Is Drop-Off Pampering the Secret to Business Success?

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Discussion Overview

This thread explores the experiences of participants who have engaged in "pampering" local businesses with food items to promote their Pampered Chef consulting businesses. Participants share their successes, challenges, and ideas related to this approach.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, shared their excitement about pampering a business and received positive responses, although they did not secure any orders initially.
  • Another participant expressed a desire to try pampering businesses and inquired about logistics, such as picking up orders and bowls.
  • Several users mentioned their intentions to start pampering businesses, inspired by others' experiences.
  • One participant reported mixed results, noting that while the trifle was well-received, no orders were placed, leading them to consider adjustments to their approach.
  • Another participant shared their experience of successfully gathering orders after allowing time for the nurses to respond to the catalogs left behind.
  • Some participants discussed the importance of patience and follow-up in the process of securing orders from businesses.
  • One participant shared a sample letter they used to introduce their pampering service to local businesses, which others found helpful.
  • Several users expressed curiosity about the specifics of the trifle and the overall concept of pampering businesses.
  • One participant raised concerns about potential barriers when approaching certain businesses, citing policies that may restrict such activities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on the effectiveness of pampering businesses, with some participants sharing positive experiences and others expressing challenges or uncertainties. No clear consensus emerges regarding the best approach or expected outcomes.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences and insights based on their individual attempts to engage local businesses through food offerings, reflecting a variety of approaches and results.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants interested in exploring creative ways to promote their businesses through local engagement may find the shared experiences and ideas beneficial.

Jessamary
Jessamary
Messages
350
I'm so excited! I started pampering a business last week - every Monday, I decided. Well, I didn't get any orders last week, but I got a show, which is great. Today, I dropped off the Stars and Stripes Trifle at my doctor's office. Wow! What a response! I brought in the bag with everything and the trifle base to the three receptionists. When I came back in with the trifle, there were another 5 people in the receptionist's area waiting for me. They said they read my letter about what to do, and when I left, one of the nurses was parading the trifle around to the doctors and nurses.

Here's hoping they order a lot! Two of the receptionists were just in awe of the trifle bowl.

Just had to share!
 
That's great!! I hope you get a lot of business from it.
 
Awesome!!
I reallly want to try this!
Will you be picking up the bowl and the orders together?
Can't wait to hear about the results...
 
Wow, that's great. You know, I keep saying I'm going to pamper a business and haven't yet, so my new goal is to get into the habit of doing just like you and do one a week. Thanks for the new inspiration!
 
Good luck Jessica and keep us posted on how it went overall!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #6
Well, it's a mixed bag.

I went to pick up everything. The trifle bowl and spoon were cleaned. They said the trifle was gone before noon. But, no orders. :( My husband asked if they just didn't get the point of the whole thing.

I was told, however, that a lot of the nurses didn't get a chance to see a catalog because it was Monday, and Mondays are very busy. So I left a catalog and OOF there.

However, I feel like it was a step in the right direction. I'm getting my name out there. I'm taking risks. Maybe I need to tweak my letter or something.

This is not a deterrant, though. I still plan on pampering my bank next Monday.
 
You need to give the nurses some time - they WILL order! My mom is a nurse, and she constantly has big catalog shows for me. All she has to do is bring in the catalog and some order forms, leave them at the desk with a "deadline" date written on them, and by the end of the week, she has orders with payment!!

I "pampered" them all one day with some dessert items b/c they've all been such great customers, and they LOVED that. I wish I had the time to do that now - I guess I'll just have to pamper my own office! ;)

Good luck and keep it up - you'll hit gold soon, I'm sure of it!! :)
 
Sounds like a great start. I have been wanting to do this myself but not sure how to start. What did your letter say? I dropped catalogs off at my hair salon for people to look at while they are waiting, now I am thinking that maybe I should take in a snack for the gals that work there to maybe give them incentive to get some orders. 2 of the gals have already said they will have a show but no date yet.:(
 
Someone else posted a couple of weeks ago about using the treat at the END of the time when you have left the order forms and cattys...hold on, lemme get the letter she posted! (Sorry, OP, I can't remember who you were right now!! OH! Your name is still on the letter I saved! You rock!)

Dear local business owner,

My name is Nicki Herrell and I am a new Pampered Chef consultant in your area. I wanted to let you know that I am offering a wonderful FREE service in your area!

Let me Pamper Your Business!
It’s as easy as 1 - 2 - 3!

1. Call me! We’ll pick a date to start your catalog show.

2. Show your Catalog! You’ll decide how long you’d like your show to last. You can pick between 7, 10 and 14 days.

3. Eat! On the final date of your show I will come in to pick up your orders and bring a delicious desert for you, your co-workers and your guests to enjoy!

That’s it! You will earn free and half-priced items from the sales of your show. You can either designate a host to receive those benefits or you can split them up among your co-workers so that everyone benefits!

This is a free service to you. Pampered Chef catalog shows do not include food for your office. I am supplying that myself as an extra thank you for your assistance in getting my business started.

If you are interested please call to schedule your Pampering today!
 
Thanks for the letter Kelly! It sounds just like what I need! I'm going to give this a try!
 
deffinately give them more time. i pampered my bank last week with the intention of going back in 2-3 days. well, long story short, i just got their orders today. however, one of the ladies passed a catty to her mom who works in an insurance agency. her mom was able to qualify as my second show with the orders she gathered. so keep trying but be prepared to give them more time if they need/ want it. i'm doing my orthodontist's office this week i'm hopeful that the ladies there will get me either my 3rd show or some bookigs. good luck to you and don't get discouraged!
 
If you take it to the post office (for example), do you just give the letter to a worker in person, and explain it, or do you mail it? Do you think it has to be addressed to the owner of the business? Will a regular worker/employee take up the initiative to call or do they ask their employer? I'm trying to figure out how I want to do something like this. I love all the great ideas! :)
 
bump,,,

Jessica, any more news - did you follow up and get any more orders?

Anyone else have success at this?
 
I just found another thread on Pampering a Business.... am looking there.

Jessica, I would still like to hear how things are going with the businesses you have done.
 
Just think if you did a business a week. Even if there is a lag time in getting orders, you could possibly build it to a show a week just from Pampering Businesses.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #16
Well, I plan on pampering either the bank or the library tomorrow...probably the bank.

My last day at work was Sunday, and I've been playing Susie Homemaker for a day or two. Time to get back into the swing of things tomorrow! I make the stars and stripes trifle because it's easy, quick, and pretty low-fat (esp. the way I make it...low fat cool-whip, fat free yogurt, sugar free pudding mix).

So, everyone keep their fingers crossed for me that the bank wants to order!
 
Jessamary: Do you just make a dessert and walk into a business and see if anyone places an order or leave and come back later to collect things? I am confused. I asked about this at my bank and they said no they don't allow other businesses to come in, she said if she did they would have to open to Mary Kay and AVON too! My library said they were not permitted to take orders on site etc... It was against county policy! I want to do this in my area but I feel that I keep running into obstacles/barriers not sure what to do.

I feel like I live in conservative city!!
 
what is the Stars and Stripes Trifle?....just wondering.
 
cewcooks said:
Jessamary: Do you just make a dessert and walk into a business and see if anyone places an order or leave and come back later to collect things? I am confused. I asked about this at my bank and they said no they don't allow other businesses to come in, she said if she did they would have to open to Mary Kay and AVON too! My library said they were not permitted to take orders on site etc... It was against county policy! I want to do this in my area but I feel that I keep running into obstacles/barriers not sure what to do.

I feel like I live in conservative city!!
Click to expand...

Keep trying,,,, remember the statistics --- that you need to get through some No's to get to the Yes. You can't expect every business to say yes but if you have basically 3 No's down you are that much closer to a yes.

Granted it is hard to take but keep trying.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #20
Well, basically...

I just show up with food.

When someone comes through the door with a dessert for you, I bet you won't turn them away. :)

I bring in the food - in this case the trifle - with a gift bag. On the gift bag is a little letter I've written about being chosen to be the Pampered Business of the Week! There are instructions in the letter. Inside the bag are plates, utensils, 2 catalogs and an OOF that they are to make copies of.

I come back at the end of the day to pick up my dish (hopefully empty!) and any orders.


Does anyone want to see the letter?

edited to say: The Stars and Stripes Trifle is on pamperedchef.com, under recipes. It's tasty, low fat, and super easy. Plus, with the EAD, it looks professional!
 
Last edited:
KellyTheChef said:
Someone else posted a couple of weeks ago about using the treat at the END of the time when you have left the order forms and cattys.
Click to expand...


So, at the end of the week, if you walked in with a trifle (or some other dessert) and they said they had no orders, would you leave with the food? I can't imagine showing up with food and then taking it away. I suppose the only solution would be to call first and see if they had any orders, but then you could get there and just have 1 order for $10.00. I'm not sure what the solution would be, I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone expecting dessert, and you never know if you left catalogs with your info if you might get a booking down the line.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #22
EpTxGuy said:
So, at the end of the week, if you walked in with a trifle (or some other dessert) and they said they had no orders, would you leave with the food? I can't imagine showing up with food and then taking it away. I suppose the only solution would be to call first and see if they had any orders, but then you could get there and just have 1 order for $10.00. I'm not sure what the solution would be, I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone expecting dessert, and you never know if you left catalogs with your info if you might get a booking down the line.
Click to expand...

I don't do mine this way. I show up, drop off the food and everything else and leave. I return at the end of the day to pick up the dishes and orders. If no one orders, then, well, I guess I think of it as advertising expenses. :chef:
 
Jessamary said:
Well, basically...

I just show up with food.

When someone comes through the door with a dessert for you, I bet you won't turn them away. :)

I bring in the food - in this case the trifle - with a gift bag. On the gift bag is a little letter I've written about being chosen to be the Pampered Business of the Week! There are instructions in the letter. Inside the bag are plates, utensils, 2 catalogs and an OOF that they are to make copies of.

I come back at the end of the day to pick up my dish (hopefully empty!) and any orders.



Does anyone want to see the letter?

edited to say: The Stars and Stripes Trifle is on pamperedchef.com, under recipes. It's tasty, low fat, and super easy. Plus, with the EAD, it looks professional!
Click to expand...


I would like to see your letter. I'm getting ready to pamper businesses as soon as I can get all my materials together and figure out what I'm going to say...and work up the nerve to walk in and ask complete strangers if I can do this for them. Thanks for sharing!
 
I would love to see the letter you used with the dessert.
 
I've not done this yet, but some of my clustermates have and this is the format they use.

I will call a business and ask to speak with the office manager. I then tell them who I am and that their business has been chosen as the pampered biz of the week. I tell them I've made a delicious dessert for them and would like to bring it by, what would be a good time. (This way they are all prepared and waiting your delicious dessert and you've not caught anyone at a bad time or a busy time by just showing up) When I get there, the office manager will usually meet you since you talked to her on the phone, or they will say ask for so and so. When you hand off the dessert you then tell the person to whom you've given the dessert to that you've brought some paper goods for the dessert and some catalogs for ordering and you'll be back in a day or so (you come up with the day you want to come back) to pick up your dish and any orders. Also, tell her/him that they will act as the host and any free product that is earned will go to them. When you go back to pick up your dessert ask them if they liked it. And tell them (word of mouth) other recipes you can make in the same dish. Then maybe give them a recipe card for that dessert (just type it on a piece of paper and let them make copies for everyone) This would be a good time also to ask if anyone would like to have a show. And if they say no, then ask would they keep you in mind and leave your business card or mini catalog or something small they can keep at their desk. And then collect orders, if any. Be sure to thank them for letting you pamper their business.

Now, I just thought of a way to keep the pampering going on. You could have the office orders shipped to you (I don't think it costs any more $ to do this) and then you show up with boxes full of merchandise and then make a big deal of the FREE product the contact person earned. Considering how many times you "pamper a business" this would not be that much extra time taken away. And it's another opportunity to "see" the people. Maybe at that time someone will want to host a show as they've had a few weeks to think about. Just taking that extra step can really make a difference.

At my Executive Dinner at conference, my executive director, Terry Newberry said the difference between 211 degrees and 212 degrees is one point. That one point is the difference between hot and boiling. That one point is the difference between being good and being great (see this youtube video: YouTube - 212 degrees - The Extra Degree )

Like I said, I've not done this yet (it's not in my budget right now), but I know it works!
 
cookingwith_tara said:
When you hand off the dessert you then tell the person to whom you've given the dessert to that you've brought some paper goods for the dessert and some catalogs for ordering and you'll be back in a day or so (you come up with the day you want to come back) to pick up your dish and any orders. Also, tell her/him that they will act as the host and any free product that is earned will go to them. When you go back to pick up your dessert ask them if they liked it. And tell them (word of mouth) other recipes you can make in the same dish. Then maybe give them a recipe card for that dessert (just type it on a piece of paper and let them make copies for everyone) This would be a good time also to ask if anyone would like to have a show. And if they say no, then ask would they keep you in mind and leave your business card or mini catalog or something small they can keep at their desk. And then collect orders, if any. Be sure to thank them for letting you pamper their business.

Now, I just thought of a way to keep the pampering going on. You could have the office orders shipped to you (I don't think it costs any more $ to do this) and then you show up with boxes full of merchandise and then make a big deal of the FREE product the contact person earned. Considering how many times you "pamper a business" this would not be that much extra time taken away. And it's another opportunity to "see" the people. Maybe at that time someone will want to host a show as they've had a few weeks to think about. Just taking that extra step can really make a difference.

At my Executive Dinner at conference, my executive director, Terry Newberry said the difference between 211 degrees and 212 degrees is one point. That one point is the difference between hot and boiling. That one point is the difference between being good and being great (see this youtube video: YouTube - 212 degrees - The Extra Degree )

Like I said, I've not done this yet (it's not in my budget right now), but I know it works!
Click to expand...


Would you be nervous to leave your PC products behind? I wonder if just giving them that one day is enough. If they want a couple days, that's great. But I'd be nervous about what might happen to my products I left there. What does everyone else think?
 
Well, you have to keep in mind that first they are a business. They offer services to people just like we offer services. I guess I"m just trusting them that they would treat me how they would want to be treated. Plus, you're giving them a service they didn't even ask for, so because of that they may do their best to take care of it.
 
Careful - you're not a caterer. I can only say that b/c for the first year of my business, I was more about the food than the product. Once I "got it", my show average went from 240 to 565.

The benefit to having the dessert at the end, is you don't spend money on a group who doesn't support you buy ordering.

I sent the following letters out on Monday; will be calling the businesses Thursday to inquire. I send to 6 I don't know and 1 I do know each week; have only done it twice - didn't call back the first week folks just waited for them to call but no one did.

Attached are my version of the same letter, plus an envelope I developed. Change info to yours and give it a shot!
 

Attachments

I like the idea of bringing in the food on the final day, then truthfully you are giving it to them as a thank you vs. providing them with food and getting no orders. I guess it works differently for everyone.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #30
I'm not quite sure how to do this, but I'll give it a shot!

Edited to say: Hey look at that...it worked!
 

Attachments

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Drop-Off Pampering in the context of Pampered Chef?

Drop-Off Pampering refers to a direct sales strategy where consultants deliver products directly to customers' homes, often accompanied by a personalized touch, such as a recipe card or cooking tips. This approach allows consultants to engage with customers in a more intimate setting, fostering relationships and encouraging repeat business.

How does Drop-Off Pampering contribute to business success?

Drop-Off Pampering can enhance business success by creating a memorable customer experience. By personally delivering products, consultants can build rapport and trust with their clients, leading to increased customer loyalty and referrals. This personalized interaction often results in higher sales and a stronger customer base.

What are the key benefits of using Drop-Off Pampering?

Some key benefits of Drop-Off Pampering include enhanced customer relationships, increased sales opportunities through personalized interactions, and the ability to showcase products in a real-life setting. Additionally, it allows consultants to gather feedback directly from customers, which can be invaluable for improving service and product offerings.

Are there any challenges associated with Drop-Off Pampering?

Yes, there can be challenges with Drop-Off Pampering, such as time management, as it requires consultants to travel to customers' homes. There may also be logistical issues, such as coordinating delivery times and ensuring product availability. However, with proper planning and organization, these challenges can be effectively managed.

How can a consultant effectively implement Drop-Off Pampering?

To effectively implement Drop-Off Pampering, consultants should create a schedule for deliveries, communicate clearly with customers about timing, and prepare personalized touches for each delivery. Building a strong network and utilizing social media to promote the service can also help in reaching more customers and enhancing the overall experience.

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