Nappy advisors/enthusiasts...I have a ?

[junkinmytrunk]

Okay went to my first nappuchino the other and, well, it was a bit of disaster.

There was the advisor there obviously, me and one other lady. Bit quiet...

I was chatting to her and looking at nappiess that I didn't have or haven't tried but I was doing all the work in the conversation.

In the same building, less than 5 metres away was a mothers & babies group full of people.

Now if that was me and my nappuchino was dying, I'd have gone into the m&b group, mingled chatted and invite them over.

The advisor however never left the spot by her display, didn't talk to moms coming in & out, did nothing really.

Would you have done the same as me, talked chatted, schmoozed with the other moms at the play group?

purplesal - oooh what kind of incentive?!

I don't know if I'm allowed to say on here. If you are interested in becoming an advisor go and click on the relevant button on the Lollipop website.

Sally

if its an all expenses trip to hawaii im in!

Its me purplesal! The one mad enough to have 3 boys ... but if it is a trip to Hawaii count me in!

I?m an agent for Bummdiddybaby. Purplesal obviously finds Lollipop suits her. I think choosing which company suits you best is personal.

For example, Lollipop have fantastic advisor support. However, they do insist you buy their kit for £100 and they don?t allow you to work for any other companies.

Other companies don't make you buy a specific kit but they do provide discounted nappies for demo purposes. It only cost me £30 to supplement the kit I already had in order to give my potential customers an idea of the range available.

Lollipop wasn?t for me personally because while they are good for their advisor network I believe the smaller companies have experience too, otherwise they would have failed a long time ago, and not only that I just don?t have the time or inclination to go away on training courses. Plus this site is forum enough for real nappy advice .

To become an agent, contact each of the real nappy companies (E.g. Babykind, Bebeco, Bumfluff Nappies, Bummdiddybaby, Cuddle Babes, Makes A Change, Twinkle On The Web) and ask about their agent terms, then choose the company that suits you best!

I think we?ve had this discussion before - here

purplesal was just explaining how Lollipop works because someone asked. Quite rightly you have told the OP about other companies but don't knock anyone - its poor form.

Just filled in a lollipop questionnaire..... so lets see!

I wasn?t aware I was knocking anyone ? I said that ?Lollipop have fantastic advisor support? and ?they are good for their advisor network?. How is that knocking anyone?

I?ve been upset by thoughtless MNers comments myself, but I sincerely don?t think I?ve written anything in ?poor form?.

What did I say that was so bad?

I was a bit baffled by that too

It always seems to come down as a with lollipop or against thing.

I applied to lollipop and the questionnaire made me realise I had no idea what I was doing or who I would sell to, so I didn't pursue it - the idea of the amount of support they give still appeals now though. I am still very much a scared little bunny over rl demos!!!

As long as we get real nappies out there, that is the important thing - not who is better than who!

The world of agents baffles me somewhat, I have considered going down this route (eg appointing agents) and I have one in Jersey who is absolutely fantastic and very enthusiastic, that works for me, but I have no plans to appoint any more agents.

I quite agree that the more cloth nappy promotion there is the better, so what I tend to focus on now is supporting real nappy networks, antenatal teachers, NCT etc by providing information leaflets and samples to help them get the message across. If you want to get involved in promoting real nappies locally, I'd suggest firstly to see if you have a real nappy network in your area. If not, then why not consider starting one? Talk to your local council about their views on washable nappies, they may be keen to offer help or funding for a group interested in promoting real nappies. Some councils offer discounts or cheap starter packs, others fund roadshows and nappy displays.

There's heaps we can all do to spread the word. The best advert for cloth nappies has to be those who are using them - and people sometimes feel a bit easier about talking "mum to mum" than talking to someone who sells the nappies. Having said that, most nappy sellers offer free advice with no obligation to buy anything (aren't we good?!).

Hmmm... yes, we're good... not just obsessed and desperate to talk nappies to anyone who'll listen

Sorry - ignore me.

I too agree that the more cloth the better God you must think I'm a complete nutter.

SAHM - if you will be at the Chippenham Real Nappy event on Saturday I will buy you a cake Jacky Thomas asked me to come to the Swindon ones to help but with being heavily pg/spd am pretty useless - spotted her on Monday in Chippenham town centre trying to put up a stand in really strong winds - she did give up though - don't blame her - it was pretty deserted too.

lol

I can?t get to the Chippenham event, sorry, but my DS was in the Salisbury catwalk show!!!

Did you see we have successfully got Swindon to offer cash-back!

Our campaign can be tracked through our media mentions in the local paper:

Swindon Advertiser - 21 Mar 2007
Swindon Link - 12 Mar 2007
Swindon Advertiser - 6 Feb 2007
Swindon Advertiser - 8 Jan 2007
Swindon Advertiser - 8 Aug 2006

Excellent news - well done - I have never got to the Salisbury one - bit of a trek from here - its supposed to be really good and well supported.

I keep having urges to return to the nappy business but dh says no! So am happy buying as many as possible within my budget (now gone!) to feed my craving. Going to the Chippenham nappy event tomorrow to show some support - but will I be able to resist the temptation....