Home parties are a great way to sell your handmade jewelry designs! Why? Because you have a captive audience. There are no competing jewelry booths like you would find at a jewelry or craft show and you don’t have to compete with the work of other jewelry designers as you do when you display in boutiques and galleries. Everyone attending the show is there to see YOUR jewelry. Now, that’s a big advantage! Don’t you think?
Once you have a home party scheduled, it’s your job to make sure you sell the most jewelry you can during the time available. There are a variety of simple strategies you can use to increase the amount of jewelry you sell at home jewelry shows. Here are some to get you started and I’ll follow up with more in future articles.
1. Encourage each attendee to bring along a friend.
It’s simple. The more people who attend your home jewelry party, the more jewelry you’re going to sell. Contact each person who plans to attend your jewelry party and invite her to bring a friend. Offer a small discount on her purchase if a friend attends the party and purchases your jewelry designs. You can essentially double the size of your home jewelry party just be using this technique. Wouldn’t doubling your sales be satisfying?
2. Break the ice early on in the party.
Your home party attendees will be in a more receptive mood to buy if they are made to feel comfortable and relaxed. Always address them warmly and sincerely when they come in the door and thank them for attending. Once everyone is seated, play a few quick games to help everyone relax and get to know one another. You’d be surprised at what a difference this simple little strategy can make.
3. Actively encourage people to try on your jewelry.
The worse thing you can do is give the impression your jewelry and display are untouchable. Encourage your party attendees to touch and try on the jewelry. When someone puts on a piece of jewelry, it’s like magic! The simple act of touching and trying a necklace or bracelet creates an emotional connection between your potential customer and the jewelry piece. What’s the result? Your chances of selling that particular piece of jewelry go up tremendously.
4. Mirrors, mirrors, everywhere!
Don’t skimp on the mirrors! People want to see what they look like wearing your jewelry designs. Bring as many mirrors as you can without cluttering up your display. Have you ever been in a woman’s’ clothing store like T.J. Max where there aren’t alot of mirrors? I’ve actually had clothing in my hands that I wanted to buy and ended up putting it back because I couldn’t find a mirror to get an idea of how the clothing might look. Make it easy on your potential customer!
5. Offer discounts for volume purchases.
Entice your home party attendees with enticing discounts such as:
$10.00 worth of free jewelry with a purchase of $50.00 or more.
Purchase a necklace and get the earrings at half price.
Buy three pairs of earrings and get one free.
I’m sure you can think of alot more variations. Your goal is to increase sales volume and these strategies work.
6. Offer helpful suggestions.
Most people feel a little insecure when they’re purchasing jewelry for themselves or someone else. Offer suggestions to your prospective customers on how to wear a particular piece or suggest a piece of jewelry that might look good on them. Do this with care and moderation. You don’t want to be too pushy.
7. Get their contact information before they leave.
As each person leaves your home party, have them sign a guest book with their name, address, phone number, and email address. This will give you the opportunity to market to them in the future and potentially sell more jewelry.
8. Don’t forget the power of a thank you.
Always thank your home party attendees for taking the time to attend your party. Let them know you’re available to host parties for them if they’re interested in making extra money and earning free jewelry. A sincere thank you is always appreciated.
Give these jewelry home party tips a try and I’ll think you’ll be rewarded with increased jewelry sales!
