How Do You Handle a Host Who Goes AWOL?

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Discussion Overview

This thread explores experiences and strategies related to handling hosts who are unresponsive or difficult to contact prior to scheduled shows. Participants share personal anecdotes about their interactions with hosts and the challenges they face in confirming events.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, describes a situation where they were unable to reach a host and ultimately decided to leave a message indicating they would assume the show was canceled if they did not hear back soon.
  • Another participant shares their experience of a host who went unresponsive, leading to a last-minute cancellation, and reflects on the frustration of having their schedule disrupted.
  • Several users mention the tactic of leaving assertive messages to prompt a response from hosts, with one participant noting that this approach has worked for them in the past.
  • One participant recounts a situation where a host eventually reached out after a period of silence, expressing disappointment at the need to reschedule, which led to a confirmed show.
  • Another participant suggests that using time blocked out for canceled shows to focus on business activities can be beneficial, sharing their own practice of making customer care calls during such times.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on the effectiveness of various communication strategies with hosts, and no clear consensus emerges regarding the best approach to take when faced with unresponsive hosts.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences without implying any official guidance from Pampered Chef. The discussions reflect a range of emotions, including frustration and the desire to maintain professionalism in challenging situations.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants who encounter difficulties with host communication may find these shared experiences and strategies relevant to their own situations.

R
RachelNguyen
Ok, I have a show scheduled for next weekend and have never been able to get in touch with the host. I have called repeatedly and left messages. Once, a kid answered and said that she was sleeping, but would call me back. Never did.This has been going on for weeks.I decided that I am not going to wait any longer. I called her today and left her a message that I am interested in scheduling something for that day, and if I don't hear from her within the next day, I will figure she is no longer interested in having a show. If she IS still interested, I told her I need to talk to her about planning the menu, etc. I am dissappointed because this woman was a potential recruit, too. (She speaks Spanish, too, which would be a great asset in this area...) But I just don't feel comfortable scheduling my life around a date that still hasn't been confirmed.Have you guys ever had this situation? Do you think I did the right thing? It is a week away!Love,
Rachel
 
Your call pretty much gave her an "out." You may not hear from her at all. My director told me that if you have a hard time contacting the host, you may know it's cancelled, but just leave a message on their answering maching like "Hi Susie! I can't wait for your show tomorrow! Since we never got together to discuss the recipe, I am coming with the ingredients. I will be at your house at XX pm for your show!"

That should spark a call-back right away.
 
Yes I've been there..I had a host book a party ,I gave her the catalog and some invitations told her to email me that night with email address and I'd send out email remindars(save the date) i never got that email so I called and called then she went to new york for the week so until friday(show was scheduled for Saturday) I had no contact with her.Then finally she calls back and says she had forgotten to send the invites before she left and being it was the saturday before easter she thought we should reschedule. She wanted to do the next saturday, I said OK but we've got to get the invites going out today...NEVER heard from her until she sent me a email a couple days later saying she was gonna need to reschedule again cause she had unexpected family in town and they had some family problems,but she reallllly wants to do a show so please don't give up on her. What should I do? I never even approached her to do a show, when she found out I was doing PC she asked me to do a show at her house. So this isn't a pressured show or obligation show by any means. Do I even try again with this host? Because of her I'm scrambling around trying to make my SS1 bonus I was short by 200 ,I would have easily made it with one show. But she took up TWO of my saturdays. So I feel ya I'm frustrated too, but we've got to move on
 
I just had this happen to me. I called and left this message: "Hi, I'm Sherrie with PC. I wanted to confirm our show for Sat. 4/29 at 3:00pm. I'll be there at 2:15pm, and since we never got to discuss menu ideas, I'll go ahead and pick a recipe and bring the ingredients. You can then just reimburse me for that. And -- since I never got your guest list, I'm going to assume you personally invited everyone, and I wanted to thank you for doing that. Call me at ***-**** if you have any questions." I thought she'd call me right away, but nope...she JUST emailed me this past Tuesday, and I left this message LAST Thursday. But -- now I know the show is a cancellation, so I've got a FREE day with my family.
 
Angel, overbook with her next time. One show I have in three weeks is on the same day as another show. This host is really hard to get a hold of and I have a feeling I am going to get a cancellation. She never set a time with me, so I picked one for her. I also have another show scheduled on that Saturday, but it is an evening show. At least if she cancels you would have another show on the same day.

Some people don't like doing two shows on the same day, but I don't find a problem with it.
 
RachelNguyen said:
Ok, I have a show scheduled for next weekend and have never been able to get in touch with the host. I have called repeatedly and left messages. Once, a kid answered and said that she was sleeping, but would call me back. Never did.

This has been going on for weeks.

I decided that I am not going to wait any longer. I called her today and left her a message that I am interested in scheduling something for that day, and if I don't hear from her within the next day, I will figure she is no longer interested in having a show. If she IS still interested, I told her I need to talk to her about planning the menu, etc. I am dissappointed because this woman was a potential recruit, too. (She speaks Spanish, too, which would be a great asset in this area...) But I just don't feel comfortable scheduling my life around a date that still hasn't been confirmed.

Have you guys ever had this situation? Do you think I did the right thing? It is a week away!

Love,
Rachel
Click to expand...


It always works by leaving a message on their answer machine, I can't wait for your show tomorrow! I will be at your house at 6:00 pm for your show!" I got the directions to your house from Map Quest. You will receive a call back from her!! LOL:D I just don't understand WHY they want to have a show BUT never call back. Just RUDE!!! Good Luck! Give us an update.
 
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  • #7
Ha! I never thought of just telling her I am going to show up! LOL. I suppose that IS an incentive to call me if she has no intention of holding the show. And yes, I did give her an out, that's true! But, heck, my folks are in town so maybe I'll just enjoy having a day off with them.

Love,
Rachel
 
spoiledchef said:
But -- now I know the show is a cancellation, so I've got a FREE day with my family.
Click to expand...

One thing I would highly recommend for you...

I know it's nice to think about extra time with your family, but I have learned that it really helps my business if I use at least half of the time I had blocked out for a show that cancelled or rescheduled to work on my business. Sometimes, I take care of mailing, other times organing my work space, and I also work with my downline; but my best time is spent when I take my cell phone and laptop (or customer list from PP), go to a restaurant (or this time of year a park), and make customer care calls.

This time has already been blocked out for business, so it is good to get into the habit of using the time for business.

I had a show this Friday that had to reschedule due to a family emergency, and I will be using that time to further my business, working on bookings for May and especially June!

Hope this thought helps. Good luck!
 
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  • #9
Here's an update:

She called me back and was disappointed that I wanted to reschedule! So I finally had a chance to talk to her and she has already sent out the invitations. She doesn't have a head count, but I am pretty sure this party will be a go!

Thanks again for all your advice, you guys.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #10
nikked said:
One thing I would highly recommend for you...

I know it's nice to think about extra time with your family, but I have learned that it really helps my business if I use at least half of the time I had blocked out for a show that cancelled or rescheduled to work on my business. Sometimes, I take care of mailing, other times organing my work space, and I also work with my downline; but my best time is spent when I take my cell phone and laptop (or customer list from PP), go to a restaurant (or this time of year a park), and make customer care calls.

This time has already been blocked out for business, so it is good to get into the habit of using the time for business.

I had a show this Friday that had to reschedule due to a family emergency, and I will be using that time to further my business, working on bookings for May and especially June!

Hope this thought helps. Good luck!
Click to expand...


Nicole,

What a GREAT suggestion! Even though this show is going to happen, I will definately plan to do that next time!
 
RachelNguyen said:
Here's an update:

She called me back and was disappointed that I wanted to reschedule! So I finally had a chance to talk to her and she has already sent out the invitations. She doesn't have a head count, but I am pretty sure this party will be a go!

Thanks again for all your advice, you guys.
Click to expand...

Did she tell you why she has not returned any of your calls???:rolleyes:
 
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  • #12
Naw.

I didn't press it, either. I am still hoping she'll sign up as a consultant!

Rachel
 
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  • #13
Rachel,

I hope things work out well for you at the show. I would ask her about the lack of commuication though. If you found it this frustrating working with her as a host it might be even more so as a consultant on your team. I know we all want to help others start their business but she needs to know that she will fail if she does not communicate with her hostesses and customers better than she did with you.

I hope you have a killer show!
 
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  • #14
Well,

Tomorrow is supposed to be the show day and I have been calling her for a week to try and pin down a recipe. I am really exasperated, especially given that I could have made other plans. (I even gave her the opportunity to reschedule or cancel... which frankly I would prefer to showing up and having no recipe chosen and no guests.)

I finally left her a message tonight saying I had to hear from her before the show so I would know what tools to bring.

What a drag.

I'll keep y'all posted!
 
RachelNguyen said:
Well,

Tomorrow is supposed to be the show day and I have been calling her for a week to try and pin down a recipe. I am really exasperated, especially given that I could have made other plans. (I even gave her the opportunity to reschedule or cancel... which frankly I would prefer to showing up and having no recipe chosen and no guests.)

I finally left her a message tonight saying I had to hear from her before the show so I would know what tools to bring.

What a drag.

I'll keep y'all posted!
Click to expand...

WHAT??? After all that, and she is still not responding to your calls:mad:
I would do what ever recipe YOU want and show up!!:D Hang in there:)
Keep us posted!!!
 
Ooooh, you'd think she'd be a little more dilligent with the communications since you had a go of this before... UGH.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Blown off...Yep,

I kept calling and calling, all week... and nothing. Not a peep. Not one message or phone call.

So today my dilemma was whether I should just show up at her house and camp out in the apartment building parking lot or whether I should just cut my losses and call it a day. There is a risk, of course, that if I didn't show and some of the guests did, I would look bad. But you know what? Today was an absolutely spectacular day and my husband and I had been given free tickets to a New England Revolution game at Gilette Stadium. I would have gladly skipped the game if I could have had a show... but I was NOT about to miss it so I could sit around in a hot parking lot waiting to see if she was going to show up.

So I left a final message about an hour before the party was supposed to start, giving her my cell number and my home phone (again) and telling her that if she did, in fact, plan to have the party she needed to call me immediately, otherwise I was assuming that she had decided to cancel.

The Revolution won, 4 to nothing.

We had a blast.

And I am NEVER going to call this woman again.
 
Good job!!You made a wise decision! I don't do the "I'm gonna show up tomorrow with a recipe at your house on this date", if I haven't heard from them.
It's a waste of time and a waste of money to buy ingredients for a non existent show. Not that my family or yours couldn't enjoy a neat PC recipe but just the drive over there and the knocking on the door to either an empty house or a host who won't open the door is embarrasing.
I am glad you enjoyed yourself. When something goes wrong, I get a cancellation or even a host who rescheduled, my husband and I rejoice in having some extra time to spend together.
I also have more time to focus on hosts who deserve my time and energy or even potential hosts as opposed to a rude, inconsiderate one who obviously doesn't have the maturity or the common sense to give me a call!!
Have a great weekend!
Debbie
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if my host stops responding to messages?

If your host goes silent, try reaching out through multiple channels—text, email, or social media. Keep your messages friendly and light, expressing your excitement about the party. If you still don’t hear back, consider sending a gentle reminder about the upcoming event and the importance of their role.

How can I motivate a host who seems disinterested?

To re-engage a disinterested host, remind them of the benefits they’ll receive, such as free products or discounts. Share success stories from previous hosts to inspire them. You can also offer to help them with ideas for the party, making it easier for them to get excited about the event.

What if a host cancels the party last minute?

If a host cancels at the last minute, remain understanding and flexible. Ask if they would like to reschedule or if they need assistance with any challenges they faced. Offering to help them plan for a future date can keep the door open for future opportunities.

How do I handle a host who doesn't promote the party?

If a host isn’t promoting the party, gently remind them of the importance of sharing the event with their network. Provide them with easy-to-use promotional materials, such as social media posts or text messages, to make it simpler for them to share with friends and family.

What steps can I take to prevent a host from going AWOL in the first place?

To prevent a host from going AWOL, establish clear communication from the start. Set expectations about their role and the timeline for the party. Regular check-ins can keep them engaged, and offering support and resources throughout the planning process can help maintain their enthusiasm.

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