Newbie Advice: How to Succeed with Pampered Chef Kitchen Shows

[brandyk]

Hi everyone. I just got signed up with PC and I am so excited. I had a kitchen show two weeks ago to get me started. I had a great director/consultant that traveled 2 1/2 hours to do the show for me! My kitchen show was a hit. I had 5 outside orders & 2 bookings before the show, 13 people came for the show, and 10 people booked a show, 2 being catalog shows. I was in complete shock. My consultant could not believe the turn out. My show ended up being a $1000 show, with the help of my consultant.
PC shows ran their course thru my small town, and there has not been a consultant around for a while, so that helps out. Anyway....6 of those shows, 1 catalog, are all in September. WOW! I am kinda freaked out. I am a person who is nervous to talk in front of people, and I am not that great of a cook...so that is two of the reasons I joined PC...to help me overcome those two obstacles.
So if any of you have any advice for a newbie, bring it on, I need all the help I can get. I have a wonderful recruiter to help me out with anything I need, but just reading thru the threads, there is so much out there with all of your ideas and experiences.
I am exicted to join this team of wonderful people. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and ideas! They will be much appreciated!

Brandy
Independent Kitchen Consultant
Kansas
[email protected]

 

[pamperedbecky]

Brandy,
Welcome to Pampered Chef!! WOW!!! What an awesome show! And it's so cool that you have so many bookings right off the bat. That's very impressive. You will earn that Roasting Pan for sure it sounds like! How cool.

I was in your boat...totally hated talking in front of others and I didn't like to cook. Wow, have those two things changed for me (as well as a ton of other things). You will definitely grow from this experience and it's all because you were willing to challenge yourself and give this business a try. As for being nervous.....Let everyone know it's your first few shows. Try to be as relaxed as possible, as if you're just chatting with friends at your house. I try to look at it like this: You know how when you have a party or some friends over, everyone ends up in the kitchen? And a lot of times you (or at least I know I do) are still preparing last minute munchies and stuff while you chat. Well, that's exactly what a kitchen show is like! While you're preparing a recipe, you're just chatting with the guests. Just pretend they're your friends who showed up early before you had a chance to finish everything up. Make it relaxed and tell people it's pretty informal and they can shout out questions as they have them. If you mess something up, it's no big deal at all! Just make some joke out of it and roll with it. We all have been there. That's why we're "pampered chefs" not perfect chefs.

My other piece of advice is to practice the recipes. That was my best training....I just practiced as many recipes as I could. My husband loved it. It got me comfortable using the products and talking about things as I went. Sometimes I did that to an empty room, other times it was my husband or my 15 month old son (at the time).

I'm sure you'll get lots of great feedback here. It sounds like you have a great recruiter, so that's wonderful. Good luck!!!

 

[ChefNic]

If I could survive the first several shows, you definitely can!!!
I signed up without having my own show! Wish I had known that I could have gotten the kit cheaper! I attended a show, and signed after thinking on it for a couple MONTHS!
I was terrified to do my first show - i think i had a nervous breakdown!
But ya know.. I have been with PC for 4 1/2 yrs now, and wouldn't trade it for anything!
Do a simple recipe. My first recipe demo was the Fantastic Focaccia Bread - The recently brought the recipe back into the NEW Stoneware Inspirations cookbook. It is simple! It used the products I got in my kit (your kit may not have the same products-but I think you'd have everything you need)... another EASY recipe is the Cool & Creamy Chocolate Fondue. QUICK and everyone LOVES it! Both of those recipes I have done over and over at shows because someone books a show and wants the same recipe from the show they booked from, because they loved it so much.
The F.F.Bread can bake while you make the Fondue- or just make one as a demo.
REMEMBER - relax , they are your friends, they know you just started! I even told my guests for the first several shows "This is my first show...!" "This is my second show...!" I was always excited, but they knew I wasn't a pro... and I still live by the saying " I am a Pampered Chef, not Perfect Chef!"
Read up on your products that you are using for the demo. Practice the demo at home... I did it in front of my husband and (then 6yr old)daughter...and couldn't remember the name of the Measure-All Cup and about freaked out! But now I know...it doesn't matter! Someone will chime in and help you with the names of things. YOU ARE NEW! That makes them want to help you out even more. Once you have been doing it for a while and you forget...they look at ya like your crazy...but by then you know how to laugh at yourself, and you move on.

This is a wonderful company to work with. Their incentives are REACHABLE!!! (2 shows in One Month for free products! Hey that's do-able!)

I had NO shows to get my business up and running, so it took me a while to build momentum. You are able to start off with a BANG... and even earn that SHOW-TO-GO!!! Have fun...
You don't have to show them every product. They see it in the catalog.

Let us know how it goes!
Nicole

 

[chefjulie_sc]

_w-o-w!!! Way To Go!What WONDERFUL news to hear that a New Consultant is doing so well! Congrats to you!

If you continue to be nervous while trying to demo, have the host join you up front and ask her to help with the demo. Show her what you need done, and then her work on it, while you talk. This helps me focus on what I'm trying to tell the customers about. (It makes you feel like a Bob Barker girl or Vanna White!) BUT, it will relieve some of the nervouseness of trying to demo and talk at the same time!

I agree with the other girls, stick to some of the easier recipes until you get comfortable with branching out to newer ones. Look in your handbook for starter recipes that will use the products from your kit.

It sounds like you are already saying & doing the right things if you've gotten 10 bookings from 1 show! I'm so excited for you! I, too have been selling for 4+ years, and it's great to see new people succeeding!

Sincerely,
Julie in SC
Ind. Kitchen Consultant
[email protected]

 

[brandyk]

Thanks for your advice. I am still awaiting my kit to arrive this week! I have been here so much to get as much information and advice as I can, so that I am a little more prepared when my kit comes. I am really nervous, as I will have about 5 days (actually only evenings) to get my stuff together before my 1st show. Nothing like a little pressure. I like the idea of having the host help me out some. She will then get to use the products first hand and that would relieve some stress. Are there any of the the product information sheets, like the downloadable ones online, in the starter kit somewhere? I thought that would be good to read while I am traveling this weekend to get a good idea of what I am using and what to talk about while using them. If they are not in there, I want to print them off the website.
Thanks for your support and advice. I will keep you all posted on my success.
Let me know about the product info sheets in the starter kit! thanks
Brandy

 

[brandyk]

Into PeriodI seen the flyer for the hosts who hold a show during my intro period, they will receive a special gift...the Good Company Coffee and two mixes....my question is, what is my intro period? My SS month is September. Is that my intro period the flyer talks about? Thanks
Brandy

 

[MichelleT]

If your SS1 is Sept, then the hosts for Sept will recieve the samples. I thought that was a great booking tool!

 

[chefjulie_sc]

Product info sheetsI don't think our product info sheets are posted on the web-site, but Product Use & Care cards are. They can be just as helpful. I know you can download or print them out.

Yes, your hosts will recieve free samples that will be included in their show stuff from the company. Let your host know this ahead of time, so they will be expecting them. This only applies to your first 6 host (I believe). A 'thank you" from H.O. for them booking and holding a show for you to get your business started

Talking about the host helping you out, I also invite any customers that are interested to help out to do so, especially if they are interested in a particular product!