After returning from a recent successful customer event, I feel like I’ve discovered the answer to the question, “What do women really want?” It actually all started a few years ago when attendance at our events started to decline. Our leadership team brainstormed ideas on how we could do things differently to connect with more customers.

Three years is like light years in this economy; therefore, innovation and creativity are the keys to keeping your business above water and thriving.

Although our events continue to be a work in progress, our leadership team has come up with many fun and effective approaches that you can use to keep your customers coming back. We create what I call an “I love (your company name here)” experience, as outlined below.

Here Are Seven Reasons Women Will WANT to Attend Your Direct Sales Event  

1. Swag. What woman doesn’t love free stuff? As soon as our guests arrive they are greeted by our happy, smiling “Prize Patrol,” who strategically stand next to a round table of gift bags by the front door. Show your appreciation and Gift attendees with a freebie, look for sponsors to provide a freebie, or do free prize drawings. Our guests receive tickets for (a) bringing a guest (= new customers), (b) being a rewards member (= loyalty), (c) placing an order (= generate sales), (d) wearing a specific color (= fun and customer engagement). For example, the prize winner at a Holiday event wore beige but was determined to be in the “wear red” drawing, so she showed off her holiday colored red bra underneath. Bonus points for enthusiasm! And (e) customer appreciation (= customer retention). We even have a biggest loser prize drawing for guests who didn’t win a prize during the event, which always draws a lot of laughs. Create fun (and silly) categories that are tailored to your business.

2. Share Opinions. Women love to tell their girlfriends about their favorite products, restaurants, books, movies, tv shows —you name it, we share our opinions about it on Facebook. The Bachelor & Game of Thrones come to mind. So, instead of our top sales reps showing off our new product line, we ask our customers to volunteer at our event and share what they are excited about. Within seconds, attendees are jumping out of their chairs to run up to the microphone and share their opinion and give feedback. They sell the crowd for us and get a moment in the spotlight at the same time.

3. Make a Difference. Women are natural nurturers. My feeling is this: if I’m going to have an event with a room full of people, why not do something for charity at the same time. All of our events include a charity focus. We’ve asked guests to bring socks for the homeless, buy a pretzel or bottled water for the American Cancer Society (ACS), donate canned food for a local food bank, and collected hundreds of dollars of Toys during the holiday season for single Moms who were struggling. Your business and your customers will connect on a whole new level when you are making the world a better place together.

4. Get More Value. Have you ever told someone who commented on a recent purchase how much you saved (vs. how much you spent) and all the ways you can use your super new thingy? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. It’s called bragging rights. At our events, we focus on value and the problems our products solve, including how many ways attendees can use a product. We don’t talk about price. And don’t forget your best deal is your Hostess program, which helps you talk about booking a party without feeling “salesy” or “pushy.”

5. Have Fun. Every business is in show business. What can you do that would be a really fun reward for customers that say “yes”? We’ve used everything at our events from prize wheels to balloon pops. When a customer says “yes” to a specific offer, they get to spin the wheel or pop a balloon for a prize. Fun is even part of our charity focus. For example, we set up a putting green for guests who donated socks for the homeless—if they made the putt, they won a free tealight. Other fun booking and sponsoring game ideas are bean bag toss, roll the dice, basketball and bowling. Raid your toy room to see what you might already have on hand.

6. Wine-Down. Yeah, I went there. I’m not talking about a free-for-all with guests doing keg stands. Girls just want to have fun and enjoy a glass or two… of red or white wine. A glass of wine can magically connect Gen Y/X to 50+ boomer women like me. A really fun or fabulous pair of shoes can do the same thing. If you want to sell to women, there are three things most women like to do, preferably all at the same time: Shop, Sip, and Save.

7. Feel Pampered. Most of the women I know work their butts off and have very little “me” time for themselves. If you pamper, they will come. Our events include a variety of pampering for women, including $1/minute chair massages, angel card readings, fashion consultations, and mini-manicures/facials. We team up with local independent business women to provide pampering for our guests while supporting a local biz owner to meet potential new customers. It’s a win for all of us.

Ready to really rock your direct sales biz?