Throwing Parties Without Cooking & Credit/Debit Card Fees: Q&A

[mom2kr]

parties without actually cooking at them? I an afraid that I would mess up at a party trying to demonstrate in front of a group of people and then the recipe would be messed up.

Also, is there a charge to me if I accept credit/debit cards from people. Some people from different direct sales companies are telling me that I would have to pay at least a 3% fee for processing and I was under the impression with PC that there would be no charge to me at all. Am I understanding this correctly, or is there a charge from PC.

Thank you all for answering my questions,

Sally

 

[PampMomof3]

Hi Sally,
Welcome to this site! For your first question, you can certainly do parties without cooking and this is what some of our consultants choose to do. When I went to conference last year, I attended a class with Tom Marston as the teacher. He said that he never cooks and ALWAYS talks about the product because essentially, that is what the show is about. I do cook at my shows because I feel when customers see the products demonstrated in person, they are most likely to purchase.

For your second question, there is NO FEE for you! That is another perk of being a PC Consultant.

Hope that helps!

 

[jenniferlynne]

There are recipes that you can have the cooking part done before you come or as soon as you get to the hosts house, but I think your show (and sales) will be better if the guests can see it made and smell it cooking.

No, there is no charge to you for accepting credit cards. When I sold Mary Kay we got charged to use a credit card, but Pampered Chef does not do this!!

 

[soonerchef]

You could do a cooking show without cooking I guess but, I think that most of us have found that doing the cooking demo is what sells the products. The great thing about PC recipes is that they are so easy that it is really hard to mess them up. Heck, I still use recipe cheat sheets and I have done over 100 shows! Another thing is that I always tell my recruits to pick 3 recipes and only do those 3 for the first 6 months, that way they know them backwards and forwards and sometimes sideways too! The recipes are really easy, there are a bunch of them on these boards, maybe you should try a couple and that will give you an idea of what is involved.

No PC does not charge for credit/debit use! Another great thing about this company. I tell all of my guests that I prefer credit card so I don't have to handle as much money!

Also, this is a great site and you will find many helpful people...if you have any other questions, ask away!

 

[LindaK]

I would most likely not have become as interested as a guest in The Pampered Chef (so probably would not have considered being a consultant) were it not for the cooking part.

There are recipes for every skill level and yet all of them look like you really had to slave away at them. That is part of the benefit we give to our guests (in my opinion) we show them how to use the right tool for the right job to make cooking easier and clean-up faster and our food look and taste great!

I can understand your reluctance starting out and being nervous. I would recommend something simple...Rustic Foccacia or Wraps...?

Practice and reherse it, and use your new-ness to your advantage. When you are thanking your host and guests and telling your PC Story include that this is your first show or that you are new and that in this business it's ok to make mistakes...we are pampered chefs, dahling...not perfect chefs!

 

[nikked]

I give my new consultants "home work"..."Oh, no! Not homework!" you say!!!??? Absolutely. It's easy to do, but it makes a huge difference:

I tell them that whenever they are in the kitchen, I don't care what they are doing, they need to talk about it. If they are running the garbage disposal, pouring milk into a cereal bowl, or using their new tools for the first time, they need to talk about. I warn them that their family will think they have lost it, but that's okay! It's hard for most us to talk about what we are doing when we are in the kitchen...we get focused on the recipe, on clean up, on the kids, etc. By starting at home to talk about EVERYTHING you do in the kitchen, you are laying the ground work for being able to do the same at your show!

Hope this helps!!!

 

[Chef Michelle D]

Before I did my first show I would walk around my house talking about a product to make sure what I wanted to say about it. I would talk while I was in the shower and one day my son walked up stairs and came in and asked me who I was talking too. He thought I was crazy, I really think that helped me feel better about what I was saying.

You can also just make dips and cut up fruit and veggies so there is some food for the guest to eat.

 

[soonerchef]

Talking about the products while doing everything is great advice. When I was starting out my twins were itty bitty and I would set up my table in demo mode, put my twins in their bouncies and do the entire show for them. By the time I was done I had dinner ready for the family and had practiced as well, I probably did this 6 times over 2 weeks and it helped tremendously!

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Pratice what you'll say even to the.......Dog or Cat, that's what my director told me!! I sat up shows in my living room with my 1 1/2 yr. old and 4 yr. old as my "guests" and it was hard as they needed more attention than it was worth, so I'd wait until it was after bed time and hubby was doing things and set up and literally talk to Smokey (my cat) she'd come and sit on the back of the couch and give me that "are you crazy" look, or "Look what my human is doing now" look.

But it seemed to make me feel more at ease once I was in front of people.

I also, started off when I realized I forgot the "real" garlic and the GP was the special that month boy did I feel dumb. But I said "If this were the Perfect Chef, I wouldn't be standing here!"

HTH,

Lisa

 

[ValerieHurtado]

When I first started selling, I put my baby girl in a high chair and cooked the recipe I was going to do for the show the night before for dinner. I'd demonstrate all the products and do my little speeches for her and she loved it! Now I've noticed that people always buy the things I demonstrate-that always makes me feel like I'm doing something right.

 

[Harrle]

ApronWhen I mess up at a show - (usually more than once) - I always point to my apron and say "My apron says Pampered NOT Perfect!!" and then the 2nd, 3rd, 4th... mistakes I say 'again - Pampered NOT Perfect!'My director always says something like - 'can you believe I get paid to do this?' In regards to the CC charge that is one thing I love about PC, my SIL is a Stampin' Up demonstrator and she usually tells people she prefers not to take credit cards but will if that is the only form of payment you have. I can tell you for a fact at a SU show I hosted with her - one of my guests was very turned off by that (I don't think her tone helped either though!!)!! I am so glad we don't have to tell our customers that!!***
PampMomof3 - did Tom Marston say if he did anything with food at all during his demos? If not did he just pick up a product and talk about it? Not sure if I would enjoy this as a guest at a show?***
soonerchef - could you tell us what 3 recipes you might choose or 3 you know your new recruits have choosen. Even though I have been doing this for years - it has been very part time and I would like to stick to 3-4 recipes until I can get my business to a more full time status and am more comfortable with more recipes.Good Luck! & Thanks!
Leea