Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
Hope I don't get a lot of negative comments from this, but I was at a SU party (not from my "usual" demo) - it was a friend of mine who was hosting it, and it was her demo. We played a game at the beginning where we were to pick from a number of cards, and not open it until after we were done creating the cards. When she told us to open it I was appalled at what she said was in it. It was either a coupon for a free gift or a promise to have a stamping up party. Needless to say, a number of us did NOT open the card, as we did not want to take any chance on "having" to have a SU party. I attend 5 SU parties per year from my own demo.....and I know she would never do anything like this. Let me further say that we all had a wonderful time at the party, I liked the cards she had us do, and I spent some money so that my friend might get some "freebies"...but didn't like that tactic at all.
Just wanted to respond because it was so "fresh" in my mind. Thanks!
Linda from PA
I have attended 3 SU stamp camp and have enjoyed them all. The camp usually goes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. all the supplies and lunch is included for $25.00. I feel this is a very vaulable cost and a wonderful day. One thing she does is type all the instructions on how to make the cards and creat a small booklet she even goes as far as taking a color photo of the projects so you see what the end results are or at a later time when you forget how it was done. I find this as a add extra to the event. The last stamp camp she did the one-sheet wonders which was nice but I prefer to do card techniques or stamping cards. Hope you find this information helpful.
Hope I don't get a lot of negative comments from this, but I was at a SU party (not from my "usual" demo) - it was a friend of mine who was hosting it, and it was her demo. We played a game at the beginning where we were to pick from a number of cards, and not open it until after we were done creating the cards. When she told us to open it I was appalled at what she said was in it. It was either a coupon for a free gift or a promise to have a stamping up party. Needless to say, a number of us did NOT open the card, as we did not want to take any chance on "having" to have a SU party. I attend 5 SU parties per year from my own demo.....and I know she would never do anything like this. Let me further say that we all had a wonderful time at the party, I liked the cards she had us do, and I spent some money so that my friend might get some "freebies"...but didn't like that tactic at all.
Just wanted to respond because it was so "fresh" in my mind. Thanks!
Linda from PA
My old tupperware lady did that....note I said OLD ...as in former. Nope I would never.
I have really enjoyed my SU's stamp a stack nights. They are a blessing after a long week of work. I signed up for the Christmas Club (Aug - Dec 12 cards a month), and am hopeful she continues past that. This is now a must do for me.
I have a wonderful SU demo. She does all sort of fun stuff. At our last meeting she created a little booklet with a sample punch of all the different SU punches, great when you want to see if the size is just right. She will randomly make us little treats or surprise us with a freebie. She is awsome, hs inspired me a bunch and as a result has sold me on alot LoL.
I love my SU demo! It took me 3 other demo's to find one that I really liked. She does stamp camps 4 times a year and we make 8 cards and 3 projects. I can't wait as the Christmas one is in 2 weeks. She has all of these stations set up in her house and we can either go on a Thursday night or Friday night. That way it is not so crowded. We pay $18.00 for all the supplies and drinks & snacks. The cards we do are all different levels and they are beautiful! I really like her style as well. She keeps the cost down just to cover supplies as she knows most of us will place an order that night on a new set we used and want for ourselves.
This is what some of the old 3 demos did and made them an OLD demo -
-Not returning my phone calls
-Not delivering my order until weeks later and not returning my calls to see where the heck my order is
-cutting down every other stamp line and store that sells stamping products and telling me that I should be loyal to her and ONLY BUY FROM HER! She wasn't even a friend, just a demo I booked a party from off of another hostess.
-At stamp camp- I went to one and paid $25.00 to make 7 cards that had basically no embellishments. They were the basic card and a different color cardstock on the top sheet and stamped. That was it!!!! We got to use a total of 5 eyelets that day. That was it. Many people were not happy that day and some complaine dright to her. Whether she changed or not I do not know as I will not ever go to another stamp camp or party that she demo's.!
I've attended one SU workshop (?) in my life, last year as a beginner.
Now, I didn't know what to expect but because of the attitude of the demo, I've never been to another one.
There were the card tables with 4 chairs and a card. The demo did nothing but sat at a table by herself and took orders. She served some food towards the end of it. There were about 15 people there.
The only thing I learned was from other people who were sitting next to me and not many people were experienced.
I left knowing not one thing more about card making than when I came to the party.
Turned me totally off from SU because I really thought it would be different than it was. The only su stamps I have were the ones I ordered at that party. No one told me that I would have to put them together either. I didn't buy that much but really felt obligated to buy...but...I don't know why I felt that way..I got NOTHING out of that day.
One thing my Demo (now my upline) did for me that I REALLY liked is mounted the stamps for me. These were my first SU stamps and I was new to stamping. She does this for all her new customers and I think that is nice. She then showed me in person how to cut & mount my own stamps.
I LOVE my demo! She's great. I went to my first stamp camp last year and I was a bit shy as I was just starting the whole stamping phenomenon. Any way, she took her time with me and helped me out a lot. She's very attentive, responds to calls very quickly and is super sweet. She has even had me over to her house for one on one stamping time which has really increased my knowledge of stamping as well as my style. Great customer service is always a PLUS!
OK, Loving this. I must have a great demo as I have never had any of the bad experiences you have with some of your former demos.
Loving the punch idea.....
I would be a afraid to mount the stamps for someone as I don;t think I do it really well....but would absolutely sit with a newbie and show her how.
So, I had a few ideas so far.....tell me if they are lame:
Share and demo a new technique and stamp camp is x% off.
Orders over XXX and stamp camp is free
Bring a friend or an order from someone attending and get a gift
I've attended one SU workshop (?) in my life, last year as a beginner.
Now, I didn't know what to expect but because of the attitude of the demo, I've never been to another one.
There were the card tables with 4 chairs and a card. The demo did nothing but sat at a table by herself and took orders. She served some food towards the end of it. There were about 15 people there.
The only thing I learned was from other people who were sitting next to me and not many people were experienced.
I left knowing not one thing more about card making than when I came to the party.
If anyone knows of a good demo in the Coconut Creek/Coral Springs, FL area, please let me know...
Turned me totally off from SU because I really thought it would be different than it was. The only su stamps I have were the ones I ordered at that party. No one told me that I would have to put them together either. I didn't buy that much but really felt obligated to buy...but...I don't know why I felt that way..I got NOTHING out of that day.
JMO...sorry..g
If anyone knows of a good demo in the Coconut Creek/Coral Springs, FL area, please let me know please...tx..g
My demo is in the Boynton Beach area, but she normally has her stamp camps in Delray Beach. It's a bit of a drive for you, but she's definitely worth it! Her next camp is December 1st in Delray - if you're interested let me know. My email address is [email protected]. I'm pretty new to the site, so I'm not sure how the mailbox here works. I hope this info helps!
Hi guys, I'm relatively new to this board but not new to the SU demos/parties. I have to say I have 3 in the area, and they're all a bit of a drive. But one of them I don't mind driving 44 miles to her house because she took the time to make it fun for us. She doesn't pressure us into anything. If she doesn't know something she'll go look it up online and email us the info. She doesn't care that we have other demos and very laid back. That's why i kept going back to her and often save up my orders just for her. So, to me, that plays a huge factor of keeping your customer.
My Demo has stampcamps about every months sometimes it's every other. She sets up at least 5 tables and there is written directions along with a complete card for reference. She has snacks and door prizes. We do lots of techniques and she has a bag already set up with everything needed for the card (card stock, embelishments) and the stamp sets, ink, markers, etc are on each table along with the double sided tape. Usually they run from 10-2 and are at a Center so there is lots of room.
__________________ Cassi R Mom to Tommy born June 5, 2009 ΦΜ �No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.� Eleanor Roosevelt
My Demo has stampcamps about every months sometimes it's every other. She sets up at least 5 tables and there is written directions along with a complete card for reference. She has snacks and door prizes. We do lots of techniques and she has a bag already set up with everything needed for the card (card stock, embelishments) and the stamp sets, ink, markers, etc are on each table along with the double sided tape. Usually they run from 10-2 and are at a Center so there is lots of room.
is this a stamp a stack??? I have heard of them, but never done one.
curious.....so when I get my demo # and get the magic key to "the other side" of SCS....I will find a million ideas and tips, right???
Oh! There is a LOT of stuff on the other side. You can spend WAY too much time there. The key is balance. Set a timer for yourself and when it goes off...WALK AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! There are a lot of very wise demos and, of course, some complainers. You'll probably figure out who is who really quick. They are usually quick to answer questions and have lots of tips and tricks for you. You'll love being an SU demo. Good Luck!
__________________ Linda
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and loving it! www.virtualinking.com
My SU demo is fantastic! I've been to several stamp camps- she usually has all of us put our names in for prizes like a free stamp set, small pkg. of embellishments, small pack of paper samples, etc. Also she has a sliding scale -if you spend a certain amount, your stamp camp fee is half off or free,etc. She is always checking as we all work on the projects, helping out/answering questions. No way would she just sit and watch us work!! She's great!
I just went to a stamp camp. it was my first and I was really shocked at the give a ways. She gave away two stamp sets that were older and everyone there said they had them. the camp was well organized and fun don't get me wrong.
her sale was 10% off any set we used. We used older sets and newer so that was kinda a bust.
they are for me the fun and girl time. BUT to be honest I would have spent more money if the total order was say 5% off or 10% of christmas stamps something like that.
Also, we did not get envelopes. I wish we could have at lost bought them. I like to stamp on my "lopes" so that they match. I would have liked to do that with the colours and stamps we were using.
hope this helps you...I would never ever tell any demo this durning or after a class, because I pay for the fun and projects.
I just went to a stamp camp. it was my first and I was really shocked at the give a ways. She gave away two stamp sets that were older and everyone there said they had them. the camp was well organized and fun don't get me wrong.
her sale was 10% off any set we used. We used older sets and newer so that was kinda a bust.
they are for me the fun and girl time. BUT to be honest I would have spent more money if the total order was say 5% off or 10% of christmas stamps something like that.
Also, we did not get envelopes. I wish we could have at lost bought them. I like to stamp on my "lopes" so that they match. I would have liked to do that with the colours and stamps we were using.
hope this helps you...I would never ever tell any demo this durning or after a class, because I pay for the fun and projects.
I to like stamping the envelopes. My Demo always has the cardstock in evelopes all ready for us. We just take a pack and start the card.She does this every month for our stampers 10 group as well.
My demo is pretty new and very creative. We're starting to develop quite a group following where we're getting together not only for SU parties and workshops but for a $3 fee or so, she'll have a group at her house...we bring whatever we want to work on and get to use any of her punches, supplies, try out new stamp sets, etc. She always makes cute cards to go in our order bags as "thank you's", which gives us other projects to make on our own! She makes up kits if we want to share a package of designer papers or other cardstock, for example. She's great!
A few thoughts:
1. If you are going to demo a complicated card, you might want to practice how you are going to present it to everyone to really polish that up. I've only been to one or 2 stamp camps but the 2 most complicated cards, the demos were really not too smooth. The one really could barely stammer the directions much less explain it smoothly and the other lady really knew how to do it but her whole table was a disaster area and I screwed my card up and there was no way I was going to start over again.
2. I really, really hate it when a demo acts as if letting me use her products is similar to using her heirloom china on a picnic. LOL Either approach it as 'stuff happens' or have supplies that are specifically for demo that you are not going to have a coronary if someone doesn't handle it exactly the way you do. It's not that I'm a kamikaze stamper but stuff happens and it never makes me comfortable when the demo is soooo paranoid about their stuff.
3. I am a visual learner so if you give me written directions I like it a soooo much.
4. I used to sell Longaberger and one thing I always tried to do with a group of new-to-Longaberger customers was point out 3-5 good starter items. I seldom really see a SU demo point out a good first purchase. If I was in your shoes, I would go through and figure out a few 'packages' and provide that in your packets. Pick out 1-3 ink colors, 3-5 all occasion stamp sets and 1-3 paper options. Obviously the Simply Sent kits are a good first purchase too. I would even consider making it like a checklist with item numbers, page numbers and price so a newbie overwhelmed by the beautiful yet humongous catalog can easily find stuff to choose that they will successfully use. If you can, use these products in your demo or at least have lots of examples that the customer can look at.
Good luck with your new business. Direct sales is a wonderful thing...great products, lots of wonderful people and fun and free stuff!
I forgot to tell you that there is a thread called, "What I wish I knew as a new demonstrator". It has lots of great tips in there. You can check it out when you get your demo #.
__________________ Linda
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and loving it! www.virtualinking.com
I forgot to tell you that there is a thread called, "What I wish I knew as a new demonstrator". It has lots of great tips in there. You can check it out when you get your demo #.
I am a fairly new SU Demo (since April, 2007) and I tried a 25 square board at a stamp camp. Basically make a board with 25 squares on it, each square is $1... when the board is "sold out", you cut it up and draw a winner for $25 merchandise credit. My gals go CRAZY for it and now ask me "aren't we doing squares"? Great way to get some orders at stamp camp. I also number their supply bags and draw a winner for a small door prize. Just have fun with it and you'll be fine!
__________________ Michele
<--------- No more braces! After 4 years, 4 months and 8 days - my teeth are free.
* MY BLOG * FOLLOW ME ON FB
Someone mentioned a "starter" pack for new customers. My demo had about 6 of them typed on a sheet when I first started stamping. I did order off of that at the first SU party I went to. It was so overwhelming trying to figure out what I would need to buy as I had nothing at home!! I went off of one of her starter" packs on the sheet and bought this - 2 stamp sets - It was also Sell-A-Bration time so I got a free one as well, 3 ink pads, 2 assorted packs of cardstock, the small rectangle punch (I used that alot)white organdy ribbon and some adhesive.
When I got my first order, I was all set to stamp!!!
This was a big help as I said being new to stamping I had no idea what I would need.
She also had packs for kids cards, holiday cards, and so on and then a couple of scrapbooking packs.
Great thread - these tips are super! I know I'll be printing instructions with pictures for my upcoming workshop.
Here's a tip for all of you great customers... Tell your demo what you like and what you don't like! I never thought to mount my new customers' stamp sets for them, but I'm definitely going to offer. Keep these tips coming.
I love ALL of the forums on SCS! The demo side is great for business info, but the regular side reminds me of why I wanted to be a demo... read them both!
OK, Loving this. I must have a great demo as I have never had any of the bad experiences you have with some of your former demos.
Loving the punch idea.....
I would be a afraid to mount the stamps for someone as I don;t think I do it really well....but would absolutely sit with a newbie and show her how.
So, I had a few ideas so far.....tell me if they are lame:
Share and demo a new technique and stamp camp is x% off.
Orders over XXX and stamp camp is free
Bring a friend or an order from someone attending and get a gift
still thinking........
Hey there - this is so great reading through your thread - you've got me all excited, as myself and my downline are looking to do something similar to you and are really looking for inspiration as well!! Thanks so much. We are new to SU as well (in NZ only this year!) so have so much to learn! Hope your ideas all work really well, and anything more you have to share, would be sooo valuable to us all! Thanks again, and go all out - your attendees will love you for it.
Great thread - these tips are super! I know I'll be printing instructions with pictures for my upcoming workshop.
Here's a tip for all of you great customers... Tell your demo what you like and what you don't like! I never thought to mount my new customers' stamp sets for them, but I'm definitely going to offer. Keep these tips coming.
I love ALL of the forums on SCS! The demo side is great for business info, but the regular side reminds me of why I wanted to be a demo... read them both!
Ummm, demo side of the forum?? I'm new to SU & Splitcoast, so am still very much learning how it all works, and where it all is! Sounds like the place I need to be looking for Stamp Camp info & ideas as well. Thanks for your advice, and look forward to getting heaps more info from these very cool forums.
I am a fairly new SU Demo (since April, 2007) and I tried a 25 square board at a stamp camp. Basically make a board with 25 squares on it, each square is $1... when the board is "sold out", you cut it up and draw a winner for $25 merchandise credit. My gals go CRAZY for it and now ask me "aren't we doing squares"? Great way to get some orders at stamp camp. I also number their supply bags and draw a winner for a small door prize. Just have fun with it and you'll be fine!
How cool - such an easy but fun idea! Thanks heaps!
I had two demos and they each had a monthly stamp camp (actually they were so busy that they had two sessions - Wed evening and Thurs evening or Wed afternoon and Thurs evening) - $10 fee and you made 4 cards. Everything was pre-cut and there was a finished product but she talked you through every step. There were usually 2-3 tables of 4-6 people so each group worked on a different card and she rotated around and helped everyone. Originally they gave envelopes but dropped that. One of them gave everyone a little incentive stamp (I guess demos can buy these) just for coming. If you brought a new friend then you got a free stamp pad (you couldn't bring the same girlfriend each month and get a pad every time). Usually there was a special deal - if she was showcasing ribbon then you got 20% off any ribbon, if it was In Color products then you got 10% off them, or if you bought the pad and paper then the re-inker was free, etc. She also had a punch card for each person - you got punches for every dollar you spent and after $250 (can't remember the exact amount-it might have been more) then you got a free $14.95 stamp set. Also had a "mystery hostess" each month - if you bought something (some people came and made their 4 cards and never ordered anything) then your name went into a basket - after both sessions were done and the order was complete she would pull a name out and that person would get the free hostess set (she would call a couple days later) - if there were good sales then you could pick a Level 3 - if it was a slow month then you might only get a Level 1 - you could only win once every 12 months. One time I put in a $30 order and won a Level 3! Unfortunately they have stopped doing camps - their kids are older and active in sports, scouts, school stuff. They will still take book orders but I enjoyed learning new techniques and sharing ideas with other stampers. Good luck to you - be friendly, don't make it a hard sell atmosphere, keep it fun - your customers will love you and it will be great!
I had two demos and they each had a monthly stamp camp (actually they were so busy that they had two sessions - Wed evening and Thurs evening or Wed afternoon and Thurs evening) - $10 fee and you made 4 cards. Everything was pre-cut and there was a finished product but she talked you through every step. There were usually 2-3 tables of 4-6 people so each group worked on a different card and she rotated around and helped everyone. Originally they gave envelopes but dropped that. One of them gave everyone a little incentive stamp (I guess demos can buy these) just for coming. If you brought a new friend then you got a free stamp pad (you couldn't bring the same girlfriend each month and get a pad every time). Usually there was a special deal - if she was showcasing ribbon then you got 20% off any ribbon, if it was In Color products then you got 10% off them, or if you bought the pad and paper then the re-inker was free, etc. She also had a punch card for each person - you got punches for every dollar you spent and after $250 (can't remember the exact amount-it might have been more) then you got a free $14.95 stamp set. Also had a "mystery hostess" each month - if you bought something (some people came and made their 4 cards and never ordered anything) then your name went into a basket - after both sessions were done and the order was complete she would pull a name out and that person would get the free hostess set (she would call a couple days later) - if there were good sales then you could pick a Level 3 - if it was a slow month then you might only get a Level 1 - you could only win once every 12 months. One time I put in a $30 order and won a Level 3! Unfortunately they have stopped doing camps - their kids are older and active in sports, scouts, school stuff. They will still take book orders but I enjoyed learning new techniques and sharing ideas with other stampers. Good luck to you - be friendly, don't make it a hard sell atmosphere, keep it fun - your customers will love you and it will be great!
You are just sooo helpful!! Thanks a lot for the info - got to keep it fun must be the most important. Thanks again! Have a great day.
stamp camp/workshop question
