changes for SU demos?
 

Recently learned one of my SU demo's is 'retiring' due to changes the company is introducing that'll affect demo's. Anyone know what those changes are?

I have heard that they are changing the hostess benefits - for a $150 party, instead of $25 in free items, a hostess gets only $15. Instead of levels, it's going to be a straight 10% of the party amount.

Not sure if this is the whole story, and I'm not a demo - this is just something that I heard.

That's too bad she's thinking of quitting! We've only seen small parts of the plan thus far. No one should freak out yet at this point : ) especially with such a knock-your-socks off spring catalog and Sale A Bration less than a month away.

The changes are confidential until the entire plan is shown at our Leadership conference at the end of January. Nothing goes into effect until the new catalog on June first, and then our new SU "year" will begin on October 1st.

That's a long time from now. If anyone wants to quit, this will make a handy excuse, yes. But I've not seen anything yet that is a deal breaker for those who are willing to work and grow. It's still a fabulous company with a fabulous product line.

If anyone has any questions you are welcome to message me privately. I know I can sound like a cheerleader : ) but I will be honest, within the limits of the asked-for confidentiality that ALL demonstrators ought to be respecting right now, whether in person or online.

Well, if what Cheryl says is accurate (and you don't have to confirm whether it is), then kindly relay to SU that this customer finds it far less attractive to be a hostess if the reward for $150 drops to $15, and I will be unlikely to re-up in my monthly club if that turns out to be the case.

Emily: In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't get my info from a demo. I'm assuming that someone in the chain before it got to me must have gotten it from a demo somewhere down the line, but I don't know who that would be.

However, the person who relayed it to me was in one of the monthly clubs,and she is also planning on dropping.

I have enough stampsets and supplies now, so whatever SU!offers now will have to be "knock my socks off" fabulous for me to even consider ordering it. Smaller hostess benefits will definitely have me looking elsewhere for something similar.

Since this is a thread about demos with Stampin Up. I have a question. Is the Black Friday special with a discounted price of joining the only time of the year they offer a discount to join?

I'm not a demo and my demo hasn't mentioned anything about changes so my opinion is from what I've heard elsewhere.

We meet once a month and make cards and place orders. Our group has dwindled to three of us trying to keep our demo afloat enough to meet quarterly minimums. My minimum order each month is at least $50 and so is demo's but third gal orders only about $25. So we haven't been getting hostess stuff anyway. But when we do, we split the hostess money. Going to be very tough splitting $15 if that's a true speculation. Maybe they are trying to weed out the hobby demos? My demo would like more interest, but as much as people love her cards and projects, no one seems to have time or money to get more into it. It's not my demos fault. She tries. People ask for catalogs from her, then have the nerve to order from another demo! Not much she can do but quit handing out the catalogs unless they pay for them upfront.

Having said all that, we love the product. I hope nothing changes so much so that she has to give it up. I would miss our monthly classes and being able to order supplies monthly too.

I don't think they are trying to "weed" out anyone. They are making changes to keep the company strong and profitable for all demonstrators.

Stampin' Up! offers all kinds of promotions for joining through out the year~ the next one will be during Saleabration.

Oy If this is true $15 or 10% credit in products would not even compensate the hostess for the cost of the snacks :lol:

My Demo gave up the monthly club. Most people don't have the time nor the money to invest in SU every month.

This is the reason that I hesitate on joining a club. The idea that I HAVE to spend at least $15 each month for 12 months is a quandary for me especially since I have no need for the normal holiday products which pop up at least 6 mos out of the year.

OP here...thanks for all your comments. Will certainly miss the make & take events my demo has held. Sounds like a foregone conclusion that she will quit sometime next yr. May be because the new plan will make scheduling event more difficult...not sure. She's pretty tight-lipped about it.

I do love SU's products; fortunately for me I have another (closer) demo I can go to events w/ and order from.

Neither of my demo's does any sort of monthly club.

The Stampin' Up! plan will compensate the demonstrator providing the make and takes and teaching people how to use the products. A host can get more benefits by working to have a bigger party.

As for monthly clubs with a minimum purchase~ it is not profitable for a demo to provide make and takes and her time for $150 in purchases. If something is not profitable they will not continue to do them.

It is important for Stampin' Up! and the demonstrators to remain profitable.

I just rejoined with the $75.00 special. I attend three demo's groups. One is monthly, no requirement to buy what-so-ever. Her cards are beautiful and detailed.

The other is every other month and a good friend I used to demo with. Not a club either.

The third is a six month club that will be done in March. $25.00 minimum I'll keep my commitment to that group as it will end in March and it's the right thing to do.

I adore my groups. I would be lost without them. I don't know if I'll keep my demo-ship, but I'll continue with my groups because did I mention.........I LOVE them!!!

For me, and yes I am a demo, SU! is so much more than hostess rewards. The friendships I have made by holding stamping clubs and classes is not able to be quantified in a dollar amount. I will wait to pass judgement on any changes till I see all of the changes. And I hope you all do the same.

In October I emailed my up line and told her I needed to drop because my situation had changed and I would not be able to maintain the minimums and she told me at that time, to try and wait it out as changes were coming. So I wondered if they were going to change the minimums...but I quit anyway and joined a company with lower minimums and am fine with my decision. Love SU products but I was already feeling I was getting less and less for the money.

BTT since this thread has disappeared on my feed

why is this thread not appearing on my news feed?

Bumpin for westiemom

Did you figure it out?

Any updates?

There have been updates almost weekly. I do not understand why they don't tell the customers. I suspect some demonstrators have shared the news by now. I am a demo myself but just to buy at discount and I have WAY TOO MUCH now.

So westiemom, are you allowed to share any of the updates?

I think they do not want the information shared, at least not on a message board. No doubt whoever posted it on a message board would be lynched. It is amazing to me that it hasn't been leaked yet.

They are not telling customers/the world at large what the changes are because all of the info has not been doled out yet. The changes don't take effect for several more months and Stampin' Up wants their demonstrators to be able to absorb and understand all the information before laying it out to customers.

Please be patient. You will learn of the changes that will potentially affect customers soon enough :)


Peace

Personally as a demo. Being a part of the demo's threads. That's where the information should stay until everything is finalized!

We aren't keeping secrets from other's. We are trying to grasp what's going on.

Hopefully SU's customers, a loyal lot, will also be made aware of the upcoming changes with enough advance time "to absorb and understand" whatever the new policies are before they go into effect.

Customer stuff doesn't really change that much. The changes will affect us Demo's!

When will SU be releasing the new info? I'm curious about the changes also. I don't use a ton of SU stamps but would be interested in becoming a hobby demo because I like some of the other products.

Anything that affects the demos will affect the customers...eventually. There are direct sales companies who have failed to understand this; some are no longer in business. I rep'd for one of them.

I'm not suggesting every edict from SU needs to be shared w/the world. I'm only saying when you leave customers out of the equation, it's to your peril, no matter what business you're in.

Yes, those of us who use SU products do love them. However, love sometimes isn't forever, and this industry has competition springing up all the time.

We are asked NOT share any information about the Changes for SU demo's.

...and I'm not suggesting that you do. My hope is that the COMPANY (i.e. StampinUp) makes the new changes public with enough advance warning that its customers can absorb it and make decisions that affect them.

I'm sure that they will. The changes don't take place for a very long time. October I think? I'm not keeping up on stuff as I should with a 6 month old but there is a long lead time for sure. They have been announcing stuff to us slowly so that we can fully grasp the details which I appreciate instead of one lump sum and it has been leading up to the Leadership event which just happened. I know it's frustrating and seems like keeping secrets but it's not. Demos just need to fully get it first :-) There really isn't a whole lot that affect customers, directly anyway. A lot of it just has to do with making the markets across the world the same.

Hang in there! I'm sure they will announce the important stuff in plenty of time!

I'm a Demo and I'm not worried a bit. I just don't see that the changes are negative and I don't believe in borrowing trouble I guess. It's all good to me :D

OP here. I don't believe in borrowing trouble either. However, due to the upcoming changes I'll be losing a trusted, intelligent, creative woman as my demo and that IS negative for me.

That stinks, no way around that. But, this same thing happens each time there are changes. People leave when it no longer suits them and I've seen it happen numerous times for various reasons. What I'm hoping is that people don't leave over knee jerk reactions. I hope they wait until all the news is out and they fully understand and can digest it, then make a decision. I feel like that happened quite a bit with the last big color change but overall it was a positive change. The colors needed to be updated and current. I'll cross my fingers that she reconsiders! But, that's the breaks of this business model, that you can bail when it no longer fits your needs, which happens regardless of change or not. Hang in there!

I was told hostess credits will be down to $15 on a $150 order, so that part does effect us as customers. I'm not concerned because we rarely reach hostess credits, but that is what I've been told.

To be fair, all the information has been given. Anyone who hasn't had time to "absorb and understand" was not paying attention. I think it is so sad that customers are left out of the equation. As a hobby demo with zero customers, even I am affected. SU is nothing without customers (I believe the demos themselves are the biggest spenders) so this secret keeping doesn't look good.
If you keep hearing the same thing over and over again, there is probably a shred of truth in it.

It's not keeping a secret. I'm sure EVERY store and company lets employees know stuff before it's released to the public. It's just business. I'm sure they will release the info when they are ready.