The key is knowing your products. Sometimes having a script can lead the vendor into copying and pasting so much they miss important questions.

G.) Technical vs nitty gritty. The issue at hand is time. Make it simple and not to complicated for your buyer or recruit. If they are inundated with technical terms like dha, biodegradable, and so forth, they may loose interest fast. Instead make it simple. Use phrases like good for the earth, and your skin. Don't get too technical, the average reader has an eighth grade reading level. If you use too many technical terms and jargon, you may loose your audience, potential customer, and recruits.
5. Payment: Find out how to pay. Most have pay pal or Rme buttons on site. If they don't they may be in contact with you via IM or email. Make sure the line of communication is open if it is not on the site. If the site is a paying one, the owner may be too busy to update, be patient....ask how to pay if it isn't visible.

6. Prizes vs. non prizes. Definitely a controversial issue. Again, customers do look for the occasional "freebie" from the salesperson. Again with the economy and budgets it's not always feasible. Find out what the site rules are on prizes. If it isn't an optional choice, talk to the site owner, it may not be listed on the site, or the site owner may be lenient on the topic. Open communication is key.


Carole