Hi M.,
I am also a Tastefully Simple consultant and I just started in November. So far I have only had my Blast Off party because then the holidays came and I was just too busy with everything else to deal with it. Luckily I have had enough outside orders to keep me going but since this is not my full time job whatever I make from this is just extra money. This is actually my second attempt at Direct Sales, my first being with Lia Sophia jewelry but I gave that up because I was spending more than I was making and my potential hosts also dried up and nobody was following through with the parties like they promised.
Have you tried checking to see if there are any vendor events in your area coming up? That is usually a good place to get prospective clients and with the weather warming up there should be quite a few happening in the next couple of months. Local fairs usually have vendors that you would pay a fee for the table. I am working one at a mall near me in a couple of weeks that I am hoping will bring me business.
Another thing I do is leave catalogs everywhere that I can, grocery stores where they have those free magazines and advertisements, post offices, etc.
Another suggestion is to have an Open House. I've never tried this but I have heard a lot of stories of people that do this with great results.
I know it gets frustrating, especially when it is your sole source of income but the thing that I am trying to stick with is to not give up. I know the economy is bad but people still need to eat and with more people eating and entertaining at home, these are the perfect products to be selling. I am actually having a Pampered Chef/Tastefully Simple party at my house in a couple of weeks and I mentioned that part on the invitation and said how these two companies make it so easy and we can provide recipes and entertaining ideas. This way I earn Pampered Chef host items and the Pampered Chef lady will earn the Tastefully Simple host items and both our companies get exposure. That's another suggestion for you.
I know I have kind of rambled on but I hope I have helped a little. The best thing I can probably say is to not give up and business could be where you least expect it. My sponsor's manager does Tastefully Simple part time and she earned the trip to Cancun and she is well on her way to earning the new one. It can be done if you're persistent.
Take Care,
A.
