Games & Giveaways: Do They Really Increase Your Business?

Written by Nicole Dean

Everyone loves playing games and winning free stuff. Depending on how they’re used, games and giveaways can benefit your business or they can hurt your business.

The types of games we’re talking about here are the ones you play at your shows. For example, some consultants play games or offer giveaways at their shows for the person who drove the farthest, brought the most friends, is the oldest, youngest, married the longest, has the most kids, etc. While those games are fun, do they really benefit your business? Do they increase sales or entice people to host a show or even more importantly encourage potential new recruits to join the business?

A lot of getting to the right answer depends on your company, what product you’re selling, and how you go about it. If you are selling skin care products, then giving product away to the person who is the oldest may be a great way to gain her as a new customer because she will love it and return to you to purchase more of the wonderful product you gave her. So make sure the gifts are age appropriate and something they will actually use (you wouldn’t want to give her something for teens for example). Try not to give away something that is being discontinued. However, if you’re going to be offering drawings & prizes then use what you have. The idea of a giveaway is to get product in the hands of someone so they will return to you to purchase again and again. Don’t forget to put a sticker with your contact information on the item so they know how to contact you when they’re ready to order more. Another idea – ask for permission to contact the winner to get their comments about the product. Use that information to improve your sales “pitch”.

On the flip side of this is when you are selling home interior products or organizational items. Giving away an item that is being discontinued can be a great way to get customers back to see the new items that are coming out. Some people like the idea of getting something that is rare and unique, that everyone else doesn’t have. The idea is to think through what you’re giving away. Think of the benefits it will have to your business. If you’re spending more money on giveaways than you’re making in profit, then you probably need to re-think how much you giveaway.

Also, if you give away a gift to the person who brings the most friends, make sure your hostess informs their friends of this. Add a note to their invitation. Let them know what the item is or what it’s worth. This is a great way to get more people to a show. Also, make the gift worthwhile. You want them to really want it so they will truly work for it.

Some companies encourage their consultants to give gifts to people to entice them to listen to the business opportunity. While this can be a good idea, it can also be a bad idea. Again you want to think through who you are trying to recruit. You want to recruit people who really love the product, who are interested in making more money, who need to start a new career and who are motivated and excited. In other words, don’t give your business away to just any one who is only looking for free product. A good way to gauge true interest is by playing a game that includes having guests ask questions about your business. The person that asks the most questions just might be someone to talk to.

Be choosy about who you’re giving gifts to and what you’re giving away. Games and giveaways can help your business when they are well thought out and targeted at a specific audience and used appropriately. But they can hurt your business (read: eat into your profit) if you’re just giving away to give something away.

Tags: Direct Sales, encouraging guest participation, games & giveaways, Home Party Games