Interactive Chaos!

[pamperedlinda]

I'm really trying to embrace the Interactive format - but it's a mess! I'm great with the show format I've been doing all along, but interactive is chaotic. Let me explain.

Today's show recipe - Bread Bowl Artichoke Dip

After the first 2 guests arrived I had them start helping me prepare the recipe, as others arrived they also helped. That part was fine. It's after this that I get all perplexed! As we were putting the recipe in the oven I had my host round-up all the stragglers. I did my intro and story and asked everyone what they liked about the tool they used. This was good and got them talking. I had all the ingredients for pass-around salsa and talked about the salad choppers and passed it for everyone to make - they loved it!

My problem is I feel all out of control. I realized that I never introduced myself, never got their names, never thanked my host, never talked about SA, forgot all about my DPDS, I'm just not real comfy with this format.....any ideas?

Sales are great - she's already over $1,000 - but she always has a great show for me. Heck, I could sit in a corner at her house and it would still be a high show. I didn't get any bookings, but then I've never gotten bookings from her shows - she lives in an affluent area and her friends spend $$, but none of them want to host :(. I've done CCC with them in the past, they all say no thanks, when Ida has her next show I'll be there. And I do get outlet orders and misc orders from some of them occasionally.

What's working for you? I feel really akward with this. Almost like it's an inside-out show. I'm doing in the middle what I used to do in the beginning and vice-versa.

[DebbieJ]

I wait til almost everyone is there to start the demo. I quickly explain that we are going to play with our food, then have a chance to taste our recipe, I'll do some housekeeping stuff, then they'll have a chance to shop, talk, and eat some more.

So we do the recipe, then I go into my normal show format when we're doing "housekeeping" and do an opening, overview what we did, make sure I touch on the collections in that, do my closing, DPDS, and then take orders.

[PamperedK]

Here's what I've been doing that works really well for me.

1. When everyone arrives, have them sit in the livingroom and put on name tags (do not give catalogs at this point)
2. At the scheduled start time, thank the host, do intros and tell my story, tell them they're going to receive catalogs at the end, after the recipe.
3. Move into the kitchen / dining room where there are NO chairs and begin recipe
4. Ask people to volunteer - have someone else read the recipe. If people aren't volunteering, use the name tags to ask them to help. Ask your host ahead of time to volunteer first to get things started.
5. If you have to bake the recipe, stay in the kitchen and talk about SA, Cookware, etc...you want people to have food in their hands when they go back to the living room.
6. Serve up food and head back to the living room. Now talk about bookings, recruiting, pass out binder if you have one, talk about round-up, etc...
7. Now hand out catalogs - tell them I'll be back in 2 minutes to do a draw.
8. Go wash batter bowl and come back with draw slips. Ask if there are any questions. Hand out draw slips, put batter bowl on table and tell them I'll be back in 1 minute.
9. Go wash a couple of other things - come back and do the draw.
10. Before drawing the winner, tell them you'll be there for 30-45 minutes to take orders and answer questions about booking a show or becoming a consultant.
11. Do the draw and then go set up checkout area and do some dishes.

I've been doing dishes at the hosts house and I LOVE it. I bring my own soap and I always ask if it's OK. I usually will wash a few and then grab my towel and something to dry and walk back into the living room and ask if everyone's finding anything ok, if they have any questions, etc....

This has been working for me. I am still in control but the shows are interactive and much more fun.

I HIGHLY recommend name tags. That way you can ask guests by name, it helps build rapport and you're not standing there asking if 'anyone would like to do X' while they stare at you in silence.

I also highly recommend having someone else read the recipe. That way you can keep things moving and not sound like you're the teacher. I do this even with really easy recipes that I know by heart. This way I find they're not looking to me as the demonstrator - they're looking to their friend for the next step. I don't feel like I'm lecturing or teaching so much.