The key
to an effective packet is not so much what goes inside it, as what comes out
of it and when. My leader really ingrained in me how to have an effective hostess packet
right in the beginning of my start at my kit issue. We role-played
effective hostess coaching right there at the table, pulling out each piece of paper from
the hostess packet, explaining it quickly but thoroughly while placing the particular
items right in my hands as she talked. By doing this with your prospective hostesses right
away on the night they book their show, they are more likely to understand what is
expected of them, and more likely to hold their show on the original date.
SASE with 1-2 NCR invitation lists.
I use brightly colored envelopes, and usually have a sticker on them. They look less
like a throw-away than a plain white envelope, and I sure know what they are when I get
them in the mail! Try some card shops in your town - they probably have extra left-over
greeting card envelopes that they bundle and sell separate from the greeting cards. In my
hometown "dime-store", they bundle them in 25's and sell for $.88. A terrific
bargain and visually appealing in the hostess packets!
1 each of the current catalogs
Of course make sure your name and phone number are on every piece of paper you hand
out! Advise your host/hostess to use the catalogs to collect outside orders before the
show.
Order forms
This is a personal preference, but I have shrunk the regular order form to half its
size, and
This is a personal preference, but I have shrunk the regular order form to half its
size, and Xeroxed it (2 to a page, printed on both sides). I cut them in half so that the
"outside order form" is basically the same size as the catalog, staple 5 of them
together (remember they are double sided so that makes 10 prospective outside orders), and
stick that inside the center of the regular catalog. After years of working in a corporate
environment, it just seems like it's easier to keep the forms and catalog going from desk
to desk if it's small & compact and TOGETHER! The only downside to this is that you
obviously must re-copy the outside orders on a regular form before sending it to PL for
processing, but that allows you a good chance to check the accuracy of the order. Also -
if you are mailing a hostess packet, these miniature order forms weigh a lot less than 10
4-part guest order forms to mail!
Hostess Specials
Again - personal preference - I shrink down the current hostess special flyer to half
its size, so that it also fits neatly inside the catalog, with the order forms. I do print
it in color, but since that's 2 to a page, it's relatively inexpensive to get the color
copies made at a copy store if you don't happen to own a scanner & printer.
YCHIA Brochure (You Can Have It All)
The easiest possible place to sponsor is at a show, and the most obvious choice is
your hostess! Hopefully he/she will be glancing at it before the show, so that by the time
you drop your sponsoring seeds, the idea is already planted!
A Tale of Two Hostesses (full
size sheet - on brightly colored paper, with the Have/Get
chart on the reverse side)
This is the only other piece of paper I put in. Full-size, so that it stands out from
the rest of the packet. Brightly colored, again, so that it stands out. Hopefully, you can
cover whichever type of host/hostess you end up with by using this single sheet of paper.
If they are the creative, cutesy kind of person, the poem appeals to them. If they are the
analytical, step by step, show-me-how type of person, the Have/Get chart spells out the
opportunity in no-nonsense, easily understood terms.