Open House for Prospective Brides: Worth it or Not?

[jcwarr]

due to the over load of people calling brides after a bridal fair - i thought about having an open house for the prospective brides at my house. i have a huge list of brides and thought about mailing them an invite to come and see the products without the craziness of a bridal fair where there is so much to absorb. has anyone done anything like this? i would love to hear how it went and if it is worth it. maybe i would raffle off something to entice them to come! thankd for any thoughts!

 

[kathy harless]

I haven't but, I think it sounds like a great idea. Now I'm thinking about doing one.

 

[Veevahchef]

That is an awesome idea!! Im trying it!

 

[jcwarr]

wedding registry open house updatejust wanted to update you all with my plan in case you want to do it as well. i just invited about 75 bridal leads to my house for a wedding registry open house. i emailed everyone and followed up with a pc postcard invite. i put a label on the front with wedding registry phrase and a label on the back for time, address, etc and my info. hopefully someone will show up. i have received one outside order from my mass email - but no registries yet!! if anyone else does this i would love to hear your ideas too!!

 

[pamperedval]

What are you planning for the open house - will you do a demo or just have the products out for them to look at and some already prepared food?

This sounds like a good idea - I hope you get a good response. I did a fair in March and haven't had much luck with follow-up, but maybe something like this would attract their attention and would be a good way to have a reason to contact them...

I'm doing another one in July and would love to hear what you have done and any suggestions you have for the rest of us.

Thanks!

 

[AlowayFamily]

Where do you find bridal fairs? I live in a small town, about an hour from a large city. Do I check the web, look in the paper? I figured it would be too late for bridal things, since most have everything planned for their wedding. I would love to get into the registry market.

Any suggestions?

 

[jcwarr]

bridal open house - tonight!!well - the night is here! i have invited almost 70 brides - i'll be happy if 2 come i sent an email - then a postcard invite - then followed up with a phone call reminder. i used post calls b/c i hate making calls to people i don't know - i am SO not the cold call salesperson type!!! way out of my comfort zone - so post calls was a great alternative!! anyways - i plan on setting up my starter kit, and then one other display with the ss mixing bowls, stoneware piece, executive cookware piece and some gadgets like citrus press, prep bowl set, easy read measuring cups, etc. now that i think of it - does anyone have a list of what every bride should register for - sort of like a form to have ready to say - ok you should have these items and then add on as you like. i'm also making the asian pasta salad and micro cake in the fluted pan - so i can practice for this weekend. i'm not doing a demo - but will be able to demo items if they are interested. if anyone has any advice i'd love to hear it!!
thanks

 

[cmdtrgd]

Maybe I missed it, but what is a post call?

 

[jcwarr]

post callswww.postcalls.com is a service where you record a message and enter the names and phone numbers of people you want to call and the service does it for you. you can track when the calls are made and see whether they connected with a live person or voicemail. the only problem is that you can't tell whether the 'live' call was heard - many people hang up when they hear a pause (i do) and then they miss the message. but most of the calls i notice go straight to message machines which is great! i think it costs 7 cents per call for pampered chef consultants - normally it's 14 cents. my director let me try it for free to see how i like it.

 

[jcwarr]

what a bust!!!here's an update - not one bride showed up!!!! and my show today had only 4 people!! def. feel like the amount of work i put in doesn't always pay off - but i know there will be good days and bad ones! the 3 people who did show up at the open house did make a purchase at least. and i was going to consider it a success if 2 brides and 2 non-brides showed up - so it wasn't a complete wash!!!

 

[soonerchef]

Don't you hate it when that happens...I am glad to hear that you are staying positive, I think that brides are just so busy. I loved your idea and would think of trying it, just have to find some brides first!!