My AVON Holiday Open House Party + Tips on How to Host

Hey there, beauties! I had my AVON Holiday Open House Party on Saturday November 14th. I had sent out invites to the party 3 weeks prior and created a Facebook event while posting things throughout the days leading up to the party, to get my guests excited. It was a great chance to host my first raffle and I chose to raffle off the newest fragrance set by Fergie: Outspoken Party! When each guest came to the party they got one ticket just for showing up. During the party there were other chances to earn additional tickets such as: winning a game (they also got to pick a "present" from the table. More on that later in the post!) placing a Campaign 25 order before the party ended, making a purchase from my in-stock items, joining my AVON team and starting their own AVON business, etc. Everyone who came to the party wanted to win this set! I even had a tester bottle and lotion off to the side so guests could try it and once they did they just wanted the set even more.

I held the party starting at 4pm. I anticipated guests showing up hungry and even stated on the invite that food and drinks would be served. I made buffalo chicken dip in my crock pot (its always a favorite at any kind of party I have), sliced up some italian hoagies, had chips/pretzels, and baked chocolate chip cookies and cherry strussel pie. Yum! For drinks I put out bottled water, sweet tea, peach tea, and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. We all had a bite to eat and made small talk and then I went into my introduction.

When I was planning and then setting things up for the party, I thought about what I would want to do/see if I were the guest at this AVON party. I know I would want a wide variety of samples and inexpensive gifts I could purchase on the spot. So, I had purchased 2 green baskets from the dollar store and in one placed all sorts of Anew Skincare samples (including a print out of the Anew Skincare Fall 2015 Guide) and in the other, just about every fragrance sample I could get my hands on for Her and Him. I also got about 4 packs (all different shades and various lines) of AVON lipstick bullet samples so that guests could meet their lippy match. Having those lipstick samples really made the guests excited and I think they all had fun "hunting" for a few shades they had been eager to try. I also set out some print outs of Alternative Uses for AVON Bubble Bath as well as Skin So Soft Bath Oil.

After we ate, I started into the games. I had planned to do two games during my party and the first one was The Purse Game. This game is a standby for direct sales parties as its fun, creates laughs, and also brings awareness to the products you are selling. I started the game with saying: "First of all, if your purse is from AVON, give yourself 10 points!" This brought attention to the fact that AVON sells handbags and fashionable ones at that. I held up the new Market Fringe Tote and a few jaws dropped as they didn't realize what all AVON had to offer. Some of the items listed were practical: keys, drivers license, lip balm, mascara, hand sanitizer, etc. Any item that was listed that could be found in an AVON brochure would get you an extra point if you had gotten it from AVON. Other items listed on the game sheet were a little less practical and more comical: fruit snacks, paperclip, box tops, sewing kit (which AVON has by the way!!), etc. Once everyone totaled their points, the guest with the most points got to pick a present (aka prize) from the table. The winner also got another ticket for the raffle!

As you can see from the picture above, I also had plenty of current brochures, pens, and business cards. You can also kind of see the handbag I had showed off during the purse game, even though the picture gets a bit dark in the corner there. There was even a guest who wanted to buy the tote bag on the spot she loved it so! 

After the first game, I took orders from anyone who was ready and also sold some items from the in-stock table. I knew I had a lot of product available on the spot, but again, I thought about what I would want from a party like this. Variety. Choices. Lots to look through and see first hand, even if I was not making the purchase at that time. I recently got the PayPal Here Credit/Debit Card Reader, so that was another payment option for my guests and I displayed the "sticker" that came in the box with the device. Guests were happy that they did not have to get any cash out or fuss with checks. 

The other game we played was the AVON Word Search that I had made up. There was a five minute time limit and whomever found the most words got to pick a prize! The winner also got another raffle ticket. The best part about the games was the fun that we all had. Everyone laughed and I could really tell that all were enjoying themselves. 

When the games were finished, I still had prizes left over so I gave them out to guests who had not won anything yet in the evening. I don't know of anyone that doesn't enjoy a free gift and I was happy to be able to gift everyone with a little something. By this time, more guests were ready with their orders and I took those while some had more coffee and some sweets. The party was nearing its end and I was about to do the raffle drawing. I had my daughter reach into the raffle box (after a good shake up!) and pick the winning ticket. The winner was surprised and gave a huge smile which warmed my heart!

I hoped you all enjoyed reading about my first ever AVON Holiday Open House Party! It was a fun experience for me, as my first - and I cannot wait to do more parties and growing my AVON business!!

IF YOU ARE NOT AN AVON SALES REP BUT WANT TO SIGN UP ONLINE TO BECOME ONE, CLICK HERE. AS AN AVON REP, HOME PARTIES ARE NOT A REQUIREMENT BUT THEY ARE FUN TO DO AND CAN LEAD TO MUCH SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS!