WAHM Forums

Do any of you have a point in your hostess coaching, where you line out for the hostess how important it is to you that she sticks with you and holds her show as scheduled?


I seem to be deluged with people wanting to move shows around this month, and they are not letting me know until a week or two before their show, which is not leaving me enough time to fill their original spot (andI do try!) My Nov calender is getting pretty full, and I already have some select dates filled that others are asking about. I feel like i need to contact these hostesses, even though we have not started working on their shows yet, and somehow let them know how important it is to me that they be solid on this date.


Where does that conversation fit, and how does it look, and does it frighten people off and make them think you are too intense? :)


My hostess coaching has come a long way, and if I can get over this hurdle I will be downright good at it. :)





Edited by: TMartin

I just strongly urge how important it is to get their Guest Invitation List back to me within 3-5 days. With Guest List in hand, I can go ahead and prep them, label them, stamp them, get them ready for postal... and that way, the Hostess is less likely to try to change her date. If she does, you can always say, Sorry Sally, but I've already got your invitations prepared for mail and I can't go and change the date on invitations that are already sealed with postage on them, or in some instances you would say, Sorry Sally, your invitations have already been mailed out. I had one Hostess who tried to reschedule after her invitations were postal but then changed her mind because SHE would be the one needing to call every single guest she invited and explain to them that she had to cancel or reschedule and she would also need to (in some cases) reimburse me of my postage expenses.

I know a gal in our team who tells people very plainly, at the time they book their show, that if she doesn't receive the guest list within 3 weeks of the show, she will try calling twice before cancelling the show. She tells them that she is running a business, and actually has waiting lists for certain dates. So as a courtesy to her other guests, she must have that solid committment. If three weeks prior she doesn't have the list, she calls. She'll call twice. If she has to leave a message the second time, she states that she would be happy to reschedule the show date for her but that she will book another hostess for that date.


I've only ever had one person switch dates around on me. It came down to the fact that she didn't really want to do the show. I gave her an ultimatum, she needed to have the guest list to me by a certain date, and if I didn't receive it, I'd assume she wasn't going to host the show. I never got the list. I couldn't believe she actually didn't want to have the show ~ who wouldn't want to?~ so I called her. She said, "well, I guess I thought I was letting you know that I really didn't want to do the show". So now I know. If I give them a deadline and they don't come through, they're really not interested and it would be better for me to invest my time in someone else.


Good luck!

I have a note on my hostess letter that says


"This is my job. Cool huh? If for some reason this date does not work, let know as soon as possible so I can open it up for someone else. Last minute cancellations are subject to a fee. Thank you"


I had one person ask me how much they owed when they cancelled. It was a good reason, so I didn't charge them.


I also be sure to keep in touch, mail out the invites, and keep them excited. We become friends and build trust together.


Hope that helps!


Debbie

I like that idea, Deb!!


I also mail out the reminder invitations for my hosts and hostesses, so I tell them that returning the reminder invitation list is what secures their date on my calendar. I also tell them when I need it by, and if I don't have the list by that time, then their date may be made available to others who ask for it.


Also, keep in mind thatmy company is a little unique andwe have what is called a Responsible Hosting Letter that we ask our hosts and hostesses to sign, so I expect this back along with the reminder invitation list. I know many consultants who wait until the night of the event to get this signed, but I have found that including it with the timeline to receive the reminder invite list has been helpful.


Now, with that Responsible Hosting Letter, and considering my company is a little different, my hosts and hostesses are also told that this "authorizes me to order their wine sample set," and I further stress that, "I can't imagine anything worse than not receiving this, and therefore not having wine arrive in time because having awine tasting without wine is an impossible task!"


Surprisingly, I rarely have a reschedule and I have only had one cancellation in the last year (which was something I posted about here, and someone that I was actually thankful that they canceled smileys/smiley36.gif).

I think mailing invitations yourself is HUGE for keeping the shows on their dates! I started doing that in July and I've had cancellations but it's RARE after I've mailed the invites and then it's usually because no one or few are attending. Then we try to reschedule. But since I mail them 2 weeks ahead it does give me time to rebook that date. And if they need to change, they're letting me know well in advance of that (in most cases).

Hi There,



I'm really new on here but I used to sell Candles and what I would do
is offer them an incentive for keeping their original booking date like
a box of tealights. It would cost me about $3.50 but it was much
better than someone playing "calendar hopscotch"



I agree that sending out invites for the Hostess is another great way
to keep the booking in place. What I would do after someone
booked a show is send them a "thank you" letter 24-48 after they've
booked reminding them to send me their guest list and to call me if
they needed to reschedule.



HTH



Lill

I have a reservation card that says something to the effect of "Unless
I hear from you in xx hours, I consider this party booked and will plan
for childcare for my kids. Please look at your calendar and let
me know if we need to reschedule asap." Most of my customers are
moms and can understand that finding childcare requires planning!
It was a great suggestion from someone else in ck!, so I can't take the
credit!