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Is anyone here a SU demonstrator??? I would like to have a few questions answered. I am thinking of becoming a demo just for my own supplies and to sell to few friends who want the exclusive items that only SU sells. Is this possible?
What are the ins and outs of doing this? Helpful advice will be greatly appreciated :-) Is this something that is worth the trouble to do? Does it fit within the SU guidelines? I don't want to make a career of this...... just a way for myself and a few friends to purchase some SU items.
I am grateful for all advice.... the good and the pitfalls...... I read an FYI on the SU site this morning....... I am expected to place orders of $300 per quarter?? I really don't know what goes into choosing an "upline". I don't want to disappoint anyone because I will not be hosting parties, classes, etc. I will be shopping for myself and a few friends.
The best part of being a SU demo is you can be whatever you want to be !! (Business Minded, Hobby Demo, PT demo...etc) I started as a Discount Demo (making my own minimum because I like the products and am saving myself 20% off. Next thing you know, I am doing classes and have a small group of customers.
It is $300/quarter and I think it's easy to meet since you will have your friends as your customers to achieve that goals. Remember that your first order w/in 45 days, you get extra 15% off so that's another big plus!
My upline is whom I met and introduce me to the Stamping and SU world. Depending on what you want out of it (friendship, coaching,...etc) you can pick any upline you want but I would sugg you pick someone close to you and that you like their styles. Also someone who is accessible to answer your questions in case you do want to expand your SU business.
Best of luck - I think Stampin' Up is the best investment I've made for myself to start this new hobby journey of mine!!
I should preface this by disclosing that I am not a demo and never have been - so what I'm about to say is just info that I've garnered from my current demo and from bits and pieces of posts here.
I wouldn't worry about disappointing your upline because you're only planning on selling to yourself and your friends. Demos aren't limited to a certain number of people in their downline, so it's not like you'll be keeping them from signing someone who'll sell more
Is anyone here a SU demonstrator??? I would like to have a few questions answered. I am thinking of becoming a demo just for my own supplies and to sell to few friends who want the exclusive items that only SU sells. Is this possible?
What are the ins and outs of doing this? Helpful advice will be greatly appreciated :-) Is this something that is worth the trouble to do? Does it fit within the SU guidelines? I don't want to make a career of this...... just a way for myself and a few friends to purchase some SU items.
I am grateful for all advice.... the good and the pitfalls...... I read an FYI on the SU site this morning....... I am expected to place orders of $300 per quarter?? I really don't know what goes into choosing an "upline". I don't want to disappoint anyone because I will not be hosting parties, classes, etc. I will be shopping for myself and a few friends.
TIA for any advice you can pass my way :-)))
What you have described is called a "hobby demo" and there are many demos who just do it for the discount. When you sign up, you get to choose your starter kit. Absolutely anything your little ole heart desires from the catalogs totaling up to 150... But you only pay 99 dollars and no shipping! How cool is that? :cool: you mentioned that you have a few friends who would buy from you; that would be great, because y'all could get together and do shares. You know split a package of ribbon or cs. Etc.
How long after you drop can you sign back up again?
It depends on if you want to sign up under the same upline or not. If you do, you can sign up again the next day after being dropped. If you want to sign up under another upline, you have to wait six months to sign up under a different upline (so choose wisely). If your upline has also dropped, you don't have to wait the six months.
When you sign up is a consideration because your first quarter minimums are waived so you don't have to do $300 until the end of your second quarter. To explain, if you sign up on jan. 1, you do not have to meet the minimum of $300 until June 1. You will then be placed in pending for the month of July when you will be able to make up whatever you were missing from the previous quarter. If you do, you are active again. If not, then you will be dropped.
If you were to sign up on the last day of the first quarter - on March 31, you will only have the three months of your second quarter which ends on June 30 to meet the minimum. So you can see it is advantageous to sign at the beginning of a quarter.
Also, SU often has promotions for signing up. They just finished one up on May 31. It seems they have them every two or three months so keep your eyes out for that.
I am a demo and would be happy to respond to any questions you have without any expectations. Just PM me. Someone local to you is a great suggestion so you have someone to interact with easily. I would suggest going onto the demo locator and email or call a few that are close to you. I am always surmised to hear how many demos don't respond to inquiries - definitely not who you want to sign up under!
I will say that I signed up as a Hobby Demo- I do have a few customers. I have had some classes, as others said, what you want to do is up to you. If you can meet your mins by yourself, (and I can and many times buy more!! ) it is perfectly fine!
Just to add, there is a demo side to this board that you can sign up for when you become a demo. Great advice there!!! So don't forget to sign up if you become a demo!!!!
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Honestly if you have a large wish list there really isn't a downside. The starter kit is a great deal and you can drop any time with no penalty or anything. I signed up because I was spending the minimums on my own and I like getting to see and order things early...it's exciting, lol! For me, it makes my hobby more fun. One day if I get rid of my pesky job (LOL) maybe I'll be able to make something out of it since I'd have more time for classes and stuff. It's great because you can make it fit your life where you are and if you're not into it anymore then poof, you can be done :-) Good luck with whatever you decide!!!
I became a demo 7 years ago because of SCS. :-). As everyone has already said, there really is no downside. We are encouraged to do it our own way! And there is no penalty if you decide not to continue. Good luck with your decision!
GrammaPixel, one thing that might be a downside for you is that I can see that you have a blog and you use all sorts of companies products and name them and link them.
I don't have a blog, but as an SU demo, I would not be allowed to have a blog that featured much other than SU! stuff. You can use the odd non- SU item on your blog, but you are not supposed to name what it is, or where you purchased it.
I'm a demo, and I buy from all kinds of companies - but I have no desire to have a blog, so it's not an issue for me. But it might be for you. In the US, yes you would be expected to keep up you $300 dollars per quarter, or else drop. But you could always give it a try. Do keep the blog stuff in mind. Someone else here who is a demo can probably give you more accurate info on what you can blog if you become an SU demo. Since I don't have a blog, I don't have to worry about that aspect. But I know that the blog issue was a big one for many when SU put that rule in some years ago.
Thanks Deborah for bringing that up.
The blog rule is that we are allowed to use non-SU! items, they would prefer we didn't name them specifically, but we are allowed to. But we aren't allowed to have links to sites where the items can be purchased.
So, on a blog I can say that I used a GinaK stamp, but I can't link to the GinaK website.
Thanks Deborah for bringing that up.
The blog rule is that we are allowed to use non-SU! items, they would prefer we didn't name them specifically, but we are allowed to. But we aren't allowed to have links to sites where the items can be purchased.
So, on a blog I can say that I used a GinaK stamp, but I can't link to the GinaK website.
Thanks Gail for clarifying for the rules. Truly, you are much more of an expert on that sort of thing than I am.
How long after you drop can you sign back up again?
It's 3 months now ..I did it this year because I didn't like my upline at all and dropped for the 3 months and joined back up under Becky Roberts Inking Idaho..I recommend her! she is so HELPFUL! and she doesn't care if you're a hobby demo she will go above and beyond to help you... I love SU ..Like a lot..said in my best 80's girl voice ;)
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni Creative Crew SU Design Team Alumni
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I did want to add.....I know some people think about signing up in the spring/summer so they can attend convention but it's sold out this year since it's the 25th anniversary. Just wanted to mention that so no one is disappointed if they were signing up intending to go.
Advice on becoming a SU demonstrator???
