Hi,
I worked for Stella & Dot which is party based Direct Sales Jewelry company based in San Bruno.
Consider the following:
- The 'party' experience. Like any branding effort what is the experience you want customers to have at the experience? S+D parties usually involved wine and canapes. There was a format to the event starting with a structured introduction to the event by the salesperson. Usually this was an opportunity for the salesperson to talk about the product and the Direct Sales opportunity. It was a soft sell with personal anecdotes and stylist jewelry. Overall the S+D party experience is a fun, stylist event.
- The product + assets. S+D spend time and money on display stands and other props, e.g. promotional cards, catalogues. The most successful events are the events with the highest number of jewelry samples on display. People buy what they see and touch even with catalogues and ipad app.
- Salesperson training. It is crucially important that Salespeople have a structure that works and say the right things.
- Number of attendees. Invite 40 people and 10 will show up. This is difficult to pull off and requires cooperation between the salesperson and host. Technology can be used for e invitations, reminders etc.
- Ordering process and follow-up. S+D launched an iPad app with swipe payment and this has been very successful. Previously, all orders were taken on paper and processed by the salesperson after the event.
My initial thoughts about your product is that it doesn't have the social element that would make a great party experience. I would consider home visits as the alternative.
Thanks.