Uncooperative Host/Potential Recruit

[Doodlbug329]

I need some advice PC friends!!

Right now I am doing a catalog show with a host who lives two states away from me. She first contacted me about doing the show back in mid-November, and then after speaking about it a few times, and finally mailing all of the host information to her (with a post office error in between as well) she finally received her host packet on around December 10th. She was looking to do a catalog show first, and when it is submitted, she will be using a kit credit to start her own PC business!! The only issue is, she is being super uncooperative with the entire process, just sending me rude remarks after asking me questions etc.

For example, she just sent me an email asking what the deadline is for someone to receive their order by Christmas. She stated that someone wanted to know this information, although she knows that she is not going to close the show until after Christmas, so that she can bring her catalogs with her to a family Christmas party and collect orders there as well. I let her know that unfortunately the deadline was the 16th, and if she isn't planning on closing until after Christmas I cannot just submit this man's order and not all of the others on her show or it would not count towards her show anyway. Her response to me was that was fine, and that she was just checking, but since she didn't receive the information until the 10th anyway, how was she supposed to get everything in by the 16th??

Every question she asks me somehow comes back to the date she received her info, although I was communicating with her every step of the way, even through the postal error to let her know when she would be receiving her host packet, and it was always fine with her. She wanted to know how long she had to close her show, and I have always told her that I am flexible, but I wanted her to send me orders along the way so that we could track her progress, and see when she thought she was done....but somehow it is always all about the fact that I am not giving her enough time, enough catalogs (I sent her 3), etc....

I really don't know what to say to her anymore, and I really don't know if I want her on my team (although she would be my first recruit) if she is going to continue to treat me this way. The plan from the get go was that she was going to join my team, but she is really not a very nice person, and I am constantly offended by her remarks. I am also a friend of hers on Facebook, and she is constantly posting profane things, all of which are not really what I would be posting knowing that I am a business owner...

All in all, I just don't know what to do or say to her at this point, and any advice would be sooooo appreciated!!

 

[Brea]

I think that there is a degree of personal responsibility she will need to assume when owning her own business. Maybe there is a way to politely convey this to her. After she signs, focus on helping her use the company resources for information instead of relying on you. That might cut down on things being your fault if she isn't clear on them. Show her how to access information rather than shelling it out to her. I think this would help her realize how much she is accountable for. Good luck!

 

[Sheila]

If you gave her the online link, she could have sent out online invitations and started collecting orders well before the packet arrived.

I do give more catalogs for Catalog Shows (5 for guests, 1 for host vs my regular 3 for guests, 1 for hosts) especially with her being so far away. Yet I've also had stateside hosts say that they didn't need catalogs at all and do just fine with the online option only. Where there's a will, there's a way. Sounds like she's very into pushing the blame off on others.

She can choose to take all the things that she's so sure you are doing "wrong" and improve the system for her business and hosts or she can push the blame off on her hosts and fail miserably with her new business. Hopefully you can find a way to convey to her to use what she dislikes with this experience to provide what she would consider better customer service for her hosts.

And I agree, you are her mentor and are there to support her and recognize her accomplishments. But once she signs, she needs to take some responsibility and do the online training, know how to research things on Consultant's Corner, etc.

 

[pcsharon1]

I agree with Brea. I always let catalog show hosts know that the free product they receive will be directly related to the effort they put into THEIR show. It is her show and she needs to take some responsability. It will be her business and she will need to take responsability. I wouldn't turn down someone as a recruit, but during my first training call I would make it clear that this was her business and she has the same resources for gathing information that you do. You can clarify if she has a question and you can long distance train, but you can not make her read her email, her consultant news or any of her training.

 

[tiggerhale]

I agree w/the sound advise already posted...I would make a point to talk to her about how she gets out of it what she puts into it - both with the catalog show and the business. That being done, it would be up to her to wrap things up and decide to focus on what she can do not what she couldn't b/c of the postal mix up. Now, you may get to a point where you have to say perhaps she would rather have some one else mentor her (ie sign up under some one else) since she seems to be so focused on what she's NOT getting from you. ("Perhaps there's another person who better suits your needs.") It's hard to spin that in a positive way! No one wants to lose a recruit, but the danger w/a not nice, negative personality, is that it will detract you from YOUR business! And on a side note, I try to be very careful w/what my friends post on FB too. If it is not appropriate (ie something I wouldn't want a client to read) it gets blocked. Hope that helps! Good luck!

 

[ShelbyMichalek]

Just a quick note: Some of the worst hosts can be some of the best consultants - just ask around! I'm sure you'll find some here

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Just a quick note: Some of the worst hosts can be some of the best consultants - just ask around! I'm sure you'll find some here

Raising hand sheepishly....:blushing:


I completely suck as a host.

 

[algdoughty]

I'm with Becky too...

 

[Doodlbug329]

I totally get that some people are better consultants than hosts - I was one too! My first show barely qualified, but I am doing pretty well now that I am a consultant! This girl just really needs to stop blaming me for everything and somehow find the positive in every situation!!

 

[ShellBeach]

Just a thought, she might be easier to talk to over the phone. Except for the profanity - yikes! Don't know what to say about that part.


If you are feeling defensive about the holiday ship date cutoff, just mention that it wasn't in PC Newswire until Dec 7th - it's not like you were sitting on the info for a month. I wouldn't even think to mention the 16th cutoff to someone who said they were closing after Christmas. It sounds like somehow she thinks you were asking her to move up the date? People can read all sorts of things into emails.


She may end closing with a great show! Trying to cheer you up!

 

[blueberrylady]

If you are feeling defensive about the holiday ship date cutoff, just mention that it wasn't in PC Newswire until Dec 7th - it's not like you were sitting on the info for a month.

Please do not use this line. It was in the Oct. Consultant News. Maybe even the Sept. one.

PC gives us deadlines at least 2 months in advance for the holidays.

 

[rhondagod]

I wouldn't recruit her she will likely not do well and continue to be uncooperative.

 

[ShellBeach]

It was in the Oct. Consultant News. Maybe even the Sept. one.

You're probably right! I was looking for it in the PC Newswire since it's easier to pull up emails and search them.

 

[Doodlbug329]

Just had to hunt this girl down to find out if we could close her show since the holidays are now over, and she is asking for yet another week to complete getting orders since someone doesn't get paid until next week. I let her know that we can do one more week, but I need to receive all of the payments and orders no later than the 15th in order for me to submit the show to have host and guest specials for December, and since she lives 3 states away, she needs to give it time for the checks to get here in the mail and to make sure that everything is totaled correctly since she is refusing to send me orders ahead of time to make sure that everyone is paying appropriately so that I don't have to hunt people down at the last minute before the deadline. This has been nothing but hassle from her, and every time I think it might be coming to an end, it drags on even further!!! Argh!!!

 

[chefsteph07]

Has she been sending you her orders as she gets them? Do you know what kind of sales she has? Wow, I would hate all this for a barely qualifying show!
If she wants to sign, I'd let her, at least she's further away, you can set her up w/ hospitality and only deal w/ her from time to time since there isn't much you can do for her from that far away. Just encourage her, keep treating her professionally and she can't come back on you and say otherwise. Good luck!

 

[Doodlbug329]

Has she been sending you her orders as she gets them? Do you know what kind of sales she has? Wow, I would hate all this for a barely qualifying show!
If she wants to sign, I'd let her, at least she's further away, you can set her up w/ hospitality and only deal w/ her from time to time since there isn't much you can do for her from that far away. Just encourage her, keep treating her professionally and she can't come back on you and say otherwise. Good luck!

I have asked since about the second week for her to start sending me orders as she was collecting them, so that way I could make sure that she was even going to qualify and so that I could make sure that order totals were correct with tax and shipping before they gave her payment so I wouldn't have to hunt them down last minute for incorrect payments, etc. Every time I ask, I get some excuse, like that she is working all the time and doesn't have time to send them to me, she forgot to do it before work, etc. There is always an excuse, and at this point I just want to know if all this hassle was even worth my efforts and CONSTANT communication.

I am still going to sign her, and have already found her a hospitality director in her area. Just waiting now to find out how everything turned out and I am absolutely dreading the possibility of finding out that she may not have even qualified for the kit credit that she wants to use since explaining that she didn't qualify will probably end up in that being my fault somehow as well!!

 

[pcsharon1]

Just waiting now to find out how everything turned out and I am absolutely dreading the possibility of finding out that she may not have even qualified for the kit credit that she wants to use since explaining that she didn't qualify will probably end up in that being my fault somehow as well!!

I would go ahead and lay that out for her in words that cannot be misunderstood - "if you are planning to use $XX in kit credit then you have to have at least $XXX in sales before shipping and tax". Put it in no uncertain terms and find a way to repeat it back to you, so there is no misunderstanding.

 

[chefsteph07]

I would go ahead and lay that out for her in words that cannot be misunderstood - "if you are planning to use $XX in kit credit then you have to have at least $XXX in sales before shipping and tax". Put it in no uncertain terms and find a way to repeat it back to you, so there is no misunderstanding.

This is a good idea, she needs to know what she needs to have minimally in order to use the credit, and make sure she knows that using the credit will also take away from her free product, just in case she doesn't know or is counting on getting the full amt of free stuff along w/ her credit. Some people are just difficult. I'm hoping this isn't a sign of things to come if she does sign on, but what can it hurt? She may surprise you as a consultant. I agree w/ the statement from Becky, I HATE hosting parties and I don't think I'm a good host...although I do try!

 

[NooraK]

How about telling her that she gets a better value by paying full price for her kit, and submitting these orders as her own first show and taking the host benefits to add products to her kit.

 

[ShelbyMichalek]

How about telling her that she gets a better value by paying full price for her kit, and submitting these orders as her own first show and taking the host benefits to add products to her kit.

This sounds like a better idea. But then you might end up getting one of those consultants who NEVER submits her show.

 

[Liquid Sky]

How about telling her that she gets a better value by paying full price for her kit, and submitting these orders as her own first show and taking the host benefits to add products to her kit.

This is EXACTLY what I was going to post last night.

This sounds like a better idea. But then you might end up getting one of those consultants who NEVER submits her show.

The only way she wouldn't submit is if she didn't have any orders. This scenario would really show if she's honest in saying she has orders.

In all honesty, I would bless and release. You have been on her for WEEKS and she's not taking it seriously. I would be surprised if she had any orders at all.

 

[Sheila]

Or she collected cash, spent it on Christmas and now can't hand over the orders without payment!

 

[ShelbyMichalek]

Or she collected cash, spent it on Christmas and now can't hand over the orders without payment!

:yuck: I could just picture that happening.

 

[Doodlbug329]

Please don't scare me like that!!

 

[Doodlbug329]

UPDATE ~ Finally got her to send me the orders she had gathered so far - 2 orders, and a whopping $66.50 in sales!! In over a month?!?!?! I knew this was bad news from the start...I need to learn to listen to my gut!!!

 

[Liquid Sky]

UPDATE ~ Finally got her to send me the orders she had gathered so far - 2 orders, and a whopping $66.50 in sales!! In over a month?!?!?! I knew this was bad news from the start...I need to learn to listen to my gut!!!

So what are you going to do now? Is she still interested in the biz?

 

[Doodlbug329]

She says she is, and she already has 3 people that are interested in having a show with her...although I don't really know how she is going to react to the fact that she didn't qualify as a SHOW much less to get kit credit...all of which has been explained to her already, but she doesnt seem to understand anything I tell her...since everything is my fault of course!

 

[Doodlbug329]

I don't really know what to do as far as the show is concerned though...any advice would be appreciated!! I emailed my director too, but not sure if I will hear back from her tonight or if its too late...

 

[Sheila]

Encourage her to buy the kit in advance & submit these orders as her first orders to help her towards her $1,250 in sales. If it's HER business and HER sales, she might be a bit more proactive in collecting more orders.

 

[wadesgirl]

I don't really know what to do as far as the show is concerned though...any advice would be appreciated!! I emailed my director too, but not sure if I will hear back from her tonight or if its too late...

Talk to her about starting her business now and having an actual kick off show! People might buy more if it's to help her out. Plus then she can work with those three people to get them booked right away. She can take those two orders and submit them as part of her kickoff show.