Why Didn't My Third Show Get Any Bookings?

[shelly.nurse]

I had my third show tonight. I did not get any bookings from it. I used the booking slide, thought my demo went over pretty well. I could not even get any volunteers to help with the recipe (they only wanted to watch). Plus, I could not get any of them to fill out the information sheets. I think I may have forgotten to tell them that part.

Also, we started 1/2 hour late, the hostess forgot the cream cheese for the tiramisu brownie trifle, and we had to wait for one of the guests to bring it. I think I may use the idea someone else had and offer to bring the ingredients, for a fee of course. It got over 250 in sales, and we are still expecting some outside orders. Not bad I guess for only 5 guests.

 

[Aunticooks]

$250 in sales is pretty darn good for only 5 guests. I would talk to your host to talk up the hosting your own party to the outside orders. Remind her that she will get the hostess special for the month that any of her friends host their own party.

Good luck to you in your new adventure with PC. And don't stress. It will come. You might want to check out some of the booking trainins on line to help you feel more comfortable asking for the bookings.

 

[DebbieJ]

Do you do the full service checkout? If you don't know what that is, please call your director.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Do you do the full service checkout? If you don't know what that is, please call your director.

You crack me up debbiej

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

$250 in sales is pretty darn good for only 5 guests. I would talk to your host to talk up the hosting your own party to the outside orders. Remind her that she will get the hostess special for the month that any of her friends host their own party.

Good luck to you in your new adventure with PC. And don't stress. It will come. You might want to check out some of the booking trainins on line to help you feel more comfortable asking for the bookings.

Very true and good advice. Online training is great (check out biz is everywhere) and so are the teleclasses. If you have time, I really recommend you register for a couple....they've provided all sorts of good tips.

Definitely be proud....you have 3 shows under your belt! They will become easier, and bookings will come. Talk to everyone about PC....in line, during errands, etc.

 

[cookie325]

One of my first shows this time around (this is my 2nd stint as a PC consultant) I walked away with no bookings. Show sales were pretty good (6 ppl attended and we had $487 in sales) and everyone had a good time and I did the full service checkout. I was bummed, but I continued host coaching and by the time the show closed, I had 2 bookings, and even though the show closed, the host continued to talk to her friends about how happy she was with the products she got, and she emailed me with 2 more bookings after the show closed!

So don't get discouraged - continue to coach your host to get outside orders and talk to her friends about hosting a show. Sometimes, your host is the best person to help you get bookings because, when they're excited, they'll share that excitement with their friends which may lead to more bookings for you! Good luck and congrats on completing your 3rd show. Only 1 more til you get some PC$!

 

[shelly.nurse]

I forgot about PC$! Thanks for the reminder! I did do the full service check-out. Only one person is moving 4 hours away, 2 are in nursing school (which is tough, beleive me, been there!!), one said maybe in Sept (I am moving overseas in July), and the other two just said no!!

My host is excited, and she said she would try to talk to her other peeps when she gets their outside orders!!

I don't have another party until June 20th. It is a combo with a Passions party, I am kinda reluctant about that, but we will see!! Because of my big move, I can't book past the 15th of July. Also, I will be without P3, and will be travelling in August (my fourth full month), so I will not be able to take advantage of the Kit Enhancement (during 4th full month). Kinda bummed about that!!

 

[Lifeat50]

In my business, the one "maybe" in September would have been a booking. I know you can't do it because you are leaving but for the future this is what I tell the "maybe". "I want you to go ahead and choose a date in September...which night is best for you? Tuesdays! Ok, I have September 15 or 22nd available. I want to make sure Suzie gets credit for this booking so I will put it down for the 22nd. If for some reason you are unable to hold it on that night, that's fine. I will call you in August to check to make sure the date it still good. How does that sound?"

So far so good on those shows actually holding!!!

 

[cookie325]

I agree! My last show had 2 people there who said they wanted to host shows in the fall because all of their friends are overseas for the summer and they didn't want to host until they return. So I booked one for August and one for September, plus, I rebook my hosts 6 months from the date of their last show, so I have one booking in October as well (and I will have another when I close a show this week). I know that seems far off, especially if you need bookings now, but I got that tip from a director in my area who usually does about 15 shows a month (she always rebooks her hosts, so she usually has a full calendar 6 months out).

 

[GourmetMom]

Ok, good luck with the Passion Party combo... one of my teammates did that & it was not so great to mix that kind of stuff with food... but, you never know!! Just make your own personality shine through & get the guests more interested in the quality & necessity of having your products over the "other" - YOU CAN DO IT!!! Be proud of yourself & what you have accomplished so far!!!

 

[cookie325]

One idea for success with a joint show with any adult business is to do a dual display. Do your normal display as you would for any other show, but then do a bedroom friendly display (if you don't have the products, see if you can borrow them from another consultant on your team or just talk about them). I used to show how the SA pieces could double as candleholders (or as storage for jewelry, etc) or put rose petals in one and place your passion parties goodies in it to put on the bedside table. You can show the corer for use with strawberries, and do a chocolate fondue recipe. The strawberries and fondue go nicely in the SA small bowl and caddy set. Or the bamboo snack bowls can hold a bit of fondue, strawberries, grapes (or other fruit) and some whip cream. The dots stemware are perfect for a bottle of bubbly or wine in the bedroom (cross sell the stemware with the wine bottle opener and the dripless pourer/stopper). Those purchasing massage oil may be interested in a kitchen spritzer to put their oil in (makes it easier to use - less mess!!) - have them get two - one of the kitchen and one for the bedroom. Get creative! Our products have mass kitchen appeal, but they can definitely do double duty in the bedroom! Good luck!

 

[shelly.nurse]

Nicole, thank you very much for your suggestions!! I will definately do them!! I am going to copy and paste, and try to add to your ideas!!

I love the bamboo bowls with fruit and chocolate fondue idea, and I have the small SA bowls and caddy, as it was the May host special.

 

[Saturday Gourmet]

When I was trying for bookings, I found the dice game on here. It is a wonderful way to get bookings. The info about it is in the files section. I would attach it but it is saved on my other computer that is kapoot at the moment.

Good luck!

 

[shelly.nurse]

"In my business, the one "maybe" in September would have been a booking. I know you can't do it because you are leaving but for the future this is what I tell the "maybe". "I want you to go ahead and choose a date in September...which night is best for you? Tuesdays! Ok, I have September 15 or 22nd available. I want to make sure Suzie gets credit for this booking so I will put it down for the 22nd. If for some reason you are unable to hold it on that night, that's fine. I will call you in August to check to make sure the date it still good. How does that sound?"

So far so good on those shows actually holding!!!"

Lifeat50- you were right!!! I asked her if I could go ahead and put her down as a booking for Sept (saying that I would refer her to another consultant), so my hostess could get the benefit from the booking and she committed to a date in JULY, before I leave!!!

Thank all of you for your encouragement, I am sure glad that I found this web site!!!

 

[diradt]

Hi There....Try giving your hostess' a challenge before the show. Tell them that if they can book one party for you with a friend BEFORE their show, you will give them $10 to shop with at their friends party. This way you arent giving the money away AND it pushes people to talk to their friends about hosting. I also do a Deal or No Deal game in which everyone gets an envelope as I go through the booking slide. They are not allowed to open them unless they say YES to hosting a show---that's the Deal--if they say Yes, they get that product for free on their show order (again once they follow through with the show). If you can start with a YES, more people are interested in saying yes. If they say No, they never get to see what was in their envelope. It's surprising how curious people are!!

Pick products that are within your budget (for instance all of mine are $8-10) and act excited!

I know that is $10 a show, plus $20 for the show the hostess books but bookings are what keep my business going so I am okay giving that up. And if it is on their order, you get commission for it and their discount. Works out pretty good actually!

 

[shelly.nurse]

I am still looking for bookings. I am going to try your ideas.

BTW- this pampered chef/passions combo party may end up being my best yet. The show is NEXT Saturday, AND already has 300 dollars in commissionable sales!!! The host has been calling me to calculate the totals for her.

We are making the strawberry bruschetta, with a few modifications. We decided on using toasted pound cake slices instead of french bread, and mixing the chopped berries into the cream cheese mixture. Topping that off with some cool whip (using EAD) then sprinkling the chopped almonds. We got together this weekend to test drive the recipe using both the cake and the french bread, tasted way better with the poundcake.

Also, using the ideas someone posted on here to promo both items together. Have tried to contact the other rep, with no luck. Has not returned e-mails, and I do not have a phone number. She has all of my contact info though, I e-mailed it to her.

 

[cookie325]

WOO HOO!! Sounds like your show is off to a great start - and it hasn't even "started" yet!!

 

[mrshamel3808]

I've had multiple $1,000+ shows with no bookings. What I hear from those people is "I used to host shows but now I want to give "host" the benefits, I can afford to just buy what I want and let her get the free stuff". I think out of 12 shows that I've done in my first 3 months I've only had 2 or 3 shows booked from shows, all others were family members or friends who said they'd host. Some even said they would after they'd been to a show and said no at the show *grr*

And for some reason it's like pulling teeth to do full service checkout. Everyone holds their order form up from their seat and I say "come on up so we can go over your order and make sure I get it right" and they still don't. I don't know if they know I'll ask them about stuff or they're just lazy or WHAT, but it's been BRUTAL for me. How do you nicely *insist* that they come up to you?

 

[cookie325]

What I do to get people to come up to me is I have my order table in a quiet area of the house away from the guests and I have 2 chairs. I tell everyone that when they are done with their order, place them in X place in a pile or hang on to it and I will call people up to come finalize their order. I call people up one at a time and take them to my ordering area, where I have my host packets, guest/host flyers, and computer. Then I can talk to them privately and conduct my full service checkout without others hovering. I also tell them when I talk about how to fill out the order form that we will be taking about 5 minutes to finalize their orders together in X place, so to leave their totals blank and I will take care of that (helps with cross-selling and RUFTH).

 

[hmolah]

Another good tip for full service check out is to tell your guests that "since we're dealing with confidential financial information, I request that only 1 person comes up at a time". This helps to relay the idea that you don't want to have more than 1 person at a time and also lets them know that you take great care with their financial information.

Usually then, people will respect your decision. Sometimes if a line forms, I just remind everyone to sit, relax and enjoy the food, and I'll come to them when I'm ready! That too allows them to relax. Unless of course someone needs to leave right away - but I usually say that before heading to the check-out area.

Hope that helps! Be assertive and take charge. Don't be bossy of course, but let people know this is how you run your business, and you want them to follow the rules! It's not demanding of course, but sometimes, people forget what you might have said, or leave their manners at home.

 

[beckyjsmith]

Another good tip for full service check out is to tell your guests that "since we're dealing with confidential financial information, I request that only 1 person comes up at a time". This helps to relay the idea that you don't want to have more than 1 person at a time and also lets them know that you take great care with their financial information.

Usually then, people will respect your decision. Sometimes if a line forms, I just remind everyone to sit, relax and enjoy the food, and I'll come to them when I'm ready! That too allows them to relax. Unless of course someone needs to leave right away - but I usually say that before heading to the check-out area.

Hope that helps! Be assertive and take charge. Don't be bossy of course, but let people know this is how you run your business, and you want them to follow the rules! It's not demanding of course, but sometimes, people forget what you might have said, or leave their manners at home.

This. I do this and it is very effective. Like everything else, it takes practice.
Another idea for bookings ( it is similar to the deal or no deal idea) is to have host packets ready wiith a special catalog for the host, in which an inexpensive item is marked as a special gift for the host. The catch is that the customer cannot open it unless they are going to host a show.
One of my favorite incentives is also to take the most inexpensive host special ( for example this month with the small collapsible bowl,) and cut the 60% price in half. So this month instead of paying $6.00 for the small collapsible bowl my hosts would pay $3.00. I pick up the other $3.00.
Sounds like you are off to a great start!

 

[mrshamel3808]

I've never had my check-out be somewhere else. That makes alot of sense. I think I'll try it at my next show! I think it could definitely help with bookings because I could talk to each of them privately about hosting. I feel bad trying to talk up the show if the person's considering it with everyone else around and trying to close the deal. I'm excited to try it!