Last Day for Internet Orders

Reminder: I have a show tonight, so if you need help with your orders, please call me before 4pm ET today at (845) 986-5824. If you call after that time, I will do my best to get back to you before midnight central time, however your safest bet is to call prior to that time. I will not have email/online access until I return from my party.

Important Reminder!

Tomorrow (12/1) is the first day Designers can order direct from the company for new supplies.

DECEMBER 1 The “January Candle Sale” will be posted on the web… 25% discount on candles for your customers!

The “NEW” Ready, Set, Go Program will be posted on the web on December 15th!

Important Update!

Please be aware prior to submitting your orders that more items went on sale. If you 'finished' your order but didn't pay for it yet, take a look at the hostess benefits and make sure you don't have extra overage in there. If you do, I can look at the orders for you today before you submit them.

Also, more items went on the low quantity and off sale lists. Please check those and make sure to get your orders in before they sell out. If you need help, I'm here most of the day today at (845) 986-5824. If you get the machine, please leave a message with the best number to reach you at and I will call you back.

Have a great Monday!

Boost Your Calendar!

I've picked these ideas up along the way from our team leaders and from personal experience. Thanks to all of our leaders for sharing what has worked for them along the way!

If your holiday season did not shape up quite the way you wanted, or your new year calendar is not as full as you'd like it to be, or even if it is where you want it but you'd like a few more just to backup what you have and start super strong, try these ideas. They have worked for me and they have worked for other Designers & Leaders.

Quoting Cyndi Godzyk from Home and Garden Party's December Party News:

If you always do what you have always done, you'll always get what you'll always have.

If you do the same thing over and over, you'll get the same results over and over. Try something new. Some things will work for you over and over, but when you go outside your comfort zone, you'll be surprised that you'll actually expand that zone and your business at the same time. Keep reaching further! Don't get in your own way by saying "I can't". Take a step forward and say "I'm going to try this new idea". Then, do it. I will help you. Your leaders are here to help you.


BOOKING IDEAS TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS

January's New Catalog = Grand Re-Opening Shows!
Every new catalog, have a new "Grand Opening" party. New Year, New Book! For the new catalog, book for early January and tell EVERYONE you know. Use the "Let's Have a Party" brochure to help you think of your guest list. Early January parties lead to mid-January parties and February Valentine's Day Theme Shows. Offer your guests a special incentive to book with you. "HAPPY NEW YEAR SPECIAL!!! Be one of my next 6 bookings and receive a free _____ in addition to HGP's regular hostess benefits" (you pick it out and pay your discounted price for it).

Holiday Fairs = New Year Bookings and New Customers!
Do you have a few fairs coming up in your area? If you have time during the holidays, it is a great way to get bookings for January and February. People may say 'no one will want to shop in January'. Suggested response "Sure they will! Lots of people get money for the holidays and it is their turn to spend some on themselves". Practice with a friend a few times going through different turndown scenarios. There is a section in your manual that addresses how you can respond to hesitations. Practicing with a friend or family member can get you ready for the party people.

Try Something New to You
Another idea: Contact local hospitals (private, public, small and large) and large organizations (AT&T, Verizon, Dell, big name companies with a big building near you). Inquire about setting up a display in their lobby or cafeteria. They may want a flat fee or percentage of the day's sales (not booked party sales, the day's sales). Bring some cash and carry. Sell direct from your kit items that are retiring that you don't want to personally hold onto. Bring lots of catalogs & prep them with order forms. People can shop during their lunch hour and turn in their orders before heading back to work. Schedule this event as soon as possible to ensure December sales. It is ok to reach out to these organizations now. The worst that they can say is "not now" and you get something for January or February on the calendar with them.

Do you have an idea to share? Please email me and I'll post your idea here to share it with the team.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
Lisa

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Ladies!

I am thankful to have all of you in my life and hope that you have a wonderful holiday amongst your loved ones!

More Christmas Sale Items Posted

Please log in and check out the NEWS section of HomeandGardenParty.com's Designers Only area for the new flyer. Offer unlimited purchases with a min. $30 retail in the catalog to boost holiday sales.

***The new flyer does not replace the one from last week. It is an ADDITIONAL sale flyer.

Have a wonderful day!

New Team Member

Please help me welcome Liz Hill to the Design Your Destiny HGP Team! Liz is from Louisiana and is very excited about getting started with Home and Garden Party. If you would like to post a welcome message to Liz, please click on the message board link at the top of the page.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Important Reminder!

This Wednesday (11/24) is the last day Designers can order discontinued supplies in 2004.

Exciting News Reminder

Each Designer will be mailed a new catalog and new party mini mailer on Wednesday, November 24th!

Congratulations to Stephanie & Elizabeth!

Congratulations to Stephanie Thayer (WV, Lisa, Sponsor) & Elizabeth Rodriguez (CA - Kara Weigle, Sponsor)!

Stephanie & Elizabeth were promoted from Designers-in-Training to Designers yesterday. They will now earn 40% on each party & enjoy all the benefits of full Designer status. Way to go!!!

If you would like to post a congratulatory message to Stephanie and Elizabeth, please click on the message board link at the top of this page.

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

Lisa

Important Reminder!

Don't forget to submit your list for the direct mailing of the new Party Mailer. November 16 is the last day you will be able to participate. The deadline was extended 2 days due to some problems that AOL users were having in submitting their information. If you have questions about the mailing, please let me know. The link to enter the names and addresses of your contacts is on the main page when you login to the Designers Only area of HomeandGardenParty.com.

Make it a great day everyone!

Important Reminder!

New Designer Opportunity Starter Kit Brochures will be posted on the web this Monday, November 15th!

Congratulations in Order!

Congratulations to Dana Walthall!!!

Dana was promoted from Designer-in-Training to Designer yesterday. Way to go!!!

If you would like to post a congratulatory message to Dana, please click on the message board link at the top of this page.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Lisa

Tuesday & Wednesday of This Week

If you need to reach me, please try my cell phone at 845-325-6561 on Tuesday and Wednesday. I will be at Sandi's meeting tom'w night in Monroe, NJ.

If you need help with orders, please email me and I'll get to them by Thursday evening, if not sooner. If it is urgent that you get your order in, call my cell.

Have a great couple of days!

Christmas Sale Details!

From the NEWS section of HomeandGardenParty.com's Designers Only area:

Super Sale Prices! Beginning November 15 until midnight central time December 15, you will be able to order the following Christmas items at a savings of at least 30% or more:
#14137 Snuggles Snowman Family Tealight (pg. 7)-$8.00
#14141 Holiday Signs (pg. 5)-$7.50
#37022-Poinsettia Arrangement (pg. 58)-$12.00
#50009-Let It Snow Frame (pg. 7)-$7.00
#50012-JOY Nativity Letters (pg. 5)-$7.00
#50013-Winter Window Plaque (pg. 7)-$15.00
#60184-Rustic Christmas Buckets (pg. 5)-$10.00


An important message about the Christmas Sale from Kathleen Vicenzotti, Diamond Infinity Leader and the October recipient of the Red Rose of Excellence (Way to go, Kathleen!!!)

For designers new to the sale items, these items will show up at the reduced prices when you order them. Your hostess earns 20% and 1/2 price credit ON THE SALE PRICE. Sometimes, I keep these as a special offer or use them as a bonus buy "when you spend $30 you can get limited or unlimited quantities of these sale items" Or Buy 2 @ the reduced price versus 1 at regular price. This is where you can get creative in your salesmanship. Call or email if you have any questions!

Kathleen

HGP Christmas Sale Announcement

From the NEWS section of HomeandGardenParty.com's Designers Only area.

Christmas Sale
11-05-2004
Be sure to check the web page on Monday, November 8. A great Christmas sale is about to begin!

Reminder!

Check the following sections of homeandgardenparty.com daily:

News

Important messages from the home office are posted in the News section. Please check the link daily for company messages, product and special alerts, contests, et cetera.

Shipping and Order Status

It is VITAL to check out the Shipping and Order Status reports before each party. It is so important to know what is low quantity or off sale when you are serving your customers.

Daily Updates : E-mail Cutback!

As the holidays are growing closer, the emails are getting more frequent. News is coming out from HGP quicker, ideas are being shared more often, et cetera. I'm going to bring it back to where we were a couple of months ago when our team site was launched: All updates will go on the team site.

One change: You won't receive an email from me reminding you to check http://www.designyourdestiny.info

Please check our team site daily and bookmark it. Even set it is your homepage. We have updates on the site almost every day. It is good practice to get on the site every day and check it out, and also check the message board.

You will receive occassional alerts via email (example: re: sending in your party line-ups), but everything else will go right up on the team site.

What I will be doing is spending more time corresponding with each one of you individually and posting group info on our team site.

We'll 'Energy Match'. What that means is that if you are emailing and calling a lot, I will be emailing you and calling you frequently also. If you reach out to me, you can count on me to help you. I'll help all of you get rolling with this. If you prefer occassional contact (once a month, twice a month, 'now and then'), I'll feel that level from you and that is ok. This business you are building is your own and it is ok. I will still email you and call, but it will be less frequently than with someone that is calling or emailing me a lot.

The most successful people on the team with sales, recruiting and - most importantly - reaching their personal goals are the ones that reach out the most often with a call or email. Please don't forget that your other leaders are there for you as well. If you need their contact info, let me know.

Team Conference Call this Sunday Night!

Our next DESIGN YOUR DESTINY TEAM conference call will be this Sunday night at 9 PM ET, 6PM PT, 7PM CT. We'll talk about goal setting, party bookings and hostess coaching during the holidays. Please be sure to invite your downline and a few friends to join us on this call. This is an open call/meeting. If you have fellow Designers in your area, they are welcome to join the call. They do not have to be on our team. The call will last about 30 minutes, with a Q&A about anything HGP related at the end of the call.

Please RSVP Yes, No or Maybe re: This Sunday's Call.

Details will be sent to all Designers, however without an RSVP list, the call cannot be confirmed (just like a party! You need people on the call to have the call!)

***REMINDER: The Sharing and Caring Call is at 8PM ET / 7PM CT / 5PM PT on Sunday also. That is a great call to get in on also and the dial-in info is in the telecourse section of HGP's offical site.

Important Update!

I'd like to take a moment to thank Pam Morella, Diamond Infinity Designer, for sharing her newsletter with fellow Designers. Many of the "Important Reminder!" posts you will see on this site in the next 2 months come directly from her publication. Pam is a fantastic leader in the company, and a great person. Thank you for everything, Pam!

Here are some notes from her newsletter. Please read the details regarding holiday ordering:

PLEASE NOTE: OUR COMPANY DOES NOT OFFER A HOLIDAY CUT OFF DATE. YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE SHIPPING & ORDER LIST EVERY DAY & LOOK AT HOW THE COMPANY IS SHIPPING THE ORDERS. MOST OF US WILL STILL SELL UNTIL DECEMBER 10TH AND FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH HOLIDAY DELIVERY.

HIGH SUGGESTION:
DO NOT SELL ANY OF THE ITEMS LISTED ON THE LOW SHIPPING LIST!!!


News and Notes …

SUGGESTION: Please look at the shipping and order list every day. If an item goes on this list as low or going out … please, please do no sell the item anymore….. We have learned from past experience that means trouble with the supplier or they are having trouble with the shipping from the supplier.

Many of us in our group have sold for other direct sales companies in our past. It is very hard to control inventory. Our company does a great job. In fact, I am very impressed on how they are able to stock the amount needed per season.

At the end of each season you will have about 10 – 20 items out of stock. Out of 700 items this is a great ratio. To make your job easier we would suggest to stop selling when an item even goes on the list as low. It will keep you and your customers happy. Please try to offer another suggestion To the customer.

- Pam Morella, Diamond Infinity Designer

Important Reminder!

NOVEMBER 1-14 Designers can register names for the Direct Mail Party Mailer Program. See the Designer's Only Section of http://www.homeandgardenparty.com for details!

Taking Advantage of the Holiday Fair Season

Hi everyone!

During the holiday season, you may find yourself with more parties than you had imagined, less, or just the right amount for your personal business. During this time, you have a great opportunity to take advantage of the abundance of holiday craft fairs that are local to you. These are great for booking parties and recruiting! December fairs can lead to January and February bookings. Start off 2005 strong with the calendar you design! Whether it is 4 bookings or 14, fair booths can help you fill your date sheet!

A few tips:

Check out craftlister.com for fairs in your local area. You can put your zip code in to look up fairs within the distance you are willing to travel.

Don't go crazy with spending - stay within your budget, but also be aware of which fair will bring you better business. If 2 fairs are scheduled in your area for the same date and one is $15 that would not expect much attendance, and the other is $30 and expecting quite a larger turnout, I would highly recommend the $30 one to reach out to more prospects.

Remember: An average $500 party will recoup $150 or $200 for you. If you book 3 shows at a fair that costs $50, that is a $400-$550 profit on that fair alone PLUS you'll get bookings off of those bookings! Very cool!

If a fair is next week, don't rule it out! If you discover a fair close to you, the fair is not full and another HGP Designer doesn't already have a booth, you may still be able to get in. Just call the organizer and make arrangements.

It is important to clarify that they only allow one vendor from each company. HGP regulations require that only one HGP booth be open at each fair. Some fairs are ok with 2 of the same, but HGP regulations state otherwise. This is a great opportunity to meet other Designers! If someone else has already signed up, they may be willing to share their booth with you. It can't hurt to ask for their contact info and give them a call, too.

Very important reminder: **EDITED at 1PM November 2nd

In some cases, the only people that can work at your fair booth are actual HGP Designers. Always, always, always read the fair regulations and details. Some state, county or local fairs have specific guidelines that would prohibit any other person to be with you unless they are actually a Designer. People have been fined by their fair inspectors (ie. State of NY state inspectors) for not complying with this, so please be mindful of the individual fair rules. If there isn't a requirement listed in the guidelines for the fair you are doing, please make sure that whoever is at your booth with you is over age 18 and that they dress and conduct themselves in a professional manner as your booth is representing HGP at the event.

A good place to find a quality, portable table is BJs Wholesale Club. I found a sturdy, portable (heavy duty, but with a handle and foldable), 6 ft. table there for $40. Other places were offering pressboard/corkboard tables that could break easily for the same price. You could also try Cosco or Sam's Club.

Bring mini mailers and regular size catalogs. Offer a booking gift to anyone who books a show within a certain timeframe on that day.

Know the regulations of the fair before you go. Do you need table coverings that touch the ground? What amount of space do they have? Do you need to bring your own table?...

Also remember that it is good practice to book one or two shows more than you typically want to do in case of a cancellation or party postponement. That is up to you if you want to do that. For those of you relying on the income of the parties you book, it is highly recommended and will reduce your financial stress at the end of the month if you have those extra dates.

If you need any help with getting started with fairs, please let me know.

Your Feedback is Important!

I need your feedback on this, Ladies!

QUESTION:

For future contests, would you like the opportunity to earn Amazon.com Gift Certificates or a pre-paid long distance phone card to use for conference calls, business or personal use, by saving up sales and recruiting points?

If you have other ideas, please let me know. Our team is growing at a steady (and fast) pace, but because you have already joined YOU can help determine the structure of giveaways.

Please share your feedback and ideas.

Thanks, Ladies!

November Team Newsletter

October Team Contest Winners

Personal Sales Challenges
If you met your PERSONAL challenge goal for this month, selling $1 more than your average that was emailed to you, make sure you send me an email or call me to let me know that you met your goal. To receive your prize, I'll need to hear from you by November 7th. If you mentioned it during the month that you may hit your goal, please make sure you send the email anyway with your challenge goal and what your actual sales were. Prizes will go out next week.

'Where Will We Land in October?' Contest Winner
The guesses were sooo close! In the final hour, it came down to the wire. Several people contacted me for updates on the sales and put in new guesses. It was a very close call between Linda (Guess: $18,175), Dana ($17,985), Bethann ($19,000) and Debi ($17,000)!

And the winner is... Linda S. Rabe with a guess of $18,175.00!
Our Design Your Destiny Team sales were a whopping $18,487.20! *Up from our team sales of $10,700 last month by almost 80%!

Thanks to everyone who participated!

New Team Contest
Where will we land in November? Send me your guesses and CALL ME for hints as the month goes on. You gotta be in it to win the November prize!

Designer Promotions
Congratulations to the following Designers who leaped up the Ladder of Leadership in October 2004:

Kara Weigle, Gold Designer to Half Carat Designer
Linda Rabe, Designer to Master Designer
Sharon DiPalo, Designer-in-Training to Designer

New Team Members
The following individuals joined HGP in October. Ladies, welcome to the Design Your Destiny Team!

Hasina Smith-Rivers (MI)
HGP Leader: Linda Rabe

Raquel Soria (CA)
HGP Leader: Kara Weigle

Deborah Bonner (AL)
Rocky Nichols (TX)
HGP Leader: Lisa Mobus

Special Occasions
The following DYD Team Members are November Birthday Celebrators! May the next year bring you many blessings & an abundance of joy!

SUSAN MALEK - November 8th
LEEANN HARRISON - November 17th
ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ - November 22nd
STEPHANIE THAYER - November 23rd
DEBRA CURTICE - November 25th

October $1000 and $500 Clubs

Congratulations to the following Design Your Destiny Team Members who sold more than $1000 in October 2004:

Kara Weigle (CA) $3090.10
Linda S. Rabe (MI) $2551.80
Bethann Kozempel (PA) $1674.30
Sharon DiPalo (NY) $1389.80
Debra Curtice (TN) $1249.80
Stephanie Thayer (WV) $1217.60
Dana Walthall (WA) $1215.90

Congratulations to the following Design Your Destiny Team Members who sold more than $500 in October 2004:

Rachel Barner (PA) $986.10
Elizabeth Rodriguez (CA) $883.50 (Sponsor: Kara Weigle)

Exciting News from HGP Headquarters
Company Sales Contest
Be sure to check out the NEWS section of HomeandGardenParty.com's Designer's Only section. A new Company Contest has been posted. Get your parties book for December! Your sales will win you some great products from the Spring/Summer line! EVERYONE CAN WIN!!! When you qualify, you win!

January 2005 Opportunity Starter Kit Special
HGP will kick off the year with a Starter Kit Special! See the NEWS section of HGP's site to check out the exciting promotion. What a great way to build up YOUR TEAM! You can start prospecting new Designers *NOW*. If you need assistance with finding the application online to fill out, or the fax/mail version, just let me know. If you haven't recruited before and you would like some training, give me a call and I'll help you start your team!

Newsletter Editing
***If your info is missing from any categories the above newsletter, please let me know immediately and I will make sure you are added.