gotta get bookings...

[chefmeg]

and am planning to send this email to all of my friends on my email list...not to my customer list...what do you all think???? If you think I should send it to customers, let me know!

I need your help~

First, let me explain tha I am NOT complaining. When my Dad got so sick in March & April, I was able to take the time to be with he & my Mom that I needed to take. If I had still had a traditional kind of job, I would never have been able to do that. He is doing well enough now to continue chemo treatments and is in great spirits.
However, taking time like that away from a sales position has its problems and that is that now I have very few shows on my summer calendar. This is where you come in! I have several goals this year~EARN a trip for my family to the Mayan Riveria and to EARN Top Performance in sales. To do achieve these goals, I have to get at least 10 Cooking shows a month! That is attainable, but only with the assistance of the folks that are generous enough to open their homes to me!
Below is a list of the monthly Host and Guest specials for each of the summer months as well as any "extra" incentive I am offering. Also listed are dates I have available for Cooking Shows. Catalog shows are great, too! I have listed incentives for them as well:

[finley1991]

Margaret, please forgive me as I am suffering a little from "over celebrating" at a wedding last night.... here is what I would change...

Daily I am reminded of what a blessing my Pampered Chef business is! When my Dad got so sick in March & April, I was able to take the time to be with he & my Mom that I needed to take. If I had still had a traditional kind of job, I would never have been able to do that. He is doing great now and in great spirits!
Now I'm looking forward to this summer and all of the shows I will be presenting! We have great new shows... (insert theme ideas here) and a wonderful business opportunity that can help offset some of the rising gas and food costs we all are experiencing right now. Also, I have several goals this year~EARN a trip for my family to the Mayan Riveria and to EARN Top Performance in sales. I'd like to thank all of you who have generously opened your homes to me! For being so supportive of my business and family, I'd like to thank you by PAMPERING you as a summer host! Below are our monthly Host and Guest specials for each of the summer months as well as any "extra" incentive I am offering. Also listed are dates I have available for Cooking Shows. Catalog shows are great, too! I have listed incentives for them as well. Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Or something like that... take as much focus off of you as you can. Family illness is so hard to handle (went through emergency surgery with my mom 3 days before I left for Leadership) but your customers don't need to know. I wouldn't put a lot of it in the e-mail... and friends and family already know what's going on... you don't have to tell them. Keep the focus on the biz issue because this is a business e-mail. If you want others to help you, it needs to be about them... hope that makes sense! Good luck!!!!

[legacypc46]

Excellent word choice Colleen!

Meg, I bet Colleen said exactly what you meant to say, right? You are such a caring and generous person...let your email show that. :)

(One grammar note, in the second sentence, change 'he' to 'him')

[chefmeg]

uh, yeah, sure kris! That is what I meant! And thanks to Colleen, I saw that the original was truly a little pity party email and would have dropped on people like lead balloon!