Need Advice--Become Demo or Find New Demo
 

I have a unique opportunity and would like to hear the pro's/con's from you before I make the decision.

I have been stamping for about 2 1/2 years, my coworker is a demo and got me into SU. She is moving out of state. She has offered me the opportunity to take over her coustomers here. I feel honored b/c I know she likes my work. She hopes to keep her business and develop customers in her new state. She will try to hook me up with her upline or someone in her group so I can go to quarterly meeting etc. It sounds good to me, but right now I stamp when I want to stamp, no pressure. Will I still enjoy stamping if I become a demo?

Also, I have a few people I know that I could ask to host a party, but not many. I would mainy rely on her customer base. She has offered to introduce me at a going away party she is hosting (for her customers and past hostesses) to keep up her minimums for the quarter (she's been busy getting the house ready to sell).
I would hate to get into it for a year and then have to drop b/c I find it is not for me.

Please provide any advice you have!
Thank you!
Jenn

My advise is "Go For It!". Sounds like a great opportunity to be introduced to an established customer base and being a demo is alot of fun. So many people when they start out start from total scratch and you would have a jump up on that! Best of luck in whatever you decide to do. Gina

That is a great opportunity! Personally, I became a demo 2 years ago because I enjoyed stamping and had a group of friends who enjoy it as well. It has not taken away from my enjoyment of stamping at all, but has actually enhanced it. That good feeling you have knowing she likes your stamping will continue as you discover how fun it is to teach others how to do the same, and they enjoy it too!

Heck ya go for it! If you like stampin and you are being 'given' a client base! It's fun and fleixible! If you have any specific questions feel free to post and I can try to answer them! But overall being a demo is fun and I've had no major complaints!

I would say go for it too! I think you have absolutely nothing to lose. If you don't like it after a year, I'm sure you can find someone to take over the business for you (or help your customers find a new demo and simply drop). There's no pressure to keep going and if you're already spending money on SU you can get a great discount.

Let us know what you decide!
Julie

If you were already considering becoming a demo, I think this is a sign that you should go for it. If you weren't already considering it, I'd get all the details before you invest. It is great to start with an established customer base, but you still need to decide if this is something you want for YOU not just because you have the opportunity. I signed up with a company because I wanted the products when my friend quit selling it, but it didn't last because I just couldn't keep it up. So, just consider if you still would like being a demo in a year. I've been with SU! 5 1/2 years and still don't regret signing up, but it certainly is different than just being a customer.

Personally, you have every demonstrator dream. An already establiched clientele. That is the majority of the work, just getting customers. You wouldn't necessarily have to turn your love of stamping into work. Just do a quarterly class or open house. Limit your workshops to as many or few as you want to do. If it does beome a chore for you, you can pay it forward, and ask your best customer, if she'd like to take over for you.

I say go for it!

I say go for it. We took a few weeks off from our card class and I found I wasn't as creative without the pressure of getting ready for the class. I have really enjoyed it since I signed up in October. Yes, a ready-made customer base is quite a dream come true.

Jenn, if you love it and you enjoy sharing then I say do it. Why not create Stamp clubs where the club comes to your house each month and agrees to purchase $x each month (the minimum for a party divided by the number of people "playing"). You teach a new technique and have them each try their hand at it.

That's what my Demo does and I learn so much from her! I also enjoy the night out and the food. Whoever is the "hostess" for the month brings all the goodies (and we always have wine!) although sometimes we have someone who brings in something special. I've gotten to really know these ladies that I stamp with each month and enjoy the friendships that I've developed! I even know their names when I see them at the grocery store! (That's saying a lot for me LOL!)

As for whether you will learn to hate it, I don't think so. I'm a Pampere Chef Consultant and I love to cook. Loved to cook before I became a Consultant and still love to cook. I love showing people how to use our tools and how to create simple and healthy meals for their families! And I think being a Consultant has really spurred my creativity in the kitchen. I'm forced to find new recipes, new ideas, new things to do.

Ditto to all of the above. GO FOR IT!!:p

without reading other responses, go for it. You get an instant customer base. How awesome is that? Think of that discount too! Woo hoo!

I wanna be you.

I agree with everyone else... I say go for it. Even if you do rely mostly on her customer base at first, they will be hosting shows that will lead you to customers of your own and you can build from there. I'd say it's a win win!

Why Not!?! It sounds like the ultimate opportunity! I still love to stamp...plus I get FREE STAMPS!... also it's fun to have stamping buddies... I would just really communicate with your current demo the way this will work...Is she still going to be a demo? Because her customers could still order from her...she could just ship to them. If you are confident that you can work all this out...open honest communication etc... then DO IT! You really have nothing to loose!

I would do it! I would love to sign up but time is my enemy (and my horrendous work schedule!)

Thank you everyone for your responses. SCS is great! You guys have really encouraged me. My demo and I are going to have a chat on Thursday night to discuss the particulars. She is very open, honest and ethical. So I feel comfortable making a commitment with her. I will also have a long weekend to make my decision. I'll let you know what I decide.

You have absolutely NOTHING to lose. Here's my thinking . . .

1) You are already a stamper -- so you know you can use the items in the kit!
2) You're getting a great deal on the kit!
3) You have a built in way to meet your minimum (very low, only $300 per qtr.)
4) If the worst case scenario happened & you decided it wasn't for you - it's not like you have inventory to sell off! Only buy what you LOVE from the beginning so you never feel like your "stuck" with things you don't really want.
5) You OWN the kit - if you became inactive SU will wish you well, send you a lovely card & survey and ask if there is any way they can help you in the future. That's it -- it's that simple.

I kept looking for "strings" attached or a "catch" and it's simply not there. SU is great - very easy to be a demo in whatever capacity YOU choose. Go for it!

Looks like it is unanimous (I can stamp, I never said I could spell) here. I say go for it too. I signed up cause my demo is moving to Colorado. I am so loving it!! Best decision I have made in a long time!

I don't want to be a kill joy. I am a demo, have been for 3 years, but what I sometimes get frustrated. I really love most of my customers and they are great friends of mine and my monthly club meeting is the BEST time I have all month. That said, they sometimes invite people along (which is good for business and I am always polite and friendly and helpful to these newbies) who do things that are downright frustrating.

I mean, if you just wanna stamp and enjoy, but you can't stand the idea of having someone stamp a big glorious green heart in the middle of your yoyo yellow pad or have someone take a full piece of tempting turqoise paper and punch 3 circles out of the end when there are NUMEROUS scraps available, then maybe it isn't for you. These are some of the risks of business and you just have to understand and except them (while doing everything you can to prevent them...)

There are times when I just want to be the customer and let someone else make the plan. Even if you have a premade customer list available, you will need to work to keep them satisfied. Think about what your previous demo offered. Did she have regular stamp camps to teach advanced techniques? If you don't do this, you probably won't keep them as long term customers. You will need to begin doing research fairly regularly to keep up on all the latest stamping trends in order to keep your customers satisfied. This may be something you love to do (I do), but it isn't for everyone. Stampin Up does help with this somewhat, but I find that I need to go beyond their monthly magazine to keep up on the really new trends.

Also, demos wear many hats. Some are good salespeople. Others are good teachers. Others are good listeners/supporters. The best demos are all of these things. I tend to be a great teacher, but not such a good sales woman. So if your previous demo was all those and more, then you will need to find it in yourself to be her for those people.

For a while I was really trying to be a great demo. I was trying to expand my business so that it would completely support itself and even maybe make me some money. My husband began complaining that I was working a full time job at my hobby and it wasn't contributing to the household. He doesn't mind me spending some money on my hobby, simply justified as a hobby like his computer gaming. But he doesn't want me to work full time at my hobby if it isn't going to bring in a full time wage. I scaled it back and now my demoship doesn't buy all my stamps, but I have more time to do stamping. I remember last year being in a seminar for demos in our area and the speaker said that you know you are succeeding at the business when you don't have time to stamp for yourself. That's not what I signed up for! I wanna stamp and have fun. I called up my old job at Sylvan Learning Center and went back to work there part time and scaled back my demoship to be a hobby again.

Evaluate your customer base that you are inheriting. Are they going to buy the stamps regardless of how much work you put in (they are serious addicts and they just want a monthly gathering to justify their expense) or are you going to have to put in significant hours preparing and teaching new information, working for more bookings and doing more workshops to always keep the business growing?

All that said, the starter kit is a GREAT value. You get a lot of stamping products for less than they are listed in the catalog. If you don't find that being a demo is good for you, then you can always go back to being a customer. And in the mean time you may develop some great, lifelong stamping buddies (as I have...)

Good Luck with your decision.

I go back and forth between signing up myself. I would probably just be a hobby demo and the idea of spending all that money to get a 20% discount is a little scary because then I "know" that I would feel the urge to buy to keep up my minimum. However, if I had a built in customer base, look out! I say if the cost of the demo kit isn't going to put too much of a dent in your budget and you ENJOY the idea of holding stamp camps, etc. do it. but, don't if it is going to make you nervous. What's the point then??

Thanks everyone, just bumping this up to see if the night crawlers have any comments.

I say GO FOR IT!
When I signed up, I thought, you know I could use a little spending money and a flexible schedule, and I was new to stamping but loved what I'd seen from SU. I thought, well it's a minimal investment, so why not give it a try. Worst case scenario, I end up with a bunch of cool stamping stuff!

I decided... I would make my goal to just earn back the starter kit and see where it would take me from there. Well, 10 years later, a downline to be proud of, and many people I've met that I consider to be some of my best friends, with a little website that has become somewhat popular...I'm loving it! Loving the opportunities, loving the friendships, loving the excitement, loving the company, loving the way I can provide a fun girl's nite out for new friends I meet.

Looking back I can see it was a great investment and a great decision!
You are starting out way ahead of the game! It's a no-brainer my friend! Go for it and join our great big family!

I'm sure you will still enjoy stamping. The question you might ask yourself is, "Do I enjoy leading, speaking to, being in charge of, and selling products to a group of people?" If you really prefer to sit in a corner and not speak up very often when you are in a group, then you should be prepared to make a quick personality change at each get-together.
And, yes, preparation for workshops and stamp camps will be *work* - maybe not always as enjoyable as designing and creating. Just remember to make time for both.
Everyone has answered the other kinds of questions. It sounds like a great opportunity.

Too Funny!! This is an old thread, and according to Jennmcd's profile--she is a demo. Yeah Jen!