Another Pc Consultant Tried to Hijack My Show!!

[Jennie50]

I'm a new consultant (had my 5th cooking show last night) and am still trying to work out the kinks in my presentation. Well, another PC consultant attended the party and TOTALLY threw me off of my game!! I'm still so mad at myself for letting her, as I'm not normally the type who is easily intimidated, but I. Couldn't. Get. It. Together.

During the cooking demo (fajitas), I botched the demo on the Simple Slicer. I've done it 150 times at home and LOVE it, but I couldn't get the onion to sit in the food guard correctly so it would slice evenly. The other consultant was in my ear the whole time correcting me. I gave up using the SS on the onion and showed them how to use the Apple Wedger with it instead. Then, I used the Simple Slicer without the food guard to show them how they can easily slice the outside off of bell peppers, without having to mess with the seeds 'n such in the middle. Anyway, they were HUGE peppers (and therefore, wouldn't fit inside the guard), and my hand was on top and a good 2 inches away from the blade the whole time. The other consultant gasped in shock at what I was doing and kept saying she hoped I didn't slice my thumb off. Seriously??? Maybe I shouldn't have shown people how to use a product without the safety feature, but I was being very careful. If she had a concern about it, she could have pulled me aside privately to recommend against it the next time.

Every time I opened my mouth to talk about a product, she would intervene with more information on it...therefore the "walk through the catalog" was more like a crawl. I played the "Got it/Love it" game for a prize, and she kept jumping in before the other guests could...she's been a consultant for a long time and has most everything in the catalog!! I went to the bathroom and she had a guest in the hallway, advising her on her order...I wanted to be the one to answer guest questions!! :cry:

Ugh, I was so "off" that I never thanked the host for having me, was stumbling over my phrases ('cuz I was having internal discussions the whole time), and forgot half of the points I wanted to make. I was ready to just hand her my notebook, grab a glass of wine, and have a seat, since I was SURE no one was going to order and I was DEFINITELY not going to be getting any bookings!

Well...the show total was $1196.93 ($881.05 in commissionable sales). Three bookings, one for 10 days from now. Sold four Deep Covered Bakers (though no Simple Slicers! ).

My secret to increasing sales? Hire an annoying PC consultant to steal candy and door prizes from the guests and make the presentation run long. I'm okay with people placing orders 'cuz they feel sorry for me! :blushing:

 

[BethCooks4U]

They could see what she was doing and they knew you were new. Let it go! Three bookings shows that they either wanted to support YOU or yep they didn't notice her behavior.

Good job!

 

[wcsis]

Fantastic ending to your stressful moments!!!!!!!!! Great job!

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Best you can do is learn from this experience. Let it be water off a duck's back and embrace the show total and bookings! It seems like there is always one in the crowd, so you just need to embrace them.

 

[minirottie]

I'm glad the show ended so well sales and bookings wise for you! That was totally rude of her, though I wonder if she thought she was helping you?

 

[Tracy99]

I'm glad the show ended so well sales and bookings wise for you! That was totally rude of her, though I wonder if she thought she was helping you?

She may have been trying to help you. It probably didnt seem that way but usually an excited pc lovers helps my sales. Let the guest talk about what they love. Then you can talk less and you arent selling the product, everyday users are.

 

[flemings99]

WAHOO for a fantastic result! I have to say at least she was "helping". I'm sure it wasn't an easy show, but look back and see if there was anything she added you could learn from. I'd welcome a "heckler" that would end up with those results!

I did a show last week with a gal who refused to take a name tag and was rude off the bat. Only to find out she was a consultant about 5 yrs. ago and bragged about being in the co. top 20! She didn't participate in the show, but instead had a scowl and stood off to the side in the front where I was demoing. At the end of the show I was about 4 ft. from her and over heard her DISCOURAGING a guest from signing up!!! WTH?! I did later find out she is now with a different DS company and is prob. why she was trying to keep the guest from signing with me, but come on. Get your own clients without crashing my party!

 

[Jennie50]

I'm glad the show ended so well sales and bookings wise for you! That was totally rude of her, though I wonder if she thought she was helping you?

After she left, the host and a couple of the remaining guests went off on how annoyed they were by the woman, etc. Trying to be diplomatic, I replied that she probably thought she was helping, to which the others laughed. We are all members of a large MOMS club, but since my kids are school-aged, I am not as active as I used to be. The other consultant is a new member to the club, so we had not previously met. The host/guests went on a tirade about how she behaves at their playdates (putting other people's children in timeout, talking rudely to the kids, complaining about how an event has been planned, etc). She is apparently always very pushy with her PC sales, and is wearing logo wear at all times. At a Shutterfly party someone had, she pulled out a catalog and started trying to sell PC. Sounds like she has a track record for this kind of stuff...

We live in a pretty small town, and she may show up at another one of my shows at some point. Advice on how to deal with her? Approach her at the beginning of the show and ask for her "quiet support?" Stick her in the kitchen with some menial task? Send her to the store for a "forgotten" item??
:yuck:

I didn't know she was coming last night, or maybe it wouldn't have thrown me off so badly. I'd like to have some strategies planned to deal with her in the future. My very first show, I had a woman in attendance who was a former PC consultant, and she was SO helpful! I loved having her there, as she helped answer questions about products I had not had an opportunity to try. She had a totally different approach though, so I didn't feel intimidated or frustrated at all.

 

[jbondr]

Interesting that the host chose you as her Consultant and the other gal as her guest. Hmm...I think she knew what she was doing by hosting with you.

 

[wadesgirl]

I don't think I would go to another consultant's party unless I was there to help a new consultant start their business. And even then I'm mostly in the back ground until needed.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Don't let it bother you, just remember if you are ever the guest attending a party you know how to not behave

what goes around comes around and it will affect her business or maybe it has and that is why she was the guest not the consultant. Personally, I'd send her a sweet syrupy thank you note letting her know of your excitement helping Suzy host earn $xxx amount of product, your incredible commission, PC $ earned etc!!

 

[JennyJennJen]

Wow, it sounds like she was so peeved that with all her "hard work" of pushing PC down their throats, that she went with the intention of spiting you and the host for it. Congrats at how well you did. Heck, even when there is no one intimidating at my shows, I sometimes am majorly off my game just like that...it happens and it shows we are not perfect and that they don't have to be perfect if they chose something like this for themselve. Keep looking up, you did great!

 

[Jennie50]

Don't let it bother you, just remember if you are ever the guest attending a party you know how to not behave

what goes around comes around and it will affect her business or maybe it has and that is why she was the guest not the consultant. Personally, I'd send her a sweet syrupy thank you note letting her know of your excitement helping Suzy host earn $xxx amount of product, your incredible commission, PC $ earned etc!!

Ooooh, you evil girl, you!! I like it.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Wow, it sounds like she was so peeved that with all her "hard work" of pushing PC down their throats, that she went with the intention of spiting you and the host for it. Congrats at how well you did. Heck, even when there is no one intimidating at my shows, I sometimes am majorly off my game just like that...it happens and it shows we are not perfect and that they don't have to be perfect if they chose something like this for themselve. Keep looking up, you did great!

So true. I have made mistakes when potential consultants are observing my show and I just look at them and say "see, anyone can do this". If you let it roll off no one will care/notice and people do think "I can do that!"

 

[esavvymom]

Ok, this will sound harsh, not intended to be but you know computer text can come across depending on how you read things, but Who cares?? She wasnt stealing customers, she was giving information. It sounded like she WAS helping, albeit not how you would have preferred, but she may have truly meant well, otherwise, it could have been alot worse in how she behaved....trust e, we have read those stories on here too.

but it may have worked, her helping that is. You had a $1200 show!!!!!!!!! Get over it . And THREE bookings! You shold thank her and move on. I personally dont think she meant you ill will. Sure, a bit tacky to answer all the questions and take away prizes from other guests, but obviously her enthusiasm worked. As far as if she came to sabotage, doubtful.....she could be one of those who did NOT tell her friend (host) much about her own business, so the host very well maye didnt know.

Anyway....be happy for her "help". And consider it a lesson for In the future.

 

[babywings76]

I'm surprised she even went to the party. I was invited to one a couple years ago but I called to RSVP and explained to the host I was a consultant and wouldn't want to make her consultant uncomfortable with me there. I'd love to go to support her, but since I wouldn't even be buying something I also felt it wouldn't be right for me to be there. KWIM?

 

[Jennie50]

Ok, this will sound harsh, not intended to be but you know computer text can come across depending on how you read things, but Who cares?? She wasnt stealing customers, she was giving information. It sounded like she WAS helping, albeit not how you would have preferred, but she may have truly meant well, otherwise, it could have been alot worse in how she behaved....trust e, we have read those stories on here too.

but it may have worked, her helping that is. You had a $1200 show!!!!!!!!! Get over it . And THREE bookings! You shold thank her and move on. I personally dont think she meant you ill will. Sure, a bit tacky to answer all the questions and take away prizes from other guests, but obviously her enthusiasm worked. As far as if she came to sabotage, doubtful.....she could be one of those who did NOT tell her friend (host) much about her own business, so the host very well maye didnt know.

Anyway....be happy for her "help". And consider it a lesson for In the future.

Points taken. Thanks for that perspective, and I didn't read it as "harsh" at all!

Honestly, her stealing my customers was not even my concern. Though I didn't know she would be attending the party (the host didn't either, as she had not RSVPed), I had heard that she was a new member of the MOMS club, and that she was pushing PC HARD at club activities. I'd already heard from several people, including the host, that they were turned off by her sales tactics. She was invited because the entire club was invited.

In saying that she "hijacked" my show, I was referring to her overbearing behavior throughout the night that made it difficult for me to keep everything on track and present the show in the manner I wanted to. Regardless of her intent, I felt that she undermined me as an "authority" on PC by shoving me back in the rookie role at every opportunity ("I know you're new, so you may not know..." "What Jennie didn't say is..."). True, I've only been a consultant for two months, but I've been a customer for 14 years and know quite a bit about the products. I didn't feel the need to demonstrate the extent of my knowledge on every product. My goal was to briefly highlight as many as I could and answer questions about any others guests expressed interest in.

I totally accept responsibility for LETTING HER intimidate me, whether she was trying to or not. I am/was as frustrated with myself as I was with her. And I'll let it go. I will. Don't wish the woman ill will either...just needed to vent a bit and ask for strategies on dealing with her the next time she tries to be "helpful." :blushing:

 

[Jennie50]

So true. I have made mistakes when potential consultants are observing my show and I just look at them and say "see, anyone can do this". If you let it roll off no one will care/notice and people do think "I can do that!"

My Director had similar advice for me today, and it really helped me put things in perspective. I'm a perfectionist, but it's good to remember that I'm not expected to be perfect, nor do I necessarily want to be in this context.

 

[minirottie]

Reading the follow up..she's probably hoping her "knowledge and experience" will show through and convince people to come to her...and she's failed.

Honestly if there is another show you do and she's in attendance, I'd probably either pull her aside ahead of time and let her know "I've got it" or tell her that her "supportive/informative" comments need to be at a minimum

 

[esavvymom]

Reading the follow up..she's probably hoping her "knowledge and experience" will show through and convince people to come to her...and she's failed.

Honestly if there is another show you do and she's in attendance, I'd probably either pull her aside ahead of time and let her know "I've got it" or tell her that her "supportive/informative" comments need to be at a minimum

Good advice.
And I totally get getting flustered. It definitley would me too!
Maybe having a show outline would help for getting back on track. I know i am considering it for such circumstances or when guests throw me off track. It doesnt take mich.

 

[Sheila]

Sorry girl! I've never had another consultant interject like that, but I've had a couple of customers be disruptive like that. Sometimes it's best to just ignore them & keep going. I agree if she shows up at one of your other shows with this group, it's quite okay to pull her aside & let her know that her interjections made you more nervous & you'd appreciate it if she was less interactive this time so you can think more clearly. There's a reason why they booked with you & not her. If they wanted her as the consultant, they would have booked with her. She needs to sit down & shush.

As for past consultants heckling ~ it's quite okay to ask them why they quit doing PC. If they were so good at it, they should think about getting back into the business and let them know (in front of the group) that you'd LOVE to have a go-getter like them join YOUR team.

 

[Jennie50]

During the cooking demo (fajitas), I botched the demo on the Simple Slicer. I've done it 150 times at home and LOVE it, but I couldn't get the onion to sit in the food guard correctly so it would slice evenly. The other consultant was in my ear the whole time correcting me. I gave up using the SS on the onion and showed them how to use the Apple Wedger with it instead. Then, I used the Simple Slicer without the food guard to show them how they can easily slice the outside off of bell peppers, without having to mess with the seeds 'n such in the middle. Anyway, they were HUGE peppers (and therefore, wouldn't fit inside the guard), and my hand was on top and a good 2 inches away from the blade the whole time. The other consultant gasped in shock at what I was doing and kept saying she hoped I didn't slice my thumb off. Seriously??? Maybe I shouldn't have shown people how to use a product without the safety feature, but I was being very careful. If she had a concern about it, she could have pulled me aside privately to recommend against it the next time.

Thanks for all the feedback, gang! So, back to another point I wanted your opinions on...did I do a bad, bad thing by demonstrating the Simple Slicer without the food handler for the peppers?? The other consultant acted shocked, as though I was wearing a tarnished chef's hat. I was actually concerned that she had HO on speed dial, and the safety police were going to swoop in and revoke my apron.

I DID emphasize that I was only doing it with the peppers because they were so thick that my hand was nowhere near the blade. A lot of guests were saying how cool the trick was, because they hate to cut peppers. I think if I hadn't made slicing an onion look so hard (STILL don't know what went wrong there, except I felt clumsy and nervous), I probably would've sold a couple! ☺

 

[pchockeymom]

You do what you need to do. Personally, I'd probably inwardly freak out if I saw someone trying to use the s.s. without the food holder, but I certainly wouldn't "freak out"! I'm curious why didn't use the ultimate mandoline? I find it more versatile and sturdy when doing tough food. But, as I said, you do what you need to do. If it happens again, just say something like, "as they say on tv, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! I am a "professional"!" and laugh at yourself.

 

[BethCooks4U]

You do what you need to do. Personally, I'd probably inwardly freak out if I saw someone trying to use the s.s. without the food holder, but I certainly wouldn't "freak out"! I'm curious why didn't use the ultimate mandoline? I find it more versatile and sturdy when doing tough food. But, as I said, you do what you need to do. If it happens again, just say something like, "as they say on tv, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! I am a "professional"!" and laugh at yourself.

exactly. Tell them that you should never use this without the protective guard as the blade is really sharp. ...but if you are really careful in certain situations...

Be clear, make it serious but funny. The PC police will not come and get you but know that someone will sometime say "but my consultant did that" so be careful that you always use caution with our sharp tools. You are the teacher. I would tell them that technically the vegetable should be cut down to about two inches and they should always use the guard. If you start without the guard STOP when you get anywhere near that two inches and use the guard saying "the blade is really sharp and I don't want to get my fingers anywhere near it".

 

[Jennie50]

exactly. Tell them that you should never use this without the protective guard as the blade is really sharp. ...but if you are really careful in certain situations...

Be clear, make it serious but funny. The PC police will not come and get you but know that someone will sometime say "but my consultant did that" so be careful that you always use caution with our sharp tools. You are the teacher. I would tell them that technically the vegetable should be cut down to about two inches and they should always use the guard. If you start without the guard STOP when you get anywhere near that two inches and use the guard saying "the blade is really sharp and I don't want to get my fingers anywhere near it".

Good advice. I don't have the mandoline, so that's why I used the SS. I can definitely see that using the tools as designed is the best course of action. Thanks for the counsel, guys!

 

[esavvymom]

Good advice. I don't have the mandoline, so that's why I used the SS. I can definitely see that using the tools as designed is the best course of action. Thanks for the counsel, guys!

Speaking from EXPERIENCE...yes- I agree. Never without the Guard. TRUST me!!! Still have no feeling in that part of my finger!

 

[chefa]

And make sure your food - fruit or veggie - isn't too soft. My right pinky has the scar to help me remember to always double check whatever I'm slicing and to always use the food holder. Otherwise, I'm using forged cutlery.

 

[wadesgirl]

I only bring my simple slicer to my shows, no longer bring my UM because it's smaller. I do talk about the UM when I demo the simple slicer to tell them the difference. Personally I would have cut the pepper down because accidents do happen no matter how careful you were being. Last thing you would have wanted to happen was an unexpected trip to the ER in the middle of the show.

 

[vanscootin]

Sorry girl! I've never had another consultant interject like that, but I've had a couple of customers be disruptive like that.

I was doing a show for my best friend's brother's ex girl friend (sheesh got all that?) Well my best friend's mother was at the show and has been a PC fan for years. I attended all her parties before I became a consultant and never once did she do to that consultant what she did to me at this show. EVERYTIME I was talking about a product she would tell me I was wrong and go on and on and on about the product. Some of them were new because the show was in March and NO ONE had even seen the products yet! Then she combined her order with my bff because she had a PHD and wanted the discount... then had the nerve to ask me for another discount since we're "like family." Needless to say, my best friend's mom and I are no longer on speaking terms.

 

[Sheila]

Oh, I've never had anyone say I was wrong during a demo. Yikes!!! I bet that is frustrating!!! I've had people complain about one of their products, complain about another consultant, etc. And although I love it when people jump in & talk about how much they love their PC products ... I've had a couple who were trying to monopolize the conversation and that can definitely be annoying. I think my most fussy one was a customer who made a HUGE deal how another consultant took her money & never placed the order for her 3 knives in the honing cases. I knew the consultant she was complaining about and would never in a million years have guessed that the woman would do something like that. I sounded surprised, admitted that I knew her & that I've never known of her to take money from a customer. I told her hopefully it was some sort of misunderstanding and I promised to see what I could find out after the show & got her to shush. I got home, did some major research with the other consultant & HO, proved what amount the customers cc was charged, and that the order did NOT include the knives she was so distraught over. She just said "oh", she could have SWORN that her hubby said he ordered them, but apparently he didn't ... and asked if she could add them to her order for the current host's show. LOL (Of course I made her send me an e-mail requesting to add them to the order so I'd have a paper trail if she decided to come back later & complain that I overcharged her ...)

 

[raebates]

Sounds like you handled things well. Whether the other consultant thought they were helping or tried to hijack your show, you did your job. We cannot control the actions of others--only our responses.

 

[Sheila]

...We cannot control the actions of others--only our responses.

:thumbup: So very true!!!