The Main Event "Open House"

Celebrating a fantastic "Open House" (a meeting dedicated to the growth of your business where new potentially interested persons come to learn about your opportunity) takes planning, focus, dedication, commitment, investment, motivation & fun.
Perhaps you've attempted an "Open House" in your area that felt more like a "secret" meeting. You know the meeting that feels like it must have been a secret because not too many people showed up. Never fear because the Sales Savior is dedicating this blog to the art of the successful "Open House". So what are the top 10 rules to having a successful "Open House"?

1. Invite everyone you meet or do a demo for to come. That means telling them where, when, and a little bit of what. Don't try to "make a long story short" by telling people too much. Remember it was curiosity that caught the cat. You want to say something to make prospects curious enough to make time in the busy schedules to attend. You want them to feel like they will enjoy themselves (have fun) and learn about a fantastic potential opportunity at the same time.
2. Pick up every potential recruit! 100% of every potential recruit you pick up, will show up for your "Open house". It is natural for your potential recruits to sound excited about attending your open house when your energy is still lingering in the air, but later to cool off a bit. After this cooling off period it is easy for them to forget about their commitment to attend your "Open House". After work they may come home and begin to unwind from their busy day. Remember Newton's first law of motion: "An object at rest tends to stay at rest... ...unless acted upon by an unbalanced force". You must be that "Force". No, I'm not saying you're unbalanced, despite everything your friends have said lol.
3. Make this meeting regular and SPECIAL! Serve some food, hang the banners, balloons and special posters, turn on the exciting music. Plan out what you will say and do for the whole meeting: Choreograph everything. For example: When you are introduced you might have someone crank up some exciting music while your key people start the clapping. Then have the music fade as you are beginning to speak. The same can be done while you introduce and say some kind words about your key people (instilling pride). They may take a few moments to explain their story or what they love about the business. Plan to giveaway several prizes through fun draws or games held throughout the one hour meeting.
4. Remember the "3 Factors of Motivation." What are they and in what order? The first motivating factor is love. People will do things for love that they would never do for money. So let them feel the family spirit of your business. You care about your people, so show it. The second motivating factor is Pride. Give your people something to feel proud of. Recognize them with titles, pins, awards, and recognition. Praise them 10x more than you ever criticize. The last motivating factor is money. Of course everyone wants to make money. But it is a good rule of thumb to under promise and over deliver. New recruits will sense the enjoyment your people have working for you and this will bode well for your "Open house" success.
   
5. Share your Contests. You can put together a MS Powerpoint presentation or play a Cruise video (get this free from a travel agency), but by all means share your contests. If you don't have any then you know what's wrong. Not only do you want to share your contests but you have to share your "Winners". What if nobody wins my contests? That means they're too hard to win, or your people aren't motivated by them. In any case these scenarios are bad for your business. The more valuable the prize, the harder we make them to achieve. But if nobody wins, the motivation factor is reduced now and in the future. Maybe make the prize less valuable and easier to achieve. The important thing is to have winners to celebrate. Perhaps a range of prizes. Lots of easily achieved prizes, a few that are more valuable and moderately difficult to achieve, and a limited number of more valuable prizes that have the greater difficulty to achieve. This way everyone in your organization is motivated. Remember the idea is to give prizes away. Not to invest in them and then recycle them through contest after contest. You may think you're saving (Distributor mentality) but your eye is not on the prize. Remember we are in business to MAKE money. You can only save money if you're making it. So never save money at the expense of making money. Share your contests with potential new recruits and they will want to join in the fun. Remember that "Love" trumps "Money" in the 3 factors of motivation. More recruits will want to join your organization to win a new BBQ or TV than if you promise them an extra hundred dollars.

This blog will have to be continued but I'll see you next time. Until then crank up your "Open house" efforts. With the recession of 2009 taking its toll on jobs, there are a lot of people more attentive to your opportunity right now: Take advantage of that.