Newbie Has Question Re:out of Town Show

[dsert4me]

Hello ,
I am brand new to PC and very excited about getting started. I am meeting with a Sales Director next week to get started. I do have a question. I would like to do an out of state kitchen show in August when I go to CA. to see many friends and family....It would be great to do a few shows. Does anyone have suggestions how to organize this, does one send take their Kitchen gear with them onto the plane ( checked through ) and any other details and information would be most helpful. Thank you

 

[pamperedbecky]

I did a show out of town in California last year. It was while my husband and I were out there on vacation and we were able to work it in where I did a show out there. I asked my host what PC products she had so I didn't have to drag that many out there. Luckily she had the Large Round Stone which I was planning to use. I took my Tool Turn About as carry on, but I didn't have any of the knives or sharp tools in that. I packed those in my luggage. I obviously only brought the products I needed for the demo...no extras. I had catalogs, order forms and flyers packed in my briefcase. You just don't want to chance any of the tools getting confiscated, so you'll want to be extra careful what you bring as carry on. I definitely got some strange looks from the luggage screeners!

Keep in mind, too, that any travel expenses in relation to this are business expenses so they can be a tax write off! It's a nice way to travel, that's for sure. Good luck!!

 

[ShanaSmith]

In the last year I have done this three times, most recently in Alaska. I did the same thing with finding out what the host already owned. Then I actually ordered and sent send some items, like a stone to her ahead of time. I gave it to her as kind of a hospitality gift. I packed everything I could into my suitcase. Then I had some extra stuff when I came home, so I added some of my PC items to a box that was being shipped home to me. Granted I was traveling with me almost 2 year old.
I have found that these shows are a lot of fun and usually pretty good, since your family/friend really wants to help you and introduce you to everyone they know. And it is a great write off on your taxes.

 

[dsert4me]

Thanks for the tips

Thank you for the tips. I am a little unsure about some of these beginning steps as I have yet to actually begin doing shows. But, I love hearing all of these ideas....Thank you !

 

[Jennie4PC]

i am doing an out of town show in July and what i did was i asked the hostess to pick a recipe, then when she calls her guests to give them a list of tools needed to do the presentation and see if they could bring one of the items. If you have the guests bring an item then they are more then likely to show up knowing if they dont bring the item you may not be able to do the recipe. That way when i travel i dont have to bring much especially cause when i travel my car is already pretty full.

 

[luvs2sellit]

Oh my Gosh!! I had the best month this month. I went on a 3 week vacation with my sons and we did 2 shows at friends houses. I carried very little to the shows and all the people understood it was because I was traveling. Anyways, one show was 940 and one was 1040. I also have several individual orders. And I got to write off my mileage. One day I took an order and sold $440 sitting by a pool. Not a bad life huh!

 

[PampMomof3]

Awesome!! That post makes me want to sit around the pool and collect some orders! Sounds good to me!

 

[chefloriray]

I am truly suprised that they let the knives slip by in the luggage. I would be real scared to do that incase mine was a suitcase they would randomly pick to go through. I think it would be alot easier to just take catalogs and hope the host has a few products to demonstrate. But it is a great idea to do shows while gone.

 

[Lisa S]

Packing Tips

I did a $2000 show in California in February... I agree these hosts go out of their way for you.

I carried on 2 pieces of stoneware in the stoneware bag. I basically checked everything else that was not breakable. I wrote an inventory of everything in my bag when I packed it, then checked it all of when I reached California... I did the same on the return trip. Sorry... I'm an airline daughter, so I am a little paranoid on what may disappear in baggage. This way I had it documented in case anything happened. Since you can no longer lock checked baggage, I used electrical ties to close my zipper bags. If TSA wants to look in your bag, they can cut the ties and then they place their security tag on your bag... so either way the zipper cannot "accidentally" open.

My host rebooked and as a result of her amazing show in February has a lot of tools - so I don't have to take too much this time. One of her guests booked for the same weekend, so I have two shows out there in October.

Be sure to wear PC logo wear on the airplane. It starts lots of conversations. I also left catalogs in the seat pockets (captive audience!). My bags had to be opened at check-in... when the ticket agent saw what was in my suitcase, she placed an order right then!

Hope your show goes well!

 

[chefloriray]

so...Lisa S... aka airline daughter How was she able to put PC knives in luggage and not get caught? That is scary to me to think there are knives going through an airport even if it is not on the actual plane with you it has to get there and be carried through the airport a little before checking it in.

 

[luvs2sellit]

I think I missed the thing about the knives. Who took knives on a plane??

 

[luvs2sellit]

DUH!! I see it now. Sorry ladies.

 

[noradawn]

I'm pretty sure you're allowed to travel with knives in checked luggage. Why would that be scary? It shouldn't be any scarier than any of the other places people can have knives, like at the mall, walking down the street, at the grocery store...

 

[luvs2sellit]

Yes, I agree. As long as it is packed in your luggage that is being checked in. You couldn't take something like with you as a carry on. I had a teeny tiny pocket knife I had stashed away inside a address book, I had forgotten all about it. I was going through a check point and they kept asking me if I had something and I kept saying no. Then they found this teeny knife and confiscated it.

 

[Lisa S]

Knives

Yes... I checked my knives and all my other tools that fit in my turnabout. People can carry just about anything in an airport... before they go through security. It's just once you are through security you cannot have anything, even as little as nail clippers.

I did make drawstring bags for my loose tools. I took scraps of material and made one for the knives so it wouldn't be totally obvious if security opened my bag that I had really expensive knives in there. Not worried about carrying the knives, but rather them "walking away".