Hello Stampers!  I’m creating this page as a quick resource guide to help you as you run your stamping businesses!  I’m sharing resources that I’ve gathered from Stampin’ Up!, webinars, technology and business magazines, and classes that I have taken!  I hope you find it useful!

Table of contents:  Click on the links below to take you to the page with the details!!!!

1. In Person Business Basics

2.  Online Business Basics

3. Stampin’ Up! Policies

4. Stampin’ Up! Reward and Incentive Programs

5. Business Plans

6. Resource Page

7. Getting Started, Getting Noticed As A Demonstrator

Getting Started:

By now you have your starter kit and hopefully, you’ve had time to play with your new toys!  You should also be telling friends, family and coworkers about your new business!  Get them to sign up for your daily blog updates and subscribe to your Youtube channel when you get it up and running.  Your friends will be your initial support, then your customers will follow!

I’m really excited to have you as part of my team!  One of the things I’m enjoying the most about Stampin’ Up! is the friendships that I’m forging.  When the kids went off to college, it left a giant hole of time and energy.  This has been great for me because I have creative, intelligent women that I am getting to know!  As we work together and share ideas, we can achieve great results!!!!

There are a few things that you should think about as you are starting your new business:

• What are your business goals?
• What are your creative strengths?
• How can you use your strengths to move your business forward?
• Why should customers buy from you? (What are the benefits to them?)
• What will your office hours be?
• What do you expect from your business?

I will continue to add to this site and I hope you add things to!  You should be able to post to this page and upload photos!  I’m hoping that as the team grows, this can be a place to find support, give support, share ideas and ask and answer questions.

I recently added some ideas to the Online Business page.  I hope you find them helpful.  This weekend, I will add more to the resources page.  If there are specific things you need or you think I should include here, please let me know!  This is meant to be a support and resource to help your business grow!

How to get in touch with me:

Please feel free to call me anytime.  I am generally at work from 6:15 AM to 4PM EST.  I am available evenings and weekends.  My phone number is 631-929-4101 at home.  I do have a cell phone, but I don’t get cell service at home.  I do get cell service at work, but I can’t take personal phone calls.  I can, however, answer text messages during my prep time and my lunch!  My cell is 631-745-4403.  You can always leave me a message or email me at kim@stampingimperfection.com.  I can’t use personal email at work, but I check it before I leave in the morning and as soon as I get home from work.

And…I will be available all day, any day from June 30-August 30!  I do love summer!!!!

Getting Noticed As A Demonstrator

The first step to building a successful stamping business is to make sure people know that you have one!!!  You also need to decide what kind of business do you want to have: online, in person or a combination of both.  You will run different types of businesses in very different ways.

Set up your DBWS and Get Listed In The Demonstrator Finder:

In any case, make sure that you have registered and set up your DBWS online store.  Make sure that you OPT IN under your profile to be listed in the demonstrator finder.  This is from the demonstrator training on the Stampin’ Up! website:

Demonstrator Finder March 18, 2013 Stampin’ Up! often receives requests from customers wanting more information about how to purchase products, asking for us to refer them to a demonstrator, or requesting a catalog or mini catalog. The Demonstrator Finder is Stampin’ Up!’s online way of referring a customer to you, whether the customer is looking for a demonstrator closest to her home or trying to find a demonstrator she already knows. Demonstrator Finder provides a way for customers to find a demonstrator by geographical area or by name through two search options: The Demonstrator Locator and the Demonstrator Directory. Demonstrator Locator Option If a customer does not have a demonstrator and wants to find one in her own area, she can enter her address, city, and other information in the Demonstrator Locator. The Demonstrator Locator then displays contact methods (such as e-mail, site link, join link and shop link) of ten demonstrators in her area. Results are displayed by closest geographical proximity to the address entered, then alphabetically. To appear in the Demonstrator locator, active demonstrators must both Have an activated DBWS and Opt in (through the Service Level Agreement in your profile). Demonstrator Directory Option If a customer wants to find a specific demonstrator and knows her name (or part of her name) or the city or state she is in, she can enter this information in the Demonstrator Directory, search, and find her demonstrator. The Demonstrator Directory is much like a phone directory. Results are displayed by last name in alphabetical order. All active demonstrators who opt in  (through your profile) are part of the Demonstrator Directory. A demonstrator does not need to have a Demonstrator Business Web Site (DBWS) in order to be listed on the Demonstrator Directory. Once potential customers or recruits find a demonstrator using the Demonstrator Locator or Demonstrator Directory, they can then to contact the demonstrator themselves. Stampin’ Up! does not investigate or otherwise screen potential customers or recruits prior to referring them to participating demonstrators. For more information, read the Demonstrator Finder Q&A and/or the Referral Policy in the Demonstrator Manual.

In Person Business Ideas:

Running an in person business will get you customers faster and immediately.  I ran a successful in home Creative Memories business for several years.  My first step was to have a giant open house.  I invited everyone I knew and asked them to bring friends along.  I invited people that I hadn’t seen in years…anyone and everyone got invited.  I made the open house a two day weekend event.  It was hugely successful.  I got several party bookings that lead to other bookings and I was off!

1. You need to get yourself a good calendar to keep a schedule.  I recommend getting a calendar that has a tagboard cover that you can decorate with Designer Series Paper and some fun stamping techniques!  Show off your talent with your calendar cover!
2. Have some hostess packets ready for people who sign up to host a party at your open house.
3. Have easy snacks and just serve bottled water.  You’re not providing dinner!
4. Have at least one great project that they can make and take home.  You want it to use several of the tools you hope to sell to them.  You will want to have things precut and organized into sandwich or cello bags so you can just hand one to each person as they are ready to try the project.  Have lots of snail or liquid glue on hand.  (You can purchase the exact same Tombow liquid glue in craft stores, so if you are short on adhesive you can get that in a pinch.)
5. Have a poster with the hostess benefits and rewards in a prominent place so people can see what they get for hosting a party.
6. If you have a Big Shot…make sure they get to use that.  Embossing and die cutting sell themselves!
7. Have a display of some of your Stampin’ Up! goodies.  Show them card stock colors, inks, any tools that you have.
8. Make a list of must have supplies at different price points for beginners with catalog numbers.
9. Have catalogs to give away.  If they don’t seem all that serious, give them a Spring Mini Catalog.  If they book a party, they get the annual catalog.
10. Have some finished cards, scrapbook pages and a 3D project or two ready for your guests to see.  Showcase some of the great techniques that you hope to teach them in future classes, workshops or home parties.
11. Avoid the projects with too many embellishments, dry embossing and so forth.  You have to purchase and supply all of the materials, so it is coming out of your pocket.  However…that’s how we get started.  We can’t expect them to become customers without trying the products and having a catalog to browse through.

Besides the open house, there are other things you can do:

• Right now, make a list of all the people that you know who might have a party to help you get started.
• Make a list of your crafty friends, acquaintances, family and coworkers who might be interested in a 6 month hostess club.  If you can find 6 people (remember men craft too!  My Uncle Wayne loves to sew and knit and his wife loves to hunt and fish…go figure…happiest couple I ever knew!)…If you can find 6 people to commit to a hostess club where they get together at one person’s house once a month (or every other month) to stamp a project or learn a new technique, they can rotate who gets the hostess benefits and who hosts the club.  They each commit to purchasing a minimum of $25 in product and one person gets the hostess rewards for that month.  This guarantees you a minimum of $150 in sales for each month the club meets!
• Create business cards on your computer or ATC cards with your information on them and give them to everyone you meet!  Post them on bulletin boards around your community and get your business out there.
• Teach a stamping workshop at your local library, community center, church, and so forth.  Charge for the classes to cover the cost of your supplies and your time.  Make people register ahead of time and pay ahead of time as well, so you don’t lose money.  If you have a website, you can have a registration page on your website with a paypal button!  If you decide that supplies will cost you $5 per person, you can charge $15 or 20 for the class.  Set the price $5 higher than you’d like to charge and offer an early bird special to anyone who registers by a certain date (one that gives you enough time to order your supplies and get them precut) and then charge full price to anyone who registers after that day (no exceptions!) or who comes as a guest and just walks in the door for the class.  Be firm about this!