What's Your Best Tip for Boosting Attendance?

[AJPratt]

So, you've talked to your host and find out he or she has 3 people coming and hasn't really done any reminder calls. What is your best tip/trick to get her to do those calls and boost attendance? I tell her that I forgot to tell her we are doing the pot holder contest. What works for you?

 

[skaugchef]

Well I always make the reminder calls for my hosts. That way they're guaranteed to get done. I also do an "on time drawing". Everyone that's on time get into a drawing for something free. Who doesn't love free. I also put a sticker from http://www.thebooster.com that says "on time drawing" so the guests know. I hope that helps.

 

[lesliec]

i make sure they have a big wishlist so they are working hard and are really excited to get people there. i have found if they don't have a huge wishlist/goal, then they don't have people there. period.

 

[SPAMSTIME]

I offer a FREE gift if they have at least 10 BUYING guest at their show.

 

[luvinpc]

What gift do you usually give out?

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

I ask the host to tell those who are coming to bring a friend or two. If they're wanting a dessert, I tell them I will do one if there are 10 guests (couples count as 1). I also tell them it's more fun when there are more people and that the pressure to buy is relieved when there's an actual crowd. If only 3 show, I then have her work outside orders before and after the show.

 

[AJPratt]

Awesome advice!!

 

[SPAMSTIME]

I usually let them pick an item from $5-$10 depending on their party sales. The more they work their party the more I make the better gifts they get!!!
If they have 10 buying guests usually min $20? I made about $40 profit

I also give the same for $150 in orders before party begins

For the party booked before show begins they get $10 to use at the booked show!!

 

[BethCooks4U]

I remind the host that it's more fun when there are more people and I give her a reason to call her guests.

Some people think they sound pitiful if they call "oh, me, no one is coming, I'm begging people to be here" but if we give them a REASON: "Beth's showing us how we can make healthy meals in under 30 minutes" or "wear pink" or "bring your ugliest dish cloth" or..... the host will call and the more she calls the more will show up!

 

[Sheila]

This is what I send out to all of my hosts right after I forward the online show link to them ... keep in mind that being military, I only work on military pay day weekends, not all month long and we have special restrictions for selling on a military base that you won't be facing as a consultant in the states.

All of my hosts know when they book a show with me that it's fully interactive. Therefore, I put in the clause about kids ... a lot of consultant's don't bring that up, but I do worry about little ones getting burned or cut so I throw it in there. Prior to doing these e-mails I had one show where I was basically the babysitter for the evening while all the adults sat & chatted, not paying ANY attention to the show. Their lack of attention was reflected in the show sales. And I was a nervous wreck the whole time because I had no idea that it was going to be a "kids" show & was not doing a child friendly recipe. I've been using this type of e-mail for quite a while now & it has done it's job to

1. increase attendance
2. increase bookings
3. decrease having children underfoot during the demo

I'm sure you know me well enough to know that I admit what works for me, might not be what works for someone else. Through trial & error, this is what's made the difference in my shows. Feel free to pick & choose what you want to include, delete, add to, etc.

Hi Host Name!

I wanted to send you some ideas for how to have the best show possible!

• Invite LOTS of people, the more you invite the better results you will have.
• Utilize the online ordering system! Send it to your friends & family in the states as well. The outside orders can REALLY add up. I had a host in January who was at $700 in guest sales on outside orders before I ever even walked into her house! She got another $600 in sales at her show and more after the show, she ended up closing at over $1,500 in sales! The outside orders and online sales really DO add up!!!
• If they can't come, ask if they would like to place an order. Many will say yes!
• If they say that they are coming, call them on the put the date 2 days before the show (if the show is on the 27th, put the 25th here) & remind them about the show. Even if you leave a message when you know that they are not home saying "Hey, looking forward to seeing you on day of the week at show time for my Pampered Chef show!" … it's a refresher for them to remember that they said they were coming & is proven to work!
• The further you get from a payday, the harder it's going to be to collect orders. Usually anyone who hasn't ordered in 2-3 days of the show will not order. And holding open a show for days or weeks is not fair to the guests who ordered before or during the show, as their orders are also delayed on shipping until we close out the show.
• I do not tell hosts that they can not have children at the show as it’s your decision to make. But I can advise you that little hands do not mix well with knives, hot stones, the food chopper, etc. I've found that most of the Mom's enjoy coming to these types of shows to have a little "adult" time away from the children. It's also easier for them to participate in the interactive show if they are not distracted. So I'll leave that decision up to you.
• I usually stress this when a host books a show with me, but I'll reiterate: SOFA status personnel only!!! We do not pay import taxes and are prohibited from selling to the Japanese locals. There is no "gray" area on the custom's regulations. It's a violation and is punishable by the Japanese and your chain of command for active duty personnel or ERD (Early Return of Dependents) for civilians. If you try to buy for them and let them pay you behind my back, it's considered the "black market" and is also illegal. I can't stress enough how important it is to abide by this regulation.
• We do have shipping restrictions here on Okinawa and are not allowed to accept mail for others unless we are their official sponsor with orders in hand. So every buying guest has to use the "direct" shipping rates. I've had people try to combine orders to save on shipping. If they choose to do that, they need to understand that their warranty will be in the name on the order form. So if someone is buying an item under a friend's name, they are going to have a hard time should a warranty issue arise. It's much easier to just pay the direct shipping rate & know that they can call corporate, give their name & address & have warranty issues handled more easily.

Try to get the RSVP count by the date 3 days before the show so that you can decide if you want to do 1, 2 or 3 recipes & we can look at options. At that point, I'll e-mail you some ideas of what I have the tools to do. If you are doing more than 1 recipe, I'll give you hits on what works well together with timing. I try to avoid doing 2 microwave recipes or 2 oven recipes so that one team doesn't get stuck standing around waiting to cook.

The host coaching tips WORK! If you follow them, you can have a very successful show. I used to think that this next phrase was not needed, but I was recently proven wrong, so I'm now asking hosts - please do NOT tell your guests "You don't have to order anything, just come & have fun" as they may take you seriously! One host discovered that they hard way. You are inviting them to your show to have fun, but you also want them to order so that you can earn lots of great things for free and at a discount. So the more they order, the more host benefits YOU earn!

Although being a Pampered Chef Consultant is lots of fun, this is still how I pay for all the little extras for my family. If you need to cancel or postpone, please let me know as soon as possible. The more notice I receive, the more likely it will be that I'll be able to re-book the date and not be unemployed for your scheduled time.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail. I do have 2 little ones and it's sometimes hard for me to not be distracted on the phone, therefore I find myself doing most of my contact with my hostesses via e-mail during their naps or later at night when they are in bed. If you prefer phone contact, just let me know & I'll be happy to call you vs. e-mailing to touch base.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I send a short bulleted email containing the things we talk about in the host coaching call to remind them why they need to do followup calls to their friends.

I used to send a long email with all the benefits and how to's. It was great and I got lots of compliments on it but I found that the majority of people just glanced over it and didn't absorb much of what I was sharing. "Too many words"

The phone calls work for me. BUT when I have a host who is into email and doesn't respond to my attempts to call, I will send the info by email. I bullet the points and below that give specific tips and info. I also think that when some people see a long letter come they think "ALL this? Too much work". KISS (Keep It Simple)

Different things work for different people. Pick your style and go with it!

 

[chefjeanine]

Sending the invitations (and making the reminder calls) are the most important part of making my business (and Hosts) successful. I know that doesn't help you at this phase of this particular show, but it truly is well worth the time and effort.

 

[scottcooks]

Whenever you cannot make the host coaching call, and when you even can - send reminders via postcard. Multiple contacts with same info = success.

 

[MarineGurl020412]

Sheila I LOVE that! I am so stealing it from you! LOL I have been trying to get everything you wrote out of my head and into a written format so that I can send it out.

 

[AJPratt]

This is great advice! Thanks so much! I am sharing this with my new consultant. She was so impressed with all of the different responses from different consultants.

 

[deanna_g]

I'm really liking some of the info in this thread, too! Thanks!

 

[Sheila]

Sheila I LOVE that! I am so stealing it from you! LOL I have been trying to get everything you wrote out of my head and into a written format so that I can send it out.

Okinawa? Did another one of my downline join Chef Success? I can't see WHO!!!

 

[Sheila]

Disregard and welcome to CS Billie!

 

[MarineGurl020412]

I have a hard time straying from MarineGurl since that has been me for 9 years now.