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I Need a Hug and Pat on the Back Please!

In summary, the three recruits that need to qualify this month are doing so. All have at least 4 shows booked. The reason the author needs a hug is because she is frustrated with training, but she is optimistic about the recruits' chances of qualifying. The author loves both recruits, but they are ditsy and need patience and wine.
Cindycooks
Silver Member
1,845
I have 5 recruits signed - 3 need to qualify this month and I will walk the stage at conference. I feel like they will qualify...that is the good news! All have at least 4 shows booked. The reason I need a hug is I am sooo frustrated with training. Am I doing something wrong? I love both these girls...they are just ditsy! I need patience! I need wine!

Recruit #3 - was supposed to qualify by the end of May and turn in all her shows May 30. We have talked 2 or 3 times every week. I had a phone call set up with her to help walk her thru closing out all her shows. She had 4. All were near the end of May. Guess what...she never applied for her PC Debit Card...even tho I TOLD HER TO like a bajillion times. She forgot. So now we are closing out all 4 shows over this weekend and she will qualify in SS#2. And she will not get her 3-tier stand.

Recruit #4 - First show tonight. The host lives 3 miles from her. I went with her to this show because she really wanted me too and I know the people. I am glad I did. She forgot order forms. I said no problem - went to host computer to log onto PC and download one. She did not have Adobe and our forms are PDF. Tried to install Adobe but she has dial up and it would have taken 3 hours. Went to chefsuccess to print a June outside order form - host does not have MSWord so that wouldnt work! Recruits husband was not home to bring the order forms...so I took her keys, went to ther house and got them.

I got back, she was in the middle of the demo, she was reading out the ingredients and not really talkng about the products. Demo was at the kitchen island. She turned around and started washing dishes..said it just comes "naturally and she can't help it". She also brought her 17 month old. Now these people are all her close friends and family so it was okay, but during show, the recruit jsut sat down with them and starts talking and jabbering and feeding her little girl the taco pizza. I gave her a few minutes and tried to prompt her over to the counter to collect orders, well then the little girl is all over her. She got a booking and ask the new host if she could brinig her daughter...she lady said yes! She is at $110 with a bunch of outside orders to come in, most people just left and are bringing the host orders at work on Monday.

Sorry y'all - I am just in a ranting mood and it helps to write it all down. I have to remember that recruit #4 is a "country girl"...she lives down in the county as we call it. This was close friends. She did fine, but she sure can't be sitting and mingling and eating at her show for long extended times like tonight. No two people are going to do a show the same and I should not expect her show to be a clone of mine, but to not even hardly talk about the products!!! This was all on paper order forms and it took some time. Way too much sociallizing. I have fun at my shows & talk but I sure dont waste and hour sitting around!

I dont know how to talk to her. Im just gonna have to tell her...she hardly even talked about products. She talked about the ingredients in the recipe. She is pretty sensitive.

Yes I ask them both if they had read the Recipe for Success and watched the DVD. Both said they did. Recruit #5 btw is awesome. She is doing fine and has it together. It jsut makes me scared that I am not doing enough to train them and am I ready to be a Director? Trust me, I call them, we train on the phone, I gave them all a checklist of what to do, what to bring to the show. Everyone has a training period and I need to be more patient, I am just thinking I might not have a very strong downline in these two.

Again sorry for the rant. It has been a long week. Pouring a glass of wine and taking a deep breath now!!!
 
Wow Cindy, after reading that I want a drink so pour me some! lol I"m sorry it went so bad for you. I have no recruits yet so I cannot comment on what you should do.. Just wanted to give you a hug

{~~~~~~~~~ Hug ~~~~~~~~~~}
 
Cindy,

Keep it up! You're doing everything you can. I also have five recruits and was very focused on walking at conference. After realizing not everyone is as motivated as me:) I decided to give myself a break. I felt like what did I do that they couldn't get qualified by the end of May (three of them were February recruits). One is qualifying this week as we close out her last two shows but the other two may just never make it or take some time. I looked at what I did and decided I had given them all of the tools and goals and motivation I could but this was something they really had to want to do themselves. It's not something I can do for them.

Some people have great intentions to start out but for many different reasons don't follow through. (One of my recruits is going through a divorce and a relocation right now).

Don't feel like you're a failure if they don't succeed. You are obviously doing great things by giving others the chance to have their own business by sharing the opportunity. I hope these recruits pull through for you but if not, I'm sure you'll find some others that will grow your business with you.

Michele
 
Hey Cindy,
Here's another hug.....:) It's tough when you know what it takes to run this business and some people just don't respond to your suggestions and training. Don't worry, you will undoubtedly have some stronger consultants come along (like your consultant #5). You're doing all you can from what it sounds like!! It sounds like you're providing lots of support. Some people just don't "get it." Hopefully things will get better. It sounds like you've got the makings of a great Director, so don't get down on yourself!:)
 
Cindy,
It sounds like to me that you are doing a great job. You can only do so much for other people and than they have to take on the responsibilty themselves. I hope you enjoyed your glass of wine, would you mind sharing? Just keep up the good work and you will be sucessful and walk across that stage.
 
Cindy,
Sending hugs your way and having a glass of wine with you!!

My old Director once told me to plan for 10 recruit to promote for this very reason. Which hardly makes you feel any better right now.

Try to offer #3 organizational training, and #4 successful kitchen show training. LOL

It sounds like recruit #3 will qualify this weekend. How close is #4?

Might I add I'm sure you are doing a wonderful job as their Director!!!!!!!!
 
Please, give grace. Take a breath (you said you've had a long week), and do not assume anything with these two recruits. I signed last June, and I have struggled constantly since the beginning. I had just moved to the area not long before I signed and knew NO ONE. I also had a new baby, my husband had a new job (that came with a LOT of responsibility and stress), we had a brand new house, and I was struggling with everything that came with all of those things. Please do not think that Recruit #3 is failing just because she hasn't earned all of her bonuses right from the start. Some people struggle a little and then find their confidence and PC niche. I didn't earn a single bonus, and it was frustrating enough to feel as if i failed myself, not to mention how I felt as if I had failed my upline. Ask her if there is something you can help her with... is there something that she feels she is struggling with particularly, that maybe you can give insight to? Does she feel completely overwhelmed with trying to be organized in her new business? Maybe she needs to invest in a planner to keep herself straight and all her thoughts in one place. Does she feel like she can't keep herself motivated? Offer to set something up in which she can feel TOTALLY comfortable in being accountable to you (with grace and without frustration). I mean, she can email you at the end of the day and say "I didn't do anything PC today. I started, but had to do the dishes... or my husband and I went out for dinner... or I got sidetracked with housework... etc." and she can feel however she feels at that moment without you immediately judging her and jumping on her. (not that you are, i'm saying this hypothetically).. I have never felt as if I could make myself accountable to my upline without feeling like I was walking through the guilty/failure gauntlet.. There are times when things happen you can't control. And there are times that I made the mistake of not following through with what I should have. But instead of grace abounding, and a guiding, loving hand steering me back in the right direction, I felt as if they looked down upon me and thought I was a failure, shaking their head at me; as if I purposely was letting my business fail b/c of a few mistakes or some things that I couldn't control. As for Recruit #4, we all know that our first shows can be absolute misery and sometimes feel like an immediate defeat. I remember how extremely hard it was to pick myself up after my first kitchen show, and how I inwardly compared myself to my upline in how they did things (without remembering they'd been doing it for YEARS and i'd been doing it for weeks). It dragged me down, and put fear inside of me.. I've never felt comfortable in doing them, and I am not a person that is normally like that.. I'm very friendly, outgoing, and open. Her first show might have been not so hot in your eyes, but to me, it sounds like it was a typical first show. Wasn't nearly perfect, but she got through it. When I did my first demo, I made the recipe in front of chattering guests. They wouldn't pay attention to me. I could have talked about mating rituals of ****roaches and they wouldn't have even noticed.. I had dressed up all professional for a group of what was supposed to be 40 professional women at a wine-exchange. It ended up being 3 girls bumming in jeans and sweatshirts, chatting about an upcoming rendezvous they were having. While I made food for them. It sucked. But everyone likes their shows different. Some people just like to eat the food, look at the catalog, and order. (If I do a show for her again, it'll be an express show for sure, because that will accomodate her better. I know that now that I've done a show for her already. And I'll know to ask my future hosts what they want out of their show so i can work with them the best way possible for them to get the most out of it) Some people like to come together, and chat with the consultant or amongst each other. For some people (like my mother), PC parties are a rare occasion to see people they don't see very often, and the parties are full of chatter about their respective lives. Don't knock this recruit for lingering with her guests. Obviously it was okay at this party. She'll know from the host whether the socializing is gonna be allowed at her other parties. Every consultant is different; maybe these guests came to the show because they knew that this recruit was just like that, and that's how they like their shows... that the consultant is a friend (my mom's consultant is just like that -- and she's a phenomenal director! she talks to people, not just about what product to use for which task, but about life. people trust her and love her as a friend too -- not just as a consultant for kitchen products!Remember, all of your recruits are not going to be carbon copies of you and how you run your business. PC is an individual's thing. If Sally wants to run her business by doing just catalog shows, so be it. If Jennie wants to run hers by doing 4 shows a week and filling in with catalog shows, then that's fine too. But the one thing that I have learned, and that has made me struggle over and over again with in my PC business is that everyone -- EVERYONE -- is different. There are general principles that help everyone, yes. But you have to stay open, to tell your recruits "don't feel as if you've failed when you make a mistake. just pick yourself back up and get back on that horse.. i'm here to support you. I want to see you succeed. What do you feel you need help with? How are you feeling?" My mom's consultant has been a somewhat "hospitality director" for me, but more than a director, she's a close friend. i can call her and say "alright my business sucks right now, I need advice from a friend.." and she'll reciprocate.. take time out of her business to talk to me, woman to woman, friend to friend, about how she's been there too. about what she finds as success.. and she says "it might not be for you, but it worked for me. give it a try". she tells me to find my "niche".. you know what? a year after I've signed, I still haven't found my "niche".. I'm still struggling. I've struggled through a church breakup (i'm a pastor's wife) and switching jobs. i've struggled through losing multiple family members and my sister's husband leaving her -- all in the same month. i've struggled through my parents' auto accident that left my father a paraplegic and changed my family's life forever. and i'm still struggling. but because of a director 450 miles away from me, who is a friend and a confidante, who i can call and say "i'm just overwhelmed.. i need some baby steps," and get a loving, gentle response, i'm STILL struggling. and that means that even though i've gone inactive twice since i've signed, and i haven't had a show in the past 5 months, I haven't quit. Maybe you could email them (or call them) and say "listen, you're doing a good job.. how can i help you do better?" Edify them first, they'll likely open up and be more accepting of encouraging and guiding words of advice. But don't give up on them -- don't put them in the "weak downline" bucket yet!I don't mean to be harsh. it is late, and I must find my pillow to rest my weary head. but i want to give you the perspective from someone who's been in the shoes of both of those recruits at the same time. i mean no offense. have a great day and i hope all works out very well with these two recruits (plus the other ones!)..
 
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  • #8
Amanda - no offense taken at all = everything everybody said are things I need to hear right now. It is 5:30 am here and I am up with a sorethroat I have been fighting all week - and I am PMS'ing which is another reason for the rant....I appreciate all the advice, wisdom and words of encouragement. That is what these boards are for.

I think in this situation, shock is more the right word. I told myself that I am not perfect, my shows are very laid back, no two shows are ever alike and I usually have to adapt everyone to the situation once I arrive. There is no perfect show. I guess I just thougt the girl tonight was more ready. We have been talking about this show for weeks. It just seemed more like a family gathering...and she has a big show coming up Thursday night in the ritsy part of town...lots of people and I want her to be ready. This was sorta her practice show. I mean we started at 6:30 and she did not even start collecting orders until after 9pm. Thats how long she sat and sociallized. Now the show Thurs night is her cousin, but it will be more her cousins co-workers and neighbors there, people this recruit does not know.

I think I am going to handle it like someone said - ask her what questions she has, what she needs. Let her ask me rather than me approach her. I am going to say something to the affect of this is a Thurs night show and many people have to get home, get kids to bed, get up for work and they dont want to be there past 9pm.

She is a sweet girl. I gave her a big hug when I left. Told her she did fine, I have to get back with her on a time to help her close out her show. We will talk then. I feel better now. I have to put my mindset at how I felt almost 2 years ago when I was starting. Maybe this is a blessing in disquise in the way I should look at others. Prayers are a good thing. God is Good. :)
 
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What if you invite each one to come with you to watch you do a show? That is what my recruit did, and she said it really helped her. She came to my first show that I had to get my business started, then she hosted one, and used her credit from it to sign, and then she came with me to another show (with the host's permission of course) and watched me. Now she is kicking my butt all over the place in sales!

When I sold Mary Kay I also asked a girl in my group if I could watch her at a show and she was more than happy to let me. It helped me a lot to get started.
 
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  • #10
Great idea Jennifer but they have done that! They are both recent past hosts that I recruited. Recruit 3 is a friend of my daughters and has been to a few of my shows. She is doing ok with her presentation, she is just the disorganized one....!
 

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