aDay in the Life of Laura... Lol!

(I copied this thread from the other forum because I'm a huge dork and posted in the wrong spot. Woops!)


----
Good gosh I need a drink! You might want one too, after reading this! LOL

I had a show about an hour away this evening. While on my way, I made a recruit lead followup call, and talked to her for about 20 mins while I was driving. After talking to her for a bit, she emailed me her consultant agreement information while I was on the phone. She's going to make a fantastic consultant and her husband is SO great - totally supportive. They are too cute, I know they'll have fun with this.

So, I get to my party tonight 10 mins late (I got lost....doh, shouldnt talk/drive at the same time!) and the BEST crowd is there, these ladies are a riot. Pork tenderloin was YUM-O. Sales are awesome ($750) and at the end, I'm sitting with them chatting while they're chatting, and I go in to my "casual recruiting" deal.

The host and a guest both piped up and said they were very interested. Mind you, I've asked my hostess before and she didn't really sound all that interested, but I just knew she'd be so great... recruiters - you know those "feelings" you get when you talk to someone peppy and very organized and just generally awesome? She is that type. She is totally great.
When she realized what her sales were, and that 3 of her friends wanted to book shows, she jumped on it.

Anyway, long story short, she closed her show this evening after the party AND signed her consultant agreement form. I raced home, got home at 11:47pm CST, and submitted her party at 11:57pm CST. Yay for mid-month paychecks & happy customers that don't wait forever for their stuff!

Then, submitted her consultant agreement ... at 12:00:09am CST. DOH! Bummer. Oh well. LOL!

So... for June, I have signed 5 consultants so far, and 1 more is signing this weekend. I have a couple more leads to follow up on this month. I have a show tomorrow night.

I want the DREAM PATROL to come to my director's house, dangit!!

Thanks for reading! I get kind of a "high" when I get home from a show, so 'scuse me if I type a little hyper! hee!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! It sounds like maybe we'll be reading about you next month! Great job!!!What is your casual recruiting deal?

Pampered Chef Technical Committee member
What's that?

OMG!!! Laura this is soooooooooooo great! I would be so freakin pumped if I could get 5 to sign in one month! I've been to almost 4! The 4th one signed on the 1st day of the next month!
How totally cool is this!
You rock! I can just tell by looking at you and from reading your posts that you must be a kick in the pants and I'd love to see one of your shows!
I sumbitted in a great show tonight! And it moved me to level 2! I had really wanted $6000 in sales this month but I think, after some seriously ridiculous hosts, that $3000 will be the goal!
Oh and I have 3 people on the fence! All of them want to sign at the end of July or beginning of August! We'll see! 1 is in the middle of moving, and 2 have vacations planned in July and I don't blame them for wanting to not start until they can give it their all! I wish we could still sign them and pick the month they want to start, because I think I could have got 2 of them to sign now!
ughhh! But you are a true inspiration! Great job Laura, I can feel your excitement! Thanks for sharing!

Wow, Laura. Amazing night! Congratulations!

Pampered Laura said:

(I copied this thread from the other forum because I'm a huge dork and posted in the wrong spot. Woops!)


----
Good gosh I need a drink! You might want one too, after reading this! LOL

I had a show about an hour away this evening. While on my way, I made a recruit lead followup call, and talked to her for about 20 mins while I was driving. After talking to her for a bit, she emailed me her consultant agreement information while I was on the phone. She's going to make a fantastic consultant and her husband is SO great - totally supportive. They are too cute, I know they'll have fun with this.

So, I get to my party tonight 10 mins late (I got lost....doh, shouldnt talk/drive at the same time!) and the BEST crowd is there, these ladies are a riot. Pork tenderloin was YUM-O. Sales are awesome ($750) and at the end, I'm sitting with them chatting while they're chatting, and I go in to my "casual recruiting" deal.

The host and a guest both piped up and said they were very interested. Mind you, I've asked my hostess before and she didn't really sound all that interested, but I just knew she'd be so great... recruiters - you know those "feelings" you get when you talk to someone peppy and very organized and just generally awesome? She is that type. She is totally great.
When she realized what her sales were, and that 3 of her friends wanted to book shows, she jumped on it.

Anyway, long story short, she closed her show this evening after the party AND signed her consultant agreement form. I raced home, got home at 11:47pm CST, and submitted her party at 11:57pm CST. Yay for mid-month paychecks & happy customers that don't wait forever for their stuff!

Then, submitted her consultant agreement ... at 12:00:09am CST. DOH! Bummer. Oh well. LOL!

So... for June, I have signed 5 consultants so far, and 1 more is signing this weekend. I have a couple more leads to follow up on this month. I have a show tomorrow night.

I want the DREAM PATROL to come to my director's house, dangit!!

Thanks for reading! I get kind of a "high" when I get home from a show, so 'scuse me if I type a little hyper! hee!

Click to expand...

That's SO awesome Laura! WAY TO GO!!!

Wow Laura, you are inspiring! Congratulations on an awesome half-month! Do share your "casual recruiting" pretty please!

Congratulations (AGAIN) Laura!

If you can get your recruits recruiting like you, you'll be having your own banquet at NC in a few years!

What a fun post to read.....but now I'm curious too about your "casual recruiting"???

Congrats! and you still have time for the Dream Patrol to come to your door!

How cool is that. CONGRATS!!!!!!! Please, let us in on your "casual recruiting".

Congrats!!!

That's incredible, Laura!! I'm so excited for you!

Congrats Laura! That is SO Exciting...I hope Dream Patrol goes to your house. You are so inspiring! I would love any tips you have on recruiting if you are willing to share....
I'm so happy for you

Tell us more about casual recruiting - Inquiring minds want to know

O Laura, PLEASE tell us your secret, that is SO awesome!!

Yes, we're all EYES for your casual recruiting bit....Please share. I would be happy recruitng 5 in one year let alone 1 month. Can you say TPC?!! Congratulations, Laura!

Congrats Laura! This is what it is all about! Having fun and enjoying what we do!

WHEW WHOO FOR YOOOOUUUUU!

Awesome, Laura! I, too, am listening

I hope you are going to have time to join us other Cheffers in the lounge Sunday or Monday night! I'd love to meet you IRL! I love your energy!

WOW! That is great!!

Okay, about “casual recruiting”! Its just a nickname I gave it because I am just super casual. Recruiting doesn’t have to be a “shpiel” that we give, a bunch of witty one-liners, well-timed gimmicks, or a big production.

First thing to note is: You can’t fake it. You have to truly believe that what you have is worth offering. Someone shared The Pampered Chef with you. What has it offered you? What have you gained from your business? Not just money… how about self esteem? Freedom? Friendships? Confidence? Or, if you’re a brand new consultant – think about what The Pampered Chef CAN offer you. Imagine, you have the ability to offer something to someone that can make a dramatic difference in their life. That is incredibly rewarding, and really… it’s almost selfish to NOT share the opportunity with everyone that you can. No one is going to run up to you and say “change my life with what you have!”. It’s up to us to offer it to them, and have them say “yes… that’s exactly what I have been looking for”.

A casual approach takes the pressure off everyone. I use this approach when I’m talking with hosts, anyone that tosses up a red flag, and even during shows.

At the end of my shows, I will actually sit down with the guests and “casually recruit” them.

I let them know that I’ve enjoyed visiting with them, and I thank the hostess for being so hospitable and thank the guests for being so welcoming. I try to recap some of the show highlights: (“Wasn’t that 10 minute BBQ pork tenderloin easy? I couldn’t believe how tender and delicious it was the first time I made it – it’s now a staple in my house!”) I go ahead and tell them that I’m pretty casual and that I want to be totally honest with them about something… I tell them that I absolutely adore The Pampered Chef and truly love what I do. I let them know that I have a ridiculous amount of fun at my “job”, and I love training new consultants to have fun while embarking on either a really great hobby or a fantastic career. I tell them that I know many of them came to the show looking for kitchen tools to enhance their life – but “what I don’t know is how many of you are sitting there fretting over that VISA bill. Or if you need a new car. Or if it’s been way too long since your last vacation. Or if an extra $15,000 a year would make whatever situation you’re in, better. Or if you’d just really love to make a few new friends and have a fun career doing something that you really love. I’m here to offer what I have, to you. It’s fun and very easy to get started as a consultant with The Pampered Chef, and I encourage you to give it a try!”

Last night, I used exactly those words. Both the hostess as well as two of her guests raised their hands and laughed after every one of my “if you…” statements. The host got a few guests to book shows with her for June and July, and signed up immediately after the show. Her friends (the ones that raised their hands, too) will be signing up under the hostess next month after their own parties.

This month, I’ve signed 6 new consultants (4 agreements in, 2 completed agreements sitting here on my desk waiting for shows to be processed) and I am working on 3 more very firm leads for June.
I'm now entering my 2nd year as a consultant and this has been my approach. Recruiting has been where I feel the most comfortable and where I’ve experienced the greatest sense of fulfillment in my business. I love knowing that I could be planting seeds for other people to make a positive change in their life.
I’m intentional, but casual. I try to be informative, but not intimidating.

I just want other consultants to know that recruiting really doesn’t have to be “programmed” or something really hard to do. There is no "secret" to recruiting. It's believing in what you have, realizing it could help someone else, and making it about THEM. Not you. Recruiting (and everything else in this business) just needs to be from the heart. I have found that a heartfelt casual approach really helps make everyone (including me!) more at ease and keeps it real.

Hope that helps

Wanted to add that I'd guess 9 out of the 10 shows that I actually SIT DOWN with the guests and casually recruit them, I have either someone sign up right away, or multiple strong leads. Maybe a coincidence... maybe not.

You are AWESOME!!! Do you do any type of "why bag" too or just this awesome closing? No wonder you're doing so well!

I don't do a why bag.. I had to make one and present it during a cluster training, and I thought it was cute, but I don't use it.
I dunno why I don't. Not because it doesn't work, because I've heard that it works really well as a strong visual for closing. I dunno, I just usually have me myself and I... talking and listening.

MGG said:

Pampered Chef Technical Committee member
What's that?

Click to expand...

Sorry for not answering this! I got invited to be a committee member until 2009 on the Home Office Tech Committee. I will get to test technical products and give my opinions/suggestions to the tech. team at the home office as part of a select panel of consultants.

Wow. FANTASTIC!!

That's an awesome-powerful closing statement Laura, thanks for sharing!

Okay...if you don't mind me asking...what did you do before PC Laura? And do you feel like it better prepared you to recruit and/or sale?

Thank you, I'm glad you can use some of what I say! I hope it helps you in some way!

I've was a stay-at-home wife before we had kids (we married when I was 17), and am currently still a stay-at-home mom. In college (before kids, just taking classes mainly for something to do... dropped out when I got preg with my son when I was 19. We always knew I'd stay home with the kids) I took a lot of psychology classes. Dunno if that helped or not, but the power of positive thinking is pretty relevant to PC I think.

I'm just generally excitable and enthusiastic about stuff that I like. I am passionate about things, I guess... so maybe that helps.

Edited because I can't spell gud!

Pampered Laura said:

First thing to note is: You can’t fake it. You have to truly believe that what you have is worth offering. Someone shared The Pampered Chef with you. What has it offered you? What have you gained from your business? Not just money… how about self esteem? Freedom? Friendships? Confidence? Or, if you’re a brand new consultant – think about what The Pampered Chef CAN offer you. Imagine, you have the ability to offer something to someone that can make a dramatic difference in their life. That is incredibly rewarding, and really… it’s almost selfish to NOT share the opportunity with everyone that you can. No one is going to run up to you and say “change my life with what you have!”. It’s up to us to offer it to them, and have them say “yes… that’s exactly what I have been looking for”.

Click to expand...

Let me first say that I don't want to turn this thread into something about me, but I am struggling with this and want some help.

I have been in the business for almost 4 years now. I cannot truly say that I've gained money, confidence, or freedom from the Pampered Chef. Friendships and fun most definitely. My husband for the most part is supportive, but he is now telling me he wants me to go ahead and start teaching because "this Pampered Chef thing just isn't going to take off". We both realize that to see any real money you have to promote. It is just not happening for me.

I don't feel as though I give a negative view of the business opportunity, but it hasn't been for me all that it's been for you. I know part of your success with your recruiting is your excitement. Some of mine has fizzled out. I'm feeling a little cynical. I still LOVE to do the parties and I LOVE LOVE the products, but I don't know. I guess some of my passion is gone because I see what I want, but something (I know it's me, but I don't know how) is blocking me from getting there.

When I started my business it wasn't for the money (and good thing) and it still isn't. I started to earn the products for free. My director immediately began pushing me towards directorship. When I signed my contract my husband was travelling 80% of the time, my 3rd child was 10 days old, and I was finishing my degree at a school that was a 1 hour drive (one way). I only wanted to earn the Super Starter products and call it a day. I loved doing the parties though and that is what kept me. I wanted to please her so I took all sorts of recruiting training and classes. I have the information, but I don't have the "skills". Maybe if I did need PC for the money I would have more...I don't know?!

Basically what I'm saying is HELP!! If you don't mind.

Thank you very much!

Congratulations on all of your achievements! Don't underplay them, you've worked extremely hard to get there. Nobody gave them to you you EARNED it!! Enjoy the accolades!

Thanks for those great tips Laura! I'm sure you make the hosts/guests feel much more comfortable; I'm going to have to do this. I'm guessing this is basically after your demo is done & they're eating....you really are inspiring.