SU Demos ... why??
 

Due to the thread about why people quit being a demo for specific companies, I thought I would ask the opposite.

I'm wondering why you became a demo in the first place. And then why are you still a demo. What do you enjoy about it? What has kept you doing it?

I'm looking into becoming a demo here in the next couple of weeks and am really wanting to hear both sides of the story from different people.

I know everyone says you have nothing to lose because you can stop at any time. I don't like starting something though that I don't intend to do a good job with.

My biggest concern is how people say they felt like they could never buy anything that wasn't SU. I already have a lot of stamps and other products from other companies. In fact, I have very little SU stuff. I just don't want to get to where I feel like I'm chained down to something.

So any thoughts for me?

I am a demo and I have mainly SU stuff as I seem to like their stamps better. But saying that I just placed an order with Verve as they have the most wonderful religous stamps. Something that Su does not have an abundance of.
I mainly signed up for the discount and am my best customer. I had never wanted to step it up but am thinking of giving it a try.

I am a demo and enjoy it even though I am my only customer. :) I am strictly a hobby demo & don't hold any workshops or classes. Maybe one day I will, but for now I'm happy with my status.

I signed up during Sale-A-Bration 2008 and SU! was offering a pretty good deal at the time. I love the preorders, the sneak peeks, and (of course!) the demo discount.

That said, I try to stay primarily with SU! products, but I have a lot of other stuff from other companies that I will continue to use. Plus I still buy from other companies. I don't feel obligated to only buy and use SU! products.

I am also a hobby demo...signed up because I wanted the 48 colors in all the products! and the discount! I'm at the point that I've bought everything that SU sells that interests me...so I am hoping this new catalog will have lots of things in it I want to buy!

Kathy

I signed up when they were having a awesome special(although, they have had quite a few great ones)about 4 years ago. I first signed up for the discount and I was my best and only customer for a few years, just making my minimums, doing a few classes or workshops here or there, really not pushing the selling part. Loved the discounts, the preorders, the perks! Then, i started doing more workshops, crops and people started asking for classes, so now, it seems to be making my minimums for me and I can buy the stuff I want for free. Not making much money, but some quarters I actually do!
Now as far as SU only, I don't not buy stuff from others, I definitely tried out the Bellas, and PTI-(found I don't like acrylics, but that is just me) I definitely buy what I like, I just found that for color matching(a real problem for me) I can't beat knowing that everything matches with my SU, but I won't let it limit me. I have been known to fall in love with some Cosmo Cricket papers and others as well.
If you are thinking of it, think about why, if you want to get a bunch of SU stuff, there is no better and cheaper way to do it, IMO
Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

I was introduced to stamping at my sister's workshop in 2005. At the time I wanted earn some stamping supplies, meet new friends and maybe make a little extra cash.

Now I'm really glad that I took the plunge. The extra income is a real blessing to our family and I earn it by STAMPING. Yeah!

I confess I with you on the idea, that if I going to do something I want to do it well.

I became an SU demo because I love the coordinating cardstock, ink and accessories in the 4 coordinating color families. That was over 6 years ago, and I still love them. When I first started, I bought only SU for a few years because I had so much I needed to buy. Now that I have all the ink and lots of paper, accessories and stamps, I have branched out and buy stamps from many other companies for my personal use. Although I have tried cardstock from other companies as well, I rarely end up using it. I just love the SU cardstock. I do use patterned paper from other companies that coordinates well with the SU cardstock though.

One thing to keep in mind in your decision - you don't need a ton of SU sets to demonstrate. If you have a good variety for different techniques (watercoloring, bold images, etc) then you are good. You can still use whatever you like for your own personal stamping.

I signed up for the discount. I stay because I continue to love Stampin' Up! and their products. I love that I can make a little extra money doing a hobby I love. My hobby basically pays for itself through the stamp clubs and workshops that I hold. I have met so many people that I never would have if it weren't because of rubber stamping and Stampin' Up! And I have become really good friends with some of my customers and upline.

Like a few others, I joined because of the 48 coordinating colors of inks, cardstock, markers. SU sells itself also. Friends asked me to start teaching technique classes, and by word of mouth, my class size keeps growing. With these ladies, I have hostess clubs, which keeps me in my minimums, and we have a great time each month.

I joined as a hobby demo and had a couple of workshops and now I have a stamper group that makes my minimums. I found I love teaching new techniques and stamping takes away the day to day stress of my 'real' job. I try to limit the amount of dollars I spend on stamping so I try to buy what I sell. It really isn't a matter of feeling I have to buy SU but that I want to buy SU. If I started to buy from all the other companies I would spend way too much money on my hobby.

Oops! So much for doing it well. I had a typo. :)

I became a Demo because I was already spending over $100/month as a customer, so I signed up to get the discount. I love SU!'s products and the whole color-matching thing. And the quality of their products cannot be beat(en)!

I also have a small customer base, and I love holding stamp camps and enabling others to love this stuff as much as I do! Most of them would buy (or not) without me - I am just their Enabler. And we have a lot of fun - I learn from them, they meet others in the area who like the same things they do - the enthusiasm is catching!

And I am not 100% loyal to SU! at all! I buy any stamps I see that I like, but I mostly stick with SU! for their quality of card stock and matching colors. Pretty papers, on the other hand, are simply an addiction, but I am getting really good at matching them to SU card stock! :-)

I signed up with SU! because I love their stuff. I've mostly been a scrapbooker for the past 12 or so years but last year I decided to dip my feet in rubber stamping. I had never been to an SU! workshop or class and decided to sign up to be a demo anyway. I've recently thought about becoming a more serious demonstrator, but I realized I don't like to be tied down to one brand. Sometimes I'll make an all SU! card, sometimes it will be something else and sometimes it will be a mix. I like the freedom and I use what appeals to me - SU! or not. :)

I signed up to be a demonstrator because I wanted to get a discount and I found out pretty quickly that I could make some money at it! I love paper crafting and I chose SU because I love the matchy matchy, the mins aren't outrageous, and they have the best stamps.

I don't hold workshops but I do have a few hostess clubs and I hold stamp a stacks but it isn't more than I can handle.

Oh yeah. . . I definitely don't feel guilty buying other supplies. Would you buy only one brand of clothing/accessories? one brand of food? I don't think it is reasonable for many people to use only ONE brand of paper crafting supplies. I am a scrapbooker, and definitely buy from other companies too. I am sure many will disagree with me, but there is no way I could go SU-only.

Like others on this site, I signed up for the discount on my purchases. I am probably in the minority in that I had never been to a Stampin' Up! workshop.

Several years and 3 cruises later, Stampin' Up! is an awesome opportunity for earning additional family income and a really nice free annual vacation.

I signed up as a demo in 2000 because I was buying tons of SU! stamps and I really wanted a way to make a little money stamping. A few years ago I had a big customer base and actually did just that. Now it is me and a few friends ordering, a few workshops a year. But I will never drop -- I would miss the "insiderness" of being involved in the stamping industry, the peaks at new stuff, the discount and the sisterhood of fellow demos.
Mary Beth

I have been a SU demo for 9 years....I started out with a bang and held lots of workshops....but, life happens and things change....so, there was a few years I just had a hard time making my limits....I was even on probation once....but, I just couldn't stand the thought of not getting the monthly Stamping Sucess...and, then a few neighbors asked me to have a stamp club, so we could meet once a month....it started out with 4 women...and gave me enough sales to earn my mininum....now our group has grown to 10 people and it keeps me involved and stamping....I'm not getting rich...just supporting my "habit" mostly...but, I love stamping and getting all the new stuff the company comes out with....I occasionally buy other stuff from other companies...but, truthfully, I always have such a long list of things I want from SU, I'd rather use my money for that....especially since they are selling the big shot and dies....opened up a whole new world!....I always use SU things for the Stamping group because why would I want to encourage them to buy elsewhere?...but, for my personal stuff, I have no problem using pretty papers I find from other companies etc.....I was stamping for a couple of years before I became a demo and I became attracted to SU because they sold their stamps in sets and I found the cost was lower than buying stamps individually at stamp stores, just to make one card....I was scared to do it at first, like you...but, I have never regretted doing it....I run my club like this....I charge $10..and, if you purchase $25...(before shipping charges), the class is free...so no one is pressured to buy every month...and I still get the $10 for my expenses....we make 3 of the same card...I found they liked that better because they have two to give out and one to save as a sample...and one simple gift project...a box or a purse etc....we used to do a scrapbook page instead, but, I found there wasn't much interest in it for this group...you have to go with the flow and find out what most of them like...I used to do one card, one gift, one scrapbook page...but, found that was too much work for me to plan....so now I just do the two projects and it works out great....another thing that helped me a lot when I first started was that I had a great upline that showed us a lot of good ideas...but, you can get so many off of this website these days...didn't have this when I first started and my upline has disappeared, SCS is a great substitute!..so , if you decide to go for it, good luck!

I signed up 5 years ago as a hobby demo to help me get over the loss of losing my mom...I enjoy SU and being a demo...I am still a hobby demo but do have customers as well...I had a six-pack group going and still do....6 month for 25.00. It has sustained me through out the last 5 years...I have all kinds of stamps, but mostly Su...the challenge for me is when I have parties (all hands on), I find it hard to stick to just SU stuff....I love their paper, ink, ribbon and stamps but find I really like some of the cheaper embellishments etc at some of the other companies...I also like my nestablilities, but in doing a party I am unable to use those tools as SU does not sell them...I also like a lot of their old stamps from previous catalogs and minis but once the mini is over you have to wait a year to see if they made the new catalog or were retired....once retired I have a whole new set of wonderful things I can not use....:sad:..that I think is the hardest thing for me.....Good luck in making a decision to become a demo. I think if you choose to go for it you won't be disappointed...they are a great company and have good products....

i am an SU demo. I am mostly hobby with about 4 customers. I have several products from other companies and I still buy other companies products. If I like and I have the money - I buy it.
I joined SU for the discount and otehr benifits. I love getting to look at new products first and hearing all the news.

#18....you said you joined up to help you with the recovery of losing your mother....and, I have the same kind of story...my youngest sister (43) had cancer and I was her daytime caregiver....although she gave more to me than I could ever give to her....she was the one that kept pushing me to join SU....and, as sick as she was, she had my first workshop....15 people!.....this was in Feburaray and my dear Doreen passed away in May....and, I couldn't cope with anything all summer....but, I had this and it pulled me out of my funk...little by little....it's been 9 years and it feels like yesterday.....and, maybe that's another reason why I can't stop doing this stamping stuff....Doreen and I loved doing it together...

and the SU! customer service is wonderful....

What exactly is the SU Demo discount? I have tossed the idea of becoming an SU Demo for a while b/c I spend so much money with my demo but I don't know the details so that keeps me from making an informed decision. Can you shed some light?

basically 20%. Do they still offer 30% offer on your first demo order? If you sell higher dollar amounts or have sales people under you, you can get a higher percent off.

Is there a min order you must place every month or every three months to maintain your active status?

yeah its 30% off your first order over $150 (US) and then all orders after that are 20% off. Here in Jersey by the time you add on shipping and tax it basically means you pay the price you see in the catalog!
Oh and if you order over $400 in one month you get an additional 5% deposited in your bank account half way through the following month as you sell more it goes up to a max of 20% so if you sold $5k a month (not that I do) it would only cost you 4k and you would get back 1k the next month. The most I ever earned was 16% when I did 2.5k one month in saleabration.
Hope this is clear

mins are every 3 months you have to do $300 you do get a chance tho, if you don't make your quarter you have till the end of the next month o do not only the 300 of the last quarter but also 100 of the current quarter.
English doesnt seem to be my first language this morning must need another cup of coffee!

It's $300 per quarter.

thanks for all the helpful information!

I can honestly say I absolutely LOVE my SU Demo and I think I will remain one of her greatest customers. Seems much easier. Plus she's always giving me great gifts! I spend no less than $300 a month but its worth it! Like they say, "No need to fix it if it ain't broke!" LOL. Happy Stampin Ladies!

I joined because I love the colors and the stamps, and it's a little cheaper to support my habit with the discount. I'm a hobbyist, so I'll buy an occasional stamp that catches my eye as I'm browsing around. But I find that single stamps are so much more expensive. One nice thing about SU is that you get 6 to 9 stamps that coordinate, for roughly $5 a stamp (I'm estimating VERY broadly, but you get the picture).

I'm at the stage now where I have a lot of everything, and trying to decide if I should continue as a demo, since I'm my only customer. But I would hate to miss out on the pre-orders, sneak peeks, etc. Another nice perk is the demo side of SplitCoast - awesome! Maybe some day I'll stop, and just order from my upline or downline (I have ONE!), but so far I haven't been able to bring myself to let go.

It looks like many hobby demos have responded and have been very helpful. Not all demos signed up just for the wonderful discount and perks; many of the business demos, those who work SU for a living, stay on the demo side of SCS. That's the great thing about SU...being a demo means it is your business and you can run it how you like, as long as you stay within the rules clearly laid out by SU. Some do occassional workshops or classes, some work hard at it full time. SU is a great, proactive company that is debt-free and sensitive to the needs of the demos. Hope this helps.

When I signed up I didnt know there were other companies. I wanted the discount and built a pretty good business without trying too hard. Then my upline started stealing my best customers so I just decided to be a hobby demo.. Sometimes it is hard to meet the minimums on my own but I have a few ladies I offer my demo discount to and they help me remain afloat. I love SU stuff but I buy from other companies: Papertrey, TAC, Flourishes, MFT, to name a few.
blessings.

Thank you all for the responses so far. You have all been very helpful and have given me some good things to consider.

I really appreciate the ehlp.