CELEBRATING YOUR STAMPIN' UP! ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM ...

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oxofficesuccess love your job Can you really make money and have this much fun? Meet Tamie Ackerson. tamie ackerson manager Corunna, Michigan Monthly Events: 8—12 Average Monthly Sales: $5,357 Tamie has two different types of stamp camps each month— a “regular” camp and a “product” camp. She told us about one “product” camp she held recently. It was a punch camp, with three punches included in the $40 registration fee. Customers made eight cards in 2-1/2 hours and got to try several punches. Sounds easy enough, and what a great way to get your customers’ hands on different punches! Her “regular” camps are set up like an open house. At one camp, for example, customers paid $10 to make eight quick and cute cards, or they could place a $25 order and come to the camp for free. She had 25–35 people show up between 2:00 and 6:00 PM! If you ask Tamie Ackerson, a manager from Corunna, Michigan, what her business is all about, she can sum it up in a single word: “Fun!” But there’s more to learn from Tamie than just how to have fun stamping (though she could offer some great ideas in that area). Her quarterly sales figures are jawdropping: she’s had over $12,000 in sales every quarter for the past several years. How does she do it? We set out to find the answer. We started by asking about her events. Tamie plans two stamp camps a month (see sidebar), and typically holds six to ten workshops. “A lot of the workshops are hosted by repeat customers,” she explains. “And I meet new people at those.” Tamie’s strong customer base regularly attends her events and holds workshops . . . but her secret lies in the word-of-mouth marketing these loyal customers provide for her! At a recent event, Tamie overheard two ladies talking while they stamped. “They said they liked coming to my camps because I spoil them. They liked that I had everything already cut out for them.” It seems like such a simple thing, but customers appreciate it. And they tell their friends. “I’m always getting Family: Husband Steve; daughters Heather and Ashley (17) called out of the blue by people who have heard about my events,” says Tamie. Then Tamie laughs. “I really do spoil my customers.” And she loves doing it, whether she’s cutting out card stock for customers or providing them with a smorgasbord of creative ideas. “I’m a speed stamper, and I demonstrate seven projects, which I give to the workshop hostess. Plus, I always give the hostess cards outside of the workshop. I send her a card two weeks before her workshop with a reminder to send out her invites and a card one week before reminding her to follow up with her guests for RSVPs. Then I send her a thank-you card after the workshop.” Hostesses love all the cards and projects they get for hosting a workshop with Tamie! And they tell their friends to book workshops too. Customers relate to Tamie because she’s such an enthusiast for the product and for stamping in general. They pick up on her cheerful, gung-ho attitude. “Any time a new product comes out, and I see it used on a sample I love, I think ‘I gotta have it!’” she admits happily. “My customers do the same thing. It’s all about the samples.” And with all the fun projects Tamie demonstrates at her workshops, customers have a lot of opportunity to fall in love with stamp sets and accessories. “It makes my night when customers say ‘Oh! Now I have to add to my order!’ It makes me think, ‘Yes! I did my job.’” But even so, Tamie confesses that her workshops don’t feel like a job to her. “I’m just having fun!” she says. “I just be myself. I make fun of myself when I screw up, and it makes people feel comfortable around me.” After our conversation, it’s easy to see why Tamie’s definition of her business is “Fun!” It’s that sense of fun that shapes her business. It translates into an ease with herself, an enthusiasm for the products, and the way she spoils her customers. It keeps Tamie’s sales high and her customers coming back to her again and again. ■ 16 www.stampinup.com
specialguestartist an inspiring life As you can see from her Welcome Little One scrapbook page, Stasia Sloma is an excellent aunt. When Stampin’ Up! asked Stasia to make a scrapbook page and card for us as a special guest artist for this issue of On Stage, she made sure she didn’t leave her nephew out of the fun. She explains, “Michael was born after this picture of our family was taken, and I wanted to include him somehow so years from now he wouldn’t see this article and say, ‘Hey, where am I?’ So, I chose him as the subject of my scrapbook page.” Scrapbook pages are Stasia’s favorite type of project to make. “I love how the photos combined with stories make everything come to life.” Stasia finds inspiration for her projects just about everywhere, including on the Demonstrator Web Site and in Stampin’ Success. “I’ll see something I like and think, ‘I could do that on this project or on that project,’ and every time a new product comes out, like Diecut Blooms, I’ll think of all kinds of new things I can do using them.” In addition, when Stasia sees things she likes or that inspire her, she saves them and often refers back to them for ideas. Stasia describes her project designs as simple and neat. “A friend of mine put it this way,” explains Stasia, “‘they’re not overdone and not underdone.’ I usually use two to three colors and a couple of embellishments. When it looks like the project needs something more, I’ll go the simple route—pop up something with a Stampin’ Dimensional, paper pierce, or use Dazzling Diamonds.” Stasia claims she loves Stampin’ Dimensionals so much she should own stock in them! Inspiration combined with her amazing talents has definitely propelled Stasia to great accomplishments. A card she created recently won in the Hello/Thinking of You category of PaperCrafts magazine’s World Card Making Day contest. Coincidentally, we selected the same fantastic card as an honorable mention for On Stage Volume 8, Issue 4. You may also remember seeing Stasia’s handiwork as the inspiration for the cover of On Stage Volume 7, Issue 4. These successes have inspired Stasia to continue learning new things and to challenge her skills by submitting projects for more contests. We’re sure to see more wonderful creations from her! ■ welcome little one page Nursery Necessities, Short Order Alphabet, and Taffy Alphabet sets; Polka Dot background stamp; Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Blue Bayou textured card stock; Soft Sky Prints Designer Series paper; On Board Accents; Blue Bayou Classic Stampin’ Pad; Basic Black Stampin’ Write journaler; Family: Brother Richie; Stasia; niece Julie (2); father Joe; sister Joanne; mother Teresa; sister-in-law Valerie Blue Bayou double-stitched grosgrain ribbon; linen thread; Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons; Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware®; Stampin’ Dimensionals; Crafters’ Tool Kit; Large Star, Slit, and Star punches; sanding blocks so happy for you card Big Flowers and Nursery Necessities sets; Regal Rose and Whisper White card stock; Prints Pack Designer Series paper; Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose Classic Stampin’ Pads; Whisper White taffeta ribbon; Soft Subtles® brads; Stampin’ Dimensionals; Crafters’ Tool Kit; Scallop Circle punch, Word Window punch, 1-3/8” Circle punch, and Three for You Punch Box stasia sloma senior supervisor Totowa, New Jersey on stage vol. 9 issue 1 17
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