Fall Kick Off Party: Tips, Tricks & Invites to Help Make It Successful!

[ChefJoyJ]

When are you holding your fall kick off party, if you're having one? Any tips/tricks/invites/etc you want to share to help make them successful?

This will be my first kickoff party...and I'm hoping that this will help me to *finally* ramp up my business. I signed when my oldest was 11 months (she's now almost 2 1/2) and I've been going in and out of active. Between my husband's crazy work schedule, a difficult pregnancy (with my second), 2 grandparents falling ill, being in hospice, and passing w/in a time period of 6 months, delivering my baby in Dec, and life...well, I'm just now really catching my breath.

All that to say...I'd love any pointers or info you could throw my way to help make it successful. Time to get some bookings, get some shows...and get some money flowing back in!!

 

[Fluffy215]

I'm not having mine until the third week of August. My August is not where I want it so don't want to concentrate on September bookings yet LOL

 

[kdangel518]

September. We are moving on July 31st, so I need time to get the new apartment all settled before I start planning a kickoff!

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

A fabulous fellow consultant I met at conference mentioned having a Tasting Party towards the end of August. You have the new fall recipes there. People can see the new products and book for Sept. You pick up orders for discontinued products, and you pick up orders for the new products....split it into 2 shows....an August show for the discontinued prod orders and a Sept show for the new product order. Gets everyone excited about booking for the Fall, and they get to sample new recipes you'll be offering for your Fall show.

I loved the idea and will be trying it out myself. = )

 

[babywings76]

At our cluster meeting last night, my director announced that she is going to sponser a big Fall Customer Appreciation Open House for all of us. She wants us to invite every guest and every host. She's renting a large venue w/ a kitchen for it. All us consultants will bring recipes from the new Season's Best. We will each do our own advertising to our contacts about it. We will promote it as strictly a huge party to show our appreciation to them. They can come and see and handle all the new products and taste every single one of the new recipes. There won't be a demo, but we will be there to visit with them and talk w/ them about the new stuff and hope it will lead to bookings. My director and her director brainstormed with doing this idea. They were in communication w/ another director who did this for her team and had great success with it. We are doing it the 3 Monday in August. I hope it works out. I need to fine tune exactly how to word the invitation. And I'm debating using Post Calls for this event.

 

[ChefJoyJ]

Has any one made up invites for their fall kickoff? I am working on a full page flyer/invite, but am debating using the mini cat as an invite and inserting a smaller invite in that. Thoughts?

 

[IAmChefJ]

Use the new mini-catalog with the new catalog invitation stickers!

 

[mindyanne44]

I'm hosting mine on the third Wednesday in August so people can stop by after work, I live really convenient to the freeway and a lot of shopping/restaurants so I figure people may be willing to make a detour and stop here. I'm making a few new fall recipes, giving away 10 season's best to the first 10 people to stop by, and going to have a modified booking-tree with prizes under booking dates. Now hopefully people will show up!

I just put in an order for 100 postcards on Vistaprint and I'm inviting neighbors (I live in a condo complex and don't know a good bit of them), former co-workers, friends and family and customers who are on my e-mail list.

This is the first time I'm doing anything like this so I have no idea what kind of turn-out to expect. Hopefully at least getting the invitations out there will get my business in people's minds especially for those who wanted to book in the fall but haven't set a date yet!

 

[DessertDivaFL]

The beginning of September will work for me.

 

[christinaspc]

I always do this for each catalog and what I do is call it a "Last Chance/First Glance" and what I do is have a table of all the new products set up in a display and then I also have another table set up of the discontinued products and then I have a table with the new recipes for them to sample them as do it like an open house from like 5 to 8 pm and get really good success from it. I hang up flyers around town, mail invites, and take an out in the paper. Since we are such a small town I can do all of those then I do door prizes and I also give away the hostess benefits and I always have a good turn out. I have my date set already and people have already started asking me when I was going to do be doing it. I am doing it Aug. 24th and at that time I am going to be marketing my PC Club that I want to start with the new catalog and see how the respond I get of that. Hope that helps.

 

[ChefJoyJ]

I am doing it Aug. 24th and at that time I am going to be marketing my PC Club that I want to start with the new catalog and see how the respond I get of that.

PC Club? What is that??

I love the idea of a Last Chance/First Glance! Thanks for sharing!

 

[darlinclem]

A fabulous fellow consultant I met at conference mentioned having a Tasting Party towards the end of August. You have the new fall recipes there. People can see the new products and book for Sept. You pick up orders for discontinued products, and you pick up orders for the new products....split it into 2 shows....an August show for the discontinued prod orders and a Sept show for the new product order. Gets everyone excited about booking for the Fall, and they get to sample new recipes you'll be offering for your Fall show.

I loved the idea and will be trying it out myself. = )

I also do tickets with this type of party. Ticket for RSVP, one for attending, one for ordering, one for bringing a friend, one for each (friends and person who brought) if new orders. I then give away the chance to have the host special or free items. My customers LOVE it and even weeks after I have them asking me who won and it opens a door to asking them to host

 

[cathyskitchen]

I have tried these in the past (season changeover, holiday open house), but never get a lot of attendance. The only one that was successful was the one that we did as a cluster, and my Director at the time organized it. I've sent out hundreds of invitations with follow-up emails/calls, and had only 2-3 people stop by (and made tons of food!!). No thanks!

 

[lamarquepchef]

I plan on doing this the weekend before Labor Day. I figure people will be around because I'm inviting teachers and they start school that week. I love the "last chance, first glance" idea. I plan to give away the host incentives so It won't matter that I split it into two parties, actually it will give me more prizes.

 

[Cr8vKitchen]

I was thinking about doing mine in September however, after reading through these responses, I'm now thinking end of August would be the time to do it! I already have three bookings in September but NOTHING in August so this could help me out. And love the "last chance, first glance" idea! This will be the first one I've done and I'm concerned that I might not have enough sales to break it into two shows.

 

[christinaspc]

PC Club? What is that??

I love the idea of a Last Chance/First Glance! Thanks for sharing!

My friend sells Stampin Up and they do clubs where she goes for 6 months at a time and every month the hostess changes and that lady gets the hostess benefits and they all committ to buying 25.00 so every month you always have a qualifying show and they are allowed to invites guests so I am going to try it with my pampered chef.

 

[NooraK]

I haven't had the best of luck either, but to be honest, I haven't been the best at planning/inviting/following up either.

This time, I want to market it as a recipe tasting, and I need to start planning yesterday. I will probably have mine very end of August or first week of September, depending on DH's schedule.

 

[milkangel]

i am doing mine in nov and i do need ideas, i am hoping to get my new Kitchen done and the office room too.

 

[chefcharity]

I did mine last year in November, however, this year I'm doing the last of August. Instead of doing all the new recipes from the SB like I did last year, I am focusing on fast dinner food to showcase how to get dinner on the table quickly with school and sports starting back up. I have drawings at specific times throughout the event. Mine will be from 1 to 4pm and i'll have a drawing every half an hour. I give away new fall products.

I attached the invite I send out. I'll email it to most, but mail it to those I know do not have email. I do mine with 2 friends who sell some other products. That helps to pull from their customer list too. They do not do many home shows, so if anyone books shows it will be me.

We all live out in very rural areas so we talked to a local banquet hall in our town and she is sponsering this. I'll give her the host benefits and she isn't charging us to use the hall!

 

[chef131doreen]

I am having an open house on Aug 12th 25.00 gift for every booking now through Dec

 

[ChefJoyJ]

I am having an open house on Aug 12th 25.00 gift for every booking now through Dec

I might have to implement something like that...only now through Oct. I want to really book those solid!

What do people do for referrals?

 

[christinaspc]

I don't many referrals so I have wondered the same thing.

 

[lmradlein]

I'm doing one at the end of August and going to invite my neighborhood (73 homes) along my past host and buyers that have A LOT intrest in PC.

I do need some help with the invites. I love the idea of a Last Chance/First Glance! but I stink..I mean stink at making invites up on here and I know I've said it before but THANK YOU for all yall do on here.I would be lost without Chefsuccess! So if anyone has made any for the kick off I would love to see them for some ideas.

 

[Brenda K.]

Did anyone make up an invite for a Fall Kick Off or a Last Chance First Glance? Last year I relied on email - which was a big no no. This year I am going to send out invites! Just running out of time. Thank you. Brenda

 

[kcmckay]

I've had pretty much zero success with open house/recipe tastings. I like the last chance first glance idea. I already decided against a fall open house. I just don't have the time. We are looking to buy a house and have soooo much going on I just can't do it right now. I may do a holiday tasting open house like a black friday one or something of that nature. I'll have to see if we are in house not or yet, might have to wait till next spring catalog to try last chance/first glance concept.

 

[erinyourpclady]

I am trying something different this season. I am holding an open house but am not collecting orders or doing tickets. It is strictly a Sneak Peek at the new products...held from 1-7 PM so I can accommodate my SAHM mom's with kids in school, my teachers who don't want to come back on base AND all my working friends/customers. I am printing up Gotta Have It notepads and if there is something someone wants to order they can write it down and leave it with me. I will call them on the 1st to finalize, get payment and anything else.We shall see how it goes......oh and of course I will have drawings for goodies!!