Navigating the Unfamiliar Territory of a Pampered Chef/Mary Kay Party

[Hathery]

Wow, Steph--sorry to hear about this. I'm glad your sales didn't suffer too much!!!

 

[alatour]

Re: PC and Mary Kay?- UPDATE

I just wanted to give an update on this...

I had the show on Sunday...the MK lady (guest) was there before me, had a table in the living room where you walk in all set up w/ her display...she was setting out products and such...I didn't say much to her, I just took my stuff into the kitchen, which was off the living room and started my prep and set up. When I was done, I asked her if she was doing any kind of spa treatments, etc. She said "oh no, this is it, nothing like that"...and I kind of laughed, relieved, and I said "well, ok, because if you were going to do a demo or anything I was going to talk to you about my going first since there's bake time to the recipe I'm doing" (fajita pizza) So I was all happy, etc.

Guests started arriving, and the MK lady started bringing out folding chairs into the living room...um..ok, I'm set up off the living room in the kitchen...everyone starts sitting around the living room and looking at her MK books. Meanwhile, I have everything ready...pizza crust on stone, oven preheated, etc. MK lady comes in and asks me if I"ve "started cooking" yet...I tell her no, I am waiting to do my demo...after I tell her this she starts HANDING OUT CATALOGS/order forms and does a 15-20 min speil on MK! I thought from what she said she was going to just have the display and nothing else, and I told her I wanted to go first! I was seriously ticked. So, after everyone gets done looking at the MK crap and PLACING ORDERS, MK lady says to me "ok, I"m done"...I didn't say a word, but my PAST HOST who was there (this show was a booking) was MAD. SHE said she didn't know anything about this and apologized up one side of me and down the other. She also had to wrangle everyone into the kitchen for my demo, which went off fine. But the show STARTED at 2pm and I didn't leave till 5:30. Forutnately, my sales didn't really suffer, she's around $400 right now, and I sold a few DCB's, so I know that helped. THANK GOD. But, I wonder how much more it would have been if those guests would not have had the MK thing first.

I made a promise to myself that if something like this comes up again (which this is the first time in 5 yrs) that I will NOT do something like this again. BTW, the MK lady bought about $15 from me, she must have known I was mad.

That is just insane! And SO tacky. Her order should have been the biggest one since she was so rude!

 

[chefsteph07]

I"m surprised she ordered anything at all to be honest, but she was the last one to get me her order form after I had packed everything up, including my calculator!

I mean, could you imagine one of your friends inviting you to a DS party and you just say to them, "hey, do you mind if I bring all my stuff and do a quick presentation to get orders since the other DS lady did all the work getting your guests there and paying for the postage for the invites?"

Maybe I'll do that next time and see how that goes over.

 

[linojackie]

The sad thing is...if you would have said "sorry, but I would rather not do it under these circumstances" she would have found another consultant in a heartbeat that just needed a booking and would have done it.

 

[stefani2]

I have had this situation happen to me MORE than ONCE. So here is what I have learned:

- Ask to go first
- Tell her that her PC Show Sales MAY be affected by having MK there (JUST so she knows in advance)
- You could be honest with her (IF you are comfortable with that) to tell her that some guests may find the night too long
- You could suggest a format that would work best (ex: your demo last 30 minutes, the MK lasts about 30 minutes as well, etc)

 

[redsoxgirl]

On the contrary, it sounds like she was invited to the show and said that she'd bring her kit...I think she's mooching off the work done to get sales.

I ws thinking the exact same thing.

I don't erally have any suggestions, but I'd be annoyed!
I hate when I go to someone's DS party for another company and people start talking about how I sell PC. Yes, I do. But we're here for this other company, not to take business away from her while she does her thing!

 

[chefsteph07]

I have had this situation happen to me MORE than ONCE. So here is what I have learned:

- Ask to go first
- Tell her that her PC Show Sales MAY be affected by having MK there (JUST so she knows in advance)
- You could be honest with her (IF you are comfortable with that) to tell her that some guests may find the night too long
- You could suggest a format that would work best (ex: your demo last 30 minutes, the MK lasts about 30 minutes as well, etc)

I already did all this.

 

[pampcheflisa]

I ws thinking the exact same thing.

I don't erally have any suggestions, but I'd be annoyed!
I hate when I go to someone's DS party for another company and people start talking about how I sell PC. Yes, I do. But we're here for this other company, not to take business away from her while she does her thing!

small hijack here. I totally agree with you on this.
Last month, one of my cluster mates had a party from another DS company. I guess the other DS rep knew my cluster mate sold PC, when I got to the show, cluster mate introduced me to the rep. Rep continues to talk to me about how she sold PC for over ten years and was a SD with PC. Then, when she starts her show, she kept telling me and my cluster mate how much better her stuff is compared to PC and everything was a comparison and such. It turned both of us off!! Why do people have to do that??
Why did weird MK lady feel the need to try to upstage you?
I would be infuriated, but it sounds like you handled the situation with class!!

 

[chefsteph07]

I think she was too lazy to go out and work her business herself and decided to go off mine since was already invited and knew there would be people there. I know MK isn't doing that great, one of my friends got out of it because no one is buying $50 makeup now if they can get it at Wal Mart for $5.

 

[alatour]

Score 1 for PC- No inventory!!

 

[alatour]

I think she was too lazy to go out and work her business herself and decided to go off mine since was already invited and knew there would be people there. I know MK isn't doing that great, one of my friends got out of it because no one is buying $50 makeup now if they can get it at Wal Mart for $5.

I agree. I pretty much only use Mary Kay makeup and only because my mom sells it. When she places an order I get what I need because she gives it to me for 50% off. That's the only way I'm buying it!

 

[PCMelissa]

OH. MY. WORD. is all I can say. I cannot believe how tacky she was. To say she was not demoing and then to give a speal. To get there before you is obvious she was making sure her stuff would be seen first.

 

[Hathery]

I have a friend who used to do card-making classes as she was a Stampin' Up demonstrator. One of her good customers was a PC consultant and asked if she could "just set up a table in the back." My friend said no, she didn't feel comfortable with that as the people were coming to her class to make cards, not be bombarded with other DS opportunities they weren't expecting!! People can really be tacky.

 

[aPamperedBride]

Kudo's to you for being polite instead of throwing down in your host's living room!

Suggestions (though I don't know how good they are):
- If you are supposed to go first, you might need to escort guests to the kitchen as they arrive! Or make sure host is clear that you need to go first and ask her to escort guests.
- Stop the flow of chairs! If/when you see that in the future, you can gently remind moocher DS rep. that you set them up where they are for a reason!
- Don't know if this would fly or not, but next time, you might consider interrupting moocher lady! Umm, excuse me, I need all the guests in the kitchen to help put together this pizza or we'll be here all day! You can share more when it is in the oven, like we agreed on earlier! (Just so she doesn't object in front of everyone...make it look bad if she continues!)

 

[aPamperedBride]

Re: PC and Mary Kay?- UPDATE

Meanwhile, I have everything ready...pizza crust on stone, oven preheated, etc. MK lady comes in and asks me if I"ve "started cooking" yet...I tell her no, I am waiting to do my demo...after I tell her this she starts HANDING OUT CATALOGS/order forms and does a 15-20 min speil on MK!

One more thought for 'next time', when asked if you've started, tell her you are Ready to Go right now and invite everyone to your space!

 

[Jenni]

I would love to know what the MK lady's sales were.... Did she look like she was getting sales?

 

[chefsteph07]

I know she got SOME, but as for how much, I have no idea.

My host is still collecting outside orders, right now she's at about $650 so she got more than half of what was at her party...good thing, at least I think it was worth it now...

Another thing, my past host who was there and appalled that this was going on, called me over the weekend and told me that her 19 yr old daughter wants to sign so I'm pretty happy about that!

 

[babywings76]

I know she got SOME, but as for how much, I have no idea.

My host is still collecting outside orders, right now she's at about $650 so she got more than half of what was at her party...good thing, at least I think it was worth it now...

Another thing, my past host who was there and appalled that this was going on, called me over the weekend and told me that her 19 yr old daughter wants to sign so I'm pretty happy about that!

Way to go!

 

[esavvymom]

That was really dumb on the MK-lady's part. The guests were there for one product specifically- they may have ordered, but it probably was more to 'appease' and please. They were caught in the middle and just being polite. Not to mention how LONG that party took for them! That will discourage those as repeat customers or future bookings. Who wants to do a 3-4 hr show??

 

[chefsteph07]

That's kind of how I took it as well, and no wonder I didn't get any bookings from it...oh well...