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I was recently dropped in demo status d/t no sales. I knew it was going to happen. I signed..then moved nearly 5 hours away to a total tourist town in the middle of tourist season..Not an easy sell to say the least. It has been terribly frustrating and depressing for me. I also have not a great deal of help from my up line either. I was upset by the fact that almost all of the stamps I received in my starter kit got axed with the new catty..Ok..I was really TICKED OFF..Anyway..I now have the option to resign under my same demo so as not to have to wait for 6 months to sign with a different one..(Need to add we may be moving again after Jan...) ..Or to just let it drop altogether. I am finding it difficult to see what the good in being a demo is? I know I am just frustrated right now and there are some very successful demos out there..But wow what a ride this has been for me.
Anyone have any words of encouragement or can tell me their stories?
i have a great upline, so to me she is a perk. i like the demo forum here, so that is another perk. and i love the product, so perk again! i didnt know you had to wait 6 months, that might be wrong but im not sure. i would look into that. then i would find a demo closer to you who holds meetings and events. mine holds monthly meetings and shoebox swaps and we have fun. the friends ive made are worth more than any discount. to me, its fun, and by holding classes i have fun and have a night out away from the kids and household stuff. stamping is therapy. my husband tells me i come home smiling after a class or upline meeting, so he doesnt mind when i tell him to keep the kids happy for the night (not that he should mind since he is the dad but hopefully you know my intent). im not making a big income, i only hold one or two events a month, but it pays to support my hobby and its fun to do. i recently bought a laptop with some earnings so i could work on digital scrapbooks with stampin' ups "my digital studio". so there is another perk
__________________ Beth Rush Demo since 2004 YouTube Channel
You are correct, as long as your former upline is still active, you need to wait 6 months to sign again under someone different. That will give you time to scout out demos in your new location. It is really nice to have a local group to meet with. I have been a demo for 13 years, and I have learned not to get upset when my sets retire (I know it is hard). It just gives me an excuse to sell them and get new ones Good luck with your decision.
I am a former demo who dropped two years ago. My situation was similar to yours - we moved 3 1/2 hours away about two months after I signed. We live in a rural area and it was hard finding people who were interested in stamping. I advertised (yes, it was expensive) in the classifieds every week for a couple of months and eventually had a group of 6-8 ladies who came to my monthly workshops.
I was able to keep my demoship going for almost 5 years, but I never was able to grow a downline or anything like that. Basically just paid for most of my supplies. I loved the monthly workshops though and this group continues to get together to stamp every month, just not with a Stampin Up focus. Good luck to you with whatever decision you make.
Ellen
Well, to be honest the biggest perk of being a demo aside from the discount is the community of demos. I have a great and supportive group and we get together quarterly for something and I love that! I am just converting my demoship to a business instead of a hobby one and I have monthly camps at my house for $20 (6 cards/envelopes plus a 3d item). I don't get orders, or bookings for shows yet, but they are helping me feed my own habit and meet my minimums.
It is a hard decision, and I urge you to take the time to think about it. If you do decide to re-sign think about what kind of upline you need. Some are very different than others in the level of support they provide. Good luck with your decision!
Thanks ladies! At this point I am not sure I will resign at all. I am kind of bummed about the whole experience..Although it really isn't anyone�s fault..It just didn't work for me. Maybe I am one of those people that just can't sell stuff! LOL Also there are many other stamp companies that I like products from...maybe even a little better than SU. I know that sounds bad from someone that just got dropped..but it is true. I think I will just go back to being a crafter for a while and not worry about how much money I lost..or how much I need to sell..or anything..and try to remember why I love paper crafting. This whole debacle has squashed my creativity to say the least..
Thanks ladies! At this point I am not sure I will resign at all. I am kind of bummed about the whole experience..Although it really isn't anyone’s fault..It just didn't work for me. Maybe I am one of those people that just can't sell stuff! LOL Also there are many other stamp companies that I like products from...maybe even a little better than SU. I know that sounds bad from someone that just got dropped..but it is true. I think I will just go back to being a crafter for a while and not worry about how much money I lost..or how much I need to sell..or anything..and try to remember why I love paper crafting. This whole debacle has squashed my creativity to say the least..
I hear ya! I dropped in April 2011 by choice. It was too hard for me to get enough sales to meet my minimums and I was running out of things to buy for myself to meet them myself. I work a busy full-time day job, so I just didn't have the time to devote to a SU! side business.
Plus, I have to say....all of SU!'s rules and regulations for demos kind of sucked the fun out of crafting for me. I want to be free to use what I want and be able to share all the details. So, for me, I'd rather pay full price for my SU! stuff (I still love it) and be able to just craft for the love of it. No pressures or rules to follow.
I also wanted to add that I had a wonderful upline and I still belong to her stamp club. I really enjoy that time spent crafting with the ladies.
You could try another company. But first and foremost, get happy about the fun of stamping again before you make any decisions. Remember, even if you don't do SU! again, you still can enjoy all the things you already own!
I agree with Joan and Carla -- such smart friends .
I have to add that I would have been royally fuming if that had happened to me with the starter kit as well ~ that's terrible!
Since your upline wasn't all that helpful, I'd just keep on crafting and reconnecting with your hobby ~ when, or if, the time is right you'll know it, and I hope if you hop back on the sales wagon that you have an upline who is helpful to you!
And you could open your heart to a new direction ~ since you love products from a lot of companies, maybe you could start having card classes using all kinds of things! You could charge for the classes to support your hobby and develop a group of stamping friends at the same time.
I went back and forth on if I wanted to be a hobby demo but decided that it wasn't for me. I LOVE SU products but find that I don't buy many of the stamp sets from them these days and couldn't see making my min on paper. My demo is super awesome though
I am not going to re-sign any time soon. I do like the SU products I received in my starter kit( I had never really used any of their products at all before that kit) but I am just not a one company kinda gal..too much of an ADD crafter LOL.
Right now I need to remember why I even wanted all of this stuff to begin with..stamps..paper..the whole lot just kinda stares at me all the time.
Last edited by Inkin One; 08-10-2011 at 09:43 AM..
Reason: typo
I am sorry you had a bad experience. It definitely sounds like you need a break from a single company and to renew your love of stamping! Relax and enjoy yourself and stamp whatever you like best!
I am thankful that I am having a great experience and great company support where I am at. It is hard to do a direct sales business without lots of support and encouragement.
questions for any former SU demos
