I know my host coaching has been sucky lately...

[DebbieJ]

...but I just had a host call me on it. She says she never got her packet, but I checked my receipts. I mailed it 2/29. Her show is 3/28. Since she never got it, she never sent out invites, and she is cancelling.

Here is her email. I haven't responded yet. Some of what she says is true, but she never told me she wanted to mail the invites at the beginning of Feb when she booked. I generally send out packets 1 mth in advance. I am feeling so down about it. Tell me what I should do.

Just wanted to let you know that I have yet to receive the packet with invitations and information for the party that is scheduled for Friday, March 28th. That is exactly two weeks from today. Unfortunately, I am going to have to cancel that party (fundraiser). I'm starting to feel that this party does not seem important to you and that I've had to ask you several times to send me a packet so I could mail invitations and then call the people who I've invited to see if they would be able to attend. When you sent the e-mail below, I was getting ready to go out-of-town to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday in Arizona and Mexico. I had wanted to send the invitations prior (I actually wanted to send them out right after booking the show with you) so that when I returned I could start making phone calls. Just like any special party, people usually send invitations first with a r.s.v.p. and then follow-up with calls. Autism Speaks/Walk Now for Autism is dear to my heart and I wanted a big, successful show (I was planning on mailing around 100 invites).

If you still would like to be the demonstrator for my "Pampered Chef Fundraiser" party, please let me know open dates (preferablyon a Friday) for the end of April or beginning of May.

I don't want to do her party in April! I want to do it NOW!!!! In a previous email I had advised her to make her guest list and CALL EVERYONE that way whatever we mailed would be a reminder. Ugh.

[finley1991]

UGH!!! Okay... deep breath!

Call her RIGHT NOW! Explain that your records show that you did indeed mail the packet on 2/29 and are very sorry that it did not arrive. Be sure to confirm her address and all that to be sure you have it right. (I'm sure you do, just make it look to her that you are on top of this).

Then listen to her pitch her fit and then when she's done... and LET HER FINISH!!!!!

Tell her that there is still plenty of time to get the invites out... (I normally send mine 2 weeks to 10 days ahead of time...) in this case I would tell her I send them out 10 days ahead and EXPLAIN WHY because she will tell you it's definitely NOT enough lead time... I'd say, "I send my invites out 10 days ahead for a few reasons... sometimes if they go out earlier than that, people think they have TONS of time to RSVP and the next thing you know, it's been shuffled under some papers and they forget about it. Also, when the invites are sent out too early, sometimes people don't know what they are doing in 3 weeks but we all know what we are doing in the next 10 days.

After that, I'd ask her to e-mail me her guest list (I'm attaching the form I use here... be sure to change the contact info) and tell her because of the misunderstanding, you'd like to take care of sending them for her. Tell her she can fill the form right in on her computer and e-mail it back. You'll send all of them out no later than tomorrow... still giving everyone time to receive them.

It doesn't hurt to ask. Chances are that she got her frustration out in the e-mail and will have cooled down by the time you call her.

If none of that works, give her your first available dates in April and see what happens.

Good luck! Let us know what happens....

[pamperedbecky]

Great advice and wording, Colleen. I think that's a great suggestion.

I know how it is, Deb. I've sometimes had less than stellar host coaching and feel SO guilty...especially if I'm called on it. Take a deep breath and try to make it up to her by sending the invites and reassuring her there's still time and the fundraiser is still very important to you. Is it for the walk they do or just a fundraiser to benefit them in general?

Maybe offer to do an additional raffle like a basket of a few things to raffle off or something that you would donate and guests buy $1 raffle tickets or something to raise a little more money. Or offer to give her a little something extra if she's doing this as a true PC fundraiser where she won't get host benefits besides the monthly host special.

Let us know how it turns out. Good luck!! I can imagine feeling the way you do.:( I hate feeling bad about things. Even though you did send the packet, something got messed up and it's a bummer she's taking it out on you.:(

[georgiapeach]

I'd follow Colleen's advice.

My two cents....if it was so important to her to get them in the mail by a certain date, why did she wait this long to contact you? And, while I agree that special parties send invites first, I don't consider a Pampered Chef postcard a "special invitation". (No offense to PC but come on...it's not an engraved wedding invitation!) I've received a couple emails/phone calls like this in the past and, in the end, it turned out the host wanted a reason to back out.

My sister did a $1500 fundraiser show for Autism a few years ago...invited about 20 people. Good luck with this!

[DebbieJ]

Just left her a message saying I got her email and I'd love to talk to her to figure out what happened.

[DebbieJ]

Well, after leaving two messages, my host called me back today and we rescheduled to April 24. I think it will be fine and we WILL end up with a more successful show this way.

Now I have an extra day to help my stepmom with my dad's 60th surprise b-day party. :D