Q&A – Can You be Too Smart for Party Plan?
January 18, 2010 2 Comments
Question: Yesterday I was telling a very good friend about my new PartyLite job. Her comment was “You’re smarter than that.”
How do I respond to that, Wendy? “Then, I’ll be really good at it.” ????
What would you say if your friend said that to you?
Answer: This is an easy one. It’s also a common question. When I started, I was confronted with comments like this. Here is my answer when people ask me. I don’t necessarily say it all, but if they are interested, it’s all here and all true.
Working in party plan is a lifestyle choice. I choose to work when I want and where I want. (Insert here that you get to spend more time with your children by being a party planner. See my other post: Be a Mum!) I am completely responsible for my success or failure. I have the luxury of owning my own business, but have no capital costs to start it; no client inventory; a free marketing department to produce all the products, prices, and promotions; a free finance department to process credit cards and produce reports; a free IT department maintaining my reports, client database, and order systems; a free warehouse and distribution centre; and a free business coach to help me with my business plan. Just to name a few.
Party plan (direct selling) is a business model that allows entrepreneurial people to give better customer service than any retail store. In my business I am responsible for customer satisfaction on products and service.
It seems to be easy for people to shoot down this industry, but don’t underestimate how big it is and how fast it is growing.
The industry is global and growing. Recent figures from Direct Selling Association members throughout the world show almost fifty-five million people being involved in retail sales of over AUD 140 billion. Sales by DSAA [the Direct Selling Association of Australia] members have reached $1.3 billion annually, with more than 620,000 Australians having some involvement in the industry. With a long and proven record, direct selling is an obvious alternative to conventional retailing.
Finally, intelligent people treat party plan for what it is: an entrepreneurial opportunity. For some it’s a small business, for others it’s a career. It doesn’t take education to run a successful party plan business. It takes training, persistence, and intelligence.
Of course, to be credible, you need to believe you have made the right choice – you need to develop pride in your job.
Success is the best way support your decision for yourself. I have seen too many women succeed in this business, and develop that pride, to not believe that. When I finally quit my other businesses to focus on party plan, people stopped wondering why, they could see why: I was (am) happy, successful, and committed.
Comments: I’d love to see what other people think. Feel free to leave a comment here.
