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I am just curious what everyones feelings are about this new SU Demo Agreement change. I was thinking about becoming a demo, but this has completely changed my mind. Is there anyone dropping SU and not doing it any more?
Please make sure to read the entire agreement as well as the clarifications that SU has issued. Don't depend on postings here or interpretations anywhere else to make your decision for you. If you have questions that are not answered by these two documents, please ask your potential upline to contact demo support for additional clarifications.
SU is a good company that makes great products. I'll be buying for many years to come. Good luck in your decision.
The new policy really only affects demos with blogs. Although you may see quite a few demos on this site that advertise their blogs, I think the vast majority of demos don't blog. I was only worried about the agreement because I enjoy blog hopping and discover new sites when people put links on their blog. At first it sounded as though the new policy would severely restrict those links, but when SU clarified, demos are only restricted from linking to sites that sell competing products. So all the links to other great crafters won't disappear! Yeah!
__________________ I love talking about nothing. It's the only thing I know anything about. ~ Oscar Wilde
I am an SU demo and WILL NOT drop just because of the change. In fact, it really isn't a change....just extends the already in place policy to affect 'electronic media'. No biggie as far as I can see.
The new policy really only affects demos with blogs. Although you may see quite a few demos on this site that advertise their blogs, I think the vast majority of demos don't blog. I was only worried about the agreement because I enjoy blog hopping and discover new sites when people put links on their blog. At first it sounded as though the new policy would severely restrict those links, but when SU clarified, demos are only restricted from linking to sites that sell competing products. So all the links to other great crafters won't disappear! Yeah!
Or designers, who don't necessarily blog, but work for another company (unless they have a contract in place, which will only be honored for a year), or digital arts designers (but now due to the new SU! digital arts program will cause a conflict) , possibly jewelry designers, or or or.....not just blogs. Although that is a big component of it.
I am not a demo. I have read what I can in the past couple of days...I don't see any reason to leave or be dropping out of being a demonstrator....
Some of this has to be created by the anxiety on this thread?
Just do what you do. What do you think is going to happen? Horrors.....they contact you and you say you did a workshop that included a few items from another company?...then what can they say. Would they really rather you took no orders??? I doubt that.:rolleyes:
I am just curious what everyones feelings are about this new SU Demo Agreement change. I was thinking about becoming a demo, but this has completely changed my mind. Is there anyone dropping SU and not doing it any more?
The best advice anyone should be giving you is to get the document and read it for yourself. Only you can or should be making that decision. Once you read the contract....and can 100% abide by the contract.....then join.....and if you can't abide by the contract, then don't.
Please don't let anyone sway you one way or the other.
Oh, and I do *believe* that the IDA is up on the website if you are interested in becoming a demo.....someone correct if I am wrong about that!!
Me!!! I will not be signing the new contract. I love blogging, leaving recipes and links to products for my followers, and being on Design Teams way to much to sign such a restricting document! The thing that is a shame is I use SU products on almost every project I make so I was constantly promoting their products as well. As soon as I use up my current supplies I will be weeding out my use of SU products. Papertrey Ink, here I come!!!
Another long time demo here who is also staying. As another posted noted, I simply do not see the new IDA as making a sginficant difference over the old. In the old IDA we were told that we could not promote the competition (though admittedly DT members did receive an exemption which is being essentially revoked). The new IDA simply updates the IDA in light of the newer forms of communications and states that we can't promote the competition in ANY arena..at a workshop/class/stamp camp, in person, or electronically via emails, Facebook, etc.
As others have said, if you are thinking about joining, ask your potential upline to print out a copy of the new IDA, take some time to sit down and really read ALL of the provisions (as anyone should do with ANY contract!). If, after reading the IDA you have questions, sit down with your potential upline to discuss your questions or give SU a call. As with any contract, you should review and then make an informed decision that will be the best for you. I, as well as many others, hope you decide to join the SU family, but if it's not for you, then sit back and enjoy being a customer.
I will definitely be staying with SU. While I adore a lot of the competitors products if I am running my own business I can't see why I would shoot myself in the foot by promoting a competitors product....it only makes sense if you think about it. I agree with with Stampinggoddess says above....
Please make sure to read the entire agreement as well as the clarifications that SU has issued. Don't depend on postings here or interpretations anywhere else to make your decision for you. If you have questions that are not answered by these two documents, please ask your potential upline to contact demo support for additional clarifications.
SU is a good company that makes great products. I'll be buying for many years to come. Good luck in your decision.
Just wanted to bring attention to this wise advice.
I'm here to stay, in all honesty I don't understand the big uproar about the new IDA...I use 99.9% SU anyways and don't link my blog to competitors anyways, would be bad for business! ;)
Oh, and they clarified that even with our new Simply Adorned Jewelry line, we are not in competition with other jewelry lines so you can link to those. (to clear that up!)
I think this was a poor business decision by stampin up. I think venturing into a single pendant and then expecting a SU demo who also sells jewelry to drop, is silly and unfair. It was the same thing with decor elements. Seriously do they expect to branch out into one thing after the other and expect demos getting 20% to quick quit the other company? They don't sell things like scor pal, and I am sure any experienced stamper knows about this product so they can't mention it at a workshop or in a blog? I still do not understand why they have not offered more new albums for scrapbooking. I am a hobby only demo. when I've seen stats on the average sales per quarter, they are barely above the minimums. With all the push to get rid of the old quick and buy new new new, I doubt that very many demos are making any money. It seems most people feel it supports their hobby. I won't be signing the new agreement.
I think this was a poor business decision by stampin up. I think venturing into a single pendant and then expecting a SU demo who also sells jewelry to drop, is silly and unfair. It was the same thing with decor elements. Seriously do they expect to branch out into one thing after the other and expect demos getting 20% to quick quit the other company? They don't sell things like scor pal, and I am sure any experienced stamper knows about this product so they can't mention it at a workshop or in a blog? I still do not understand why they have not offered more new albums for scrapbooking. I am a hobby only demo. when I've seen stats on the average sales per quarter, they are barely above the minimums. With all the push to get rid of the old quick and buy new new new, I doubt that very many demos are making any money. It seems most people feel it supports their hobby. I won't be signing the new agreement.
Just to clarify, SU does NOT require demos to stop selling other jewelry or not link to jewelry retail sites....they acknowledge that our jewelry line is far too limited for that. I understand that everyone has different opinions but its important to keep the facts straight, the IDA is available for all to view on the SU website. http://www.stampinup.com/us/document...Agree_0809.pdf
I am just curious what everyones feelings are about this new SU Demo Agreement change. I was thinking about becoming a demo, but this has completely changed my mind. Is there anyone dropping SU and not doing it any more?
This has also completely changed my mind about signing up to become a demo. I'm so glad that I didn't sign up when SU was running the special last month!
I have been with SU for 6 years and I signed my new IDA on Tuesday morning. The intent is no different than it has ever been and SU has always been totally fair to me and a great company to work with. I have always thought being on a design team for another company was an odd thing to do when you are selling SU, so this just seems like an idea whose time has come. I understand why those on design teams have a hard choice, but they have a couple of weeks to decide what is best for them. I wish them well, whatever their choice is, but for me nothing much has changed.
I am staying. Stampin' Up has been very good to me and treated me VERY well. However I might feel differently if I was ever asked to be on a DT or had my own blog.
The new policy really only affects demos with blogs. Although you may see quite a few demos on this site that advertise their blogs, I think the vast majority of demos don't blog. I was only worried about the agreement because I enjoy blog hopping and discover new sites when people put links on their blog. At first it sounded as though the new policy would severely restrict those links, but when SU clarified, demos are only restricted from linking to sites that sell competing products. So all the links to other great crafters won't disappear! Yeah!
This agreement AFFECTS EVERY demo regardless. If you use an altered box from Michaels - you CANNOT willing provide that info - you have to say a big box store. This is aimed at everyone and everything - facebook, twitter, my space, PERSONAL emails, talking to your customers - EVERYTHING
If you use a CUTTLEBUG SWISS DOT FOLDER - you have to say SWISS DOTS FOLDER as you will be in violation if you willingly say CUTTLEBUG
I personally will not sign this agreement and I will be dropping and I have found so many other fabulous comapnies that will now get my business. At least the other shops have the respect that SU is lacking right now.
Last edited by meluvstampin; 09-07-2009 at 06:20 AM..
This agreement AFFECTS EVERY demo regardless. If you use an altered box from Michaels - you CANNOT willing provide that info - you have to say a big box store. This is aimed at everyone and everything - facebook, twitter, my space, PERSONAL emails, talking to your customers - EVERYTHING
If you use a CUTTLEBUG SWISS DOT FOLDER - you have to say SWISS DOTS FOLDER as you will be in violation if you willingly say CUTTLEBUG
I personally will not sign this agreement and I will be dropping and I have found so many other fabulous comapnies that will now get my business. At least the other shops have the respect that SU is lacking right now.
You can tell where you bought something if it's not in direct competition (like an altered composition book as example). And why would you recommend the Swiss dots folder rather than the texturz plates in small dots? It just doesn't make business sense. I don't think SU is being unreasonable at all.
I have a question......I am not a Stampin' Up demo (I could never stay with just one line of products). I was asked to be part of a Card Swap by the Stampin' Up Consultant I order from at times. There are no guide lines for this Swap since it's the first one she is doing. My question is.......in light of what this thread is pertaining to, am I wrong to use products other than Stampin' Up?? I would find it very difficult, if not impossible to only use the one brand of products.
Just a comment.....I guess it would be wrong to go to a Stampin' Up event......camp, card club, etc and bring non-Stampin' Up products with you (adhesive, embossing products, scissors, etc.) even though you are not a Demo.
Please disregard my post if you feel I am going off topic for this thread. Reading the thread just made me think of these things.
You can tell where you bought something if it's not in direct competition (like an altered composition book as example). And why would you recommend the Swiss dots folder rather than the texturz plates in small dots? It just doesn't make business sense. I don't think SU is being unreasonable at all.
If you are a hobby demo. and find the swiss dot folder for say $2 on clearance and don't have the texture plate from SU! yet,it would be cheaper for you to get the swiss dot one and use it. Then you make a card and put it on your blog....like you said as long as you don't use the word cutlebug you are ok.Maybe if SU! gave us demo. more than a 20% discount we ALL could afford to buy from ourselves more and not go to the "big box" stores. All of the other home sale business that I know of(just a few) give more than a 20% discount. I have had 2 demos. under me give it up saying that it is alot of work to do to get ready for a workshop just for 20% income from it. I know that depends on who you are and what you do though at your workshops.
So all in all I guess it depends on why you ar ewith SU! to begin with.
I have a question......I am not a Stampin' Up demo (I could never stay with just one line of products). I was asked to be part of a Card Swap by the Stampin' Up Consultant I order from at times. There are no guide lines for this Swap since it's the first one she is doing. My question is.......in light of what this thread is pertaining to, am I wrong to use products other than Stampin' Up?? I would find it very difficult, if not impossible to only use the one brand of products.
Just a comment.....I guess it would be wrong to go to a Stampin' Up event......camp, card club, etc and bring non-Stampin' Up products with you (adhesive, embossing products, scissors, etc.) even though you are not a Demo.
Please disregard my post if you feel I am going off topic for this thread. Reading the thread just made me think of these things.
Patti
She really should set up guide lines for it. Usually when you do a swap with a SU! demo. you do use only SU! products. I would think you could get away with using other adhesive since you won't/don't see that.
If you are a hobby demo. and find the swiss dot folder for say $2 on clearance and don't have the texture plate from SU! yet,it would be cheaper for you to get the swiss dot one and use it. Then you make a card and put it on your blog....like you said as long as you don't use the word cutlebug you are ok.Maybe if SU! gave us demo. more than a 20% discount we ALL could afford to buy from ourselves more and not go to the "big box" stores. All of the other home sale business that I know of(just a few) give more than a 20% discount. I have had 2 demos. under me give it up saying that it is alot of work to do to get ready for a workshop just for 20% income from it. I know that depends on who you are and what you do though at your workshops.
So all in all I guess it depends on why you ar ewith SU! to begin with.
Gail
Besides all those very good reasons, the Swiss dots folder leave a much better impression, and IMO, is a better product. I bought the Texturz plates and used them once.
Of course, you were just using the Texturz plate as an example. What about their adhesive? It's notoriously weak, so I use Duck. What about their hardware? Very expensive, it's less expensive as a big box store.
Like you, I prefer to make my crafting dollars go as far as they can. As a hobby demo, I could use their stamps, ink, and papers with joy. I could get my other doodads anywhere I wanted....and sometimes I bought them from SU, sometimes I didn't.
I have a question......I am not a Stampin' Up demo (I could never stay with just one line of products). I was asked to be part of a Card Swap by the Stampin' Up Consultant I order from at times. There are no guide lines for this Swap since it's the first one she is doing. My question is.......in light of what this thread is pertaining to, am I wrong to use products other than Stampin' Up?? I would find it very difficult, if not impossible to only use the one brand of products.
Just a comment.....I guess it would be wrong to go to a Stampin' Up event......camp, card club, etc and bring non-Stampin' Up products with you (adhesive, embossing products, scissors, etc.) even though you are not a Demo.
Please disregard my post if you feel I am going off topic for this thread. Reading the thread just made me think of these things.
Patti
Patti.....
When it comes to swaps.....usually the Host will give out a recipe of what is allowed and what is not. If she states SUO ((Stampin Up Only)) then, that's what you need to follow. But, if she states non-vendor specific, then anything goes. Ask the Host to be sure!!
When it comes to the event you are attending....again, ask the Demo what is allowed and what's not.
I just got through reading the other thread in this forum on the subject....all 43 pages! I'm not a demo, but found it very informative (and entertaining, truth told). There were many great points made on both sides of the fence....I think demos have a lot to think about/consider. Many interpreted the IDA differently, many are waiting for SU to clarify their intent with the IDA, especially about personal communications (for example, sending your sister a link to a Michael's coupon in a personal e-mail...OK or not?). For those currently on a design team, they will have to make a choice. I guess I can understand where SU is coming from, but I think the new IDA will have a bigger negative impact than they realize, and not just because someone posted something negative here on SCS. There's been a lot of good dialog about it, and the outcome was that demos should thoroughly read the IDA, and contact SU with their questions and concerns before deciding whether or not to sign. That was the thread in a nutshell, plus a lot of drama!
I really like SU. If they remove all references to controlling what I say/post/link to in my personal electronic communications (emails, blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) from the current IDA, I will definitely sign and stay.
I have no problem at all with following content mandates on/in any site/email where I identify myself as an SU demo. That makes it business, and I would conduct myself in a business-like manner as a representative of the company.
I'm not making any final decisions until I have to. I'm covered for this quarter. If I don't sign, I'll still be a demo through 30 January. I won't be able to make any purchases after 30 September, but I'll still be a demo and won't lose my career stats.
I sincerely hope that gives SU time to read all the emails they've received and become inspired to formulate a plan that gives them the security they feel they need while also acknowledging that their demos have personal lives. I'd like SU to realize that demos DO have the desire and ability to conduct their personal lives in ways that won't run the SU company (and, by extension, their own SU businesses) into the ground.
I don't feel SU is forcing me out, they're just forcing me to choose whether I want to stay under the circumstances of the current IDA or not. The choice is mine, and I'm going to put off making it as long as possible and hope there are more revisions/clarifications coming from corporate.
Last edited by TheOtherMeg; 09-07-2009 at 07:27 AM..
You can tell where you bought something if it's not in direct competition (like an altered composition book as example). And why would you recommend the Swiss dots folder rather than the texturz plates in small dots? It just doesn't make business sense. I don't think SU is being unreasonable at all.
I think you'd recommend them because texturz plates don't work that well in a Cuttlebug. I've done everything suggested and can't get them to work.
I (re)signed up to be a demo about 3 days before the new IDA was released. When it came out, I was unfortunate enough to hear all the uproar here before I got a chance to read the actual document. I was of course all worried about it, and really started to second guess my decision. My upline is out of town, so I couldn't even talk to her about it. Then I read the document, and realized that it doesn't effect me in the slightest. I don't blog, i use facebook only for personal stuff, I don't twitter, or anything else, and although I have my own website, and I promote my cards, I use 99% stampin-up stuff anyways, and will probably increase that to 100% now that I'm a demo. I wouldn't link to other companies anyways, because as a demo, I see how that would be detrimental to my business. My starter package is due to arrive tomorrow, and I can't say how excited I am. SU has always been good to me, my customers are excited, the people I sell my cards to LOVE the colours and the quality, and I would never leave SU simply because of a clause in their agreement. I seriously think that some people are overreacting, and people need to make these decisions for themselves, and not rely on a thread or a blog post for their information.
I re-joined SU because I love the products, and I plan on sticking around for a long time. Good luck to everyone else, whether you decide to stay or not!
I've been a demo for a year now and it's been a wonderful experience.
I also have a blog and just began making videos for it.
I have already signed the new IDA.
I only sell SU so I only want to promote SA, so I really don't have a problem
with the new IDA. Stampin' Up! is a very good company and I didn't even
know them until I signed up, as I wasn't a stamper.
So, to clarify please, if I was an SU demo under the new IDA ---could I sell craft items on EBAY? Not current SU items of course, but other papercrafting?
Just wondering of some of the implications here.....
BTW, I'm not trying to hijack this thread or be a pain...I'm just curious here..
To tell the truth, I have been thinking about dropping my demo-ship for some time. I think the new IDA made me make up my mind. I've been only a hobby demo or as someone put it "discount demo." I have been my best customer!!! I recently joined a design team and link my cards to the stamp company's website, where people do have the opportunity to purchase. So, ethically, I am no longer in compliance. I will continue to purchase Stampin' Up products from the person who has been my upline because I like their products.
So, to clarify please, if I was an SU demo under the new IDA ---could I sell craft items on EBAY? Not current SU items of course, but other papercrafting?
Just wondering of some of the implications here.....
BTW, I'm not trying to hijack this thread or be a pain...I'm just curious here..
legitimate question- i wouldn't think anyone would think you are being a pain! Do you mean as in selling other inks, ribbons, pattern papers, punches, embellishments, etc? then it sounds like it would not be ok-
but, I would check with DS just to be sure~
I've been a hobby demo for almost three years, I think. At some point, I may become a business demo, but that won't happen until I retire from my job of 29 years. SU has been good to me. I'm thrilled to get a little discount on products that I love! I have already signed, so I am definitely not dropping. As others have said, it makes perfect sense, and really just extends the contract that we already had. When the contract was first written 20 years ago, I don't think that the internet even existed. I would guess that it has been amended since then. Now it is being amended to include provisions concerning blogs and other internet activity. Their counsel is trying to look to the future to imagine other options that may come down the pike, and including them in the terms of agreement so that it doesn[t have to be amended again.
Anyway, I don"t have a problem with it at all.
I've always wondered how other demos could design/sell another company on their blog and not impact their SU business. This is a business decision for SU and they're protecting their interests. If I worked for Michaels and sent customers to Joann's, do you know what would happen to me?
I'm still in. I can see that SU is trying to be reasonable about this and yet protect their interests.
Who's dropping SU?
