There are a lot of factors that contribute to running a successful SU business – one where you can earn a good income and acheive big goals like Founder’s Circle or the incentive trip.  I always find it hard to answer these kinds of questions because for me anyways, there is no one answer.  It’s an approach that I take to my business, a frame of mind I suppose you could say, which then influences the activities that I follow through with to achieve my goals.

I think the biggest and most important thing is to HAVE a goal. In a post to the LNS Demo Only group, Patty Bennett said “Be true to who you are” – that is a very powerful truth.  You have to set your goal for you – it has to mean something to you, be in keeping with your values, and with where you are in life. For example, I set my goals of earning the incentive trip and Founder’s Circle 3 years ago. I earned Bermuda, but then for the next year and a half had to take a step back from my SU business when our life as a family turned upside down (new baby, moving, renovations, moving my grandparents in, my grandmother getting ill and passing away, etc.)  A whole slew of things, all one after the other.  Although it was really hard to put my SU dreams on hold, I needed to focus on my family. Once things settled down, I was able to re-focus on my business.

Once you have your goal, you then have to figure out how you are going to achieve it – you need to break it down.

Work your business consistently.  I put time into my business consistently 5 days a week. I try not to work weekends because that is a commitment I made to my husband – that weekends would be family time.

Love what you do. Don’t try to fit yourself or your business into somebody else’s mold. Just because someone says “you should be doing this for your business”  doesn’t mean you have to, if you really hate doing it.  There are many paths to a successful business – you have to find the one that works for you.

Use your business as a means for blessing others. I look at my business as my ministry. I look for ways that I can use my business to touch other’s lives.  It may be through sharing and inspiring, it may be through gifting those that are struggling or less fortunate with SU products (I often donate product to local charities and organizations), it may be through providing employment. 

Value your time and your expertise. Charge what you are worth. If you want to make money through your SU business then you need to start thinking like a business person. I see way too many demos that undervalue what they have to offer, and undercharge for their classes and events.

Make your choices in terms of what is good, better, best.  There are a lot of good things that we can do for our business, but, in reality we don’t have enough time to do everything.  So when I think about what I am going to invest my time in, I think about which of my choices will yeild the best returns for my business. 

Anyways, there is lots more, but I think these are some of the key things that I do.

One of the things that I love to do is to shop online for art & papercrafting materials…I admit it, it’s a bit of an addiction LOL.  Most of the time, when I open up my much-anticipated package, there’s a thank you note and often a small gift.  Sometimes it’s a yard of ribbon, sometimes it’s a package of embellishments, sometimes it’s a small stamp….and I’m always pleasantly surprised.  One day though, I remember opening up a package from a sizeable order I had placed, and there was…nothing!  I searched through the box wondering if I had somehow overlooked it, but nope, that was not the case.  I remember feeling quite let down.  Thoughts such as “They could have at least included a little thank you note”, or “They obviously don’t appreciate the fact that I chose to spend my hard earned money on them” ran through my head. I even went so far as to contemplate not ordering from them again.  

Is that fair?  No.  And in fact, as I realized what I was thinking, initially, I wasn’t proud of myself.  After all, why should we have to reward people for their purchases?  As I got to thinking about it more though, I realized two things.  The first is that as a society, it’s something we’ve gotten conditioned to…it’s started to become the norm.  The second thing though, is that as I examined my feelings I realized that when a company expresses it’s appreciation to me for choosing them out of the multitude of companies I could have purchased from, it makes me feel special and valued.  Is it wrong to want to feel like you are valued as a customer.  Personally, I would have to say absolutely not.

THAT is why if you were to ask me, I would say that as a business (which is what I consider my Stampin’ Up! demonstratorship to be), it is important to look for ways to show our appreciation to our customers on a consistent basis.  So what does it mean to show appreciation?  Does it mean you’re going to have to give away the farm, or dip into your profits?  Thankfully the answer is no.  The key is to keep in mind that it’s the gesture that has meaning, not so much WHAT it is. 

Some ways I try to make my customers feel valued and special:

• for my online orders, they receive a personal email from me thanking them for their purchase.
• all customers get a little thank you note in their orders, or if it’s an online order, mailed to them.
• I monitor the delivery of their shipment (for online orders) and within a few days of them receiving their order they get an email making sure everything was okay.
• For individual customer orders which I package up myself, I may staple a little ziploc baggie to their thank you note which contains with a yard of ribbon or a few embellishments.  Sometimes I might break up the extra sale-a-bration or hostess sets I earn and give them one stamp.
• For online orders greater than $50, I may give them a free pdf tutorial

I think the most important thing to keep in mind when deciding what you are going to do to show your appreciation to your customers, is that it is the gesture that’s important.  Don’t make the mistake of giving away too much off the bat, because you’re going to set a precedent that you’ll then have to keep living up to.

What about you?  What are some of the ways YOU try and make your customers feel special?  Please share.

I think the biggest problem often stems from the fact that whenever we sit down to try and tackle a business-related task, it seems so big and overwhelming, and it seems to require so much time.  Which is why we often resort to procrastination.  We tell ourselves, “I just don’t have time to prep for that workshop right now”, or “I just don’t have time to make follow-up calls to my customers”.  So we decide to wait until we actually have a chunk of time in which to do it.  The problem of course is that that free chunk of time rarely shows itself.  Next thing we know, it’s been several months since the trade show and we still haven’t made our follow up calls to the leads we got.  And “well, we can’t possibly call now” we tell ourselves.  Before you know it, the money you invested in the trade show is wasted.  Maybe it’s not a trade show, maybe it’s contacts you got at an event you hosted, or a workshop you did. Either way, it’s business opportunities lost. Does this scenario sound familiar? 

So how do we get a handle on this and stop the vicious cycle?  The best way to break this cycle is to train yourself to do 1 thing for your business every day.  It could be one phone call.  Make one card.  Put together one hostess packet.  Send out 1 thank you card….

Just one SMALL action everyday is all it takes to get you started on the path to consistency.  What you’ll often find is, that that simple act will help get you into a business mindset, and will lead to more.  And if it doesn’t on a particular day, then you can still rest easy knowing one more thing on your to do list has been crossed off.

Description: 

Elegant and beautiful, this month’s stamp set is perfect for creating collage style or travel-themed projects.  Whether you want to go Vintage Chic, or Artistic Travel, this is the set for you.  Each design is well executed and timeless, perfect for year round use!

Not sure how to run a workshop, needing a boost or just running out of time?  With this planner, we take all the tears and fears out of workshop’s for you.  We offer tried, tested and true tips and suggestions for setting up and running your workshop, as well as projects designed to increase your sales. Whatever your needs are, we have tried to meet them. So sit back with a cup of tea, relax and let us do the work for you.

Products Used in Simple Verison:

• Stamps: Artistic Etchings
• Ink: Early Espresso, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz Classic inks; Early Espresso, Old Olive and Sahara Sand Stampin’ Write markers
• Paper: Early Espresso CS, Very Vanilla CS, Blushing Bride CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Newsprint DP
• Accessories: Snail Adhesive, mini glue dots, 2-way glue pen, Early Espresso 1/8″ Taffeta ribbon, silver brads, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 5-petal flower punch, bone folder, paper snips, stamping sponges, paper-piercing tool, Mat Pack, Stamp-a-ma-jig

The alternate projects use the Just Believe stamp set.

Workshop Planner Features:

• Video Tutorials for all of those techniques or tools which are easier to show than explain.  It’s like being with us in our studio as we show you how to better execute the planner for the month.  Great for the new demonstrator, or the one who just needs a refresher.
• Three custom designed projects- two cards and one 6″ x 6″ scrapbook page
• Projects offered with simple and stepped up version
• Stepped up Scrapbook page feature.  We take your 6″ x 6″ page and show you how to turn it into a 8 1/2″ x 11″ and also into a 12″ x 12″.  This way you can show your customers or use it as a Scrapbook class idea.
• Alternate project designs using a different stamp set, DP and color scheme
• Tips on preparing for, setting up and running your workshop
• Step by step photo tutorial for ensuring a clear understanding of all steps associated with projects
• Cost analysis of projects
• Customer Handout
• Customer Shopping Checklist offered in both PDF format as well as MS word format so you can make changes to suit your needs
• Demonstrator packing checklist offered in both PDF format as well as MS word format so that you can make changes to suit your needs
• American and Canadian Versions for all Qualifying documents
• Advertising photo

Regular Price: $24.95

*Please be sure to check your email after you check out, because you will receive an email with the link to a web page from which you can download all your documents and access the videos.

* International orders accepted.  Paypal or your credit card company will do the currency conversion for you.

Description: 

Bright colors, bold patterns & a vintage texture create an eye-catching combination that is sure to elicit a “wow” from everyone who sees it. In this class your customers will use the Greenhouse Gala DP, Friends Never Fade Stamp Set & Vintage Wallpaper textured impressions folder to create these four gorgeous cards along with a coordinating window card box to gift them in.

Highlights:

• Project: 4 standard-sized cards and matching card box
• Time estimate: 2 – 2 ½ hours including cutting
• Level of difficulty: 1,  this project involves simple stamping, cutting, card & card box assembly
• Featured products: Greenhouse Gala DP, Friends Never Fade & Thank You Kindly stamp set, Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder, Scallop Edge border punch

Class Planner Features: 

• Demonstrator planner with a cutting guide for cutting for a CLASS
• Advertising pictures
• Condensed Customer Handout (pdf)
• Detailed (i.e. Class-to-go) customer handout (pdf) – including a cutting guide for 1 project set
• Marketing flyer (in MS Word)
• Blog entry text

Price: $24.95 CAN

* International orders accepted.  Paypal or your credit card company will do the currency conversion for you.