Take Charge/Take Action 2009-2010!

[AJPratt]

Have you read the thread Keith started about the "sampling" show idea?

Shoot, now I can't remember the title of it....it's a great idea for an express show, though!

Yes I did! I do like that idea. I think it can work for most of my hosts, but I have one who feels she didn't have a great turn out last show (um 20 attended) and wants more notice. UGH!

 

[NooraK]

One thing that I've picked up from my Tammy Stanley CDs is this: the longer something is on a person's calendar, the more it starts to look like a commitment, or even an obligation. People are already overcommitted, and will want to wriggle out of something that's a commitment if it isn't a priority. People crave fun and spontaneity.

If you explain this to your hosts, they'll see why a show with short notice might actually have better attendance.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

One thing that I've picked up from my Tammy Stanley CDs is this: the longer something is on a person's calendar, the more it starts to look like a commitment, or even an obligation. People are already overcommitted, and will want to wriggle out of something that's a commitment if it isn't a priority. People crave fun and spontaneity.

If you explain this to your hosts, they'll see why a show with short notice might actually have better attendance.

Along with that, from Tammy Stanley (who is my new hero!), is this:

People come to a show for two reasons.

1. Because they want to.
2. Because they have the evening free.

It doesn't matter how much advance notice they have - if their child has a dance recital, or a soccer game, or is sick...or if they have a last minute meeting, or have to work overtime, or score tickets to their favorite sporting event, then a PC party is going to be pushed aside. That's just the way it works. People don't schedule in a PC party with a permanent marker, they schedule it in with a pencil...so advance notice can work against you, since it's easily erased. People won't always commit to what they are doing 2-3 weeks in advance, but they DO know if they have Monday night free!

 

[NooraK]

Had my first show of the month today. Thursday's show had gotten cancelled because the host forgot she had a chiropractor appointment that night.

Today's show was for a good friend. She'd done a show a few years ago, but only had two guests at that one. I tried to coach her this time to have a bigger guest list, but the list she provided me did not have any useable information. The addresses didn't have house numbers, there were no phone numbers or email addresses. She did have postcards and she did hand those out.

We had a total of 4 guests, one of which showed up almost two hours after the start time after I've completely wrapped up my demo. Two of the guests placed their orders almost right away, the other two kept browsing their catalogs, and when I asked if they were ready they'd respond they were still looking. The show started at 3, and at about 6:30 I finally got in my car, without orders from the other two guests.

I don't really mind hanging out with my host, she's absolutely fantastic, but I was frustrated that the guests kind of dragged me along like that. Right now, the show total is a whopping $57. Not exactly worth the hassle I had with finding someone to watch DS since DH had swithched his work weekends without checking with me first, and the original person who had said she'd watch him had something come up at the last minute.

One of the gals who placed an order is interested in hosting a show, but wants to check on dates with her friends first. One of the gals who didn't place an order also seemed interested in hosting, but I didn't get a chance to sit down with her because she never placed an order. I'll make a point of calling her tomorrow and hopefully I'll get her on the phone.

I'm really looking forward to my fundraiser on June 5th. I've sent 57 invitations so far, and one of the hosts is still trying to get her other two daughters to put together invitation lists. Thursday's show has also been rescheduled for June, and the host said that she has filled out the whole guest list I put in her host packet. Now I just need to get it from her

Hopefully I'll be able to rustle up some more shows to put on my calendar. Tomorrow DH will be participating in an Autism walk, and DS and I will head down there with him and check out the booths and such. Maybe I'll find some new business while I'm there.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I am so excited tonight!

I have 9 out of 13 consultants who have submitted for the month, and tomorrow, I am meeting with a Sr. Consultant and her recruit to help submit the show that will officially make me a DIRECTOR!

Everything else is all set, it's just that one thing that needs to happen. I'm going to be there to make sure that it does! :thumbup:

 

[NooraK]

That's so fabulous Becky! I'm so glad to hear all of your hard work is paying off.

 

[raebates]

Becky, that's wonderful!I had good contacts yesterday leading to a possible (probable) wedding shower. Yay!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Very fun, profitable show today...but sort of odd too.

It was a Brunch Show, on a backyard deck. We did the 30 Minute Chicken, with Strawberry Spinach Salad, and then the host had made muffins, and we had bread w/ dipping oil, and we used the Cool & Serve for Spinach Dip, Hummus, Pita Chips, Pretzels, and Tortilla Chips.

Everyone loved the Cool & Serve - but when it's in competition with the DCB, the DCB wins. Sold 3 DCB's!

There were 8 guests, 2 outside orders, and $700 in sales. There were also 3 bookings - one for July, one for October, and one for December. LOL! (the October one is going to be gone for most of the summer, and the December one is building a house that will be done in November) The 3 who booked shows all ordered $100+ today.

I have dates on the calendar for the Fall/Winter shows. I did this by using the technique of letting them know that the date could change, but that if we just left it at me calling them later to set a date, it may never get done, because I'm not really great at doing that, and also that if they have a date on the calendar now, their host from today would be able to still count it as a booking, and get the Host Bonus at their show. Both were able to look at my calendar and date a show by doing that!

Then, while I was busy with the guests orders, the host had put all my dishes IN HER DISHWASHER! I went to the kitchen to wash and pack up, and they were washing! But then the host said that she was ready to close today, and pick out her free products - so we sat together and went over her benefits, and took care of her order. Then, she started asking questions about signing....and we had a GREAT conversation about that...and she is thinking about coming to my cluster meeting Wed! BOTH of my hosts from this week are seriously giving thought to signing, so I'm really excited about that! So - I was glad that I was "trapped" there by my dishes in her dishwasher.

 

[NooraK]

Congrats on another great show!

I did my fundraiser today. The crowd was great, 10 attendees (though four were the host and her daughters ). We're currently at $711 and one of the daughters says she's got another $200 in orders from work that she'll key in online.

I got one catalog show booking, but no other leads. I'm having a hard time incorporating my seeds into my shows. I've had such a bare schedule, I don't get enough practice. Maybe I'll start "doing a show" whenever I make dinner at home. I even made myself some index cards with booking and recruiting lines on them, but I keep forgetting to look at them.

Well, actually, I take that back. One of the host's daughters did express interest. However, she's moving to Texas in three weeks because that's where her husband will be stationed, so this exact moment isn't the most ideal for her.

I had a great time, though. They're a fun bunch, and the fajitas are always great!

 

[raebates]

I had a show yesterday that's sitting at $791 and change. It will definitely be over $800 by the time we close, possibly $900. The fun part is how the booking came about. I met the host at a women's retreat. She sat next to me, and we got acquainted. She had to leave early, so I gave her my contact information in case she wanted to know what she'd missed. Several weeks later her daughter was with friends who were going on and on about how great their PC stuff was. Daughter called mom and said, "We should have a PC party." Mom said, "I know someone," and called me.On Thursday I met lots of people at Chocolate, Blues & Business. Added a few people to my newsletter, which is always a plus.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

That's awesome ladies! Don't you love it when the group is fun, you have fun AND also have excellent sales?

Kudos!

Noora....would you consider the ticket activity for bookings? Allow the guests to ask you the "truth" about hosting a show? Or a Why should I? game?

 

[NooraK]

Noora....would you consider the ticket activity for bookings? Allow the guests to ask you the "truth" about hosting a show? Or a Why should I? game?

I do the booking slide as well as the ticket game after I've finished my demo. I just want to be able to throw in seeds throughout my show to get them to think about the idea of hosting/signing. The other purpose would be to "brag the objection." In other words, address the most common objections during the show before anyone brings them up. I just have to work on incorporating all that into my demo without getting too long winded.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Fun Cluster Meeting tonight. We're still meeting with my director and her team, but out of my 12 team members, 8 were there tonight! YEA!

I did my own Cluster recognition for the first time - that was fun!

My Sr. Director was there to do some training from a Marna Ross thing she went to - good stuff!
Then, she presented me with a STAR (a wall hanging) for promoting, and my director gave me a bouquet of roses. :love:

I have 4 and possibly 5 of my cluster going to conference now - that is so so so exciting for me! Last year, I had 1!

I love my Cluster (personal, and extended) - they are such a great group. Supportive, helpful, positive, and so much fun!


Then, yesterday, I closed a show @ $725, and today one for $685. I have a catalog show getting ready to close for a little over $200, and about $200 in orders placed on my website. I've hit the 2 show level, and the $1500 level...with 5 more shows to go for this month!

 

[NooraK]

So glad to hear you had such a great meeting!

I submitted my fundraiser tonight: $1067. I have a show tomorrow night, and the host says she's got 8 confirmed yeses. I'm going to try my darnest to get that show in by the 15th, and earn myself that free product. I also have a show for the 19th that I just sent invitations for.

I'm quite excited. I've never earned anything with SAT before, and with this fundraiser, and the two shows I have coming up, it's looking very likely that I will hit the $1500 mark. I also have decided to hold a Thank You Celebration on the 24th, and I'm hoping to get some bookings out of these next two shows.

Oh, and I have a catalog show going with one of the guests from the fundraiser.

I just hope I can keep the momentum going and not totally flop at the end of the pregnancy and after the baby is born.

 

[raebates]

Submitting a show this morning that just over $800. I'm putting together my own quick catalog show, since my Friday show has rescheduled. I want that new product.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Fun show tonight. The host warned me that she would probably have people dropping in all through the night. She was right. I have no idea how many people came and went....I just know that every time I turned around, I was seeing a new face! They were always polite about it though - it wasn't disruptive at all.

Sold 3 DCB's at least - and I know the host is getting one also, and several people said they were going to be giving their order to the host this weekend.

Sales are at $650 right now, and I'm sure will climb much higher. :thumbup:

I got bookings for July & August - so that was great! All in All, a successful evening.

 

[raebates]

Got orders yesterday for my catalog show. Yay! They came from members of my networking group. I talked with 3 workers at a store while I was buying tea cups and saucers. Good day overall.

 

[NooraK]

Last night's party... oh boy. I was so excited to go, the host said she'd had 8 confirmed yeses, and she was very excited about the show. She was one of the bridesmaids at my wedding, but because she lives so far away, we don't get together as often as we'd like to. She recently came back to work at the bank, so I get to see her every day again.

So I get to her house, and firstly discover that her microwave is too small for the DCB. We called around to a couple of neighbors, but theirs are the same size. I've only run into this once before, so I haven't been as good as I should be about confirming with the host that her microwave is big enough. We ended up putting the chicken in the oven before people even showed up so that it would be ready in a decent amount of time, but that meant my demo was significantly diminished (to just the Salad Chopper Salsa).

Then, we only ended up with 4 guests, the last of which showed up at around 9 PM when I'd already wrapped up my whole demo. No one at the show had any previous PC experience, and the three that showed up were concerned about when I would deposit checks and run debit cards (they also work at the bank, and we got paid today). All this fussing about pay vs. depositing of checks, and none of them ordered more than $26. The host wanted the Father's Day special and one of the guests ended up wanting it too, but with those three orders I was only at $59.50. The fourth guest ordered a set of the 2-cup Prep Bowls.

The host ended up ordering the DCB as a guest in order to make the show qualify. I felt bad about that, but she wanted to do it because she wanted to get the show submitted in order to get the Fathers' Day Special. She really enjoyed the show, and is kind of bummed that many of the people she invited did not show. She had been very diligent about calling and texting and such to remind them all, so it wasn't for a lack of effort on her part. She also wants to do a catalog show with orders from the people who didn't show up, and I think she's quite interested in the business opportunity.

A couple of the guests expressed interest in hosting, but not until after my baby is born, so August. I've had a lot of people say that, so I'll just have to be diligent about following up, and hopefully I'll have a really solid fall out of it all.

It was a frustrating result for a show so far away (took me about 50 min to drive home). But I'm looking at the silver lining: I now have my second show held and submitted June 1-15, so I'll be getting a new Fall Product!

Now, I'm looking ahead to my show a week from Saturday, and my own Thank You Celebration. I have to go get my guest list written up...

 

[raebates]

Did a wedding shower last night--the result of a referral. I had never met the host or the bride before I arrived. More guests than expected showed up. Sales are a smidge over $900. Yay! We'll close Monday. On the down side I received a message during the show. One of my July hosts had to cancel. She was diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer. Yikes! She said that once her surgery is over and she's feeling better she definitely wants to have a party. i love her attitude and optimism.

 

[NooraK]

On the down side I received a message during the show. One of my July hosts had to cancel. She was diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer. Yikes! She said that once her surgery is over and she's feeling better she definitely wants to have a party. i love her attitude and optimism.

Wow, I'd say thats a legitimate reason to postpone. But like you said, she has a wonderful attitude, and that will only be to her benefit during all of her treatments. I recently spoke with a repeat hostess of mine, and she also was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She's very optimistic as her prognosis is good since it was caught early.

I have been slacking on my calls. Now that I'm 32 weeks along, I find myself getting tired earlier in the evening. By the time I get home from work, make dinner, give DS his bath, do his bedtime routine and get him to bed, I'm just plain worn out. It'll only be 7:30 or 8 o'clock, but I won't feel like picking up the phone to make calls.

The worst part of that is that I have my Thank You Celebration coming up Thursday of next week, and I need to make my invitation calls to those people I haven't already spoken to. I did get invitations out, but I want to make that personal contact, too.

I had ordered 100 postcards to use as invitations from VistaPrint. I also wrote letters to my past hosts and some of my best customers. I actually hand wrote letters to my best and most recent hosts, and printed ones for hosts I haven't been in as recent contact with. I used my DesignHerGals stationary with my pregnant Gal. I'm hoping the personal touch will be just that little extra to increase my attendance. I've already had several people say they'd love to come, and I've already received about $250 in orders, which puts me over the $1500 mark for SAT.

Now I just have to clean the house so it's in a state that's acceptable to let people in...

 

[NooraK]

Had my Thank You Celebration last night, and I'm very happy with how it turned out! I had seven "buying guests" (two of the ladies brought their daughters), four of whom were past hostesses. I demoed the fajitas with salsa and guacamole, and they all loved them.

I had also set up a spread on my dining room table which consisted of the following:

• Five dips made with 1 part sour cream, 1 part mayonnaise and a rub (one prep bowl was in use). I used the Thai, Creole, and Jerk rubs, and the Dill mix and the Southwestern seasoning
• Wheat Thins, pretzel sticks and carrots to go with the dips set out on the Large Bamboo Serving Platter
• Beer bread and sliced french bread served from the Large Round Woven Tray (got to plug the outlet)
• Sun-Dried Tomato Oil Dipping Seasoning in a Bamboo Snack Bowl with the bread
• Two dips made with marshmallow fluff and cream cheese, one with the Lemon Sprinkles, the other with the Apple Sprinkles, served out of the Small Bowls and Caddy
• Graham crackers, grapes and strawberries served from the Three Tiered Stand (not the new adjustable one)

I wish I had taken a picture, but in the bustle of getting ready, I forgot to do that once everything was set up. My guests loved it! I was throwing it out there that a spread like this was an option for their own party, and we could do martinis to go along with it all.

I didn't end up getting bookings, although I didn't push it either. I could have done better, but I know at least one of the ladies will host for me again, she does every year. I guess I really just wanted to focus on treating them since it was my Thank You Celebration after all.

The coolest part is that as of last night, the show was just over $640! I really wanted to be able to get the C&SST as the host (the rest of the benefits will be my raffle prizes), and I was so excited. Then, this morning, I got an email from my recent Fundraiser host that she wanted to add two more rubs to her order! I'm there!

One of my guests was a current catalog host, and came because she wanted to close out her show, and thought it'd be fun to come see what was cooking. That's another $290 in commissionable sales from her show.

This all puts me over the $1500 mark for SAT! <insert happy dance>

I still have some people I want to follow up with, so we'll see how far I can get. Right now I'm $800 away from reaching $3000. I don't have any other shows on my calendar, so we'll see.