My Director Is Not Calling Me Back!

[JackieB999]

Ok.. I have a little situation and could use some advice. I'm a new consultant just past my 30 days and I was a Home Office lead. I was not recruited at a party or elsewhere, I just decided to join.

So the lady that got my lead called me she is very, very nice. I really didn't know any better so I signed up through her. The problem is that she lives about 30 miles away from me! I went to one cluster meeting, and, including time spent at my day job, I was away from home from 7:30 am until 10:45 pm! And the Director lives even farther north than that!

Since I am new, I really do want to go to the meetings and learn more and socialize with my fellow consultants... but all the meetings are more than an hour away from me.... and I live in a big city that should have several clusters near me. Plus, I'm thinking of my future recruits and how far they would have to go to the same meetings and gatherings.

So I've been discussing this with my recruiter (for lack of a better word) and emailing the director (who has not responded) if there was any way I could get connected with a cluster here in my city. I've been told that it can only be done if I'm more than 50 miles away.

So I called the HO today for another reason and decided to ask about it. It turns out that my director can call the home office and ask for a "hospitality" transfer for me. I think she must have known that. So I called her and left a nice message this afternoon, not saying what it was about, and she hasn't returned my call... and I have a feeling she won't, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

I know that nobody wants to lose a recruit, especially one that made her 30 day goal (yay!) - but come on - this is my business too.

Any advice? Should I chase the director and make it happen? Thanks.

 

[chefsteph07]

That is ridiculous that she won't set you up w/ hospitality. And you signed w/ HER, she will still keep you as far as sales and incentives, if you go w/ another cluster for meetings, your director does not lose you, so I really don't understand why she won't help you, unless at this time she's on vacation, or something is going on that she can't get back w/ you in a timely manner.
Maybe you could request on Chefsuccess where you live and see if anyone knows of any meetings near you. You don't have to get the info from your director or have it set up through her. You can go to whichever meetings you choose.
Good luck, this board is a load of help and if you ask, someone will be there for you.

 

[JackieB999]

Hi Steph.. I don't think she's on vacation, she sends about 5 group emails out a day and she also just got back from Chicago. You're right.. this is a great website and I'm glad I found it!

I would like to be a real part of a cluster closer to my home where I can get recognition and stuff, not be an outsider that's visiting. At this point, I don't even want this director making money off of me! I'm talking about 2 different people here... the recruiter and the director above her.

 

[chefsteph07]

Unfortunately, you are stuck w/ who you signed with unless you took 6 mo off and signed w/ someone else. I know, being a home office lead, it really stinks that you got someone that you aren't happy with. Why don't you start a new thread and announce where you are from and see if anyone is near you who can take you in or tell you when the next meeting is that you can attend?
Is your recruiter talking to you? What does SHE say about your director?
Regardless, it is not mandatory that you go to your own cluster's meetings.

 

[pclinskie]

every time I go to a meeting it is at least 11/2 away. (with traffic and all) it is once a month. and well worth it. I live outside the philadelphia area and someone called me from De to be hospitallity with me. ( 2 hours) stating home office said I was the closest director.

 

[Nanisu]

We'll find you a meeting on this board. Not to be worried--anyone out there that can help her? It's possible too that your director a) didn't get your calls or b) is out of town.

 

[punkie1019]

Couldn't she just resign under someone else? I know she would have to buy the kit all over again but she could buy the mini kit and then get all those fall bonus sign on products and extra paper work for only $80. Keep the paper work and sell or use all the mini kit and fall stuff that she already has as incentives or giveaways. Might be worth it for only $80. All the best to you. I hope you find someone soon.

 

[TheFreddiesCook]

This is a good idea!

 

[mscharf]

You can sign undersome one else, but you have to wait 6 MONTHS! So if you have a momentum going, just keep going and remember you are working for YOU, not her!

 

[gailz2]

I recently changed my cluster on my own, due to geographic regions. My new cluster is very open in accepting me as one of their own. Recognitions are the same for all of us--I'm not an outsider. My director will always receive my commission overrides, and that is fine. I believe she has to reimburse my new cluster for any recognition rewards.

 

[JackieB999]

I recently changed my cluster on my own, due to geographic regions. My new cluster is very open in accepting me as one of their own. Recognitions are the same for all of us--I'm not an outsider. My director will always receive my commission overrides, and that is fine. I believe she has to reimburse my new cluster for any recognition rewards.

Thanks, Gail - so there is hope How does your step-cluster know about your goals & rewards?

Thanks to everyone for the replies. The director did call me back (I wonder if she reads here) and after a 15 minute conversation, asked me to email her to remind her to do the hospitality. So I did, and I asked if she could please make sure the cluster and meetings are in my city, which isnt small.

I'm just still wondering what her reluctance is to all of this?? If she doesn't lose me or the money, whats the big deal? I just dont get it.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Thanks, Gail - so there is hope How does your step-cluster know about your goals & rewards?

Thanks to everyone for the replies. The director did call me back (I wonder if she reads here) and after a 15 minute conversation, asked me to email her to remind her to do the hospitality. So I did, and I asked if she could please make sure the cluster and meetings are in my city, which isnt small.

I'm just still wondering what her reluctance is to all of this?? If she doesn't lose me or the money, whats the big deal? I just dont get it.

She probably would rather that you came to her meetings.

I know that for myself, since I started over 7 years ago, I have made the over 30 mile trip almost every month to cluster meetings. I figure I'll drive that far for a show, I should be able to drive that far for training once a month.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I travel 55 miles to hospitality meetings. I have been with the same group for 7 years. I have made the drive most months for 5 years. They are wonderful to me, and I have made wonderful relationships. I do wish I was closer to my direct cluster at times though.

 

[raebates]

I also drive quite a ways to my meetings--90 minutes each way. However, I live in the geographical center of nowhere. The meetings are in an urban area where I can take advantage of stores that aren't in my general area. I use the day in the city to run errands and do things I can't do near home. Plus I like to drive. This works for me, but I can definitely understand others not wanting to make that long of a trek. Jackie, I hope you are able to get things worked out in a way that works for you.

 

[ChefVal]

Hi! Wow, I wish our cluster was closer to you and I'm sorry you're having such a challenge WE ARE HERE FOR YOU! Don't let this dampen your enthusiasm....you really have joined the best company and every single consultant that I've met in this business in the last year since I joined has been giving, caring and willing to share their time and talents. Whatever you need until you find your cluster home, don't hesitate to call or email and I know I speak for all of us here that we will help you every step of the way. Congrats on signing and email any question no matter how small or large and if I don't know, I will find out for you! If you need ideas, want to bounce some thoughts around: [email protected] {{hugs}}

 

[skaugchef]

My director's meetings are 90 minutes away. I'd prefer to go to her meetings. But, with the gas money & recently having a baby to nurse I have been attending a cluster meeting that is 20 minutes away. It is better than not going at all.

 

[gailz2]

Thanks, Gail - so there is hope How does your step-cluster know about your goals & rewards?

Thanks to everyone for the replies. The director did call me back (I wonder if she reads here) and after a 15 minute conversation, asked me to email her to remind her to do the hospitality. So I did, and I asked if she could please make sure the cluster and meetings are in my city, which isnt small.

I'm just still wondering what her reluctance is to all of this?? If she doesn't lose me or the money, whats the big deal? I just dont get it.

Many clusters have hospitality consultants. The director in my new cluster emails my original director for sales, etc. Plus, I usually copy and send them to the hospitality director.

There are several reasons I switched clusters:
My original cluster meeting further away (35 min. vs. 55 min.) in a very desolate area, and now every other month, that is just the beginning--they have now combined with another cluster that is 2 hours from me (and with meetings starting at 6 or 6:30, it is impossible for me)

Meetings are usually held on a night I cannot make most of the year--and the director knows this.

Any inquiries into fairs, etc., were always 2 hours from my house--I have enough business in my own area without traveling that far away to get customers that may be another hour away from there.

Changing cluster meetings is a valid option open to all consultants. I still remain in contact with my Director.

 

[mountainmama74]

I'd express your frustration to her. Let her know that you're really looking for help and that you don't feel she's being helpful to you. Explain that you aren't looking to quit and join another cluster, you just feel that you need something closer to you so you can effectively attend the meetings and still have time for your personal life. Getting home at 10:45 after leaving the house at 7am is no fun for anyone!

I really hope she helps you out!

 

[flemings99]

My director's meetings are 90 minutes away. I'd prefer to go to her meetings. But, with the gas money & recently having a baby to nurse I have been attending a cluster meeting that is 20 minutes away. It is better than not going at all.

Good for you! I have a few gals on my team that are going to a different cluster mtg. b/c I'm an hr. drive for them and my up-line is only 10 min. As sad as I am to not have them at my mtgs. (b/c they rock!), I completely understand and would rather them be at a meeting than not at all!

 

[BethCooks4U]

[/B]

Good for you! I have a few gals on my team that are going to a different cluster mtg. b/c I'm an hr. drive for them and my up-line is only 10 min. As sad as I am to not have them at my mtgs. (b/c they rock!), I completely understand and would rather them be at a meeting than not at all!

If it's your upline that's 10 minutes from them, why not do your meetings together - or at least participate in parts of her meeting so they see you as a leader at the meeting?

 

[JackieB999]

Thanks everyone for the advice and support! Although my director agreed on Saturday to call in a hospitality for me, and asked me to send her an email reminder (which I did), I still have not been informed of any progress. The director knows my feelings that I don't want to travel over an hour each way on a work night.... when I live in a big city... but she's still apparently stalling :grumpy: Her remark was that her husband drives 70 miles round trip to work! Well, I'm not her husband!

I figure I'll give it until the weekend and email her again... I'm still confused why this is so hard for her! :thumbdown: If I can't find a closer cluster then I won't be able go to any meetings at all, and that'd be a shame.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Jackie - call Home Office yourself - choose the Career Solutions option and explain your situation to them, they may just tell you who else is a director in your area - skip your director if you have to.

 

[JackieB999]

Jackie - call Home Office yourself - choose the Career Solutions option and explain your situation to them, they may just tell you who else is a director in your area - skip your director if you have to.

Hi Linda... I did! And they told me my director had to call it in. Maybe if I called back and got someone else I could get a different answer?

 

[pamperedlinda]

Hi Linda... I did! And they told me my director had to call it in. Maybe if I called back and got someone else I could get a different answer?

I would call and tell them that your "director" is not being cooperative and that you want hospitality. Just be honest with them, once they hear your side and see that you are serious about your business I would hope that they would help you. Keep calling.....we (consultants) are the reason that Home Office employees have a job - they want us to be happy.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Thanks everyone for the advice and support! Although my director agreed on Saturday to call in a hospitality for me, and asked me to send her an email reminder (which I did), I still have not been informed of any progress. The director knows my feelings that I don't want to travel over an hour each way on a work night.... when I live in a big city... but she's still apparently stalling :grumpy: Her remark was that her husband drives 70 miles round trip to work! Well, I'm not her husband!

I figure I'll give it until the weekend and email her again... I'm still confused why this is so hard for her! :thumbdown: If I can't find a closer cluster then I won't be able go to any meetings at all, and that'd be a shame.

Your director may not feel that it's too far a distance to travel but she did agree to check on hospitality for you just a few days ago. I think you need to be a little patient. HO doesn't always get back to us immediately. I was looking for hospitality and even with me calling them weekly it took more than a month for them to even get back to me to say they didn't find anyone yet. A month later they had someone who was almost as far for the consultant as I was.

There may not be one as close as you think. I think they ask the director if she'll accept hospitality consultants so if (s)he isn't willing they have to keep looking.

In the meantime, take the online courses and network here. Ask your director if anyone lives nearer you that is on the team so you can connect with them. What are you doing for your business? Have you got shows on the calendar? Do host coaching and calls to get more shows - and find new recruits so you can eventually do your own meetings.

 

[esavvymom]

Would she (or someone you know who might still be too far) be willing to do Skype video calls for the meetings for you??

 

[pclinskie]

Like I said earlier and as Beth said.
It is not a quick turnover finding a hospitality director.
You director has to call HO. HO gets back to director. Your director has to call that hospitally director. That director has to get back to your director to see if they will accecpt you.
and again, most everyone drives an hour or more to meetings.

 

[JackieB999]

Like I said earlier and as Beth said.
It is not a quick turnover finding a hospitality director.
You director has to call HO. HO gets back to director. Your director has to call that hospitally director. That director has to get back to your director to see if they will accecpt you.
and again, most everyone drives an hour or more to meetings.

I do understand that it may take some time, however I've been discussing this for at least 2-3 weeks with her (minus her responses until last weekend). She doesn't seem like she WANTS to do it, so that's gonna take a whole lot longer. :grumpy:

While I can appreciate that many people don't live in a city and NEED to drive to a meeting somewhere... I am in a big city that must have several meetings closer to me. Leaving my house at 7:30 am and returning at 10:45 pm on a work night is not something I'm entertaining doing again. If I didn't have a day job it might be do-able, but that's not the case here.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Like I said earlier and as Beth said.
It is not a quick turnover finding a hospitality director.
You director has to call HO. HO gets back to director. Your director has to call that hospitally director. That director has to get back to your director to see if they will accecpt you.
and again, most everyone drives an hour or more to meetings.

I'm not so sure they do it this way anymore. I have a consultant who recently moved out of state - when I called HO to get hospitality the person I spoke with in Career Solutions gave me a name and phone number while I was on the phone - took less than 10 mins. It was up to me to contact that director to see if she would accept my consultant.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Originally Posted by pclinskie
Like I said earlier and as Beth said.
It is not a quick turnover finding a hospitality director.
You director has to call HO. HO gets back to director. Your director has to call that hospitally director. That director has to get back to your director to see if they will accecpt you.
and again, most everyone drives an hour or more to meetings.

I do understand that it may take some time, however I've been discussing this for at least 2-3 weeks with her (minus her responses until last weekend). She doesn't seem like she WANTS to do it, so that's gonna take a whole lot longer. :grumpy:

While I can appreciate that many people don't live in a city and NEED to drive to a meeting somewhere... I am in a big city that must have several meetings closer to me. Leaving my house at 7:30 am and returning at 10:45 pm on a work night is not something I'm entertaining doing again. If I didn't have a day job it might be do-able, but that's not the case here.

You aren't understanding. It takes TIME. You appear to have decided that she doesn't care either. That isn't fair. We all have lives. She has other things to deal with besides this - do you know what's happening in her personal life? - how many other team members she has to split her time between? - if she has another job besides PC? She said she contacted HO so it's now in their hands. So just give it some time. Not hours but weeks. Give her a break. She is your director and unless you quit for 6 months it is what it is so stop the negative thoughts and mend the fence. Call her and say "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I feel..." Don't attack but tell her how excited you are and that you want to make this work and you feel a meeting closer to home would help you. Tell her that because you are so excited you want everything to be worked out now and ask her to help you.

In the meantime have you taken the online classes? They will tell you more than any meeting. Call or email your director and ask her questions. Let her be your mentor. I have consultants in other states and we have a close relationship even though they attend other meetings. You need that too with her. Chef Success is great but be careful on here - lots of amazing information but it is not all correct. There are many who like to cut corners or be creative and it's not all good advice. That being said, most of it is sooooo helpful to everyone's business - and some of us will comment quickly when we see something being represented wrongly.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I'm not so sure they do it this way anymore. I have a consultant who recently moved out of state - when I called HO to get hospitality the person I spoke with in Career Solutions gave me a name and phone number while I was on the phone - took less than 10 mins. It was up to me to contact that director to see if she would accept my consultant.

Linda, you were lucky. I have never called for hospitality and gotten such a quick response. I think this is the exception.

 

[JackieB999]

.... but tell her how excited you are and that you want to make this work and you feel a meeting closer to home would help you. Tell her that because you are so excited you want everything to be worked out now and ask her to help you.

I'm sorry, but have you read everything I've said in here about my discussions with her? Because I have done those things and more. It seems like you're attacking me with the rest of your post, why? I have taken online courses, watched DVD's etc and I just want to find a MEETING to go to in my city. Why oh why is this so hard? My director does not have another job besides PC and if I'm not important enough to solve this problem in a timely manner (3 weeks already now) then HUMMMPH! Nevermind! I dont need a meeting. TYVM for helping me see that Beth.

 

[chefsteph07]

Online classes are fine, but I do think that if Jackie is looking for a meeting and her upline is not doing what she feels they should be doing, I don't understand why no one can understand her POV. I LOVE going to my meetings, it's just what I need for fresh ideas and sometimes as a pick me up. I would not drive an hour to go to a meeting. Luckily, there are several in my area and my director lives about 10 min away. If I were a HO lead and signed up, I'd expect a little better treatment. I know when I get HO leads, they get the utmost treatment, especially if I had one lucky enough to sign on!

 

[BethCooks4U]

Jackie, I was not attacking you, just pointing out that it seems you're being impatient and not giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Meetings are important.

She may be blowing you off.

I don't know but I prefer to think that people have other things in their lives besides me. Of course, if I haven't heard in a week or two I'll ask again and if they don't return my calls I'll ask if somethings going on and "I hope you're okay". I'll say things like "I don't want to be a pest here but it's important to me, please let me know what I can do." or "I hope everything is okay. I'm getting worried about you."


I was trying to give reasons that she hasn't gotten back to you. When I've tried to get hospitality it has taken weeks to get such info (yes, sometimes more than 3) so I was trying to see things from her side. When Linda said that she got hospitality for someone immediately I was afraid it would add fuel to your feelings and that she had just been lucky. Well, I have 2 consultants who live an hour from me who never come to the meetings but have never wanted hospitality. Because of this thread I called HO to see what it would take and I was immediately given a director to call. [it's an upper level who I would love to train with and I would go with them to her meetings but I have a commitment during that time - when I told them about her they were thrilled and will start attending meetings too!]

Once I had her name, I had to call her and ask if she accepts hospitality and get her meeting info. I was fortunate that she answered. Your director may have done this and it could be that she hasn't heard back from the HD or that the HD said no in which case she'd have to call HO again. And then call the new HD...

I would suggest you call your director again and let her know that you have "talked" to 2 directors who called HO and got hospitality in just a few minutes. She may not know (as I didn't - thanks Linda!) that it's handled differently now. Or she may be in that loop of calling and waiting to hear back. If she's emailing to get the info it takes a lot longer.