sharing creativity & caring for your business ... - Stampin' Up!

meeting customer needs
no good need . . .
goes unfulfilled
Zeila Perez
Manager
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Husband José; sons José Ivan and Ian
Becoming a demonstrator fulfilled a need in
the life of Zeila Perez, a manager from Caguas, Puerto
Rico. When she was first introduced to Stampin’ Up!,
she had already determined what she wanted her life
to look like; it just so happened that Stampin’ Up! fit
right into the picture. “It had always been my dream
to have my own business and generate revenue while
being able to manage my own time,” she says. “I became
a demonstrator because I saw an opportunity to realize
that dream.”
After becoming a demonstrator, it didn’t take long to
recognize a new need in her life: the need to find a place
to start. She brilliantly overcame this challenge by
employing a simple and comfortable solution. “I started
by holding workshops with family members,” she recalls,
“and we had a great time! From these workshops, I
created a club. Then I was able to start holding workshops
outside of my own house.”
Through these experiences and others like them, Zeila
was able to recognize the power that exists in being able
to understand and fulfill a person’s needs. It empowers
not only the person fulfilling the need but also those
whose needs are met. This understanding of needs-based
business has contributed to almost all aspects of Zeila’s
strategy, whether it relates to sales, recruiting, or
customer service.
For starters, Zeila appreciates the fact that all customers
are different. They come with different interests, skill
levels, and amounts of discretionary time to devote to
stamping. To accommodate all the various situations in
which her customers find themselves, she has done her
best to adapt. “What works for me is to listen to my
customers in order to find out what their motivations are
for wanting to learn,” she shares. “Then I know what to
offer them. I can plan workshops based on their skill
levels and needs. Currently, I offer separate workshops
for beginning, intermediate, and advanced stampers.”
Zeila also finds it beneficial to apply the same principles
to recruiting when inviting her customers and hostesses
to consider the prospect of becoming demonstrators
themselves. “I identify their needs before offering the
demonstrator opportunity,” she says. “Then I explain the
benefits of being a demonstrator and how it can help
them achieve their goals. I try to give them the
confidence to believe that they can do whatever they
want to do.”
Zeila’s personalized approach to inviting customers and
hostesses to participate in her business spills over into
how she treats people once they are at her workshops or
are members of her downline. “I dedicate time to each
person to assure that they understand and learn what I
teach them,” she explains. “I prepare all of my workshops
according to the abilities of each group. My greatest
satisfaction is to see people leave happy, with their
projects in hand, wanting to learn more.”
Through her focus on meeting the needs of her customers,
Zeila has continued to meet personal needs as well,
discovering passion in her work that she never knew
she had. “As a demonstrator I’ve developed a passion for
teaching my customers and downline,” she shares. “I really
enjoy sharing the knowledge I have. My philosophy is to
offer workshops as I would like to receive them. If I like the
projects, I know it’s going to be a success.”
“I identify their needs before offering the demonstrator opportunity. Then I explain
the benefits of being a demonstrator and how it can help them achieve their goals.”
september 2011 13