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Anyone here that went from demo to "regular person" again and felt relieved?
I am thinking about possibly doing this but I have a one-year contract for autoship catalogs that would cost me $75 to get out of earlier, and I would have to figure out what to do about a benefit crop that I signed on for in October as a demo. I also just paid for about 1000 business cards and 50 catalogs but feeling kind of down about the fact taht I have 25 people on my mailing list and not one of them feels the need to even let me know "hey, thanks, gee this is great" or something!
I was thinking of just paying the fee to get out of my contract and turning over my business cards and stamping on them!
Anyone ever get out of being a demo cause it just felt too much? Maybe I am just in a rut but I came from the LSS all excited about the stuff there and don't get as excited about my product line anymore. That can't be good! I am NOT with SU by the way, it is another company I demo with.
I really think a lot of demos feel this way from time to time. We all get a little discouraged, I know I have. I'm not sure who you are with but for me, with SU, the benefits of being a demo usually outweight the benefits of being just a customer. More than once I have sat down with a piece of paper with 2 columns ... one for pros, one for cons and each time the pros do outweigh the cons. The day that the cons win will be the day I pack it in.
Could you possibly hang in there until after your crop in October? I know it's 5 months but at least that way there would be a light at then end of the tunnel, KWIM? You could tell yourself - OK, I'm already invested and I have a commitment in October so I'll stick it out till then, enjoy myself and if in October I still feel this way then I'm done.
Whatever your decision, I hope you are able to get back to your original love ... stamping! Good luck on your journey!
I really think a lot of demos feel this way from time to time. We all get a little discouraged, I know I have. I'm not sure who you are with but for me, with SU, the benefits of being a demo usually outweight the benefits of being just a customer. More than once I have sat down with a piece of paper with 2 columns ... one for pros, one for cons and each time the pros do outweigh the cons. The day that the cons win will be the day I pack it in.
Could you possibly hang in there until after your crop in October? I know it's 5 months but at least that way there would be a light at then end of the tunnel, KWIM? You could tell yourself - OK, I'm already invested and I have a commitment in October so I'll stick it out till then, enjoy myself and if in October I still feel this way then I'm done.
Whatever your decision, I hope you are able to get back to your original love ... stamping! Good luck on your journey!
You might be right about the waiting until October. My grandmother used to always say "haste makes waste" and I should probably cool my jets until I think it over some more I guess. I just get SOO annoyed when I send out catalogs and emails and newsletters and get no reply. You know?? I spent a lot of money on these advertising costs in regard to the catalogs, mailing, flyers, postage, my time (which is a cost in my book) and to have no return on my investment really annoys me. Especially I guess when I get emails from corp saying that little miss Jane Smith did x amount of dollars with one workshop. Dang, where are THOSE people coming in droves to do stuff with her?? I get people telling me about their great purchase on QVC or walmart, LOL.
Hi
They might be too busy looking at their new catalogs to contact you! Perhaps you should take the initiative and give them a follow up call "Hey, just checking that you got the new catalogy that I sent you, I'm so excited about the new products that have been introduced..." etc. They may just suprise you.
As you sound like you're with CTMH (autoship catalog gives it away), you also have the possibility of going junior status for a quarter if you want to think about it some more....
You might be right about the waiting until October. My grandmother used to always say "haste makes waste" and I should probably cool my jets until I think it over some more I guess. I just get SOO annoyed when I send out catalogs and emails and newsletters and get no reply. You know?? I spent a lot of money on these advertising costs in regard to the catalogs, mailing, flyers, postage, my time (which is a cost in my book) and to have no return on my investment really annoys me. Especially I guess when I get emails from corp saying that little miss Jane Smith did x amount of dollars with one workshop. Dang, where are THOSE people coming in droves to do stuff with her?? I get people telling me about their great purchase on QVC or walmart, LOL.
I feel your pain ... I really do understand your frustrations - you sound just like me! Whenever I get really annoyed I just dive right back into stamping - focus less on the business and more on the fun. I am fortunate that my stamping is pretty much a hobby - I have a regular full time job that pays the bills (and buys the stamps)! ha ha...
Hang in there, ok? This too shall pass ...
I am a hobby demonstrator. I found personally that just when I was ready to give up, I advertised a class for One-Sheet Wonder that was a huge success so I'm glad I didn't. It doesn't take alot to keep me active - I'm probably my best customer (LOL), but at least I'm gaining more benefit and growth in my craft addiction than I did as a customer Thank goodness I have a full-time job to pay for my addiction.
Besides that, I love the 'WOW' look on new stampers' faces. Stamping and scrapbooking is a wonderful skill to share.
MaggieMay
Anyone here that went from demo to "regular person" again and felt relieved?
I am thinking about possibly doing this but I have a one-year contract for autoship catalogs that would cost me $75 to get out of earlier, and I would have to figure out what to do about a benefit crop that I signed on for in October as a demo. I also just paid for about 1000 business cards and 50 catalogs but feeling kind of down about the fact taht I have 25 people on my mailing list and not one of them feels the need to even let me know "hey, thanks, gee this is great" or something!
I was thinking of just paying the fee to get out of my contract and turning over my business cards and stamping on them!
Anyone ever get out of being a demo cause it just felt too much? Maybe I am just in a rut but I came from the LSS all excited about the stuff there and don't get as excited about my product line anymore. That can't be good! I am NOT with SU by the way, it is another company I demo with.
I'm not gonna blow ya' sunshine. :shock:
So, take this for what it's worth: my 2 cents regarding MLM as far as the stamping/scrapbooking industry is concerned. ;)
If your goal is achieving a full time salary, and, you're investing full time hours, and not (or even part-time hours and nothing close to a part-time salary) it IS hard to remain motivated!
Being a demonstrator, if you wish to earn any kind of substantial $ at it, in most cases, has to be approached just as one would approach any job.
Owning your own business and running it successfully (by that, I mean that a successful business must achieve a profit, or it is not successful in financial terms. In other words: Being a demonstrator for the "joy" of it is all fine and dandy, but it doesn't pay the mortgage, put food on the table, or keep shoes on your childrens' feet!) in almost every case requires more than a 40 hour work week. You also have to bear in mind, that it takes time to get to that point--it can be a year, two, mebbe even 3!!!
You wear multiple hats as a business owner, and are responsible all by yourself (unless you can afford to hire other personnel to do it for you, and in most cases, independent demonstrators cannot) for:
Bookkeeping & data/order entry
Promotional/marketing aspects (within the limitations the company you rep for permits)
Creative design (this takes hours of planning/designing, extensive knowledge)
Preparation of supplies & materials for demonstrating/teaching (again, hours spent in manual labor)
Event organization (more hours of planning)
Those are only the behind the scenes responsibilities!
Center stage, you are responsible for:
Sales of the product
Customer service
Demonstrating/teaching (more time spent + travel time and expense)
Those are a LOT of hats to wear/juggle, and yes, while much of it can be/is "fun", there is no denying: It is a lot of work. For some, the hours spent doing the above pay-off with a salary to make it worth the work, and for others, it may never yield that kind of salary, despite their best efforts because of outside factors: demographics, economy of your area, consumer interest, saturation, proximity of major craft chains or stamp/scrapbook retail stores, etc. Every individual's situation is unique!
Some top demonstrators in the company have commented that they spend 70-80 hours weekly on their business, doing all the above, AND training their downline, in order to maintain that full-time salary they have finally achieved.
I think you have to assess what YOUR personal goals are with regards to being a demonstrator, and whether or not, realistically, they can be achieved, not just with your determination and motivation, but all the other factors I mentioned weighing in as well.
That said, there is also nothing wrong with determining that even the effort just to maintain "active" status, via a hobbyist stance, is indeed too stressfull/burdensome (and for some, depending on those factors mentioned above yet again, it indeed CAN be!), and it's OK to let that go and become strictly a customer. You can always re-sign, whenever you want.
I outlined the above not to discourage you or anyone else, quite honestly, but to point out some things that frequently do not get discussed at all when folks consider becoming a demonstrator and have visions beyond not just subsidizing their hobby, but pursuing it as a "career", or serious income avenue.
Good luck in your decision, and I would agree that taking your time with it, analyzing everything, is always wise!
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I agree with what MazG said. I have a business selling children's books so I know that it isn't the same, but if you just do mailings and emails and never actually pick up the phone to make a personal call, you probably won't see as much business.
So, here's a challenge: Call 10 of the 25 people that you send the catalogs to and tell them that you wanted to make sure that they received their catalogs. Ask them if they had any questions about anything they saw and also that you'd like their feedback regarding the catalog. What did they especially like about the products that they saw, etc? Are they interested in hosting a workshop or even having a catalog party? Would they like to place an order or join a club? Do they want to keep receiving the mailings?
Give them an incentive to order. If they order $X then you'll give them a choice of a free marker or something valued at $5 from the catalog, free shipping or 1/2 priced shipping or a free set of note cards that you've made. If I receive a catalog I love to look at it and look at it some more. If someone actually calls me to follow up, I would be way more likely to place an order. Especially if I were on the fence about something. AND, then, if they are going to give me something FREE, well, yeah that helps a lot!!
Sorry, this is so long, but I just wanted to encourage you to make some personal calls. (And, that is MY least favorite thing to do--I'd much rather just send something in the mail and get lots of sales from that--but I've learned that that just isn't as effective as a personal contact!)
So, take this for what it's worth: my 2 cents regarding MLM as far as the stamping/scrapbooking industry is concerned. ;)
If your goal is achieving a full time salary, and, you're investing full time hours, and not (or even part-time hours and nothing close to a part-time salary) it IS hard to remain motivated!
Being a demonstrator, if you wish to earn any kind of substantial $ at it, in most cases, has to be approached just as one would approach any job.
Owning your own business and running it successfully (by that, I mean that a successful business must achieve a profit, or it is not successful in financial terms. In other words: Being a demonstrator for the "joy" of it is all fine and dandy, but it doesn't pay the mortgage, put food on the table, or keep shoes on your childrens' feet!) in almost every case requires more than a 40 hour work week. You also have to bear in mind, that it takes time to get to that point--it can be a year, two, mebbe even 3!!!
You wear multiple hats as a business owner, and are responsible all by yourself (unless you can afford to hire other personnel to do it for you, and in most cases, independent demonstrators cannot) for:
Bookkeeping & data/order entry
Promotional/marketing aspects (within the limitations the company you rep for permits)
Creative design (this takes hours of planning/designing, extensive knowledge)
Preparation of supplies & materials for demonstrating/teaching (again, hours spent in manual labor)
Event organization (more hours of planning)
Those are only the behind the scenes responsibilities!
Center stage, you are responsible for:
Sales of the product
Customer service
Demonstrating/teaching (more time spent + travel time and expense)
Those are a LOT of hats to wear/juggle, and yes, while much of it can be/is "fun", there is no denying: It is a lot of work. For some, the hours spent doing the above pay-off with a salary to make it worth the work, and for others, it may never yield that kind of salary, despite their best efforts because of outside factors: demographics, economy of your area, consumer interest, saturation, proximity of major craft chains or stamp/scrapbook retail stores, etc. Every individual's situation is unique!
Some top demonstrators in the company have commented that they spend 70-80 hours weekly on their business, doing all the above, AND training their downline, in order to maintain that full-time salary they have finally achieved.
I think you have to assess what YOUR personal goals are with regards to being a demonstrator, and whether or not, realistically, they can be achieved, not just with your determination and motivation, but all the other factors I mentioned weighing in as well.
That said, there is also nothing wrong with determining that even the effort just to maintain "active" status, via a hobbyist stance, is indeed too stressfull/burdensome (and for some, depending on those factors mentioned above yet again, it indeed CAN be!), and it's OK to let that go and become strictly a customer. You can always re-sign, whenever you want.
I outlined the above not to discourage you or anyone else, quite honestly, but to point out some things that frequently do not get discussed at all when folks consider becoming a demonstrator and have visions beyond not just subsidizing their hobby, but pursuing it as a "career", or serious income avenue.
Good luck in your decision, and I would agree that taking your time with it, analyzing everything, is always wise!
Thank you Julie for a well written analysis of what it takes to own a successful business! I come from a family of small business owners--most have done very well. But---there are no 40 hour weeks or paid vacations for many years. It is just a lot of hard work for a long time! The rewards can be wonderful but business ownership is certainly not for everyone. Get educated and take your time making a wise choice! Gook Luck!!
Luckily my SU business is not necessary to pay the bills but I have learned alot about how to run my business and will make better decisions this year than last! Thanks again Julie! You are an asset to this business!
That said, there is also nothing wrong with determining that even the effort just to maintain "active" status, via a hobbyist stance, is indeed too stressfull/burdensome (and for some, depending on those factors mentioned above yet again, it indeed CAN be!), and it's OK to let that go and become strictly a customer. You can always re-sign, whenever you want.
I outlined the above not to discourage you or anyone else, quite honestly, but to point out some things that frequently do not get discussed at all when folks consider becoming a demonstrator and have visions beyond not just subsidizing their hobby, but pursuing it as a "career", or serious income avenue.
Good luck in your decision, and I would agree that taking your time with it, analyzing everything, is always wise!
Julie thank you for your views on running demonstratorship as a business, etc. and everything you said! I agree definitely to see a huge return or success financially it can be many hours of hard work! My DH says that I never hear the whole story when I hear from other demos about their great sales that just fall into their lap. He tells that I have no idea how many hours they really put into that, how many phone calls it took to get to that level and I should think about that instead of being so shocked and amazed. He tells me that no one would brag about getting a $600 show and admit that it took them 80 hours of work to get there - so I am taking all that into account too!
Julie one day I hope to be as talented as many of the SCSers here and wow to be one of the DD would be an absolute dream. Maybe I need to concentrate more on getting some stamping done!!
Thanks to everyone else for the input also -- nice to hear others have "been there" and how they get through it. -- Sorry if I sounded like I was whining, geez I can almost hear the stupid violins playing -- just slap me!!!
What Julie and the other ladies say about the business side is correct. It's an awful lot of hard work, looks great on paper, but no one sees the work that goes into maintaining this level of business.
It took me 3 years to finally let go. I am happy with my decision, it was the best for me and my family. My only suggestion is to take your time (okay, maybe not 3 years), weigh your options, try any of those things you've heard about and never tried (sales, types of workshops, products, clubs, monthly group meetings) and see what happens.
As for those who talk about other purchases but not from you. Remember there is a large world of products out there, lots of different things appeal to people. Don't be discouraged, just try to remember their excitement, show them the options your company offers. Stay positive and supportive, it does pay off in the long run, even though it's frustrating
Going from demo to "regular person" again
