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Ok everyone I'd like some answers!!!

What qualities etc would be best in an APQS Dealer?

Do you need to be technically minded?

Is it really worth your time to be a dealer?

Would it fit in around clients, tutoring and class samples?

What does it really entail?

Pros and Cons etc ......

Truthful answers appreciated. OR you can email me if your prefer.

Thanks

Lyn in a Dealerless Australia

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Sue is no longer our dealer and this info is slowly filtering through the network.

Some of us our now wondering if it is worth our time/effort/ costs???? to take on the dealership role.

So would really like input from other Dealers. We are a LOOONNNG way from any dealers now.

Lyn

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Oh, no! I've met Sue - she was a wonderful dealer. Wish I lived closer to Australia...

Anyway, the questions you all asked are good ones. You should probably be addressing these issues with Heidi Kaisand, APQS' Sales Manager, but I understand that you probably want something other than the company line.;)

I asked the same questions when I was approached about being a dealer in 2008. The simple answer is that you can do as much or as little as suits you as a rep. The bare minimum that serves our company is to be available to demonstrate your APQS machine to anyone willing to travel to you. Doesn't cost you anything except some time (and cleaning up your own studio!).

Before I agreed to become a dealer (or Sales Rep as we are sometimes called), I verified with Heidi that I was not expected to spend my own money on the position nor was there any expectation that I would help with trade show booths. And being a mechanical klutz, I was sure I would never get into the service/maintenance end of the business.

On my own, and out of my own pocket, I decided that I needed to be able to demonstrate my Millennium at local/regional Quilt Shows, so I invested in a 7' show table (my 14' table would never fit in most Quilt Show booths) and a trailer to carry all the pieces and parts, including my own Millie head. I have since been a vendor at sixteen shows over the past two years - the seventeenth comes up next week. All the travel and show expenses are out of my pocket - my decision to try to reach customers that might not come to my studio. I don't think I want to look too closely at whether it was worth the investment, but it was a LOT of fun and I loved interacting with the show attendees!

The maintenance end isn't as bad as you might think - I'm a klutz and can't even change my own oil - the training at the factory in Iowa is great, and the APQS Service team is unbeatable. Biggest expense there is when the tool stores have a sale....:P and keeping a stock of the basic spare parts.

So, the bottom line: yes, there are benefits - reps get a commission on the sale of machines and a discount on parts and supplies. Another benefit - I can 'field strip" a Millie now (well, most of it), have worked on Liberties and Ult. IIs in the field, can swap M&M wheels faster than the instructions say, and have run into all sorts of wonderful quilters in my travels.

The flip side? If I did much quilting for others, I can't be sure my Millie would be available to demonstrate for a potential customer. And traveling, either to shows or on service trips (also out of my own pocket), would take you away from home and family. Again, there's the offset of wonderful quilters, most of whom have put me up in their own homes to help me offset my travel costs.

Would I do it again? You bet! Would I do NINE shows in one season, like I did last year? Probably not, but it seemed like a good idea at the time......;)

It would be nice to have other reps chime in, now that I've broken the ice with my own humble opinion......

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Hi Lyn,

First, rest assured that we will NOT leave you in the lurch when it comes to support and customer service, regardless of whether you have a dealer locally at any time. Granted, Sue's decision to pursue other interests caught us a bit off guard. However, I am working with Heidi and the rest of the APQS team to make sure that this transition period goes as smoothly as possible. I know that your question about becoming a dealer was directed more to current dealers and their thoughts, but we would be happy to visit with you personally as well, as I know you've sent us an email about what might be involved.

Watch for a more detailed email from us to all of our Australian customers in the next couple of days, describing our action plan to be sure you have the support you need going forward. Part of that email will address finding and training both individuals who would love to share their passion for quilting with others as dealers, but who may also be interested in becoming trained technicians. Just like in the US, those do not necessarily need to be the same person. In fact, we'd love to establish a network of several individuals across Australia who will work closely with us on both of those fronts.

As the customer service and education manager, I am keenly interested in making sure our current and prospective owners know that we are still here to support you directly. I don't have details yet tonight, but I am hatching a plan with the other APQS team members that will give our Australian owners the opportunity to get some direct maintenance training very, very soon. (more on that in that upcoming email). If I can personally help answer any questions, let me know!

I'll let our other dealers chime in about their personal experiences:)

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I also would like to have a dealer in Australia. Have just purchased a new Millenium - not even put together yet as we move house in about 7 weeks. I think I will need all the help I can get to get it up and going. Feel a little like a newly orphaned child, a long way from anywhere.

Go to it ladies I'm sure one of you would be a great rep, especially if you are willing to put up a booth at a couple of major shows esp. AMQF in 2012.

We were very disappointed not to find an APQS presence in Adelaide last October as we were very impressed by the 2nd hand Ultimate 2 I had purchased.

Sorry if I have breached any etiquette rules here as this was so important to us, I felt I had to jump in and attempt my very first post.

Wendy

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Wendy great to have you on the forum. Welcome from another Australian - congratulations on your purchase.

I am sure you will be able to put your Millenium together by yourself. The handbook is good. My husband told me to wait until he got home, but I couldn't. SO with the help of the dining chairs I put mine together by myself.

Lyn

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Barb has given the best explanation of being a dealer. I have chosen the quilting side of the business. I have zippers on my leaders so I can take a quilt out if someone calls or drops in for a demo. Most of the time a sales call is about 2 hours of talk and demo. The tech side of the business is not hard. APQS training is the best.

I love sharing my love of quilting and APQS equipment with others and that make being a rep easy. I enjoy working with the entire staff at APQS. No mater who you get when you call in they will do their best to get you the answers you need.

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Welcome to the forum Wendy, no etiquette breached at all :)

The beaut thing about APQS is this forum, loads of support here. Any questions you may have are answered very quickly so dont be shy :)

I have a second hand Millie and pretty much worked everything out with the information that came with the machine. I felt that because I did not buy a new machine I couldnt bother the dealer. I was so wrong. I introduced myself to Sue at a show she was so helpful, even coming over to make sure that everything was set up OK. Late last year I ordered the Bliss system - the best thing since sliced bread - and again Sue was great. I will miss her :(

I love my APQS machine, Bliss is brilliant and I couldnt imagine anything else. The support team are wonderful and the folks on this forum are simply magic :):):)

cheers

Satu

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Great post, Barb!

I am working on being to be a hybrid of Barb and Joyce. I just recently started vendoring at shows. I have purchased a 7 foot frame because most vendor spaces are 10 feet so my 12 foot frame would have meet I had to purchase 2 spaces. I can see the advantage to doing more of this. I am able to load the 7 ft. frame and machine in the back of my old minivan if I take the seats out.

My core business is still quilting for customers. I use zippers so that I can take my customer quilts off if need be. But honestly people call before they want to try the machine out, so I have been able to schedule my customer quilts around them.

I love being able to talk about quilting! One of my favorite parts about being a rep is teaching the beginners class.

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Hi Everyone,

APQS would love to tell you all about the opportunites of being an APQS sales rep, whether in the USA or Australia.

I am going to host a 1-hour telephone conference where you can call in and listen to the requirements of becoming an APQS sales rep. Because there are differences between USA and Australia, I'm going to hold two seperate conferences.

For anyone in the USA, the conference will be:

Thursday, March 24 at 10 a.m. Central Daylight Savings Time

For anyone in Australia, the conference will be:

Tuesday, March 29 at 9 p.m. Central Daylight Savings Time (this will be the morning of March 30 for Australians; depending on your time zone it should be 10 or 11 a.m.)

You can e-mail me at heidi@apqs.com to register for either conference. I would like your name, address, phone number, e-mail, what APQS machine you currently own and how long you've been long-arm quilting. Please include a snapshot of you, so I can put a face to your name. Also include a photograph of where your machine lives.

When you register, I will give you a phone number and pass code to call at the appropriate time.

I'm looking forward to talking with many of you in the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Heidi Kaisand

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