I Had a Tastefully Simple Party - Need Advice

[pampchefrhondab]

I met a Tastefully Simple rep. back in September at a booth I worked. She booked a show w/me. Since I love Tastefully Simple products I decided to repay the favor and have a TS show.

I worked really hard to get people here and had 10 show up (out of 30). I was happy. My sales are at $350, but I have some outside orders to come in yet. I'm hoping to get to the $400 level.

We tasted 18 products - very yummy. I do think it went a little long. I think I may tell her that when she does the party for me this Thursday, but I don't want to offend her. Does anyone have any suggestions? She did the spicy type food first and then desserts. She passed one at a time around and said what page it was on, etc. I think what she should do is pass each one around of the reguar food, but then let everyone taste the desserts on their own. That way she can start taking orders. She had a line up because people wanted to leave. I don't want her to think I don't know what I'm talking about and I don't want her to get upset w/me. She has been selling for about a year. I'm thinking about not saying anything to her about it, but asking her for advice on my presentation (which I really would like feed back). Then when she gives me advice, she may ask for some. If she doesn't ask for any I won't say anything. What do you think?

We were talking while she was packing up and she said she really wanted to sell PC, but her husband wouldn't let her because he said she would spend too much money. We started talking about commissions, benefits, etc. and our benefits are much better:love: ! She said she has to pay out the host benefits out of her commission. Plus she has to pay for all the samples. I told her about the incentives we have and she said their incentive was to get an ornament if they sold $2,000 in a month. I tried to convence her to move over to PC we we will see if she decides. I don't think she wants to give up on TS yet, but maybe she will think about PC in the future.

Let me know if you have any advice on giving her feedback or talking her in to selling.

Thanks,

 

[JAE]

TELL HER! I've been to a couple of Tastefully Simple shows and they are so ineffcient! Why can't everyone have a plate of bread and crackers and pass around the dips one by one. She has to talk fast. There is no reason for her to go on and on about the sauce or whatever. If someone really likes something they will ask her what else they can do with it. Maybe just one or two quick suggestions for each recipe. People talk while they are tasting and they aren't listening to her anyway. I end up saying "what else can I do with that?" or "what did you say?" Just tell her that your friends want to socialize and you need to be done by such and such a time so you have a suggestion for how to speed things up. OR say "I have a question about the presentations. Would it be okay if....?" My friend who just had a show did it in her living room. Bad idea. We could have easily sat around the table. It would have saved time because the consultant kept going back and forth into the kitchen which was around the wall past the table. Then we all sat around the table eating the food while we were deciding what to buy. It was boring until we got to just eat and chat. Just my opinion!

 

[chefkristin]

I understand what your saying. But...how would you feel if someone else from another Direct Sales company asked you to change your show?

 

[JAE]

If the guests at my show were bored, I'd listen.

 

[amy07]

i was just as a TS show, and I believe the consultant said that they are trained to read those cards and go in order. Waaayyyy to long IMO. I think instead of telling her how to do a TS presentation, just recruit her!

 

[finley1991]

That's what's great about direct selling. We are all in business for ourselves.

I wouldn't give her any feedback unless she asks for it.

 

[JAE]

That's what's great about direct selling. We are all in business for ourselves.

I wouldn't give her any feedback unless she asks for it.

If you're going to have a show at your house with your friends, you have every right to make suggestions. I suppose you could choose to find a different consultant, but they are all trained to do it the same way. I think it's perfectly acceptable to kindly ask or make suggestions for a different approach because you know what you and your friends want. If she isn't willing to change things up a bit then she chooses to let you go as a host.

 

[jrstephens]

I wouldn't say anything unless she asks for it. If she has been doing TS for a year that would give other people time to say something to her about it. I think if you say something to her she is going to think "that PC lady thinks she knows it all." And that would shoot you in the foot if she was thinking of doing PC too. My coworker sales TS and I do know they are taught to do their shows way different than ours. She mainly does catalog shows b/c she does not like to do home shows.

 

[jrstephens]

I think you could say "I know my friends are busy and want to have a short show. If you could do that I would appreciate it." But I do not think it would be right to say "I think you do your shows way to long and you need to change the way you do them b/c people get tired of them being so long." I would totally ask for something specific to my show but not say anything as far as her business goes.

When I posted previously I was thinking her business as a whole, not just your individual show.

 

[JAE]

Okay, I did go back and re-read the original posting. So, I would probably not say anything after the fact. I thought she was wanting to have the TS party at her own house after she had been to one at someone else's. Unless the TS consultant asked her why she isn't getting bookings or what she thought of the show, then she doesn't need to say anything. It was 12:13 AM when I read and posted originally. Sorry.

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Thanks for your input everyone. She did go off the note cards and did say in the beginning how easy the company makes it for you by using note cards, etc. I didn't have a problem w/the format of doing each one at a time in the beginning, but it got long..... She did say she does double of the samples the company gives. I think that is why it is long. That's why my suggestion would be to do each one by one for the regular food items, but then let everyone visit while they taste the desserts. I don't think the show is meant to be that long. It started at 7:00 and didn't end until almost 9:00. I would have liked more time to visit w/my friends as well.

Then she didn't ask anyone if they would like to do a show because they were all lined up at the table waiting to order. They had already tasted all the food. If the desserts hadn't been tasted yet the people who needed to go could have checked out first.

I really like her and will do a show w/her again next fall, but I think I will just wait until then to ask her to make it a little quicker.

I am trying to recruit her. I plan on talking about more of our benefits when she does her show on Thursday.

Their host benefits aren't as good as ours either. I love that we give a percentage off anything else you want. I would order a ton of stuff from her if I got a discount. Also I read that I have to pay tax and shipping on the free stuff I get. So by the time I'm done I really won't be getting much free for having my show. My sales are at $400 - I get $40 in free plus 2 half price items, but they can't be valued at over $9.99. I spent $12.30 on postage and about $13 of food. That's $25.30. Plus I'll have to pay about $6 for the shipping on my free stuff. That adds up to $31.30. So I'll end up with about $18.70 in free stuff. Not sure it's worth the effort I put in. Plus they don't have any monthly specials like we do at 60% off. I will do a show for her again because I like her and she's doing a show for me, but I don't think I would do a show again otherwise. Also, I'm only to get the benefits if I have a booking, but she said she gives them just for the sales since I didn't get a booking.

 

[JAE]

You could have everything shipped to you and get shipping at a lower rate, couldn't you? Me and two friends went together on our order and the shipping was less because our order totaled $50. It came to me, and I let them know when it was here. It's a time saver for you to let everyone have their things shipped to their house, but if you see them anyway, do they let you do that?

 

[pampchefrhondab]

All the orders under $50 are being shipped to me. It's 10% shipping. If it's under $50 it's $6.99 to direct ship.

 

[kam]

We have a "regular" gal who does the TS in our neighborhood - and it is the same exact format. (except we are really bad and talk a lot!) I guess if samples were doubled, it would take a long time. Our problem is that we seem to get a lot of the same stuff time after time and apparently whatever month it is determines the samples. So if our parties aren't scheduled "right" we end up with the same stuff the next time (and she won't change it up). That is when it is BORING. If I didn't like something 3 months ago, I am not going to like it now...

But, I HAD to respond to the host benefit part. My first host for PC had a TS party in July. She sold a decent amount of TS and felt she did not get much as a host! Not to mention she had to pre-make all the dips, beer bread and buy chicken. TS provides the dip mixes, but she had to supply all the stuff to make each one (sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, etc). (I hosted one a year ago and thought I had to supply a lot too).

Anyway, when we discussed her hosting a PC show - she was AMAZED at everything she would get from PC for hosting. Plus it was Sept (cookware). So actually having the poor benefits from TS really showed her how great PC is! She thought she would only have a $200-300 show so she was thrilled at her benefits with a $500 show!!

And when does TS ever have a guest special????

(Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against TS - I go to and have parties - but you cannot beat the PC host benefits!)

 

[pampchefrhondab]

(Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against TS - I go to and have parties - but you cannot beat the PC host benefits!)[/QUOTE]

My point exactly. I don't have anything against TS either and I will do another show as I said above. I just think it hurts for her to get bookings by not having a special she can offer. Also, I really wouldn't do another show if it weren't for her being a customer of mine. I would just buy what I want and not have to deal w/it. I think many of her past hosts may feel the same way. She told me $400 was her average. I'm also not sure how many of my friends will want to come to a show next year after this one was so long.

 

[raebates]

You could always ask her, as time for your next show gets closer, if she offers any sort of express show. I know that I occasionally have hosts who ask if we can do a short weeknight show, since their friends have jobs to get up for, kids to get off to school, etc.

 

[Cindycooks]

Everyone has already given good advice and since it's a weeknight, i'd use that as an excuse for her to try to have an "express" type show.

It is interesting you bring all this up! I've only been to one TS show and that was about a year ago. My daughter was with me who comes to my shows and often helps me out. We both said we were exhausted just watching this lady cook! She did at least 10 things of dips, sauces etc - then some bbq shrimp, chicken, a steak dish, the breads in oil, and after all that - the apple and the almond cake..and also a drink! We were there at least 3 hours. I have wondered where all the food samples came from and had a feeling they had to buy all thier own, I dont know of anyway around that!

I do have to say my daughter went to another party not long after that one and said it was much better (different consultant). She served a couple dips and the almond cake for dessert - that was it!

I am doing a vendor fair on Friday night that the original TS Lady invited me to participate in - she is on the PTO board at her sons school where the event is being held. I know her booth will be next to me. It will be interesting to see how things are going for her! She was a very nice lady - but I'd be crazy by now!