Maximizing Sales in Bad Weather: Tips for Consultants and Hosts

[chefann]

Good morning, all!

There have been a slew of recent threads about shows and events cancelling because of weather. I know there are a bunch of members here who are new to PC and may not have heard tips for dealing with seasonal weather. Of course, there are seasoned consultants, too, who could use a reminder (myself included).

Of course, there's no substitute for a live demo. But some sales are better than cancelling completely, right?

I put this with host coaching, because the success of many of these methods depend on good host coaching. And since we should all be starting coaching with our January hosts, now's as good a time as any to start building these tips into our calls.

Please share your tips for getting sales when the weather is bad.

I stay in contact with my hosts and if it looks like bad weather will be rolling in, I ask her to change her reminder calls. Instead of just a reminder (in case the bad weather blows through), I have her tell her guests that if there is snow and ice to call me or the host during the show time. Sometimes I offer a gift (SBRC) to guests who order then. And I rebook the host for a couple months out, so her friends can still see our tools in person.

I've also heard anecdotal evidence of consultants who set up conference calls with guests or call in to a host's house and give a short sales talk to guests while on speakerphone. This option works best when most of the guests are within a very small geographic area (like an apartment complex) and can get to the host's house, while the consultant can't.

Indicate on your invitations that guests can order online through your PWS (or via phone if you don't have a PWS) in case of inclement weather.

 

[wadesgirl]

I just keep in contact with my hosts when I know bad weather is coming. At a couple of parties, I've offered a white sale drawing. For one of the doorprizes, I'll draw a name and that person gets 10% off all the products they order that are mostly white if it snows the day of the show (before or during the show). I try to tell my host this in advance so she can let her guests know.

I had a show Tuesday that I called the host the night before about the weather. She hadn't even watched the news and didn't know about it. We kept the party on and I told her that I would call her in the afternoon the next day to see if she still wanted to have her party. It rained ice pellets and snowed all day and at 2 p.m. it cleared up. By the time her party started, the roads were still covered but okay for travel and most of her guests were from her neighborhood so they walked.

 

[ChefJoyJ]

Thanks for this thread Ann! I'm new to PC, and with an icy weekend approaching, it got me to thinking about January and what I would do if the weather outisde was frightful (the song "Let it Snow..." is on).

I look forward to hearing from the pros on what they do. :chef: