Navigating Hostess Drama Before Showtime

[monica_sweetconsultant]

I have a show tomorrow night and to be honest i am totally not looking forward to do the show. The hostess is someone I really dont like at all. She booked a show at my best friends show. This hostess bought something frommy training show as an outside order and once i joined i asked her about her doing a show and her response behind my back was "she can beg, cry and plead and i am going to say no". So i was very hestitant to book a show for her anyways. she has already re-scheduled once on me. she says she has invited 15 people and is expecting at least 10 if not more. I'm not really sure what to do. i need this show and want it to be successful but i just cant past the sour attitude towards her. any suggestions?

 

[pampered1224]

Yes!In this case, remember you are doing it FOR YOU!!! Be totally, out and out selfish. Do this as a training excersie, swallow a bottle of TUMS or Pepto and just do it. We all work with people we can't stand at times whether through Pampered Chef or elsewhere. But if you remember what YOU will get out of it, it makes it easier. I am currently having problems with a host. Not that I don't like her, she just does not communicate. I also know I only have to do it once! Once and your done, you can walk away and never have to deal with her again. Besides, you may get a truly wonderful surprise and she could turn out to be a great assest to your business and you may get along fine.
And if it really bothers you, you can say no. Yes, really! You have that choice and that right! Even though your a few days away. You can still say no!
Your concience has to dictate what you do. Never go against that because that you do have to live with forever. Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[MSmith]

Great advice pampered 1224!

Plus, you might get bookings and/or recruit leads! I also think that if you've come this far, you should finish it out.

 

[monica_sweetconsultant]

thanks for the input ladies!! I just feel bad because i do feel this way about her. I kind of need this show. I signed up for the conference club and need every show i can get. My problem with her is she is so two-faced and rude about people behind there backs. As far as it being a good show...i think it will be. I have been doing some real praying for me to have a change of heart towards her..we are supposed to love everyone but man she makes it hard!! Her show is tomorrow night and it will close on friday so i will keep you updated. I dont think i would ever turn down a show except for one person. I have a girl that blew off ordering off one show to have her own book show and she has been going since the end of august. Every time I call her or go to see her about it she asks for another week. I told her last week to call me when she is ready. I am pretty much done with it.I told my hubby if she ever comes to me for another one i will have to pass her along to someone else. I will not deal with her anymore. These last couple shows have been real whoppers..lol...but i will get thru them!!!

 

[cookerup]

Good Luck With Your Show...and remember, her attitude will come back to bite her. Just go and do your best and be proud of yourself. Some of our hosts would try the patience of a saint. I had one who booked a catalog show last Nov., was to close the first of December. When I spoke to her by Thanksgiving she had had the flu so I gave her an extra week. The day I was supposed to close her daughter called and said that she had been called into work and she would call me. It was a Friday and I was gone over the weekend and tried to call her the next week and could not get hold of her. Would get her husband, who said call early in the morning. In the morning the child would answer and say I don't know if she's here, let me check. Then come back and say no, she's not here. I left a message that if her people wanted their order by Christmas I needed to have it in by midnight of the 14th. She still didn't call me. When it got past Dec. 14 I just gave up and didn't call her back until after the first of the year (and she never called me, either). In Jan I finally got hold of her again, and she said, Oh didn't my kids tell you that I decided to have a kitchen show instead? So we set up a date in Feb, and I sent her the info on the new monthly specials. She had catalogs, invitations, etc, my director said offer to mail them for her. I did and never heard from her. Finally I spoke to her again, and she said it wouldn't work as we planned in Feb, that she would have it the last Sat in Mar, and she wanted it at 8:30 AM!!! So I had to send her the new spring catalogs for March, and all the information on the new monthly specials... again. Two days before the show she said that the people in her small town would all be at the state capitol for their home team in the state basketball tournament and she wouldn't have anyone there, but she had $300 in orders and she would go back to having a catalog show and close it in April, but wasn't sure when she wanted to close. So I again sent her the info on the April monthly specials. When I tried to call her during the month, she was never home. I'd tell them to have her call me, and she wouldn't. Finally, the first week of May I said to myself, this has been going on for 5 months. Do I still want to be dealing with this a month or two or three from now? And I answered "No". So since I could not reach her on the telephone I wrote her a letter and said you have to decide if or when you want to close this show, I'm not going to be calling you again. Good luck with your projects (she told me they were doing some remodeling) and Congratulations to your son on his graduation. Call me when you want to close. I tried very hard to be nice about it, didn't want to sound like a you-know-what.
I haven't heard from her since, but I feel a whole lot better getting rid of that stone around my neck. I saw her in Wal-mart a couple of months ago, and said Well Hi, how are you? in a friendly way, and she just looked kind of funny and said "hi" and kept going.
The bad thing is, her mother is one of my best friends, and this host played and hung out with my kids a lot when she was young. I like her, but the whole thing just got to be too much for me.

 

[Deborah Czarnecki]

Moments of gratitudeSometimes reading these posts makes me want to call all my former hosts and thank them for not being HORRIBLE !!!!
I have never had to go through that...YET. I think because I haven't been at it long enough. Sooner or later, I'll find the HOST FROM H**L and I will remember these posts and remind myself that everyone goes through it!
Thanks ladies for sharing your stories and being so philosophical about it!!!

D.C.

 

[monica_sweetconsultant]

updatewell i had the show last night. it started out sooo bad. I was already running about 20 minutes behind (to set up and get started) and we even went to the wrong house!!! when we got to the right house theres already a good handful of people waiting on me. i did the touchdown taco dip and the decadant chocolate pizza. luckily i had a girl with me that is interested in becoming a consultant to help me out. when i finally get in there to start me demo one of the guests phone rang and oh boy!! her grandmother was in the hospital and not expected to live thru the night. i know this girl very well so i was very upset and of course there was a huge ruckus. she told me to finish my show and then come to the hospital. how can i concentrate to do this!! well my hubby takes her home to wait on her brother to get there and i try and get through the rest of my demo feeling like the most horrible person out there for doing it. the sales are ok so far and we are going to close the show on friday. I didnt get any bookings for oct which has kind of put me in a panic since my oct calendar is EMPTY and i only have one more show for this month. But the most amazing thing about this hostess (remember i dont like this girl) is she is interested in the opportunity. I gave her some books on becoming a consultant and told her how she can use her free product value to go towards the kit. and she wants to do a show sometime in Feb!!! so i guess i will continue doing business with her and just learn how to like her!!! and i guess i can mark this down as a show from down under....lol....at least it wasnt the first one...this is number 6!!!

 

[pamperedbecky]

Wow! I'm glad that you made it through that show. It sounds like you did the best you could under those circumstances. What a bummer. At least most others in comparison to this won't be that bad!!!!

 

[dianevill]

If she becomes a consultant...I wouldn't recommend this site to her. She may see your post Glad it's over for you. What a night!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you get some bookings at your next show! October really is awesome, and if you show your guests that, I'm sure they'll want to book!

Good luck,
Diane

 

[Cookie]

I don't know...You may just want to direct her to the site just for that purpose! lol Monica, good for you for handling a rough situation with grace.

 

[tpchefrebecca]

Total UnderstandingI understand what you went through. I had a host who rescheduled twice and canceled twice, did I mention she is a CM consultant? She should have known better! When this happened my director gave me some great advice:

"Since a kitchen show doesn't seem to fit your schedule The Pampered Chef suggests you have a catalog show."

When you tell them this it gives you the opportunity to give them a 3rd chance and if they don't follow through, you know you did all you possibly could to give them what they are obviously missing out on; GREAT PRODUCTS FOR FREE!

Even catalog shows sometimes don't work out and I just let them fade after two months of trying to reach the host and receiving no replies. They and their guests are missing out, not you!

Just remember to keep your head up and keep on going.

A suggestion for your empty October calendar is to have an Open House. Send out 100 flyers or invitations and pass them around the neighborhood. Set up stations where your guests can try out the products. I did this in August to celebrate my first year with PC and I ended up meeting some really great neighbors, one is interested in the opportunity and I had a few bookings.

Good luck and I hope this hostess turns out to be better than she started out to be

 

[monica_sweetconsultant]

thanks for the great advice and nice words! My hostess from the party is still working on orders. I will go around lunch time to close her show. I am proud of whatever she comes up with since all the drama kind of messed up hte show (totally understanding). As for my empty calendar for next month, i still have one show left for sept. so maybe i can get something off that. I am going to have a mommy and me show here at my house and I have a friend that just got married a couple months ago and i am going to talk the ladies at the church and see if they will do a PC party for her to get her started off right. I also have a person that cancelled on me due to health problems that i totally forgot about!! so i am going to call her and see if she will want to reschedule for oct. she is my husbands other mom!! So maybe it wont be as bad as i am thinking. i hope not , i sure dont want anybody to miss out on next months specials...they are amazing!!

 

[pampered1224]

Like your thinking CookieSometimes people really are very unaware of how they appear to others. It is a shame. Maybe if she did read what was written, a light might go on for her. But remember what I said about her maybe surprising you and becoming an asset to your business? I bet it nearly shocked the dayligths out of you when she asked about the opportunity. You never who the next Doris maybe. One thing I do need to ask, how did she react to you through the show and after? She odviously did not think poorly of you otherwise she would not have asked about the opportunity or about having another party.
You also have to remember that people like that have a very poor self esteem. They "bully" and "bad mouth" others to boost their own self worth.
Sad but true. Maybe this "opportunity" is just what the shrink ordered to give her a reason to really feel better about herself.
Also, you should be very proud of yourself. Despite everything negative you heard, you were the bigger person and did the party anyway.
Either way, you made it through and what you choose to do next is up to you 100%. However, we are also taught never to judge a book by it's cover. Thsi one maybe hard, crass and downright mean and rude on the outside, but inside there is a story. I have a feeling it is a not so nice one of a bad youth.
That is usually where people like that, become that.

 

[monica_sweetconsultant]

you are so right!! i couldnt believe it when i saw that she had circled yes for the opportunity. I talked to her about it and told her i wont pressure her, if she had questions, concerns or whatever to ask, i was here to help. As for how she acted, she was alittle snooty but not bad. It was like she hovered over me the whole time i was in the kitchen. she is very materialistic. that annoyed me mainly because i had a girl with me interested in the opportunity and i was showing her how a show worked. i felt very ashamed and did some big time praying becaus of my attitude towards her. i learned a real good lesson. her show was over $500. my highest show so far. so i have pretty much said to myself however i can help her i will. i am a big girl and if she does talk behind my back so be it. its not my place to judge her. only do kitchen shows when she wants and to help her if she signs!!