How can I boost my business without relying on friends and family?

[teresah551393]

Okay, here is my problem: I have NO parties on my calendar!!!!! :cry: After 8 months of doing pretty well, averaging $400 commission per month ( satisfactory for me) I now have absolutely no more parties, except the catty party started last night. Unlike many of you, I do not have family willing to help me, they don't even live here anyway. I have already gone to all my friends, almost all of them helped the best they could, had parties, ordered, etc......I WILL NOT go back to them again.:angel: I lost friends in other business' because of wearing out the only people I knew. I won't do that again. I can't seem to find any booth opportunities either. I will talk to my director later today or tomorrow and she is good, I just wanted to know what advice you all have to offer. Oh, yeah, I am somtimes the shy sort, hard to go talk to people although I have been forcing myself to do it. I fear this is the end of the road for me. MY first recruit, joined last week, is off to a great start, don't want to let her down either.

 

[tlag1986]

Go through your past orders and make customer care calls. You may be surprised to find that someone may want a show. Try to find all your customers who were interested in the Silicone and stress to them about the host special for March. If that does not work go back to your first month and see if anyone of the hosts would like to book another show with you. HTH

 

[KellyRedHead]

Like Lisa said, go back through you past guests. Do customer care calls and also let them know we have a fanastic new spring catalog out with loads of new products they have never seen before!!

Speaking of customer care calls, I need to do this too!!

Kelly V.:chef:

 

[PCMelissa]

Ok, I have to be honest with you... hope you do not get offended! Your tone is SUPER negative. INstead of focusing on what you don't have or where you can't go...try to turn that around and think only of the positive!!

AND, this may sound a bit counterproductive...but do some training online or listen to some of the conference workshop audios. I know it is not actually an income generating task, but it always helps to make me feel SOOO much more confident to go out there and see the positive and find those bookings!! I am pretty sure there are ones on getting bookings. I promise it will make you feel better. Good luck! Keep us posted!

 

[Crystal Patton]

Look up fundraisers on here for some great flyers and approach chruches, schools and any other oganization that needs $$ and do a fundraiser with them. Be sure to make it all about them. Or host your own fundraiser, love animals? Or feel strongly about another cause - use it.
I am doing a fundraiser for my local MOPS group this month and we (I'm the co-cordinator) are really pushing the early shopping for Mother's Day thing.
Fundraisers are all about leads for us consultants, if it's a cause I, personally, feel strongly about I toss in 10% of my commission (Scottcooks idea - thanks Scott!!!) this can really boost the numbers.

Good luck!!!

 

[AJ-1]

I know exactly what you are going through because I'm in the same boat. I just attended our spring training last weekend in a last attempt to get re-motivated again.

It's extremely hard to stay positive when you continuously hit a brick wall and have no leads....I have contemplated giving up my PC business because of the lack of contacts and leads.

I look forward to reading the responses.

 

[pcchefjane]

I went to the HO area Sales Training yesterday. She gave us some great ideas for "out of the box" lead prospecting. Go to your local mall on Monday or Tuesday. They are usually very quiet those days. She strikes up conversations with clerks in stores where no one is. Sometimes she gets a show or recruit lead. She also goes to the grocery store and strikes up conversations. She said that it is not up to the people we see to start conversations with us... It is our responsibility to start those conversations. That gave me a whole new perspective. Did you know that processed shredded cheese contains "cellulose fiber" which is SAWDUST? Wouldn't that be a great conversation starter at the Cheese aisle about how you use the Rotary Grater (or the Microplane Adjustable Grater if that is all you have) to shred your own cheese and how much cheaper it is to do so? One lady gave the example of being at the store and buying a fresh Pineapple. Someone asked her how she cut the pineapple! Perfect conversation starter for our new Pineapple Wedger... My Director also gave an idea of going to the grocery store and asking what their meat special is. Offer to pass out recipe cards for a recipe using that. Don't bring anything else but recipe cards with your labels on them and wear either logowear or your apron. Talk and smile to everyone. Bring door prize slips with you to get information. If you have old catalogs, take them with one of the "old catalog" tags on them. Offer to mail one of the mini-catalogs to anyone who seems genuinely interested. Book the rest of your month of March offering a free show (you buy the ingredients for the Host). We learned yesterday that you can book a week ahead and sometimes get even better results than a Show booked 3 weeks to 6 weeks out...I know "stranger contacts" are hard, but you have to move out of your comfort zone to do this biz the best! Even those of us who are "out-going" are intimidated by "out of the box" calls! Hang in there!

 

[Symara]

oooh... i like the meat special idea. I might try that Sunday at Kroger.

 

[etteluap70PC]

You have gotten alot of good advice and you are not the only one in this boat. I am right there with you and it can be very discouraging. Chin up!

I know you said you could not find any booth opportunities. I do not know where you havelooked but here is a thread that may help give you some more ideas.

http://www.chefsuccess.com/f52/looking-do-booth-here-ideas-where-find-them-43599/

 

[ChefJWarren]

Whenever my calendar is looking empty, I plan my own special show. I say that because "Open Houses" do no work for me. I hold a Kids in the Kitchen workshop or Power Cooking Clinic and my response has always been great! (If you need more ideas on any of these just let me know or search the files.) People are looking for new cooking ideas or ways to entertain their kids on the weekend. They are more likely to come to these. Even people who have never been interested in my business bring their kids to the workshops. They love them!

 

[teresah551393]

Thanks for the help, not offended by anyone. I just didn't want the advice to go to my friends and family when i already that isn't possible. I LOVE the kids in the kitchen idea, maybe I will try to do that. And offering free shows, I have used that before and it does help. Just looking for ideas I maybe hadn't thought of already.
Thank you all.

 

[Trish in Texas]

Here are some ideas that were mentioned at the HO sales meeting I went to.

Trish in Texas
Independent Consultant