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I am considering becomming a demonstrator. I realize I will have support from the company and my upline etc. but am looking for any other helpful hints or suggestions before I make the plunge...
The 1 large tip I will offer you about being a demo is to make sure your upline has been doing this for a while and knows what she's doing and possibly even has more downlines than just you. That way you have a better shot at having good success. There are many of us demos out here who's uplines are still part of the system but who are of NO support to us at all. If you are talking about SU, unless their policy has changed (I don't think it has) the only way you can change to a more active upline who is supportive of her downline is to quit SU for at least 6 months and then rejoin under another upline. The only other options are to be adopted by a sideline (an upline who gets no benefits from your sales & who may or may not really help) or go it on your own.
Bottom line - make sure you have a good upline.
__________________ Donna T My moto for 2017...Do what you need to do. Count what you want to count. Enjoy the process.
Don't give your 20% "discount" (your income) away! So many people start out giving out their discount in hopes of getting customers, and then when they want to make some money they are trapped.
Never turn down a workshop no matter how small. I became a demo just two workshops after a four person workshop. You never know how much a few people will end up spending when impressed by the product.
I really miss being a demo, but I just couldnt keep throwing money into it. I agree with stampwithjoanne that you have to have a group of people who will want to support you.
If you decide to take the plunge, don't feel the need to buy everything you want. You will never make any money if are your best customer. Choose stamp sets that are really versatile and find interesting new ways to use them.
If you can afford to buy a lot of stuff to make your minimums until you get a good customer base, then go for it. It is a lot of fun.
I'd agree with choosing the right upline but not neccessarily one that has been doing it for a long time. Choose one that fits YOU. Do you want to recruit? Do you want monthly meetings? Do you want an artist to be guiding you or a business person?
In my case, I chose an upline that ended up being useless to me and dropped not long after. BUT, and this is a big but (much like mine...LOL), I ended up with a third level upline that is the bee's knees! I just wish she my first level so she could benefit from my sales as much as I benefit from her guidance and friendship.
If you do sign up, try and take advantage of that first order 30% discount. I took out a small loan to get myself nicely equipped in SUO and I was able to pay it back within 5 months, solely on SU sales. This isn't for everyone, obviously, but I knew I'd have a good shot at making a run at my business because I was then the only demo in town.
Have an open house before you place your first order and make yourself the hostess so you can benefit from the free merchandise. I find that a couple of really nice make and takes go a long way to good sales at an open house. I make a small gift for each person in attendance.
These are a few suggestions off the top of my head. Good luck in your decision!!
It is work. Yes, it might be something you enjoy but it is more than stamping. It is sales, customer service, meeting people. Traveling, cold winter nights, difficult hostess/customers, hard work and a lot of time spent with no guaranteed income.
I started 6 years ago with a very active upline--she was on Advisory Board etc. We had great meetings and encouragement--it was fun. But she had 5 kids and burned out--I haven't heard from her in about a year.
I stayed active because I had a great club and did a few classes. But health problems have forced me to all but quit. I stay active just barely--because I love the product.
I went to convention twice--amazing! It is so motivating and interesting.
But, it is a business and sales is the bottom line. If you work hard and smart it works!
Good luck, I hope I wasn't too negative. Just trying to be honest.
__________________ My Blog...I cook more than I stamp!
Unless you really know your future upline well, you don't really know if you'll get support from her or not. There are a lot of orphaned demos out there that signed up and never heard much or anything from their upline after that. As for company support, they do have more resources than they use to (like on-line video tutorials, etc.) but you'll still pretty much be on your own.
You also have to decide if you want to really "work the business" or just want to buy stuff you like. If you're buying stuff you like for yourself because you love to stamp, then you probably won't make any money and will end up losing money (when you figure out taxes from a business standpoint). SU retires so much stuff so often, that if you buy the stuff for you and don't plan on selling it off when SU decides to retire the stuff, then you can't use those products in a workshop setting to entice customers to purchase, since you're supposed to use SU only and current products. Unless you have an unlimited source of funds or have a steady-stream of customers who purchase regularly, then from a business stand-point you need to sell of the retired stuff (since you can't demo it) to buy ever changing new stuff.
Is your area saturated with demos already? If so, potential customers may already have been exposed to one or more other demos, many of which are more than happy to extend regular and on-going sales to those customers (whether or not it's okay with SU to do that). If you have lots of demos who give away tons of discounts and freebies all the time, it'll be hard to convince a potential customer to purchase at regular SU prices from you. You may also get customers who act like they're interested in purchasing but will basically be demo-shopping to see who will extend them the best deal and most freebies. It's tough to just have friends as customers because many will want you to give them your discount simply because they are your "friend".
If you just want a bunch of stuff for yourself and don't really know/care about making it a business, purchasing the kit when it's on sale and using the 30% discount for the first workshop order is a good way to get a bunch of supplies at a much reduced rate since SU has gotten very pricey at regular customer rates.
I LOVE being a demo! My original upline does very little, but her upline has taken me on, invites me to meetings, sends newsletters, etc. She was in the Top 15 in the entire company this last year, so she is quite good and her multiple layers of downlines are very active. We have a Yahoo group where we post swaps with each new catalog, requests for trading last minute supplies, searches for long-retired goodies. It's a great group that respects all levels of demos. I have gone from a hobby demo who spends a boatload to an almost-business demo who is trying to break even. (so far so good!)
Also, the Demo-only threads on this site are FANTASTIC! Lots of ideas, encouragement etc. I hope to meet some of these gals in person some day. ;)
So.....as others have said, ask questions of your potential upline. What TYPE of support does she give? Talk with her current downlines...how active is the group?
If you only want to be a hobby demo and can support your habit, then yes...sign up! The discount, great rewards, and previews are nice perks!
__________________ Kim in Illinois, Dirty Dozen Alum, QFTD#207, FS798, VSN Moderator "Famous Last Words" Spring Virtual Stamp Night, April 19 & 20
The 1 large tip I will offer you about being a demo is to make sure your upline has been doing this for a while and knows what she's doing and possibly even has more downlines than just you. That way you have a better shot at having good success. There are many of us demos out here who's uplines are still part of the system but who are of NO support to us at all. If you are talking about SU, unless their policy has changed (I don't think it has) the only way you can change to a more active upline who is supportive of her downline is to quit SU for at least 6 months and then rejoin under another upline. The only other options are to be adopted by a sideline (an upline who gets no benefits from your sales & who may or may not really help) or go it on your own.
Bottom line - make sure you have a good upline.
This is very good advice.
I was a demo for CM at one point and got out because of lack of support, unless it was something that woudl benefit my upline, weather in cash rewards or accolades. The main reason I got out is because I felt used, and really was not really getting help... I was doing rather well for my self, and received help and mentoring from others, but that got old.
I'm still a die hard of CM for my scrpabooking, but SU is my choice for card making and other paper crafting.
I toyed with becoming a demo for about 5 minutes once... when I knew my demo at the time was getting out of SU. So that also told me I wouldn't have her support.
But what really made up my mind was thinking about having to create and come up with projects when I wasn't in the mood... I want my cardmaking to stay fun and fresh, I know myself well enough that if a hobby becomes more of a job, the fun goes out of it for me.
If that isn't an issue for you, that's great! You are getting some awesome advice so I'm sure you will be prepared from all angles.
having to create and come up with projects when I wasn't in the mood
I was worried about that when I started too (because I'm really not all that creative!) but there are tons of ideas not only in the catalog, but on the Stampin' Up! demo website. Plus here, of course! I'll find something that's cute and change the stamp set and colors.
To demo or not to demo
