How can hosting a mystery party at your school benefit you?

[soonercheflisa]

Hi! This is my first post. Since I am new, I guess I will tell you a little about myself. My name is Lisa and I am from Moore, Oklahoma. GO SOONERS! This is my second time around with Pampered Chef. I sold Pampered Chef for 7 years until I went back to work full-time and I came back to Pampered Chef last summer. I have one recruit and 3 sitting on the fence.

I just wanted to pass on a great booking event. I work at an elementary school here in Moore and I presented a Mystery Hostess Show in our teachers lounge this week. I set up all the NEW products in the lounge for 2 days and invited everyone to browse and check out the products. On the first day I had everyone meet me in the lounge after school for some P.C. snacks and ask questions about the new products. I only brought the new products because most everyone I work with are very familiar with Pampered Chef. I gave everyone chance to be the "mystery hostess" by having them fill out a questionnaire, book a show, turn in an outside order, turning in an order for themselves and having them visit my web site and emailing me back and letting me know they were there. It was a great success! The two day event ended with almost $700 in sales and 5 bookings. Our art teacher won the "mystery hostess" and she is going to work this weekend on getting it closer to $1000. Since this was such a great success, I visited my son's Jr. High today and I am going to do the same thing next week there, then I plan on doing one at the elementary were my younger son goes to school next month. I know this is a little bit long winded and I am sorry, but I am really excited about this.

 

[PCJKates]

Soonercheflisa-
congrats! how cool is that? I know you said you worked in the first school that you did this in, but how did you approach the other schools to allow you to do this??

thanks

 

[lacychef]

Great idea, and thanks for sharing. I'm guessing you'd have to get permission from the principal right? Sounds like fun

 

[soonercheflisa]

I would go and speak to the school secretary, she could refer you to the principle if need be. So far, the secretary is the one to ask, she is the one that really knows what is going on at school. Good luck with it.

 

[Pampered in OKC]

Congrats Lisa!! I am so excited it went well. I am also a Sooner Fan. I wondered how you did after the meeting at Barb's.
TTYL! Tammy Briggs

 

[mandydollie]

You said that you worked in a school. Any suggestions on how you would approach the school if you dont' work there. I think this is a great idea, but didn't know if you had a letter or a flyer that you gave to the secretary about this.

 

[mandydollie]

WOW... i emailed the secretary at my daughter's school about doing something like this (honestly thinking I wouldn't hear back from her). Well she just e-mailed me back and said that it sounded like fun and is going to do it. I'm so excited. But now I'm nervous.... I've never done something like this... HELP!!!! Do you have a flyer that you put in the teacher's lounge outlining how they earned chances at the host benefits?

 

[mandydollie]

Ok...well another school in the district just called me and they want to do this too. Holy Cow... how exciting!

 

[DZmom]

Ok...well another school in the district just called me and they want to do this too. Holy Cow... how exciting!

What did you say in your emails?

 

[mandydollie]

I said that I was simply wondering if they would be interested in having me come in and set up a display of Pampered Chef products for a couple of days. I explained that those who placed orders would be entered into a drawing for the host benefits. I then made up a flyer and sent it to them showing how you could win. One of the schools e-mailed back and said it would be fun, the other called me and said that they wanted to do it too.

 

[mandydollie]

Heres the flyer that I sent... Simple, yet apparently effective!

 

[jenf]

What products are you setting up at the school? What recipes are you making?

 

[gilliandanielle]

Just a warning before you guys get too excited- I tried doing this with my HWC fundraiser in May, and wasn't allowed to. Anything sold in schools needs to be approved by the school district (here at least) and it is a long process in which I was eventually denied. If you have a contact such as your own child in a school you have a better chance (lika Amanda) but be prepared to be treated like a child molester that is trying to get contact within the school! I am HOPING that I just had a bad experience, but schools, especially elementary, have to be careful who they have roaming the halls.

 

[mandydollie]

I'm going to take my crate with a piece of cookware with a new chef's tool, round stone on woven tray set up with pizza cutter, the chopper, cutting board, Mandolin, batter bowl, Simple addition caddy with small bowls, and possibly the stainless bowls.Recipes: oreo truffles, the Profiterole Puffs, maybe some of the holiday bark that i've seen on here. Thinking maybe mini pumpkin muffins in the mini muffin pan.

 

[mandydollie]

Gillian~Both of the secretarys at the schools had already checked with the principals at the schools. My daughter goes to one of the schools and my ex-mother in law is the secretary at the other. I made sure that they double checked and made sure that it was ok. Plus these are very small towns...less than 3000 in each town. Also, I'm going in after hours on Monday night and setting up. The products will be out for three days and they can play with them, and place orders. I will go back in on Thursday night after hours and pick everything back up including orders. I've put my e-mail and phone number on all the order forms and asked them to call me with any questions. That way I'm not actually in the school and all bases are covered.

 

[lacychef]

Thanks for sharing all the info Amanda I think I will have to give this a try. The only thing at my daughter's school is their teacher's lounge is tiny! But it's worth looking in to; the worst they can say is no, right?

 

[mandydollie]

Lacy~That's exactly what I figured these schools would say..but they seem really excited about it. I think they liked the idea of no pressure... they can look at the stuff without me there and if they have questions, then I'm available by phone or e-mail. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a couple of great shows from this. September has been terrible for me, so I need a great October. Another option for a little space..maybe go in each night and change the display, that way you're only using a little area but showing off different products??

 

[gilliandanielle]

I wasn't assuming that you were going to molest children, LOL! I just wanted to warn everyone that calling a school that doesn't have any connection to you might not be recieved so nicely. I hope that I am wrong, but just don't get too excited until you hear a yes.

 

[mandydollie]

You were too thinking that... goofy girl!!!!! I see your point perfectly! I'm just glad that they were receptive to it.

 

[gilliandanielle]

Yeah, I know that you are looking into abducting flower-girls to be!

 

[mommyhugz1978]

I need to check into the same thing at my daughters school,they have a parents club that likes to do fundraising but it would be kind of fun to see if I could do a mystry host thing for the teachers and staff... I live in a small town too so it might go over better than I think.

 

[mandydollie]

you're right Gill.... since my 7 year old has officially made a statement that she will NOT be another flower girl!!!!

 

[lacychef]

you're right Gill.... since my 7 year old has officially made a statement that she will NOT be another flower girl!!!!

So is she in your wedding?

 

[karlene]

sounds like a great idea...we just got 3 brand new identical elementary schools in our district (k-6) and I sub for the schools...I am emailing the info right now to all 3 secretaries. Plus we have a middle and high school!! I would love to get into these lounges!
The pumpkin gems are a great recipe to do...makes 100 muffins!!! and you can freeze them

PS also may want to be sure you're securing their payment or have them pay you on last day so no CC # are sitting around on order forms...just a thought...does anyone else have any thoughts on how to do payments safely?

PUMPKIN GEMS


1 yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 can (20 ounces) pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350F. Blend together all ingredients. Spritz each
Mini-Muffin well and fill 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool then frost
with Cream Cheese Frosting.


1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Beat in vanilla and milk.
Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting is desired consistency.
Yield: 100 mini-cupcakes

 

[mandydollie]

Lacy~ She is my junior bride and she'll be walking me down the aisle. She has told me that when the officiant asks if if's ok if I marry Scott that she's going to say "I don't care" and then laugh... yeah, she's got a wee touch of evil in her.... ha haKarlene..good thinking about the payment. I hadn't thought about that. Maybe I will tell them if they want to order with a credit card, that they can do so securely on my website. I will for sure be using the pumpkin gem recipe...thanks for that.

 

[karlene]

Amanda
you can just buy pre-made cream cheese frosting if you want...it works great...I put it in the easy accent decorator and put a little "dollup" (sp?)
on each one...I suppose you could even have the easy accent decorator there and let them do that part if they want!!! The frosting keeps well in that!!! This is the food Item I make for craft fair shows as well!!! Goes a long way for little $$. They literally melt in your mouth...NOTE: do not use an off brand of solid pumpkin...use a good brand name like Libbey's. Makes a difference!!!

YOu could have the show set up in your website and have the instructions on the back of your business cards as how to place their order through there or on little note cards they take.

 

[mandydollie]

OH...great idea about the ordering instructions on the back of my business card... I'm going to set those two shows up now. I'll just put my name in as the host and then change once the winner is drawn. The shows will be shipped to me anyway since I told them that I would sort all the products and bag it all up. I want this to be as easy as possible for them so that maybe it will become a twice a year event! Also, great idea about having the frosting in the EAD... I will for sure do that too.

 

[mandydollie]

OK..RESULTS from My Mystery Host School ShowsThe first school ended up with $350 in sales (only 7 orders) and 2 bookings
The second school ended up with about $334 in sales (only 5 orders) but no bookings..Not as great as I would have hoped, but School #1 wants to make this a yearly event now, so that's exciting!

 

[tlennhoff]

Not bad and better than nothing and a yearly event should be good even if it is fairly small.

 

[lacychef]

Hey, for the number of orders...sounds like a success to me! Especially with the bookings! Good job
I was hoping you'd share your results!

 

[ChefShari]

What a fabulous idea for Teachers Lounge, I already bake for the PTO ladies when needed (as volunteer) and can easily start the buzz about a Mystery Hostess.... I just had a 1500+ show as a Host 2 wks. ago and signed as a Consultant a few days ago once I learned how much my "Male" Consultant made off my show. I had 5 bookings and guess what?! They all volunteer at the school and talk up my baking already! I am energized over the thought of the benefits of getting into the Teachers/ PTO Lounges. Newbee, Shari