Maximizing Sales: The Benefits and Risks of Hosting Online Parties - Paula in TN

[pelamm]

I have seen some people holding online parties, which seems like a good way to help a catalog party hostess. However, I am worried that it violates TPC's Advertising and Publicity Guidelines re: the web. Any thoughts?

Paula in TN

 

[PamperedGinger]

If you do an "online" party, it is not using a web site (except your own to send out evites so they can order online).

I would think that an online party would be the same as a catalog show, but instead of passing around a catalog, you are passing around the link to your website so they can order.

You can also do this just through email. I do email shows ALL THE TIME! Send out emails to your past hosts and guests. They send you their orders and you submit it as a show.

Hope that clears it up.

 

[PamperedGinger]

Forgot to say that this is not a violation of PC policy.

 

[pelamm]

Thanks, Ginger, guess I should have been a little more specific though - the online parties I have been seeing use chat rooms. Still OK, or entering the grey zone?

 

[PamperedGinger]

Wow...I haven't heard of this before. I would say that is entering the gray area, but not sure. If I were thinking of doing one, I would check with the home office first just to be sure.

 

[BethCooks4U]

web showsWe are not allowed to promote our business on any website except the official PC site so I would think that it is not allowed to have a web show but email shows are very legal! Like Ginger said, check with home office if in doubt (or grey).

 

[pelamm]

I just wanted to use you guys as a sounding board. I had asked the home office another web-based question, and they just said "Read your policies and procedures", never gave me an answer.

 

[BethCooks4U]

another great source

I just wanted to use you guys as a sounding board. I had asked the home office another web-based question, and they just said "Read your policies and procedures", never gave me an answer.

If you don't get an answer that satisfies you from home office... or before you resort to calling them... go to your upline. Ask your Director or Executive Director or National Senior Executive Director or who ever is your Home Office Direct Contact. I forget that last person's actual title but directors have a list of who these people are. You should at least have the name of your Exec and NSE - you need that information to know which session you "belong" in at National Conference - if your director doesn't have the answers for you. Anyway, these people are sure to be able to help!

Of course with all the knowledge on this site you don't have to look further then Chef Success for most answers!!

 

[rsmpta]

----i know this is an old thread BUT------

Why would we not be able to promote pc thru no other site? I guess i just don't understand why pc would n't want you to promote everywhere you could to get sales.....

 

[cmdtrgd]

I see it as a quality oversight. Yes, we own our own business, but if we screw up, it is PC's name that is out there and that people will remember. Also, there are perks to promoting like being able to advertise once you get to a certain level.

 

[nikked]

On-line ShowsI would have to say that if a HOST wanted to do stuff on line (like in a chat room) for her show, there would be nothing we could do about it. I'm sure many people have chat rooms for just friends and family, people of similar interests, etc. We host coach to tell EVERYONE they know, so why not in a chat room.

That said, it would be wrong for a CONSULTANT do this...I think that would be crossing the line.

Any thoughts?

 

[gilliandanielle]

If we don't know what hosts are doing to get orders then we can't stop it! Obviously it is wrong for a consultant to suggest this, or to knowingly allow this to happen, but what we don't know can't hurt us! How does anyone know that we haven't already sold things at past shows this way? You never know, and HO can't hold you responsible for something you didn't know about!

 

[rsmpta]

That said, it would be wrong for a CONSULTANT do this...I think that would be crossing the line.

i hear you saying this just don't get WHY

quality control? doesn't this go into EVERY aspect of what we all do on a day to day basis re: our 'business'? i guess i just don't understand how it would change having a 'catalog' show thru our own pc site vs. telling our friends about it in a chat room or on a message board if we are able to get orders that way.....

-call me confused....

 

[gilliandanielle]

It is wrong because it is against PC rules. You are not even supposed to mention that you sell PC online at all or post your website. I think to have chat room parties be a success you have to break both those rules. If you get caught posting your website online anywhere PC slowly cuts you off (Takes off online ordering, then suspends your website for 30 days, then totally takes away website) depending on how many times you broke the rules.

Another aspect is that PC is in contol of what people can do on our own websites, but can't control what people do, say, or share on a chat site.

 

[rsmpta]

It is wrong because it is against PC rules. You are not even supposed to mention that you sell PC online at all or post your website.

Why in the WORLD do they bother with offering you (for the low price of $42 ) the option of selling thru your website online then? How is anyone supposed to find out (specifically contact/friends I have mostly only online) that i SELL It if i can't mention it?? I'm sorry i'm not trying to be difficult...... i just don't get that idea!

 

[BethCooks4U]

We can advertize our website on printed materials and our email but we are not allowed to post our website on any other web forum. They have even gone so far as to tell us that if someone else puts our link on THEIR site WE can be held responsible.

It's all in the agreement you signed. Contact PC with your uestions and let them know how you feel - that's the only way they will know.

This subject is a bone of contention with many consultants.

 

[pampered1224]

Here's my take on it...If we promote to our customer base through our own personal e-mail it is not a problem. But we can not promote our business on a "public" forum unless we are within certain guidelines. For example, because I am a consultant, I can not publish an ad in our Milwaukee Journal Newspaper which is regional. But I can publish an ad in a more localized neighborhood paper. So think of the web as being the Milwuakee Journal. And your personal e-mail account as the local neighborhood newspaper. If we go out to chat rooms, we are essentially doing the Milwaukee Journal thing. It is too wide spread per the guidelines set forth at the home office. Same if we went out to a chat room and said, "Hey I sell Pampered Chef and I am looking for orders. Let me know what you want." You also can not say, "Hey I sell Pamepred Chef and I am looking for orders. Go to www.pamperedchef.biz/whatever to place an order".
Again, that too is a no no.
But if your hosts go out to a chat room and say, "I am having a Pampered Chef party. Do you want to place an order?" You did not personally do that so I would think, there can be no reprocussions for you as you were not aware of it.
Just like when you go to Yahoo search engine and key in Pampered Chef. Not only will you find the home office site but many of our personal sites come up. That is NOT our fault if we did not go directly to Yahoo and ask that it be put there. Yahoo arbitrarily picks sites to go in those lists. Mine showed up. Shocked me as I did not even know that it would. I contacted Yahoo and they said that they have some sort of computer program that does the picking. So there isn't even human intervention. However, the first 50 to 100 on any list, were paid for listings to get them to the front row. We can not do that either. So i guess it would be a topic for discussion. I personally would not take the chance on instigating anything like that at all. But sometimes what you don't know CAN hurt you. It is a grey area.

 

[gilliandanielle]

I can't believe people would pay to pop up first on Yahoo! Why aren't these people in trouble with HO for this?? Maybe I'll do a little tattling later LOL!

 

[pckimboyers]

So what we're saying is that we can't use a site like for example my local martinsburgcommunity site, we can't use that towards our business. If that is true, then I have done it not knowing I was doing something wrong. I thought since it was a local thing then it was ok-- but if all websites are not considered local then it was wrong.

 

[hookcs]

Webraisers make good use of websitesI've been doing "webraisers" with my website. I find a group needing money and set them up on my website. Then, all the members of their group email everyone in their address book with the web address and hostess/organization name. From their they order the products, have it shipped directly to their own home and the group doesn't have to do anything other then explain how it works and collect the check!

Its been a big hit with several of the groups I work with and I'm up to 2 or 3 webraisers per month.

ps none of this is against any company policy...all on the up and up!

 

[gilliandanielle]

That is a good idea hockcs! Do people find it hard to pick what they want online? I have never had a weborder over $25 and my show average order is $50 (catalog or cooking). I that ordering online is really difficult to find something unless you are specifically looking for it!

 

[pampered1224]

Well...That is a good question about a local area website. Not sure on that one because essentially, it is world wide. That's one I would not be willing to say is OK. Just don't know.
However, I like the webraising thing. Did I get that right?
To me it is no different than a host tellng their guests how to order on-line or using the e-inivites.
And YES, I hate the web site's on-line catalog. They should simply put all the products in alphabetical order. Much easier. This jumping from catagory to catagory when you are not sure which catagory you want is BS.
I have had very few orders come in that way. In fact I get notes on outside orders that state that they tried to order on-line but could not figure out where to look for what they wanted.
In fact I need to e-mail the home office about those notes.
Maybe we can get some thing changed in that area.

 

[gilliandanielle]

I'll e-mail until I'm blue in the face! Who would I e-mail about changing the product categories? I like the idea of all the products alphabetized. I would also like a picture next to the product title like when we choose pics for our websites. The maybe you could click on the picture and bring up the description and price?