Hey All!I Am a Brand New Pampered Chef Consultant and I Have My 1St Cooking

[Katicole]

Hey all!

I am a brand new PC consultant and I have my 1st cooking show on 8/15!!! I am so excited but really nervous at the same time. I want this show to be perfect and successful... but I think I need some help! If anyone has any suggestions at all... from putting guest folders together, to quick/easy/cheap recipes (I'm a college student who is broke!!!), to "make sure to..." suggestions I would LOVE to hear from you and will be so grateful!

Thanks everyone!!!

<3 Kat

 

[MicheleC]

Congratulations on starting you business!

First piece of advice is to relax and have fun with it. If you are having a good time and the guests are having a good time then it is a success!

Next, I would say limit what you invest. It is so easy to get caught up in buying folders, giving away lot's of door prizes and feeling like you want to have everything in the catalog to show customers . You have everything in your kit you need to get started. Catalogs, order forms and drawing slips are the main things you need and of course your calendar to take down those bookings!

When I first started I limited the recipes I offered as this helped me to spend more time thinking about what I needed to say about the products, booking and the opportunity. I've also in the past asked the hostess or a guest to volunteer to be my assistant for anything from just reading me the recipe to being my hands at the prep station. A good recipe that shows a lot of the products is the Garden Ranch Pizza or the Lemon Herb Chicken Ring. A cheap recipe is the profiterole puffs (use peanuts instead of pistachios). I included the pizza recipe but don't have the others in the computer...maybe someone else can help with those.

You can make index cards to remind yourself of the areas (stoneware, cookware, specials, bookings, opportunity) you want to cover and then invites a friend or two over to do a run through before your first show.

When using the drawing slips make sure you take the time to explain how you want them completed and don't hand them out until after you are done with your presentation. Someone may have made up their mind before coming that they don't want to do a show and then after seeing all of the products change their mind. I also do not look at my drawing slips for bookings until after I leave. That way I can ask every person when they are checking out and say I haven't had a chance to check the slips yet, were you interested in hosting a show?

Lastly...well I'm sure I could go on forever get the date for the booking right there. Even if you are only penciling it in for them to look at their calendars when they get home.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[chefjeanine]

Kat,

Welcome and congratulations on your new business.

Two things you'll need for your show are pens and a calculator. You can hit the back to school sales for these. Many of us use red pens. I do because then I can find them all over the Hosts house and take them home with me.

You don't need folders. One of my upline directors has been in the business for 16 years and she still just hands out a catalog and an order form at her shows.

The Cool Veggie Pizza is a great recipe for your first shows, especially since it will probably still be warm outside. You can bake the crust at home (one less thing to stress about ) and prepare the rest at your Host's home. I see that the recipe is not in the current Season's Best, but if you do a recipe search on this site it will probably show up.

Make yourself notes. I still use notes. Just an outline of the things you want to talk about and an order in which you'll run your show. If you practice the recipe at least once (you can practice as if you are presenting your show) you'll know how the tools work and you'll have a better flow to your show. Watch the video that came with your kit.

I always arrive an hour before my show starts. This gives me time to pre-prep any food and to set up my table/display.

One last suggestion, "perfect" does not equal "successfu". HAVE FUN! LAUGH! SMILE! That will make your show (and you) a success.

 

[pampered1224]

Another thing to remember...Is that the Host Program for Cooking Shows includes a $15 "Hospitality" bonus for the host. This is what offsets the cost of the recipe. Make sure that you get reimbursed your expense if you decide to do the shopping. If not, make sure to mention this $15, when you go over the host plan, as the "payment" to the host for the food they purchase. This helps with the "But I don't want to spend money on the show" thing. They get it back from the company. Sure it's in product so to speak but they probably would have spent it anyway.
One other thing to note, I don't know about anyone else, but if you do use red pens, make sure that your guests DO NOT FILL OUT CHECKS IN RED PEN!
My bank will nto accept checks that are not written out in either blue or black as the electronic readers will not read any other colors. Including purple!

WELCOME ABOARD! GOOD LUCK! AND MUCH SUCCESS!

 

[Katicole]

Thanks to everyone!

I am so excited and this site and it's members are so helpful! I'll be sure to make an "after show post" and let you know how successful I was!!!

Kat

 

[Momma23boys]

Kat,
Congratulations on your new venture! I was just thinking again about the possiblities of college students using PC for extra cash, etc. What or who was the reason you joined? Was it the products, the money, the flexibility? Thanks for letting me pick your brain~ I know everyone has different reasons..
Karen

 

[AJPratt]

Welcome! Refer to your Recipe for Success and Welcome books for help. The Cool Veggie or Garden Ranch Pizzas are great! And you don't have to be perfect-- I always say that I'm the Pampered Chef not the perfect chef!

 

[mommyhugz1978]

The first thing that you have to remember is that we aren't the perfect chef we are the Pampered Chef. So things will happen the key is go with the flow!!! I have been a counslant for four months now!! I am also a college student!!! and a single mom, though I am engaged but for right now I am a single parent.
My best suggestion is to hit the back to school sales you can get the folers for your host packets, really cheep..... you can go to nancys artworks for stickers for the packets!! Get red pins for yur guest to fill out their order forms with it!!! but make sure that they use a differnt color for their checks.. my bank won't take them unless their in blue or black ink either!!! Get a stamp I orderd mine from Merril, has my name and address and phone number and my email address on it.. I don't have a personal website yet... But that will happn in a few months... I wanted to make sure my business was going good before I invested that money. For my first recipie I made the Anti Pesto Veggie Pizza and I have made the mini capressi sandwiches before too!!! Their really simple and easy.... Make sure you watch the dvd that came with your kit.. It will help you, read your recipie for success book, it will give you the demo recipies step by step and what to cross sell... I still use the suggestions in their!!! and last but not least!! have fun and be yourself and you will do jsut fine!! and Welcome to the Pampered Chef Team!!!