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[Intrepid_Chef]

I had my open house 10 days ago. I have a few orders, totaling up to a (measly) $100. Lots of looks, lots of books, but so far, no takers. I let everybody know that they could submit an order NOW for Thanksgiving or LATER for Christmas.

Enter a dear friend who, when I handed her a book a week before the open house, promptly flipped it over, pointed to the large bar pan and said, "I want that!" She since mentioned that some of the nurses who work for her (she has a special needs son) wanted to order as well. If I get her order, I am confident that it will total at least $50.

I called her yesterday, asked her to please figure out her order, and even told her I'd drive to her house to get it! (She lives a solid 30 to 40 minutes from my house, though she's only 5 or 7 miles from the town where I work.) She said "Hmmm" and promised to get back to me. She was in the midst of a garage-cleaning project when I called, and said she was trying to take advantage of the last bit of good weather.

So tomorrow (when the weather is supposed to take a nasty turn) I had this brilliant plan to call her, ask her what she wanted, and offer to enter the order online and bring her the receipt in exchange for payment at church on Sunday.

Today ... I got a prayer request that her son had a seizure. These are life-threatening events for him. It tends to put the whole family on edge.

Now ... I feel like a heel for wanting to call her tomorrow. What do I say, "I know your son just had a seizure, but what do you want from Pampered Chef?"

But the fact is ... I NEED her order to close the show, and thus not disappoint the people who want their stuff ASAP.

I AM SO FRUSTRATED!

 

[archie]

It's a really tough situation but I think it would be best to give her a few days time before calling. I'm sure she would appreciate your sensitivity to her circumstances. In the meantime, is there any way that you can get your other orders to each add on something small to bring the order up a bit? Then, if you still don't have enough, you could add something for yourself..maybe next month's guest special to have on hand for demos?

Some suggestions could be the Caramel or Cinnamon Sprinkle, silicone basting brush, Season's Best cookbooks , any items from pg. 22 of the catalog....HTH!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Oh you would not BELIEVE how tight things are for those who have already ordered!Many combined their orders just because they balked at the cost of shipping!My stepmother did place other orders for future shows but cannot pay for them until the end of the month. And some she ordered specifically because she knows the Dec. specials, so I am having a second party then.Meanwhile ... I am giving my "extra" chopper to one of the customers because I KNOW the order won't arrive by Turkey Day. And Stepmom is more than welcome to borrow my measure-all cup and adjustible spoon for the feast!I'm kinda thinking I should just call her to ask about her son. Then if she brings up PC, I'll simply make the offer to make things easier for her.

 

[c00p]

Wow, tough spot. You should call just simply to ask about her son and don't mention PC at all. Then, like you said if she brings it up, great. I've got a similar situation with 2 shows I did this past weekend. I was supposed to close them out on Tuesday night, but I got a phone call from one of the hosts, and her 7 month old grandson (he's had major health issues since being born) passed away unexpectedly Saturday am. I of course told her to not even think about PC right now and to take care of her family. Then, the next day, I got a call from the other one and her oldest brother was killed in a hunting accident over the weekend. So horrible! I told her ditto about PC. However, I thought it was extremely thoughtful of both of these hosts to call me...I just feel awful for them. I've sent them each a card, but don't really know what else to do except to wait.
On another note, have you thought about trying to send out a mass email to ask if you can get 5-$10 orders?? I've done this several times and I have always exceeded what I was short on an order.

 

[sarahlegare]

If you call her, DO NOT say anything about PC. You said she was in your church, right? Offer to bring a meal to her, not beg her for an order!!! You would come across EXTREMELY insensitive & (if it were me) you'd lose a customer forever! Maybe (but not certainly) that would jog her memory & she'd place an order, but I certainly wouldn't count on it!! I know PC would be the LAST thing I'd be thinking of if my son had a seizure!!
I understand you NEED another order, but you don't NEED to pester this poor lady who is going through a heart~wrenching time with her child. Surely you can find someone else to place an order! JMHO!

 

[stacywhitlow]

Still call her since you told her you would. Let her know that. Then ask how things are with her son & family. She may have her PC orders ready & will give them to you (I wouldn't ask for them). If not, you will need to move on for now. It doesn't sound like she ever got them anyway. She would have told you when you called the 1st time.

 

[J.Corley]

Can you afford to buy her the bar pan and have her pay you later? I'd be looking elsewhere too. Send out an email to everyone and be honest and say I need X amount of order to get a show closed before Thanksgiving. I am offering free shipping on all orders emailed or called in by such and such time. People love a deal!

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Can you afford to buy her the bar pan and have her pay you later?

Of course I can ...and that was what I was going to do before this came up. Before, it was a nice offer to make things easier for her. Now, it's horribly insensitive.

I've been looking elsewhere for the past 10 days. I sent a mass e-mail to my whole church letting them know I was doing this. I distributed numerous invitations to my open house. I did get some bookings, so I'm following up on those.

At this point, I am tempted to buy something I really can't afford just to close this show out. But if I do that, it's starting to feel like the LAST line I sold, where every party I sponsored I had to "bail out" to meet the show minimum.

 

[wadesgirl]

What if you combine your stepmom's order to this show and the cover the discounted price? Would it be too much to cover as a gift from you to help make your show this month?

What if you just cover for the bar pan since you were planning on that anyways, give her a few days and just let her know that you put the order in for her and didn't want to bother her since she was dealing with her son?

 

[TwinGirlsMom]

I would call to check on her son's well-being.
If she brings up the order, then talk about your closing date and whether she is able to add her order this time.
If she doesn't initiate the conversation, I would seriously look around for another solution.
Possibly send her an email this weekend as a reminder that you are planning to close the show on day/month. Email reminders are low-key and a non-evasive approach during a sensitive time like this.

 

[pc ri lisa]

How about if you combine the orders and make it an individual order. The shipping is more but it may even out if you have a few orders and you will not have to push anyone into ordering. Just a thought!

 

[Luv2bake]

I'm not sure how very close you are to this friend, but maybe just buy the bar pan for her and consider it a gift. She obviously had it on her mind already that she really wanted it! I know, not a good business policy when just starting out, but if it were me I'd do it and let the good kharma bring blessings back to me. : )

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

Well, I spoke to a dear friend of mine (who is closer to this friend than I am.) My other friend is hosting a party herself, had lunch with the customer in question, and the only reason she didn't bring up P.C. was because she knew I was working with her.Anyway, my friend knows this lady better than I do, and was able to give me some advice and insight.Thanks for all your well wishes!