Boost Your Bookings with Follow-Ups & Persistence | Venting Included!

[wadesgirl]

So I sat down for so much needed booking calls (not that my calendar doesn't look great but there are some people that I needed to follow up with). I had a customer of mine in May say that her mom wanted to host a show. I have tried over and over since then to get a hold of her. I've left messages, called back when she said to call back, nothing. So I finally get a hold of her today. I'm thinking YAH! Nope, apparently she had been recently invited to another party and decided to book with that consultant. Bummer. I know I did everything I could have. Just needed to vent.

I didn't have any luck with my calls today. But have a new list of hosts from last year and from 4-5 months ago to start calling this week.

 

[Becca_in_MD]

Grrrr. Frustrating, I know. But as you said, you did everything you could. There are some people that will only commit if the stars are in alignment - ready, willing and able. Good for you for continuing to make your calls, esp. when your calendar is in good shape.

Becca

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Bummer.

And (not to steal your thunder) but why do so many booth contacts give bad numbers? This summer I met someone who was so excited about possibly starting the business ... bad number. Four of my seven contacts? Bad number/disconnected phone! Why can't they just be HONEST and stop wasting our time. (Ours and theirs.)

 

[wadesgirl]

Bummer.

And (not to steal your thunder) but why do so many booth contacts give bad numbers? This summer I met someone who was so excited about possibly starting the business ... bad number. Four of my seven contacts? Bad number/disconnected phone! Why can't they just be HONEST and stop wasting our time. (Ours and theirs.)

Vent away!

 

[Jules711]

Bummer.

And (not to steal your thunder) but why do so many booth contacts give bad numbers? This summer I met someone who was so excited about possibly starting the business ... bad number. Four of my seven contacts? Bad number/disconnected phone! Why can't they just be HONEST and stop wasting our time. (Ours and theirs.)

Not that this is the case, but I make follow up calls for a business I help with and I've gotten that recording for a number I know is right! If I try it another day it works. So sometimes it may be a good number. Very strange...I know!!

However, if they are bad numbers at the time, that's just rude and weird. My favorite is when someone enters a drawing and gives me no contact info .

 

[wadesgirl]

Not that this is the case, but I make follow up calls for a business I help with and I've gotten that recording for a number I know is right! If I try it another day it works. So sometimes it may be a good number. Very strange...I know!!

However, if they are bad numbers at the time, that's just rude and weird. My favorite is when someone enters a drawing and gives me no contact info .

My husband does that when a store asks him for our phone number! He will always give the last digit off!. I don't understand why, they don't call but they use them to track where people are shopping from.

 

[chefann]

I give an old phone number (that's now a fax machine) when a store asks for a phone number. I understand if I'm purchasing something large that has a decent guarantee. But most stores collect phone numbers for demographics, or to use for marketing (since you've done business with them, they're allowed to call, even if you're on the Do Not Call list). I don't want to get calls from stores. So I give them the old number, which has the advantage of being one I can rattle off with no pause so it doesn't seem made up. The fact that their marketers get an ear full of fax whine is a bonus.

 

[raebates]

My favorite is when someone enters a drawing and gives me no contact info .

Yeah, that's a tie with those who write so illegibly that I can't decipher it. How do they expect to win?

 

[BeckyC5830]

So I sat down for so much needed booking calls (not that my calendar doesn't look great but there are some people that I needed to follow up with). I had a customer of mine in May say that her mom wanted to host a show. I have tried over and over since then to get a hold of her. I've left messages, called back when she said to call back, nothing. So I finally get a hold of her today. I'm thinking YAH! Nope, apparently she had been recently invited to another party and decided to book with that consultant. Bummer. I know I did everything I could have. Just needed to vent.

I didn't have any luck with my calls today. But have a new list of hosts from last year and from 4-5 months ago to start calling this week.

Same sort of thing happened to me. A woman came up to me at a booth at our state fair and was so excited to see Pampered Chef. She wanted me to show her the knives in the honing cases and had wanted to order them. We couldn't take orders at the fair, but could only collect contact info. She willingly gave me her information. I sent her a catalog and followed up with her a week or so after she got the catalog. I called wanting to know if she received the catalog and was ready to place her order for the knives. She then proceeded to tell me that yes she got the catalog, but will order with another consultant someday when her daughter gets invited to a party. I thanked her for her time and hung up. I was ticked, but found it amusing at the same time. Some people will do anything to get a catalog and then be a complete jerk when they get contacted on the phone. Luckily I didn't let this one person wreck my night. After I hung up the phone I muttered something under my breath and then started laughing. DD couldn't understand why it was so amusing to me.

 

[Katiek77]

Vent away!
Wadesgirl, that was actually very rude of that woman to tell you she would book with you and then later she booked with someone else.
Becky, that is pretty bad the woman had you send a catalog and she plans to give someone else her business. My director has told me to just make sure to book extra shows because it is the nature of our business that some hosts or customers will flake out on us.
I had a bad experience, I had a sales girl at a shop book a show with me. She was very excited and I gave her a hostess packet. Yet she never returned my calls or emails. It really bummed me out especially because I took an 8 month break from PC and now I am trying to make a comeback. It will take time but it is hard to stay motivated sometimes.