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I hope this is the right place to post this. If you want to send me a PM to answer, that's fine.
I was reading the Stamp to SPend Challenge thread and saw that many SU demos have to spend $100/ month or something. How does that work? Do you sign up to become a demo and just have to do $100 in sales each month? Are there incentives? I'm just curious how all of that works. I've heard many people say that they are their only customer and I'm wondering if you get a price break or what.
Thanks to anyone willing to explain!
Marji
You sign up as a Demonstrator and then must maintain $300.00 per quarter to remain active. That can be from customers or yourself or combination of both. As a Demonstrator you do get 20% of the merchandise sold as instant income (you don't send it to Stampin'Up!, you keep it). Throughout the year there are many things that are available to demonstrators. The more you sell and the more downline you have the more money you can make. Some are in as hobbiest and basically just buy product themselves or have a few customers. They usually do not hold workshops (parties), etc.
You can go to www.stampin'up.com and find information on what is required to become a demonstrator right on the Customer Home Page. You can even find demonstrators close to you that may be willing to personally answer any of your questions. These are demonstrators that maintain over $1,200.00 per quarter and sales.
If you do not find anyone and would still like to talk to someone personally, you can e-mail me at [email protected] and I'll be happy to give you my phone number or call you if you leave me yours.
__________________ BLOG RedHatStamper.net WI CURDS
There are many kinds of demonstrators out there. Some don't want to hold workshops and they order themselves or with a friend or two to make the $300 per quarter. I signed up for the discount thinking that would be all I wanted but without much effort I held several workshops the first year and now I find I love holding events and classes ( but I still love stamping more....)
One last thought - you must make the quota at the end of the first full quarter. I was able to have 5 months to make that first quota.
I love the incentives SU! offers! After all, free stamps are free stamps!
Have we begun to answer your questions?
Thanks ladies for the replies. I think my biggest concern is that I live in a small town and I don't know anyone here that's into crafting. I'm worried I wouldn't have a good turnout at the workshops. I guess you never know until you try though, huh? Can you go from hosting workshops to just being a hobby demo if the workshops don't work out?
Marji
You can be any kind of demo you want as long as you maintain the $300 quarterly minimum. :-) SU doesn't put any kind of pressure on you to do anything other than that. I started out as a hobby demo, just thinking that I would keep myself afloat, and with the help of a few stamping friends. I also live in a small town. Just for kicks, I decided to do an open house with a couple of make and takes, and I invited everyone I knew. I figured what did I have to lose? I had about 15 people show up, and I had about 8 people sign up to join a monthly stamp club at my house. Here it is, 2 1/2 years later, and I now have 3 monthly stamp clubs with a total of 25 members. I have not had a problem meeting my minimums one time. My sales have soared. I am having so much fun, and my customers keep me so motivated because they are too. So you just never know what might come of it!
I think most of us started out as 'hobby demonstrators' to help support our stamping habit! When I signed up I only wanted to purchase the starter kit because it was such a good deal and I wanted the discount for my personal use. It didn't take long before I was sharing my love of stamping with my friends and now 4 years later I have a thriving business. I, too, hold monthly stamp camp clubs, along with a scrapbook club, and I also do stamping parties (workshops) and specialty classes. It's really not hard at all to meet the quarterly minimum.
In answer to your question regarding clubs, the members in my clubs meet each month and we do several projects. They agree to purchase a set amount each month and each member gets to be the 'hostess' during one of the months and gets the free hostess stamp set and hostess benefits. It's an easy way to ensure that you meet your sales quota. Clubs are great and customers love them. I encourage all my downline to try to have at least one club going at all times.
Marji,
Thanks for asking about this because I have enjoyed reading the responses. I am really wanting to join SU but afraid I don't know enough crafters to build a business. I know the club I was in would start me off because our demo moved away.
I would also like to know do most SU demos have the workshops strictly in their home (which I would rather do), can you sell through a blog to anyone and do you have to do a certain amount of start up workshops?
I live in a *very* rural area and didn't know many crafters before I started with SU. I became a demo because I didn't have one to buy from! Now I have 2 groups of very dedicated stampers who keep me easily in my minimums and I enjoy the perks plus get to purchase the supplies I want for ME at a discount.
Word of mouth is the best way to grow your business. Start by attending local scrapbooking crops and getting your business card out there. If you know anybody who works in the school district, that's a great place to find people who enjoy crafting but don't have a lot of time to do it. My regular teacher customers LOVE a stamp-a-stack where they came come, put together pre-cut pieces, and leave with finished cards. They pay by the card, rarely placing outside orders, but I get the qualifying workshop while ordering the supplies... so I win that way too!
__________________ Pegg Thomas Socialism is trickle up poverty.
I do all of my events out of my home because it works best for me. Other demonstrators do stamping parties in their customers' homes. I find that by doing all my events in my home it is beneficial to my customers because 1) ladies don't have to clean their houses which is a big reason people won't host parties; 2) ladies don't have to 'displace their families' by having a lot of people in their home and making their family memebers scarce, and 3) it's a great 'ladies evening/day out' for my customers. This has really worked for me. Of course I know this would not work for everyone.
Don't hold back becoming a demonstrator because you 'think' you don't know enough people. Papercrafting is a BIG market right now and there are card makers and scrapbookers EVERYWHERE! Just make sure you sign up under someone who will be there to help you get stated and willing to help you find the answers to your questions. Stampin' Up! will help you -- they have a great website for demonstrators and are great when you need to talk to them on the phone, but it does help to have a great upline who is only a keystroke or phone call away, lol! Good luck with your decision to join.
Just wanted to say that I became a demo in September when they had their last promotion for signing up. Didn't know how I was going to do it, even though I inherited a stamp club from my upline. Then I found my one golden customer! (I'm pretty sure I was my upline's golden customer before I signed up.) She spends $50-100 a month herself and I had no idea she wanted a new crafty hobby. And she has introduced me to other new customers too.
Also, the starter kit is a great value, but it is even better when they offer a promotion to go with it. During Sale-A-Bration, new recruits can pick a free stamp set from the catalog up to $47.95.
I guess you never know until you try though, huh? Can you go from hosting workshops to just being a hobby demo if the workshops don't work out?
Marji
Sure you can! The beauty of SU! is that you can choose how you want your business to be. I know some very happy hobby demos.
If you do decide to try, you may find rewards you haven't thought of. I know for me, the main draw was wanting to increase my stamping supplies. But I got much more in the bargain - meeting many new friends and building the confidence to reach out to others. I've always been hesitant to speak in a group but I've discovered that I can do it and really enjoy it. Enthusiasm is contagious, and that helps any business.
Marji,
Thanks for asking about this because I have enjoyed reading the responses. I am really wanting to join SU but afraid I don't know enough crafters to build a business. I know the club I was in would start me off because our demo moved away.
I would also like to know do most SU demos have the workshops strictly in their home (which I would rather do), can you sell through a blog to anyone and do you have to do a certain amount of start up workshops?
You do not have to have a certain number of start up workshops--some demo's never have a workshop. But, on your first order of $150 or more, you earn 30% instant income instead of 20%. So I encourage my downline to have an "open house" or a class at their own house and invite EVERYONE they know. Not only do you get the extra 10%, but you can book parties, start a club, maybe even recruit a downline--and that's what you need to do to make it a business.
You can sell to anyone within the US (I'm assuming you live in the US). I have several customers that I have never met, but they contacted me through my website.
Marji,
Thanks for asking about this because I have enjoyed reading the responses. I am really wanting to join SU but afraid I don't know enough crafters to build a business. I know the club I was in would start me off because our demo moved away.
I would also like to know do most SU demos have the workshops strictly in their home (which I would rather do), can you sell through a blog to anyone and do you have to do a certain amount of start up workshops?
Also, you cannot sell from a website, but you can take e-mail orders..... Most of my customers e-mail me what they want, I enter the order, give them the total, they send/drop off a check, and I place the order!
I asked the same question 7 months ago. Found a great demo to sign up with through the demo locator and haven't looked back. I could very easily meet the minimums myself, but I have a stamp club and have offered several classes that cover the minimum and more for me.
I have earned some free stamps and products, and best of all, *I* am not paying for my hobby anymore...
SU demos- I have a question
