Who Wants Tickets?

Give away tickets for different things at the party; the person who arrives first; someone who brings a guest, etc. You can decide what you want to “reward” them for. When guest arrive, hand out slips of paper. Then during the presentation, ask them to write down the name of five friends, and the first person finished gets a ticket. Do the same with neighbors, relatives, co-workers etc or use a list of descriptive phrases like, someone you know that is pregnant, or a mom of 3 or someone who works and would love a girls night out.

At the end of the party, the person with the most tickets wins a prize. The guests think they’ve played a game, but what they’ve really done, is fill out their guest list. When you ask them to book a party and they say no, ask them what they plan to do with their guest list. Can the guest next to her have it to use at her show? Of COURSE NOT! They usually will reconsider when they realize the hard part of making a list of “who to invite” is already done.

You can purchase a large roll of tickets at Wal-Mart and they now have them 250 tickets for a $1 at Dollar Tree. They are with the party supplies. I like the ones from Dollar Tree becasue they are flat and fit nicely in my bag.

Smothered Steak

On Sunday I like to cook in my crock pot....well really any day I like to cook in the crock pot. I love it because I just put it in and walk away until time to serve. I also love cooking with the crock pot in the summer because it keeps the heat out of the kitchen. Over the past few weeks I've had a few people ask if I've ever made smothered steak and I've promised you I would post it when I made it next. I hate cooking on Sunday, so whatever I fix its usually a very simple.

I ran out of crock pot liners so I was bummed about that today. If you enjoy crock pot cooking you'll love the liners, they make clean up super simple!! Now on to the steak.....

Ingredients

2lb - Round Steak
1 - Small Onion cut in Rings
2 - Package Brown Gravy Mix
2 - Jars of Mushrooms or 6 Fresh Mushrooms cut in slices
Seasoned Salt
Garlic Garlic
Onion Onion

I don't pre brown my meat when cooking in a crock pot. The crock pot does not dry out meat so I just skip this step.

• Season the meat on both sides and put to the side.
  




• Mix brown gravy mix according to package instructions; however, only use half the water. The steaks will draw moisture in the crock pot and add more liquid. Don't cook gravy just add the water, mix well and set to the side

Layer ingredients in the crock pot....seasoned meat, onion, mushrooms...repeat

Once layers are finished pour brown gravy over the top
I wanted this ready for lunch so I turned the crock pot on high and cooked for 4 hours. For slower cooking turn it on low and cook 8-10 hours.

When we came home I placed a few potatoes in the microwave, green beans in the microwave and within about 20 minutes of being home we had a great lunch with a cool kitchen and easy clean up! Now that's what I call a quick and easy Sunday lunch!


The steak was so tender you could cut it with a fork!
And the Tastefully Simple seasonings made it mouth watering!!

Are You A Partier?

As you know the party plan and Direct Sales business are going through the roof as more and more people are trying to earn a living and becoming a mom to their kids.

While the party plan business is an awesome place to “work”, not all of us are partiers! When I did a party plan business, I had a heck of a time booking because my DH worked nights and I chose to have no babysitter for my child. So that left me doing parties on Friday night, Saturday afternoons and evenings. While that worked for a while, I also burned out from having no family time to speak of.

So, what’s a non partier in a party plan business to do? Well, luckily, Lots!

Change your Strategy and Focus!
•Change your focus to Book Shows. You can have several going at one time. You are not locked into 2-3 parties a week.
•Utilize online parties. You can pick the time, date and never leave home!
•Fundraising is huge! If your company offers it, use it.
•Book individual appointments with customers to show products and specials.
•Specialty sales and special priced groupings once a month using Flyers and newsletters.
•Product of the Month sales.
•Email campaigns through autoresponders.
•Utilize helpers to pass out books and take orders for you. Give them a free item or a discount on their order for helping you.
•Take small orders and create a “party” once every 2 weeks or so. Don’t make it a requirement for your customers to order only through a party situation. Take orders anytime!
•Gift registry and Wish lists for housewarmings, engagement, sweet 16, new jobs, special holidays.
•Open houses and vendor/craft shows in town.
•Join the Chamber of Commerce and networking groups.

These are but some ideas to strengthen your party plan business. Try them all and use the ones that work best for you!

Copyright 2004-2006 by Chris Carroll. Chris is a work at home mom that has been in sales for 20+ years. She has a BS in Business Management and is the host of DirectSalesTalk.com as well as her business she enjoys with her son at www.joywithsoy

Thread Game

This is a great ice breaker if the many of the guests don’t know each other.

Take a spool of thread and some scissors…pass them around and have everyone cut off a piece of thread. If they ask how much, do not tell them, this is part of the game. After everyone has gotten the thread, you take it and cut off a piece. You will know how long, because you will have practiced at home.

Now everyone has to talk about themselves for as long as it takes them to wrap the tread around a finger. Some may take a long time….as they will not have known how much thread to take. You start the game and show them what you mean.

New Season Is Coming...READY?

I'm getting so excited that the new season is coming!! I wanted to take a moment and give you a few tips to get that September calendar filled and start the new season strong! Get your calendar and lets plan...

Have an open house in your home and invite your neighbors. Make it a ‘get acquainted’ party and share with them what you do and about who you and your family are. Have a Mystery Hostess drawing; this is where you award the hostess credits to one of the guests.

Attend trade shows, fairs, expos, events. Check on local activities and reserve well in advance. Be sure to have a drawing for a small prize, this assures you many names and phone numbers to call as booking and recruit leads.

Give out your catalog or brochures at dentist, doctors, the bank or anywhere you do business. Use last season’s catalogs with a sticker containing your name, email address, and/or phone number and a note saying something like, “Contact me and for an updated catalog and to book your taste testing party!”

At a party, offer your host the 1/2 price item and rebook her for the following season. If you have not rebooked your host call them up and offer a special gift if they book in September. Don't give away the moon! Keep it simple!

Offer party guests a gift for giving you referrals of people they know who would possibly book a party with you.

Let's rock the new season together! Set a goal and lets reach it!! Cheering you on!!!

French or Cuban?

Today when I went to get some French bread for dipping our delicious
Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil. The deli manager was so helpful and asked do you want French or Cuban? I had no idea, I just always get French so I asked the question; "What is the difference?" She informed me French is made with sugar and oil and Cuban is not! Wow! I did not know that! I took one of each so I could taste the difference! I could not tell much of a difference so its Cuban from now on! Did you know that? I learned something new today! Oh, with the remaining bread I made a delicious breakfast...Oh, My! French Toast sooo good!!

Are You Ready To Double Up?

I'm so excited about the Double Up deal!! I love getting indulgence point! I like to save them all year then have a little shopping spree! I use it as a reward system for my hard work! I choose a few things I would like have and I work towards that goal. There are so many things you can get and don't have to have a million points before you can claim a prize! I love it because it really is FREE...NO SHIPPING...100% FREE!!
The first thing you need to do is learn how to log in so you can see how many points you have. Most people have a hard time their first try so if you do, CALL HQ and have them walk you through the process. Have you checked how many points you currently have? Do you know how to get to the Indulgence Points Area? If not here are the steps...
Log in HQOL
Click on Consultant Area
Click on Compensation & Incentives
Click on TS Indulgences
Set up your log in information - Consultant ID is your consultant number - Create your password

So, what can you earn with indulgence points? Well, lets see....

4 points - Tastefully Simple Tumbler
4 points - TS Logo Drink Bucket Cooler
6 points - Pashmina-Style Scarf
6 points - Window Shoulder Purse
9 points - Vera Bradley Zip ID Case
10 points - Vera Bradley Coin Purse
10 points - Host Collection Carrying Bags (thinking about using some of my points for this.)
13 points - Fall/Winter Supplies (catalogs, order forms,...etc)

What would you like to earn? I would love to hear what you've set your eye on!