Starting with Tupperware

[happykat]

W. I'm interested in trying Tupperware. O. In my country at least (Australia), they no longer allow you to purchase the kit upfront. Instead, you have to book in six parties before they give you the kit (and that's after you've hosted your own party, called an "Announcement Party") and the kit gets paid off with the profit from sales. It's the only way: you can't start doing parties until you have the kit, and you don't get the kit until you've got six parties booked. I don't have six people I feel comfortable asking to host a party to support me in starting up the business, because so many people out there hate that kind of business. I don't feel comfortable asking friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, clients or cycling buddies (most of the people I cycle with are male anyway). I've considered putting notices up in shop windows to see whether I get any responses. Any other ideas? I like the idea of Tupperware: the products have a good reputation, you don't have to recruit anyone into the business, and once you start doing parties, you only have to have one attendee interested in hosting a party themselves in order for the business to keep going, and at some point by default products will be sold! Unfortunately though, the negative connotations of party plan businesses is an obstacle with approaching people.

[SquarePeg]

Can you find a "mentor" who has a kit and who is willing to lend it? Or one who would attend your parties?

[happykat]

Can you find a "mentor" who has a kit and who is willing to lend it? Or one who would attend your parties?

Thanks...... having an initial party wouldn't be a problem...... the idea is you host your "announcement party" which is run by your manager, while you take notes on how it is done, then you get dates booked for six "practice parties" in which you learn how to run the parties while at the same time getting the sales to pay off the kit. If you get fewer than six parties booked, the parties can still go ahead but not as part of your business, and you get taken off the system, and if you decide to start again at a later date you have to start all over again with another "Announcement Party"! I very much doubt that they'd let me start doing the business using someone else's kit, because if that were an option, I could just use the manager's kit since she'd be present anyway! IMO it would have been better if they'd kept the option of buying your kit upfront, but they must have scrapped it either because people weren't choosing that option or else they'd have thought if a person can't find the people to have the parties to quickly pay off the kit, then they must not be suited to the business!

[Unity1]

Hi happykat

If it was me I'd go on a local (to you) Facebook page - there are usually 'buy swap sell' types ones - alternatively an online classifieds site, and see if you can find some willing hosts.

I remember attending a party years back and buying tupperware , however, this wasn't the only demo there, I also bought a dried flower arrangement and some hand sewn items.

So you don't have to literally be the only person selling anything at a party, it may be easier to find a host that wants a variety of products.

.

[SquarePeg]

Thanks for explaining the process, happykat. It sounds like your manager is your mentor, so that's all set.

Perhaps your manager has a seller under her who wants to stop selling and you can take over that business. Even as I wrote that, I was guessing that there's a franchise agreement that prohibits that kind of thing.

[happykat]

Hi happykat

If it was me I'd go on a local (to you) Facebook page - there are usually 'buy swap sell' types ones - alternatively an online classifieds site, and see if you can find some willing hosts.

I remember attending a party years back and buying tupperware , however, this wasn't the only demo there, I also bought a dried flower arrangement and some hand sewn items.

So you don't have to literally be the only person selling anything at a party, it may be easier to find a host that wants a variety of products.

.

Thanks, good idea

[AthenaCat42]

Why rule out male cycling buddies? Tupperware is great and they have all kinds of things that are great to take on cycling trips or backpacking trips. I remember one of the Tupperware things my mom got when I was itty bitty was an orange peeler ... 40 years later we still use it and I bought one for myself. They have all kinds of things that help keep food fresh and from getting squished. Strawberries, grapes, cherries and other squishy foods are all the better after a good workout when everyone else is eating mashed bananas or brisued apples.

[Elaine Glimme]

Ask your manager for ideas about this.

[kashtanka]

HappyKat, I have done party plan businesses before and I was afraid of the same thing as you - getting people to host parties. I was working as a cashier at a grocery store when I started one business, and after asking several customers if they would host a party, I met a woman who said she'd host a party for me if I hosted a party for her. That lead to many more parties and a good business. Years later I started a business selling a brand of make-up, and that was much harder because no one I asked wanted to have a show/party. So, I knocked on doors in my neighborhood and found women who would have shows, and I even did the make-up for the bride and her bridal party. If a person didn't want to host a show, I asked her if I could give her a facial in her home to try the products. Many women said yes, and all it took was an hour of my time to guide a woman to what looked best on her. Then I took it to the workplace, doing the facials in the ladies room on lunch break.

Who are the people in your life that you see on a regular basis, that aren't friends or family? Do you shop at certain stores where the sales clerks know you and would host shows for you? Do you give your business to someone, who might help you out in return? Mention your intentions to have a Tupperware business to everyone you meet. Somewhere along the line, someone will say "Oh, I've been waiting to find someone who sells Tupperware - yes I'll have a show!"