Celebrating Your Stampin' Up! Accomplishments from January ...

Behind the Scenes
Erika Schmitz
Senior Manager • Pleasanton, California
Erika’s support runs the gamut from simply reading her
Stampin’ Up! reports to see where the members of her
downline stand, to holding her own awards night.
When Erika saw on one of her reports that Brenda Keenan,
a manager from San Jose, California, and a member of her
first-level downline, was on track to earn cruise, she picked
up the phone and called her. “Erika went over the numbers
with me and helped me set cruise as one of my goals.”
This April, Brenda enjoyed her first incentive cruise, to the
Panama Canal!
Erika with members of her downline: L to R (front) Tami Dedic, Annamarie
Alire, Erika Schmitz, Donna Rowe, Brenda Keenan, Debra White, Jen Styles;
(back) Karen Hendricks, Rhonda Hunt-Burnham, Debbie Elam
Sometimes the biggest challenge in recruiting comes after
your recruits have signed up. Offering needed support to a
growing downline can be a lot of work. One demonstrator
who is more than up for the challenge is Erika Schmitz, a
senior manager from Pleasanton, California.
With over 100 demonstrators in her downline, 25 in her
first level, Erika could be overwhelmed by the amount of
work it takes to support them. Instead, she consistently
goes the extra mile to support her growing downline.
Helping her downline achieve cruise isn’t the only reason
Erika picks up the phone. She calls members of her
downline every week. “I especially appreciate the phone
calls,” says Brenda. “I live 40 minutes away, so I don’t
get to many of the meetings. I know that I can call Erika
any time to discuss issues or ideas for workshops or use
her as a sounding board. I can talk to her as a friend; she
understands my needs and issues.”
Erika also contacts her downline with a weekly e-mail.
Her e-mails include a tip of the week, ideas for workshops,
card samples, and a weekly discussion topic. Anyone who
responds to the discussion topic has her name entered
into a drawing for a small prize. “The weekly e-mails keep
me motivated, excited, and thinking about my business,”
says Sonia Schimke, a senior supervisor from San Jose,
California. “It’s important to keep a dialogue going within
your downline,” says Erika. “It’s important that they feel a
part of a group that is bigger than them.” ■
tips for supporting your downline
Look at your group members and see where they can improve or where they have needs.
IS BUYING NEW PRODUCTS A CHALLENGE FOR
THEM? Find a way to help them get the new
products they need to keep their workshops fresh.
Erika hosts a garage sale every year. Her downline
is invited to bring their discontinued stamp sets to
sell, and Erika pays for the advertising. The sale is
a great morale booster because her downline gets
to make room for new products and earn the cash
to buy them!
IS ATTENDANCE DOWN AT YOUR MEETINGS? Call a
demonstrator who hasn’t been to a meeting in a
while and ask her to present. Nothing gets your
downline members involved like giving them a
job. Plus, the experience of presenting in front of
the group builds their confidence, sparks their
creativity, and makes them better demonstrators.
HAVE YOUR DOWNLINE MEMBERS STOPPED
ATTENDING CONVENTION? Go as a group. Erika’s
downline travels to convention together. They stay
at the same hotel, try to register for the same
classes, and always meet for lunch. They also go to
dinner on the first night together. Help your
downline build camaraderie at Stampin’ Up!
events so they enjoy going and make it a priority.
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Vol. 7 Issue 4
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