So I am selling Partylite, as I mentioned previously. I have a party for a friend. If noone books a party off your show, Partylite gives you 15% of the total sales as credit. If someone does book a party, it goes to 25%. So my friend, we will call her Jane, didn’t have anyone book a show off her show. I tell her that if she gets someone to do so, she will get the extra 10%. Jane then proceeds to call another friend who wasn’t able to attend, and browbeat her into having a show. This other woman we will call Sally. Sally has 6 children. In my book, that alone is a good enough reason to not have a show in your home. Sally finally says she will have a party if Jane helps her get ready and such. Jane insists that she will.
The day for Sally’s party comes. Jane has decided to go out of town for the weekend, ergo,m she is not there to assist Sally. Sally has, it is worth repeating, 6 children (TWO sets of twins). Sally’s mother is coming in town that day from out of state. Sally has been painting that day. Sally makes buffalo wings, stuffed mushrooms, brie and bread, vegetable platter and homemade punch for the party. Jane is out of town. I arrive 15 minutes early, as I told Sally I would. I set up. One of Sally’s friend’s is their when I arrive. The time for the party comes. And passes. Sally mentions that one of the people who said she would be their had thought it was being held an hour later. We wait. The hour passes. Noone. Finally, 1.5 hours after the party was supposed to begin, 2 women from her church arrive. I start the presentation.
The two women from Sally’s church together spent $25. Her friend that was there spent $80. Noone wants to have a party at this time. Okay. I am sure that I have felt lower than this in the past, but not for the last year at least. I have to tell her that at this point in time, without any outside orders, she has a credit of $16. I’m quite sure she spent more than that on the food. I crawl away.
I leave a message for Jane today, saying she NEEDS to call me. She returns my call when she gets home. I tell her how terrible I felt about the party and how badly it went. She says, “hmmm. I guess I should probably buy something from her party.” Uh, YEAH! This is standard etiquitte for these party/shopping shows. Jane doesn’t really feel the need to purchase anything, as she got over $250 credit at her party. Not to mention, just giving me two orders that she never delivered (from the beginning of June) on Wed. last week, and telling me I have to deliver them, because the people live closer to me than her. Not that she ever called these people to let them know that, thereby making me look bad when I show up with them.
Jane asks if Sally was upset about how her party turned out. I point out that this is the first time I have ever met Sally, and if she was upset, she may not want to show that to me. Jane says, “Oh well. She wanted to have a party.” What?! I say, “She had a party because you told her to have a party and that you would help her out with it.” Jane - “No, she had a party because she believes in helping out women and she knows that you are just starting out, so she had a party to help you.” This women and I have never met prior to this. Before Jane decided to make Sally have a party, I had never heard about Sally. How did this suddenly become my guilt trip. Jane says, “Sally pretty much takes everthing in stride.” What the hell is that supposed to mean?
This is not a rant about Partylite. I am enjoying dealing with them and doing the presentations. Other than the Sally fiasco, all of my parties have been averaging $600 in sales. I must be doing reasonably well on my spiel. This is a rant about Jane. Keep it straight.
