How to Sell Yourself to Prospects
Think a sales job is relatively difficult? Think again! If you apply it in the party biz, selling is actually more of a hobby, a given, than a challenge. A party entrepreneur has to sell herself, her services and her personallity to get hired. Among these, your personality is your best asset. You want people to say “thank goodness you’re here now” as soon as they see you approach. Your approachability and dependability can be the things that will make the sale.
So, if you have exemplary sales talents, don’t do a sales job search just yet. Try bidding for party planning jobs and for sure, there’s always a vacancy for you.
Here are a few sales tips I got from other party planners:
1. Name drop subtly – We cannot avoid namedropping, and this skill is actually advantageous in our industry. The trick is the way you do it. Don’t start a sentence with “oh the mayor/ceo/vice governor loved my work…” You can simply describe a successful party and then incorporate the name of your best client in the story. This is a skill that few have mastered, but it’s a good one.
2. Calling Cards – It’s not the design, but the way you phrase your business on your card. Put in your specialty. Touch on the clients’ pains. For example, you know that your clients are busy, you can put “hassle free parties” as a tag line. Make sure that they know what you’re about jsut by looking at your card. And make sure that your message is powerful enough for them to put your card in a place they can always access, like their wallets.