Boost Your Sales with These Host Coaching Tips - Expert Advice Inside!

[Ayden's Mom]

I have now had 8 cooking shows and my show average is just under $300. My first 2 shows were my highest, at $400 and $500, and I was really disappointed because I wanted them to be higher. So, I started doing more host coaching and it hasn't worked! I deliver the host packets myself and go over the contents, call a week before the show and discuss outside orders and what I'll need at the show and then call again 2 days before the show...it has been so time consuming and I haven't seen any benefits. I am getting really frustrated and feel like I have to have twice as many shows just to make it worth while.

To top it all off, I was supposed to close 3 shows by today and I haven't been able to get ahold of any of my hosts to collect the rest of their orders. I have left mounds of messages and haven't heard back. I'm leaving for vacation in 2 days and really need to worry about other things other than closing their shows!

What would you all do? HELP ME!

 

[melaniepc]

are you getting lots of bookings from the shows? that might be why the sales are low, if people know they are having their own party or someone else is going to that they know then they probably wont buy much.

I am sorry people arent calling you back. I am waiting on one host right now and getting frustrted myself!!

 

[allisonserna]

are you doing CSA's? (Cooking Shows in Action)

I noticed my sales doubling since I made the switch and I've also gotten at least 5 bookings for each show and at least 1 interested person to recruit.

Plus i'm in and out in 1 1/2 hours, before i was there for like 4 hours...

I've also cut back on my hostess coaching, to make it more like a party and less like her job. in one phone call we go over the menu, the ingredients, and who she is inviting, and I paint the picture of it being a truly social event for her and her friends, not a lecture of me standing in front and making them listen, plus with them making the recipe it is made within 30 mins, they eat and then shop, and then I do the full service check out and then i pack up and leave. I often have people follow me out asking if i'm "leaving already" because i'm so quick with my shows.

my show sales have been $500+ and some have been over $1K, plus with the summer season here I've been doing business mixers, summer boutiques and just getting my name out (I just moved to a new area) and I have sales left and right.

So maybe you are just stuck in a rut or something?

 

[JAE]

Ayden's Mom,

You'll have to leave a message, if you haven't already, that you're leaving. Tell them if you don't have the money and orders by....then you won't be able to turn in the show until you get home on ..... That's all you can do. Don't stress about it.

I don't know what kind of host coaching you do, but concentrate on the guest list and on the host making calls to everyone on the list. Emphasize that only a third of the people she invites will actually show up. If she hesitates, ask her if you can help by thinking of ideas for people to invite, sending out the invitations, and/or making the calls for her. If the host is all about the recipe let her know you can't figure out a recipe until you know how many people are coming, 2 or 3 days before. Be sure of yourself with a smile when talking with your hosts. This is your business.

 

[Ayden's Mom]

Thanks girls. I'm still waiting on calls from my hosts...errr! I'll have to call them and leave another message in an hour or so. I really wanted that $ for vacation spending. I think some people forget that this is our job and I'm not just doing it for fun, but to get paid also!

Thanks for all of the advice. I haven't tried cooking shows in action...take that back, I did my first show like that and most of the women complained that it was Friday and they were tired. It really turned me off from the start. Maybe I should try again. I guess, I just can't figure out how to talk about the products, make the recipe w/the guests all at once...my director cooks all of her food at home and just brings it with her and this is what she recommended that I do...I guess it's time to try something else at my shows.

 

[melaniepc]

I have been doing the cooking shows in action and most people dont like them. the host I have this friday night asked me to not do it because her guests wouldnt like it. I have to say that I myself dont like to do stuff like that at parties. I would much rather just sit and listen for about 20-30 minutes and order what I want and go

 

[Jennie4PC]

I have noticed when I started out my shows were very small but now that I have been doing this for while they have gotten more sales. I dont really know how maybe its cause sometimes I use my past hostesses to talk about the products they love. At one of my shows in June I sold the roasting pan cause my past host talked about how much she loved it.

 

[Jules711]

People are busy now too so how has attendance been? If you think it's a spending thing, concentrate on the products that make it easier to cook and recipes that are under $2 per serving. Don't give up. I've had a month like that before and then everything turns around. Plus, you are in the beginning yet and it takes a little to get into the "right" groups. Encourage catalog shows too b/c if not everyone wants a show, they may like a catalog show. If they work in the right place, it can easily be an $800 show!Good luck and don't give up!

 

[cathyskitchen]

Have you observed one of your director's shows, or one of the successful consultants in your cluster? Every person who has observed my shows has become successful in my cluster - whether they are under me or not. Sometimes it just helps to watch someone else "in action", and see how they do it and how the tone of their voice and inflection gets people interested. It's one thing to see it on paper and to watch a CSinA video, but it's another thing to see a REAL cooking show in action and watch someone who is successful. I would even suggest observing 2 different people's shows, so you can take the things you like and incorporate them into your own show and make it "your own".

Hang in there - you're still really new, and you just haven't found your niche yet. I'm still constantly changing and re-vamping my show, 5 years later. It'll always be a "work in progress" for me. Keep your chin up, and remember, the best selling season is coming up soon!!