Kickstarting Your First Project: Tips From Experienced Index Card Users

[micocina]

Haven't done my first KS yet. Did anyone start with index cards?

 

[DZmom]

Welcome to the family, Rosie! I started out with index cards. I had cards for setup and prep and another set for my show and recipe! I am mostly going to go back to that since I felt more in control that way. Now I just fly by the seat of my pants!

 

[chefmary]

Rosie, I still use index cards, even after 5 years in the business! This has become critically important to me since I suffer from "memorypause" and sometimes forget what I want to say midsentence . I usually do a "broad" outline to keep the flow of the show going and add whatever important special announcements happen to come up at any given time.

Best of luck to you in the business...we'll be looking to hear about your success!

Mary

 

[micocina]

Morning Ladies!

Thanks for the feedback. Would any of you mind sharing your index cards. I don't want to copy exactly would you do. I would just like to get a feel of how you've set them up. You may email me privately and I would sure appreciate the boost.

R~

 

[fruit76loop]

Rosie,

I started with outlines versus index cards. After 3 years in the business and even promoting to Director, I still use my outlines. (or as I call them at my shows...my cheat sheets!) Of course my outlines have changes through my business. When I first started they listed key items about the products I was using etc. Now, I only list the product and the recipe items. I also include some recruiting lines and booking lines to remind me! It is nice to have something to fall back on when you get lost in your own show!

 

[DebbieJ]

I always use cards and I make a point of telling my guests that I use them. It makes it look like anyone can do the job--all you need is your notes! That way potential recruits aren't thinking "Oh, I could never do such a good job."

I started by making notes using the outline in Recipe for Success and I have since changed things around, expanded some points, etc. I don't focus so much on the recipe and the products used. I talk more about our collections (Cookware, Stoneware, Simple Additions) and spend lots of time pointing out the host rewards and the business opportunity.

 

[pamperedmaren]

New system!Hey,

I am still pretty new to PC myself. I have been using very detailed index cards so far. These were almost exactly what it looked like on the "First Kitchen Show" video. It was really helpful for my first 5 shows or so, but after that, I stopped looking at them! I had the show pretty well down, and was kind of nervous to look at the cards because there was so much on them. Just last night I tried a different system, which was just a basic outline. Like someone else said, I don't need the exact details anymore, but I just need to remember that I wanted to mention something like hosting or recruiting at certain times. This way I would actually LOOK because it didn't take me a long awkward pause to find my spot.

I would also recommend putting catalog page numbers on either your index cards or just another small card you can keep in your apron pocket. When I stopped using my cards for a while, that was the one thing that I didn't know. There is a cheat sheet you can download off CC with ALL the products and their page numbers, but this is a little overwhelming, so I just wrote down the pages for the products I was actually showing.

I guess the point of all I'm saying is that you might need to experiment to find what works best, and that might change as you become more confident in the apron.

Good luck!
Maren Kreun
[email protected]

 

[sOhSherri]

I also started with very detailed index cards with product info., etc. Over the past 2 1/2 years my index cards have changed to less specific details. Now I mainly have just the recipe instructions. I do pre-setup before the show begins. I do most of the dicing, slicing or shopping so during the show it is not so repetitive for guests. I save just a small amt. of the ingredient to demo. I have a card for the pre-setup and on the back I list all the products that the particular recipe uses. This helps me when I am packing for the show because I can just pull the card and very little thought goes into getting ready because I already have the products needed in front of me.

 

[DebbieJ]

I never tell them the catalog page numbers. I ask them to find it. Then the first person to find it shouts it out. Keeps them engaged in the show.