Boost Your Catalog Show Success: Tips for Dealing with Apathetic Hosts

[speedychef]

Anyone have any ideas? A lady I know is having a catalog show for me, but is so apathetic about it. I talked to her today (we're supposed to close in a week) and she said, "weeeelllll, nobody seems too interested, but I'll have 2 or 3 orders for you..." And I get the feeling that those aren't going to be enough to qualify. I don't know how to approach her without sounding greedy (for lack of a better word). I don't think I explained the hostess program very well to her, but I didn't think it would be a problem...they seem to know so many people and it seems like their friends are fairly well-to-do, so I didn't think $150 would be a problem. Oof. She's kind of a friend, so I don't want to offend her...any ideas?

 

[pamperedbecky]

You could just chat with her and mention it like you just did. That you're not sure if you explained the host benefits as well as you could have and you just want to make sure you cover all the bases. Maybe even tell her you're reviewing it with all your hosts so it's not like you're just focusing on her. I know what you mean about not wanting to sound greedy, but the way I look at it is that it is MY job to make sure they have the most successful show possible so they reap all the benefits possible. I wouldn't want to look back on it and feel like I cheated her out of something I guess. Good luck to you!

 

[PamperedBets]

SpecialsBe sure you also explain this month's host and guest special. Make her want the host special so she does better sales. And make sure she understands the guest special so that she is informed and can then fully explain (sell) to friends and family. Ask her to get out a catalog while you're on the phone and point out your favorites so that she wants them. Then tell her once again how she can get them for free.

 

[mypamperedmoocow]

me, too!!!Kim,I have a host who is procrastinating in the worst way, too! Her catalog show was supposed to close Aug. 29 and here we are nearly the end of Sept. and still no closing! I've called her, emailed her and still nothing. I know she is busy with two jobs, 3 kids, and husband, but still...it makes me so nuts sometimes that she is really putting this off. It's not like she doesn't know how these things work--she used to be a Tupperware consultant as well as consultants for several other direct sales companies--as she puts it, "the only one I haven't done is Pampered Chef!" and she was even toying with the idea of becoming a consultant for PC through me. She has cancelled two kitchen shows on me--at the very last second, mind you--I wouldn't get any returned phone calls or emails from her prior to her shows, and I couldn't never get a hold of her. So I would email her and say that I would be coming over to do her show and was so excited, yada, yada, yada....and then she would email me back saying that she had to cancel because of whatever problems. Both times it was the night before I had to be at her house! Talk about frustrating!!

Now, I'm getting ready to go on vacation for a week starting Saturday, and I have a show to do on Friday night, so I have to close her show by Thursday evening. She keeps saying that she is going to get her orders to me, but that was a week and a half ago! I finally wrote her an email saying that i would be willing to pick the orders from her work or that I would be stopping by her home tonight if she didn't get back with me about getting them from her work. I explained to her that since it is an August show, that I had to get it in this month and with my vacation, I wouldn't be able to do it after I got back because it won't be until Oct. 2. I also told her that I really hated for her to lose out on the host and guest specials for August and that I had $130 in outside orders to tack on to her show to help boost her sales (she told me nearly a month ago that she had 5 orders). I just don't want her guests to think that it's my fault that her orders haven't arrived yet because I don't even have them yet. I'm even thinking about having all the orders shipped to me so that I can personally get the items delivered to the guests. The last time she had anything to deliver it took 3 weeks for me to get my stuff from her (it was a Tastefully Simple show) after she received the products from the consultant (she didn't have anything on hand because she was a new consultant, so it took 2 weeks to get the stuff)--so a month and a half later I was getting my Tastefully Simple products from a show that was a week before my KS and 3 weeks after my PC stuff arrived and was delivered to people, including this host. I'm at my wits end now with her and I don't know what to do! I certainly WON'T be doing another show with her again! The sad part is that she is a friend/acquaintence.

 

[D_Patel]

I have hadseveral catalog shows fall through ! I send them out the folder the catalogs , and host coach as much as i can. I have had people tell me that they have orders and never receive them ! Obviosly they were lying to me. I will book catalog shows but I do not count on them. I would have to say out of every five i do only 3 of them turn out. I think when they say they want to do one they are excited and then , they lose it and do not do anything with it. I host coach like I would do if I were doing an acual show. The last one I had she told me she only had $80.00 worth of orders , I had a nice talk with her on the phone got her excited again kinda reminder her of the stainless bowl set she wanted and a few stones, a week later she called me all excited she had collected another $250.00 in orders ! She ended up closing at a little over $300.00, not great but good for a catalog show ! I would have to say that asking them what they want to earn from doing a show and reminding them how close they are to getting it really works ! If i wouldnt have called her and re motivated her she would have only turned in $80.00. I also know that somepeople no matter what you do or say are not going to be motivated. At least you cant say you tried.

 

[amya]

I usually tell catalog show hosts upfront that in order to equal a show, they have to get at least $150 in guest orders. This way they know up front what I need to equal a show. I have found that trying to encourage hosts (catalog or kitchen show) by reminding them of the specials and host benefits isn't always the key. Even though the freebies would be my motivation, some people do shows for entirely other reasons.

 

[bbauman07]

For my catalog show I offer to convert their show to a kitchen show once their sales reach $400. Now I have only had 2 catalog shows so far but the extra $15 in free product seems to really push them. But I do have 2 next month that I'm not so sure about.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I host coach catalog shows similarly to kitchen show outside order getting and give them expectations of having really good sales and especially when they reach the goals we set I attempt to recruit them.

If they are not seeming to have sales going well I promote having at least $200 in sales so they get some free and make sure they understand that in order to get host benefits they must have at least $150 in guest sales. That usually helps.


BE CAREFUL! I have noticed several people say that they convert higher catalog shows to kitchen shows. We are required to do a demo if we want to submit a show as a kitchen show. Pampered Chef does randomly audit shows - I believe they audit the shows in order to find those consultants that they feature in the KCN and Weekly Bites. I know I don't want a host to say "no I didn't do a kitchen show but she just gave it to me".

If I have a catalog host who is having great sales I might suggest we get together (and she invite people over if she can) so that I can demo a few products so she can get those extra $$ by making it an express kitchen show. I also ask her for leads and contact information on the orders so that I have a way to promote future shows and contact those people.

The whole idea of the extra kitchen show benefit is as a thank you for opening their home to us and their guests. Yes, higher sales deserve a reward but we have less opportunity for future bookings if we don't MEET the guests. I know it doesn't cost US anything to give them that extra $15 but it really DOES! Others will see that and pretty soon everyone does catalog shows and pretty soon we run out of leads.

 

[bbauman07]

Thanks BethI was unaware that we couldn't do this. I was told to use this to increase sales for catalog shows. I will definately be changing this one.
Thanks Beth.

 

[speedychef]

I'm totally new at all of this, and my future director suggested I send out a mass email to all my hostesses going over the hostess bonuses while pointing out that they need at least $150 in sales. I apologized for not going over it as thoroughly as I maybe should have, and asked for their cooperation with my rookie-ness! I was just going to send it to the one lady and make it look like I sent it to a bunch of people, but I decided I could probably use to re-cover hostess bonuses with everyone on my list, so I did that. We'll see how it goes...