Send Invites for the Host or Not?

[Christ Follower]

I recently started offering to do invites for my hosts in the last few months. I can say that I have seen a HUGE difference. I have had way fewer cancellations and postponements from the hosts that let me do the invites. I still include about 10 blank invites in the host packets for people they may not have addresses for, but for the most part have had less cancellations and bigger attendance at shows.

 

[Christ Follower]

I should add, I email the host a lable template to do the guest list on. When she emails it back to me full of names, I simply print out the list onto labels and slap them on the invites. The only thing I am hand writing on is the date and time of the party. SO easy!

 

[Humble Beginnings]

I should add, I email the host a lable template to do the guest list on. When she emails it back to me full of names, I simply print out the list onto labels and slap them on the invites. The only thing I am hand writing on is the date and time of the party. SO easy!

Hi,

This is a great streamline way of doing this. Would you mind posting the template you send your host?

 

[chefann]

I'm totally new and haven't even received my stuff yet. But..I was wondering do you ever send out e-mail invites? It seems like so many do things with e-mails these days. Does Pampered Chef?

There are email invitations available through PWS. However, they tend to get trapped by spam filters and not get through. Also, it's easier for most people to ignore email, because they can just hit delete.

 

[Spring]

I have been mailing the postcards imvites for my hosts for about a year now. I pay for postage and it has helped my attendance and I rarely have anyone cancel. I have found that sending a email invite a month in advance and then the postacrds in the mail at 3 weeks before the party. I send postcards to my host a week before to remind them about making reminder calls and my show average has gone from 350 to about 600 or more a month. It is worth the cost of postage. If they want to hand some out I will send them blank ones but most of them are mailed out.

 

[chefsteph07]

Meg, I agree w/ you on this and that is why I gave in and told her I would do what she wanted. I guess what really tweeked me was the fact that over a month ago I informed her of the invites that I do and she just waits till yesterday to let me know she wanted to do them herself. I guess if she had told me that from the beginning I would have been better about it and less pestering.

Get this though, after giving in and telling her I would do what she wanted, she gave me an invite list this afternoon w/ about 20 names to mail out and 10 to email! ARGH!!! Ok, breathe, relax, be calm Steph...LOL

I love building relationships that last with my hosts, and yes, some of them I call my friends! I have met some great people, hosts and consultants alike, through PC and I am so grateful for that! I try to make every experience w PC a wonderful one for everyone involved.

Ok, I have a bit of a follow up to this situation...my show is on Saturday and I spoke w/ the host this morning to find out about attendance. She stated that she had a few she knew were coming, but none of her guests had gotten their invites yet at their home, and no responses from evites...well, she gave me her guest list on FRIDAY, after I had been after her for 2 weeks to supply it, so I was able thankfully to get the invites out Friday before my mail came...I told her that they hadn't gotten them because of the mail not going on Monday, but hopefully they had received them by Tues or yesterday for sure. So then, I asked her about her set up for my demo, asked her if I needed to bring a table or if we were going to do it in her kitchen etc. She tells me that she has a place for me to do the demo, but if I want I can bring a table for "whatever"..I told her that since she was providing one that I wasn't going to bring one...a table sticks out of my trunk, and the show is almost an hour away, so if I don't have to I'd rather not, for safety reasons...she asks me if I'm going to have my "display" on the same table I do my demo. I tell her that I usually only bring the products that I am showing for the demo and I don't bring TOO MUCH extra, but certainly if there is something she wants to see just let me know and I'll bring it for her. She suddenly says "WHAT, I've never heard of such a thing...what's the point of doing a home party if you aren't going to be bringing products? We might as well just SHOP FROM THE CATALOG. Please bring LOTS of products"...I was so flabergasted at that point I just said "ok"...and left it at that.
I feel soooo out of control here! I am sick to my stomach over doing this show..EVERYTHING has been a conflict with this host...and I mean EVERYTHING. She wasn't happy w/ the date I had open, wasn't happy w/ the recipe choices, didn't want me to do the invites for her and then suddenly gave me a list, now this! I have been flexible, I am bending and doing what she wants, but when is enough enough??? Does she expect me to bring my whole kitchen? I am doing the fajitas and the apple crisp in the micro, I definitely think I'm bringing enough products, I also am going to try to bring the christmas plates and the cookbooks, beaded spreader, etc. But I am not bringing my kitchen! I feel as though everything with this has been a battle of wills and for what?? I have NEVER dealt with a host like this. I have been doing this for 5years and I know what works and what doesn't in my business. I can't even bring anything up to her without her rebuking.

Am I being too sensitive here? Out of line? are my feelings and thoughts about this not valid? I just don't know what to do. I have half a mind to cancel this! Of course, I never would, but if it wasn't so close to the date of the show, I may have.

Thanks for letting me vent. I don't know what else to do...