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BTW, I should add that I would never cancel and order and mess up the whole deal for everyone concerned. I cannot imagine people actually doing this for any good reason whatsoever!
BTW, I should add that I would never cancel and order and mess up the whole deal for everyone concerned. I cannot imagine people actually doing this for any good reason whatsoever!
Whether the reason is *good* or not is not the issue....those are the rules and not following them (as a Demo) can leave you with merchandise in your hands and money out of your pocket IF someone cancels and you have not waited.
__________________ Keva
We shouldn't have expectations of others that we, ourselves, could not fulfill.
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Originally Posted by twyant
I took this poll as a customer. As a customer given the choice of 3 days or 10, I think naturally a customer would choose 3. I had no idea about all the other demo stuff. It's too bad that some take all of this so personally. I have thought of becoming a demo, but every time I see a thread regarding demos and customers, it doesn't look very enticing.
Being a demo is awesome! You just have to decide what you can & cannot afford to do for your customers. And even that changes as you grow! You'll read ALOT more happy posts than unhappy guaranteed! Good luck & can't wait to see you on "the other side". (demo forums!)
There is so much to say for charm, personality, and being straighforward. That is proabably more important than anything on the list.
I do not mean to say the orders can be forgotten or there can be many mistakes. I am just saying if you love it, it will show. And, most often that is what people are looking for. I know I am. I want someone to love it, be excited, and show me what they know.....
I think the absolute honest, confident, genuine people, do the best. Anyone gritting their teeth through their workshops or classes, will be slowly recognized as someone that does not love it...not enough anyway...
my former demo i never payed before i had my order in my hands (well i never ordered more than 60 dollars at once)
i felt that it was done usually the other way, but she didnt said anything and i think thats sort of a service i just take from her since she was otherwise bad. you dont go to a store and give money out of your wallet and get your stuff sometimes later. you dont even know when because it depends on her when she places the order.
just happens with me.
i placed an order almost 4 weeks ago and we are still waiting for that stuff since one lady had an order for 150 and trouble with her credit cards bla bla bla so the rest of us has to wait for the stuff we have payed already. well, the money is not in my bank account anymore!!!!
__________________ My SCS Gallery My blog : Pretty Pressings
Designer for Magnolia, Sweden, Lili of the Valley and Sir Stampalot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twyant
I took this poll as a customer. As a customer given the choice of 3 days or 10, I think naturally a customer would choose 3. I had no idea about all the other demo stuff. It's too bad that some take all of this so personally. I have thought of becoming a demo, but every time I see a thread regarding demos and customers, it doesn't look very enticing.
I agree and have also been being pushed pretty hard by my group of stampers to take over as our demo when ours moves overseas but no one here will know it, I will forever drop off of the SCS boards...it turns me off, too. I think that the galleries must be a wonderful resource for demos but if feelings are so easily hurt or intents misread then, like I said, this wouldnt be the place for me, as a demo.
Now, as far as what a good demo should do or be, I also chose the ordering within 3 days option but I do expect that the demo would need to have your money first so it would be within 3 days of money clearing. Now, I don't think they should take the order on a Saturday and then not go to the bank until Friday, that would be a little excessive cause the money could be in my account gathering interest for those 5 days:-D But I also doubt that the majority of demos would do this unless there were some type of extenuating circumstances and then it should be told up front so no one has outrageous expectations. KWIM?
Each person has different expectations of their demo and the customer service they should recieve and as long as the 2 of them agree then it should be between them!
__________________ "If you want to be listened to, you should put in time listening."-Marge Piercy
Originally Posted by twyant I have thought of becoming a demo, but every time I see a thread regarding demos and customers, it doesn't look very enticing.
Don't let these sorts of threads make you think that this much drama exists in the Demo culture... The internet does something to our brains and makes all our conversations a little "edgy".:mrgreen: We are much sweeter in person.
Besides... being a demo for SU rocks. You will love it. I promise! It's all about the free stamps baby! Whoo hoo!
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None of those things really matter to me. My demo is my best friend and we share a hobby. I guess this kind of discussion just doesn't apply to me somehow. Anyway, it's interesting to see what others perceive as needs from their demo.
The wonderful thing about being a demo is that I can run my business the way I feel is best for me....and that includes providing personalized good custoer service. Customer service means something different to each of my customers.....and I do my best to represent SU! as the awesome company it is that provides top products. I do not feel that cutting stamps, finding people to split sets or some of the other choices are even something my customers want, much less consider asking me to do. I do place orders in a timely manner once their payment has cleared into my account...that's just good business practice. I often give my customers a little freebie as a thank you to them for coming to my house and picking up their orders from my pick up box .....they don't mind...and it saves me timel. As long as both parties are satisfied, that's the best I can offer.
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Took the poll. I was kind shocked at home many people chose cut/mount. I don't think a demo should be doing that SU offers there stamps at a great price because we cut/moun ourselves. Secondly, A free catty should be offered to the hostess for having the party and that it's unless a customer has a good size order I would probably give them one. (I'm not a demo JMHO). Those are the only two qualitites that I wouldn't care if they did this or not.
Besides I'd rather have my demo getting ready for my Party or the next work shop then having her spend time cutting/mounting Suzie Q's stamp LOL..
exception: If the person getting the stamp order had a broken arm!!! JK, I'm just talking silly now.. Good night!!!!
Okay, I'm still trying to figure out what her boobies have to do with being a good demo....
Er, the title of the thread.....
Her boobies have plenty to do with being a good demo... if they aren't large enough, and if she gets her bras from someplace that doesn't have the quality of Stampin' Up products, they won't provide the proper bounce when demonstrating generation stamping (stamping off). To do this technique, you 'bounce' the image onto the paper, being rubber it bounces back up - hitting the boobies, and bouncing back down for the second and third generations. You just can't do it without the proper *equipment*.
Hope this helps.
Dancing Rain
__________________ Proud to be a Stampin' Up! Demo... and a "Rubber Mutt"
My demo is fantastic. She doesn't even wait for me to order!! She looks at the catty, knows what I want and just ships it to me, carefully pre cut, mounted and delivered to my door. And, she pays for it too!
She mowed my lawn, took my cat to the vet, and pulled out my son's wisdom teeth. Got love her!!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Her boobies have plenty to do with being a good demo... if they aren't large enough, and if she gets her bras from someplace that doesn't have the quality of Stampin' Up products, they won't provide the proper bounce when demonstrating generation stamping (stamping off). To do this technique, you 'bounce' the image onto the paper, being rubber it bounces back up - hitting the boobies, and bouncing back down for the second and third generations. You just can't do it without the proper *equipment*.
My demo is fantastic. She doesn't even wait for me to order!! She looks at the catty, knows what I want and just ships it to me, carefully pre cut, mounted and delivered to my door. And, she pays for it too!
She mowed my lawn, took my cat to the vet, and pulled out my son's wisdom teeth. Got love her!!
I don't mow lawns, but I have actually cleaned my customers teeth on occasion ;O)
__________________ Jackie K. The Stampin' Tooth Fairy
"Something's gotta go wrong 'cause I'm feeling way too damn good." - Nickelback
"When Life hands you lemons, ask for salt and tequila and give me a call"
Yes, they do take credit cards, but I only have one credit card and keep it mostly for emergency use only. I prefer to do nearly all my transactions, with SU and with any other merchant, bank, etc. using cash and checks. I don't want to put anything on my credit card that I don't have to in order to avoid finance charges and all that. Say I put a $900 order from a customer on my credit card the day before my cc statement period ends. I then get charged finance charges on that $900 because I couldn't pay the credit card until the customer's money cleared into my bank account. I don't think demonstrators should be put in a position where they have to deal with that.
I for one don't even have this option as we as a family don't have a credit card.
My demo is fantastic. She doesn't even wait for me to order!! She looks at the catty, knows what I want and just ships it to me, carefully pre cut, mounted and delivered to my door. And, she pays for it too!
She mowed my lawn, took my cat to the vet, and pulled out my son's wisdom teeth. Got love her!!
I have 2 demos and they are both awesome! One places my order immediately, and the other waits until she has enough for a hostess order. The difference is that I KNOW this is what she does, so I don't expect my order at any certain time. Honesty! That's really what counts.
About the cutting/mounting thing here's something to think about... I have carpal tunnel and it's difficult to cut and mount my stamps sometimes, do I ask my demo to do it, no, but there might be a time that I might need her too. Also what about people with arthritis? The cutting and mounting part can be very difficult, so they would want a demo who offers this service. PLUS some people just don't get the same enjoyment out of cutting and mounting their own stamps. They'd rather them be ready to go as soon as they get them, so if this means they'll buy more from a demo who cuts/mounts their stamps, then I would think a demo would be willing to do that for them.
I already posted on this topic but since the tide has turned to the topic of mounting customers' stamps, I will weigh in again... I do mount stamps for about 1/3 of my customers. I started for one lady as a favor and she told all her friends about it, and one other lady I do all hers because she is partially blind. I wish I'd never started with the first lady because now she has all her able-bodied friends ordering double-sided alphabets, which take me an average of an HOUR AND A HALF to mount correctly and neatly. I'm happy they bought an alphabet set, but do I need to start charging extra for mounting? I have two little kids and an hour and a half of "free time" is a LOT.
__________________ Lyssa Griffin Zwolanek, Gold EliteSong of My Heart Stampers14-time incentive trip earner
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DancingRain
Her boobies have plenty to do with being a good demo... if they aren't large enough, and if she gets her bras from someplace that doesn't have the quality of Stampin' Up products, they won't provide the proper bounce when demonstrating generation stamping (stamping off). To do this technique, you 'bounce' the image onto the paper, being rubber it bounces back up - hitting the boobies, and bouncing back down for the second and third generations. You just can't do it without the proper *equipment*.
Hope this helps.
Dancing Rain
SPEW!!!!! ROFLMAO!! Now that was good!
I'll have to try that technique, I have all the *equipment* for it...
:mrgreen:
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Originally Posted by laurakj
About the cutting/mounting thing here's something to think about... I have carpal tunnel and it's difficult to cut and mount my stamps sometimes, do I ask my demo to do it, no, but there might be a time that I might need her too. Also what about people with arthritis? The cutting and mounting part can be very difficult, so they would want a demo who offers this service. PLUS some people just don't get the same enjoyment out of cutting and mounting their own stamps. They'd rather them be ready to go as soon as they get them, so if this means they'll buy more from a demo who cuts/mounts their stamps, then I would think a demo would be willing to do that for them.
For me, if I had a customer with Carpal Tunnel or Arthritis or something I would offer to cut their stamps for them. (I would also try to get them on my massage table, but that's another thread... :mrgreen But if I have a customer that just doesn't feel like doing it... I wouldn't be offering. Well, I *might* offer to do it for a fee... but I wouldn't be using my precious little time that I could be wasting here on SCS to cut someone else's stamps. That said, there have been times when I've put in orders for my SIL or friends, etc and have cut the stamps for them just to be nice, but that's not the norm.
Besides, people like their stamps cut and mounted in different ways. With my luck, I'd do it totally different from how the customer wanted and then the customer would just end up mad at me anyhow...
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I can tell you what makes our demo Chris Shively so great. We come she is prepared with our three projects. They are cut and ready to do. She explains each project then lets us go at it. She mingles (because she is also our friend), but makes sure she is there if we need help. For those of us who don't have much time, we can be in and out of there in 1-1 1/2 hours. She also is not pushy. I end up buying a set that she uses for our cards almost monthly. We are very lucky to have her.
My demo is fantastic. She doesn't even wait for me to order!! She looks at the catty, knows what I want and just ships it to me, carefully pre cut, mounted and delivered to my door. And, she pays for it too!
She mowed my lawn, took my cat to the vet, and pulled out my son's wisdom teeth. Got love her!!
:lol::lol:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stampin Wrose
Okay, I'm still trying to figure out what her boobies have to do with being a good demo....
As a demo, I have to say that I found nothing negative about this poll. It was an eye-opener for me! I never would have considered that customers would be worried about when I placed their order. Some home parties I've been to, it was nearly a month before I received my order, so I always try to place the order as soon as I possibly can. This is a great thread -- all demos should be checking it out!
Oh, BTW, I always mount alphabet sets for my customers -- that's such a huge job -- and I tell them that anyone who might be nervous about mounting their own can either come over and I'll help them, or I'll do it for them. I know it was one thing that used to make me really nervous!
My demo gives me a goodie bag with each order. I forget about them, and then when she comes with it, it is SUCH a treat. Snippets of ribbons and brads, in various colors. It is a very nice thing to do. ~~ Above and beyond~~
I use it all up, like a fiend, and often order more of something in there, that I like.
I think a good demo is a helpful demo. If I have a question about color choices or techniques she/he should be able to help me. Before I knew about SCS I would use my awesome demo as a resource. I still can, but can usually find an answer here!
__________________ Not quite creative
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Don't worry about tomorrow, each day has enough trouble of it's own. (Matthew 6:34)
GWTW Junkie, if I were in your shoes I would stop offering that service except to the vision-impaired customer. A brief explanation of how many hours a month, or what proportion of your free time you are spending on it, might help them understand. As with husbands, your customers won't know how much they are imposing on you unless you tell them.
I chose place my order within 10 days because that is all I would really expect from a good demo. I appreciate (and my demo does) the many other items on the list but I did not select them because the question implies that if a demo does not do it, they would be a bad demo. I would only expect a free catalogue if my order was enough to recieve hostess benefits. That's $225 CAN. If it is $150 in the States I would have selected that too.
Why would I expect my demo to tell me there is something cheaper elsewhere when I don't expect it in any other stamp store. That is definately going above and beyond.
__________________ Taryn
"Forget regret or life is yours to miss." - Jonathan Larson
Also, when I first started buying stamps, I really appreciated having them mounted. Once I mounted my first stamp, I now prefer to mount myself. I don't think you would not be a good demo if you did not mount but it is good to have the option for the newbies.
__________________ Taryn
"Forget regret or life is yours to miss." - Jonathan Larson
I always use Stampin' Up cardstock, give out inspiration sheets, buy one or two mini sets, email updates, learn new techniques.
And offer customer service, how many times have we heard people complain about other stores? I used to work at M's and I still have people calling me from their cell phone to ask where certain items are in the store because the people that work there can't find them.
Ahh, mounting stamps for others, I never understood this. It's not logical.
SU! stamps are CHEAPER BECAUSE they are unmounted. If someone wants pre-mounted stamps, they should compare stamp prices at their local store. Then they will have an idea of what a demo might want to charge for the service.
I have occasionally read where a demo has offered to mount someone's stamps for free because of some kind of disability the customer had. Yay for her. I applaud her kind heart and generous spirit.
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
GWTW Junkie, if I were in your shoes I would stop offering that service except to the vision-impaired customer. A brief explanation of how many hours a month, or what proportion of your free time you are spending on it, might help them understand. As with husbands, your customers won't know how much they are imposing on you unless you tell them.
Yep, I need to bite the bullet and tell them no. I find myself holding my breath when a customer orders an alphabet set because I am afraid she will ask me to mount it for her. I would love to do it, if I had endless free time and fingers of steel
My excuse for beginning it in the first place (for able-bodied customers) was that if it wasn't mounted right they wouldn't like it and therefore wouldn't buy any more. I still think that's true, but I need to teach them to do it right themselves so they are not dependent on me.
__________________ Lyssa Griffin Zwolanek, Gold EliteSong of My Heart Stampers14-time incentive trip earner
And, as more and more people vote, you can see that cutting out the stamps is not something people expect. That is way over the top IMO, and I would suggest only doing it for arthritic/disabled people....and then, perhaps for free. If they buy a good scissors most people can do just fine.
Mounting my new stamps is part of the FUN for me....Maybe I'm weird?!? There is NO WAY I'd let anyone else touch my fresh stamp set - it's like letting someone else stick their finger in a freshly opened jar of peanut butter first.....Not happening!
Yes, you might try offering a "how to mount" class, if necessary, or when someone asks, tell them you'll be happy to show them how, do one or two, then they're on their own. I'm sure you'll do fine with it. Sounds like you are VERY nice to your customers.
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
