$1,000+ Phone Order! - Help Me Figure This Out!

[adnoel]

Alright, I am not quite sure if this is the right place to post this, but I need some advice. As I keep saying, I'm new....three years from now I'll still be using it as an excuse to ask silly questions. :chef:

I just took a call from a guest who was at my show on Sudnay. While at the show, she mentioned that she is moving in a few weeks and wants to completely redo her kitchen tools. Said she was hoping to put in an order with me and would let me know what she wanted in a few days (she also placed an order at the show.) I knew she'd order some things, but I didn't think she'd want to order the whole catalog!

Okay, it's not the whole catalog, but it's a lot of stuff, over $1000 before the items she was thinking of getting for 1/2 price (WAHOO!). I know that I'll be turning this into a show so that she get free/discounted/half price stuff, but does anyone have any tips on they best way to tabulate this so she pays as little as possible? Have her "guest" (her husband) buy the most expensive items so she gets lower priced items free? Have the hubby by least expensive items? I was planning on playing around with this, but thought all my cheffers might have some tips.

The commission check would be great, but I was really only expecting to buy $300-400 worth of stuff, so getting less commission isn't really a concern. Having her as a customer is more important.

She did want to get the executive cookware combo for one of her half-price items, but the rest are just regular catalog items.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[pcsharon1]

The free amount is just that - FREE. It's the half price items that make the difference in what a hostess pays. That is usually what I change out the most to make a difference in what the host is paying. Clearly cookware is going to be a half price item but smaller things that are closer in price can make a difference. I mostly just play around with it because there are a lot of combinations you don't realize are there.

i.e. - say you have two different items she wants that are only about $5 difference in price. Our natural inclination is to make the more expensive item the half price item but if paying full price for the more expensive item raises her show level enough to get more free product - then she actually benefits more that way. It's just something you have to play with. I personally would have the less expensive items be her free products because she will look at her receipt and look at her products and go "whoa, look at everything I got for free" - makes her great advertising to her friends for having a show!

By the way - if she isn't looking at them - suggest the knives as a half price item - if she is getting a brand new kitchen those are something she will LOVE.

 

[pcsharon1]

Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS! That's awesome.

 

[adnoel]

Thanks, I will play around with it, but wasn't sure if anyone had a good process. One of her items on the list is the knife block set, so most likely, that will be a 1/2 price item, unless I can figure out a better way to do it.

Thanks for you help!

 

[lesliec]

Have you talked to her about this? I say this b/c maybe there are more things on her wishlist, but she just "limited" it to $1000 right now. If that is the case, then go ahead an put what she has down for an order for her husband and let her choose more for her free items.
Oh, and don't forget to get an order from the previous host for the Host Special. This may help bump her sales to the next level.
Congrats. This is awesome!!!!

 

[NooraK]

Have you talked to her about this? I say this b/c maybe there are more things on her wishlist, but she just "limited" it to $1000 right now. If that is the case, then go ahead an put what she has down for an order for her husband and let her choose more for her free items.
Oh, and don't forget to get an order from the previous host for the Host Special. This may help bump her sales to the next level.
Congrats. This is awesome!!!!

Yes, if she's already willing to spend $1000, put it all in for the guest, and then tell her that as a thank you for such a large order, she can pick $200 in free products and 4 half-priced items.

I know you said you were only expecting a $300-400 order, but that's no reason to cheat yourself out of your commissions. You'll still be able to do something wonderful for the customer, without losing out on anything.

 

[lesliec]

Also, If you want to throw in something extra for her as a thank you, then great, but the more you bend over backwards to try to get her total down, the less professional you look. I don't see a problem putting it in as a show, but don't try to manipulate it too much, it will just stress you out. She obviously has the money, otherwise she wouldn't be placing the order. I highly doubt that she is worried about saving $5 or $10 b/c you put it in this way or that way.

 

[raebates]

You've already gotten good advice. Congratulations on a great customer.

 

[wadesgirl]

By the way, you don't have to put in an order under her husband's name. Just use her's as the guest and the host.

 

[adnoel]

By the way, you don't have to put in an order under her husband's name. Just use her's as the guest and the host.

Thanks, I didn't know that!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Awesome! FYI: if she's paying with a check make sure it clears or cash it at her bank before you place the order

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Yes, if she's already willing to spend $1000, put it all in for the guest, and then tell her that as a thank you for such a large order, she can pick $200 in free products and 4 half-priced items.

I know you said you were only expecting a $300-400 order, but that's no reason to cheat yourself out of your commissions. You'll still be able to do something wonderful for the customer, without losing out on anything.

Yes, this is the best way to do it, I think. I had someone order $350 (not nearly as much as yours!) and she was THRILLED with the fact that she received a half price product, and $25 in free product, PLUS 2 sets of bamboo tools! (one as the host, and one as the guest)

 

[grins88]

I completely agree with all of the above. I am a manipulator for my hosts (WOW, that sounds really terrible, but of course I mean I manipulate their order in P3), but in this case, I would put in her entire order as the order and then tell her that her free product value is "x" and she gets 4 half-price items. If she figures out that she can change her order around, then fine, but I think she will be thrilled with all of the ADDITIONAL things she can get.
Also, I would be sure to tell her that since she has a show already, it would never hurt to check with her friends to see if they want to order, thus driving her free product and half-price up (along with your commission!). If she gets orders, GREAT, but if not, she's not lost anything.
Congrats on a great "show" total!!!

 

[pcsharon1]

I agree with everybody - I assumed since you said she wanted the cookware for her half price combo that you had already talked to her about this. But I agree, if she is willing to pay for $1000 in products, then the free products she would get from a $1000 show is just icing on the cake!

And if she is only able to pay $1000, remember half price items on top of that can really add up, especially when we are talking cookware and bamboo knife block.

 

[AnnieBee]

Hmmm, I keep thinking that if she ever hosts, she'll realise what else she could have gotten for free/half price...

I think that personally I'd put in the cookware and knives at half price, everything else as "Guest" and then tell her what she has free and if there are more half price items. Yes, it will reduce your commission, but you'll have a VERY happy customer, who seems to have a good amount of money to spend! Just my thoughts... I can see the other points of view too...

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Don't you just LOVE those?It obviously sounds like this is what she wants ... and might not want anything else ... but I would present her with some options. Tell her if you turn it in as a $500 show, she gets 2 items at half price, $90 of it free and the rest 25 percent off (and you still make commission on that.) If you turn it in as a $1000 show, however, she gets an even bigger discount and $200 more in free stuff. So honestly it depends on whether she has even MORE on her wish list, and how much of that she wants for free!

 

[adnoel]

I did some math and was surprised with what I found. By having her "guest" by the most expensive items that weren't specifically host 1/2 price deals like the pots and pans, she got the most free product, the most 1/2 price items, and the highest discount...for the least in cost...and I got the highest level of commission out of the three different quick scenarios I ran! I have an email out to her, so hopefully everything sounds good! Her list was pretty long, and although I could push her into even more free stuff for just a fraction of what she's spending, she seemed to stress on the phone that the items on her list were what she wanted and she wanted to get them the least expensive way possible (...besides becoming a consultant). I was kind of surprised that, by paying full price for the most expensive items, she'd actually get the best deal...unless I'm missing something, but I went through each scenario I could think of twice and this ended up being the best for everyone.

 

[NooraK]

Well, technically she's not paying full price on the most expensive items if she's getting the cookware as a half priced item.

But I'm glad you figured out a solution that works best for both of you. Congratulations on a fabulous sale!

 

[chezshelly]

Another thing that can make her price come out less is instead of her purchasing the 12 piece set as a half price, have her use her free product toward either the 5 or 7 piece set and the discount on the remainder. Then use a half price on the other set. If the party is pretty high and her free product value is pretty high this usually brings it down more than if they paid half price for the whole 12 piece set.

 

[Sheila]

My orders haven't been that big, but I've played at home with a host's wish list twice like that before ... moving items from the guest order to the wish list & then from the wish list to the host side ... maneuvering it around until I found what level was the cheapest for the host. Both times, they were VERY happy with the savings. Since I did it all at home, they didn't have to sit there & wait for me to do it. They sent the wish list via e-mail, I figured it out & then e-mailed them a grand total.And I totally agree with using HER name for the guest! That way, they don't have to remember which items are under HIS name for warranty purposes & which items are under HER name for warranty purposes. If it's all under the same name, life is much easier should they need to use the warranty. Congrats!!!

 

[mountainmama74]

Um, have you considered asking her if she's interested in the business opportunity? She obviously LOVES our products! As a consultant (now Team Leader), I earned over $400 in PC Dollars. Add that to what I got in my kit for $155, and she may be able to get everything she wants, and earn income, too!!

 

[adnoel]

I have asked. She runs her own business with her husband and isn't interested. Although I'd love to have her on my team, I'm happy just having her in my client base.