Director Tips for Responding to a Potential Consultant: Cost, Sales, and Income Questions

[Chef Kearns]

Okay, I get these emails every so often. Apparently, I do not say the righ thing because they hardly ever sign :cry:. So, I am open to response suggestions. She just emailed me (in response to the PC newsletter by the way) and I would like to respond in a few hours. Here's her email:

Hello Sandra,
How are you doing? I hope you had a great holiday season, and an even happy new year. I love your monthly emails, they are great. So, I'm almost to a point, that I think I would like to be a consultant. I know I've asked you before, but can you please answer some of my questions. How much does it cost to start? Is there a certain amount I have to sale, or parties I have to host? And for personal reasons, will it help me to bring in a second income, and how long do you personally think it would take for it to help me? Looking to change some things in my life, but need a second income, lol. I do look forward to seeing you soon. Hope you have a great day.

 

[BethCooks4U]

"It's so good to hear from you! I'd love to answer your questions and I can tell you that you can start earning that income from your first show! I'll call you and let's get together for coffee or a coke today or tomorrow."

Sending all the info in an email often leaves much to be desired but if you get to talk with her (even just on the phone), she'll hear your sincere excitement for her and be more comfortable. Be careful though! Let HER talk. Ask what she wants to know and go from there. She doesn't need to hear about trips, etc if her questions are about bookings and income. She'll get all that bonus info later.

When you talk with her say "I am so excited for you! I think this will really work for you. Now, let me answer your concerns. What do you need to know right now or are you ready to get started?"

 

[finley1991]

Meet with her! Bring a copy of the e-mail so you can address her questions! If you can't meet, plan a phone interview within the next 24 hours! You CAN DO THIS!!!!Go get her Sandra!!!!!!

 

[Chef Kearns]

Well, I got over myself! We have a meeting set up for tomorrow at 5:30pm after she leaves her day job. Wish me luck!!

 

[finley1991]

GOOD LUCK! And as SOON as you're done... come back and post here so we can congratulate you!!!!

 

[pamperedbecky]

Yay Sandra!!! Good luck! You'll do GREAT! My biggest problem is I tend to throw up on them. I literally have to repeat in my head, "Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet."

Keep us posted!!

 

[Sheila]

Great news that she was willing to meet! Hope it goes very well for you both!!!

A lot of my recruits are not local and I end up doing this by phone or e-mail. Some people ask by e-mail because it's less "committed" than approaching you on the phone or in person. If they ask by e-mail, I usually answer by e-mail so I don't put them in a state of panic.

I've successfully recruited a few by e-mail now. Here's how I would have responded by e-mail:

Jane,

It’s great to hear from you. Yes, we did have a great Holiday – thanks for asking! I hope yours went well too.

I’m happy to hear that you enjoy the monthly newsletters! I hope you are trying some of the recipes.

As for the New Consultant Kit, it’s $155 for the full kit or $80 for the mini-kit. I’m attaching a flyer so you can see what’s offered in each kit. Depending on how many products you already have, you can choose the size that’s right for you.

The great thing about Pampered Chef is that you get to choose how much or how little you work per month. Pampered Chef requires that you do $150 in Commissionable Sales per month to stay “active”. There’s no penalty for going inactive 1 month. If you go inactive 2 months in a row, you loose your Career Sales. Pampered Chef gives a 2% raise when you reach $15,000 in Career Sales, so it benefits you to try and stay active each month to obtain and maintain that goal. If you go 6 months consecutive without submitting at least $150 in sales, you loose your Consultant Status and have to sign again & buy a new kit if you want to continue with your Pampered Chef business.

You can start making extra money on your very first show. A brand new Consultant starts off at 20% each month. On months that you sell more, you can make a higher %. Each month you start off at 20% again. When you reach $15,000 in Career Sales, you start each month at 22%. If you choose to recruit and promote, you can earn overrides off your team and earn up to 31% on your monthly sales.

When you sign as a Consultant, you are agreeing to do $1,250 in sales before giving up on the business. Some people do that with their very first show! The theory is, that if you stay long enough to do $1,250 in sales, you’ll realize that it’s not as hard as you thought it might be, you’ll like the business, the pay and you’ll stick with the business. I believe in that theory. Depending on your efforts, you can start off strong with lots of sales & lots of extra income. It’s completely up to each New Consultant how much or how little they make. By starting strong, you are establishing a strong foundation for a successful business.

I encourage each of my Consultants to host their first show, to introduce your friends and family to your new business. When they see YOU as the consultant, they will quickly realize that you are serious about your business and are more likely to volunteer to host a show to help you get your new business up & off the ground. It’s also very likely that at least one person in the group will be impressed by seeing you as the Consultant and realize that if you can do this, they can too! Recruiting and building a team is a great way to earn more money while doing the same amount of shows, as you start getting overrides on their sales too.

I am not pushy with the business opportunity. Sometimes chatting by phone or in person is easier to get all the questions answered. If you’d like to set up a time to chat, just ask! If you decide that Pampered Chef is the right choice for you, I’d love to have you on the team and support you in getting your new business up & off the ground. If you decide that it’s not the right decision for you or that right now is not the right time, that’s okay too. I still need great hosts and great customers for my business to be successful.