Maximizing Sales: The Ethics of Using Someone Else's Show for Your Own Gain

[cgreen]

Okay, I agreed to do a candle show for a girl, but only if she did a PC show in return. I did the show, had about 15 people show up, and ended up getting (seriously) hundreds of dollars worth of free candles.

Time for my show-- she does a catalog show, not very enthusiastically. I offered to take goodies up to the office to generate interest, she says no thanks. A week into her two-week show, she has less than $100 in sales, so I pretty much hijacked it, brought treats in and sold about $400 THAT DAY.

Since then, no more sales... until today, the day after it's scheduled to close! She just jumped the $600 mark with these last two orders, so now she has to reevaluate her free stuff, etc. I said we could adjust her part of the order tonight, but I explained we have to close it tonight.

I really need this for May, and I'm worried she's going to be wishy washy (as she has been). I feel like I owe her a good bit of patience since I got so much free stuff, but I also worked harder for the candle show than she has for this.

Sorry this is so long... but do you think I'm being selfish by meeting my May needs using her show?? Technically, I guess I could turn it in in a couple of days... and I kind of feel bad for not offering that option.

 

[ChltNCRenee]

I don't think you are being selfish, she would be feeling the same way if you had here waiting and waiting and waiting... just try to keep the anger and frustration out of your voice when you do talk to her, just let her know that if you dont get the info you need by 9pm or something that she will miss out on all her free stuff. Tell her you are trying to help her and her friends get their orders ASAP.

 

[lsm72]

HECK NO! Again, I think you may need to tell her that PC is your JOB and that the end of the month - TODAY - is the cut off time, especially if you already told her. Has anything changes since you posted?

 

[katie0128]

If you already had a close date set, IMO you are fine to want to stick with it. This is your business and you are not being selfish wanting to maximize your profits, especially since you already had a date set to close the show and she missed it.

Give her a time deadline for tonight and tell her that you must turn the show in by that time. If she hadn't done her "re-evaluation" by then, you are turning the show in anyway. I had to do this with a host and she missed the deadline - I called her every hour the entire evening, but she never picked up the phone even though she was home. She ended up losing out on about $30 in free products. I felt a little bad, this is my business and I can't wait around for people that don't realize that. Not to mention the fact that I think it reflects badly on me when it takes weeks and weeks for everyone else's orders to arrive.

Good luck... let us know how it turns out!

 

[Chef_2_Four]

I agree with the previous ladies. It's not far for you to bust your butt for her show and then her not to do the same for yours. I would tell her I need this by this day and this time and I am closing the show with or without it. You have deadlines you have to meet too!!!

 

[raebates]

She didn't hand over a bunch of candles to you. You earned them by working to get sales. Don't feel bad about holding her to her closing date.

 

[cgreen]

Okay, it's done!I just got off the phone with her, and it's all settled. Thanks for your encouragement, I needed to make sure I wasn't out of line...and sometimes I get hung up on not being thought of as "pushy" so I go too far in the other direction and end up feeling taken advantage of... even though I practically do it to myself!!!

Oh well, not getting in my own way this time was progress for me!

Thanks again.

 

[katie0128]

And just think, you can see your reward for standing your ground in 8 days now instead of waiting until the 22nd of June...

 

[chefann]

And as a home-party consultant, she should understand about month-end deadlines and meeting goals. (Not that it matters, since you already closed with her. )

 

[krzymomof4]

I totally understand where you are coming from. My DH gets on to me all the time because I tend to run my business as if I am a doormat because I don't want to seem pushy.

 

[Jules711]

If I trade shows with someone, they have to do PC first. Too often this happens. They want to trade shows, but then I do more work. Great job standing your ground. In fact, I would have been tempted to tell her that she earned $40 in free products since she collected $300 in orders. And since the total show was at $600, I will give her the 2 1/2 price products and 25% discount, as well as the host special. Sounds like YOU earned the other $75 in free product! Would that be wrong?

 

[scottcooks]

If your host won't close and you have been very explicit with her in your pre-coaching, and at the show, and at least once after the show that you NEED TO CLOSE THE SHOW BY xxxx date, then I several times have just selected generic items (scrapers, microcookers, spices) and sent the show in with those items as her pick. The two hosts who had that happen asked, why these particular items, I just say "Oh - someone at PC selects them if the host hasn't made their choices in time" then change the subject in their favor, "did you really get that fantastic cinnamon and two of those scrapers? You're going to love it - and you can open your own Cinnabon now!" One of them rebooked for another show 6 months later and bought more cinnamon!