Hardest Thing About Pampered Chef?

What's the hardest part of your PC job?

Picking up the phone to get bookings!!! I have learned to try to just get lots of bookings from shows if possible, so I don't have to do this!!

That I'm my own boss. I have no one to be acountable to. For example putting off making phone calls, or making host packets, etc.

Yes, it's definitely picking up the phone!!!

Well, that or having to stop myself from BUYING MORE PRODUCTS!!!!!!!!!! lol

NOT using all of my commission to buy products!!!

Seriously, making cold calls. I am good with out of the box calls but not making the calls out of the blue to ask for bookings.

I would definitely say, picking up the phone! I also hate packing up all my stuff after my show...

Putting my stickers and labels on everything!

BTW, mine is not taking everything I own to a show!

The calls are definitely extremely hard for me. So that goes w/o saying. I would say next in line is trying not to get insulted when people dont call me back. That psses me off lol

i love that the HARDEST things about PC are tiny, stupid things. It jsut goes to show how easy the business is!

The hardest thing for me about my job with PC would be calling and getting bookings, or doing morning after calls or emails... I hate taking everything I own to a show....... my rolling case gets quite full!!!

Carrying those D%*m crates up and down my stairs!!

While I LOVE my biz, there are a few things I hate or am bad about doing...
*organization/paperwork/keeping up with everything
*not having my own space
*packing and unpacking for shows!

soccermama said:

Yes, it's definitely picking up the phone!!!

Well, that or having to stop myself from BUYING MORE PRODUCTS!!!!!!!!!! lol

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TOtally agree with those two statements! I've especially got a SEVERE case of Phone Phobia and am trying to locate a Hynosis or self help tape to get over my phone fear! Once I do that I know my business will flourish!

Making calls/getting bookings.

AJPratt said:

BTW, mine is not taking everything I own to a show!

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LOL And if I did that, I'd need a bigger van! I love to have shows at my home because people can see and touch and use almost every item in the catalog! I've been a PC addict for 7 years now, so have almost everything (very few items that I don't have... the cake pans and springform pan come to mind... lol)

the 2 hardest things for me is making any phone call, mainly cause I forget or get busy with the kids, and asking for bookings. I also hate packing and unpacking for shows

Right now, it's balancing it with everything else in my life. That will come though after my SS months. I'm pushing hard to get my incentives!

This month, it's getting some more bookings. I had 2 move to Oct for reasons beyond their control (i.e. death in the family). I do have a FR, a registry and possible 2-3 catty shows, but I'd like a few more cooking shows to round it out.

So my challenge tonight is to get on the phone and hope I'm not harrassing these ppl I've been trying to book for a week or so now!

The dreaded thought of taking that dumb crate up and down staris... then becasue it's to heavy asking for help from either the host or her hubby.. that's embrassing!!!

My fear is that I am harrassing people without meaning to. I try to let people know that they have to be very blunt (ie. stop talking to me) before I get the message. I just don't want to miss out on working with some amazing people just because they keep missing my calls or losing my phone number or are too busy right now to get back to me!!!

cmdtrgd said:

My fear is that I am harrassing people without meaning to. I try to let people know that they have to be very blunt (ie. stop talking to me) before I get the message. I just don't want to miss out on working with some amazing people just because they keep missing my calls or losing my phone number or are too busy right now to get back to me!!!

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You know, that's a great way to be... tell people to be blunt. Its better than being lead along.

Right now...getting bookings
not taking everything to shows
and not licking my fingers when I demo a recipe at a show!

LOL @ not licking fingers!!!!!! I hang a towel off the apron and try to remember to USE IT when doing my demo

Making phone calls specially to people that don't have the courtesy to call back.

Packing up after a show.

I was also going to say not licking the spoon
And, of course that dreaded phone....I am getting better though!
My biggest frustration is my small house; I HATE my kitchen (not fair that a PC lady has too small a kitchen!), and I really want my own office space. Hopefully in a year that dream will come true

I have made peace with the phone, but getting bookings is still no easy task for me.

same here with the phone calls and people not calling you back.

Ann

The phone doesn't bother me anymore. The fear of them doing business with someone else does.

I wish that all I had to do was go to the show and perform...maybe when I get to Tom Marston's level I can have my hubby as my assistant and have him make all of my calls and get all of my bookings!!

soonerchef said:

I wish that all I had to do was go to the show and perform...maybe when I get to Tom Marston's level I can have my hubby as my assistant and have him make all of my calls and get all of my bookings!!

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Hee-hee! Wouldn't that be awesome!

Yeah...couldn't you just see all of our hubbies toiling away at CC calls? That a good laugh for the entire day!! All I can say is that when I dream...I dream BIG!!!!

No kidding, that is a big dream! My hubby would tell all my guests that a fork works just as well as this tool, and this one is at Walmart for 1/3 the price. I've told him a thousand times about the customer care, warranty on our products and that walmart stuff is crap. He has told my customers before that they are wasting their money. He is trying to be supportive but he thinks PC is stupid. I can only imagine what my biz would be like with him as my assistant!!

gilliandanielle said:

No kidding, that is a big dream! My hubby would tell all my guests that a fork works just as well as this tool, and this one is at Walmart for 1/3 the price. I've told him a thousand times about the customer care, warranty on our products and that walmart stuff is crap. He has told my customers before that they are wasting their money. He is trying to be supportive but he thinks PC is stupid. I can only imagine what my biz would be like with him as my assistant!!

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Okay...here is what you do....next time you guys need to go to a gethering and need to bring some food both of you make the same dish but he has to use his Walmart stuff and you use PC tools...see which dish looks and tastes better and see if he still thinks it's stupid...

soonerchef said:

Yeah...couldn't you just see all of our hubbies toiling away at CC calls? That a good laugh for the entire day!! All I can say is that when I dream...I dream BIG!!!!

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Yes, actually that is a HUGE dream! I would have a heart attack if my hubby made calls for me; then who would do the shows?
He is supportive though; he recommends the knives, stones, & BBQ tools. Gillian: I'm sure yours doesn't complain when it's payday does he? I'd be saying, ok if PC is stupid then this stupid money is all mine! (& go shopping!)

MAYBE you should suggest that he buy some "off brand" the next time he needs a new tool (or whatever his thing is)....

Thankfully, I've never had to convince my bf that PC is the best there is, because he knew NOTHING about cooking before we met

My husband totally gets it. He has seen the difference in having good tools especially how long they last as some of the 1st kitchen items I bought 5+ years ago are still going strong while my cheaper stuff has been replaced several times.

tlennhoff said:

My husband totally gets it. He has seen the difference in having good tools especially how long they last as some of the 1st kitchen items I bought 5+ years ago are still going strong while my cheaper stuff has been replaced several times.

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My hubby also sees how great our products are and he loves them almost as much as I do. I earned the 12-inch skillet and the stir-fry skillet during pan-o-rama earlier this year and he knows how much I love cooking with them so get this.....my birthday is this month and guess what....he bought me the 12-piece Executive cookware set! At half-price of course (I had a buch of orders that I combined into a show). I can't wait until it gets here next week! I am probably going to hug the UPS man! Oh yeah....and my hubby too!

I could only dream that I could eventually make enough from PC that it could support me AND hubby and then he could do my paperwork, etc!

I hate packing and unpacking for my shows. I hate the dishes. But I love my comission checks and the FREE product, so I just keep doing the shows. While I am doing my dishes, I dream about San Francisco. Katie

I would also have to agree with the majority of responses the hardest part of this job is making cold calls to get bookings. I know that I hate to get calls from sales people so that when I am making calls I feel like one of those annoying sales people. Because I hate making calls whenever I am at my kids sporting events or work I let everybody know I am a pampered chef consultant. Sometime I get bookings. I know making phone calls is the way. But I absolutely hate being that annoying sales call.

While I realize the phone can be big and hairy at times (I've been temped to add fake fur to mine...) it IS the lifeline of our business. If we can stop projecting our own fears on to the people we call and see ourselves as first and foremost SERVICE people rather than Sales, this is key. How I see ME makes all the difference. I am calling to see how they are enjoying their products or to let them know a way to save money on something they'd like to get or how to save money every night in their kitchen. This is a SERVICE... and they have no way of knowing how I can help them unless I tell them.

Having said all this, I too have a hard time getting started... but if you can get the ball rolling and devote a set amount of time it gets easier. I use buttons and two containers to keep my eye on the number of calls I make rather than the reactions. In moving the buttons into the empty cup I see that the No's help me fill my container and get to the Yesses faster, so I can honestly thank people for their honesty and time. Again, it's all in my perspective and I choose my perspective.

A recent conference call really distilled it for me when a Senior Director said "We make our money on the telephone, we collect it at the shows!" I have put that in LARGE print over my telephone - which shall remain hairless because that phone makes money for my family and it is my FRIEND.

consistency

as well as pickin' up the phone

Making calls and getting no results ... either not reaching people or hearing "no."

For me, the hardest thing is not so much of picking up the phone, but like Di Can Cook stated, the lack of results from picking up the phone........... for me it is leaving numerous messages for the same person, and never being able to reach them.

Another thing that is hard for me is reaching the host after booking their show and sending their host kit.

Hardest thing, kicking myself for forgetting to talk about Cookware!!