Avon Hints and Tips (Part 2)

Penky

Sorry guys - you can tell I'm new cant you?!

Just one more question which hopefully you could help me with.

Example -

One customer orders a buy one get one free product for £8.00. They then choose to have a product worth £7.00 for free.

Another customer orders a buy one get one free product for £5.00 and then chooses to have a product worth £3.00 for free.

So when I put in the order this is what I will be ordering.

£8.00 product
£7.00 product
£5.00 product
£3.00 product

So will Avon give me the 2 cheaper items free even though thats not how they have been ordered?

So will I have to pay £15.00 when I'll only be getting £13.00 from the customers?

Can you let me know if I'm being stupid?!

Thanks in advance guys

Jem x

Pippa08

silvercharming wrote: »

Thank you for your kind comments Pippa I am working really hard and it's nice for someone to say that!

My personal sales are not fantastic, although I've only done 2 campaigns - £160 the first one (only had six days to get books out and back) and £400 for C14. C15 isn't going great so far, I've only got about £100 of orders, but it is not my main focus right now if I'm honest, although I have just been given three new streets to counter all the problems I'm having with territory invasion.

I'm spending more time prospecting and arranging sign-ups/second meetings right now. I kind of know that I'm doing pretty well but I have only got 10 in my team, if people hadn't messed me around or dropped out before they even started I could have had double. So I could have done better. But... it happens. It helps to know exactly what you want, then work back from that. When I was tagged, I wanted to earn the equivalent of my last full-time wage from Avon. Then when I read up on sales leadership, I decided that actually what I want is to be senior exec within a year, and to get my recognition for that at Live Your Dream next year. So I broke that down into smaller chunks so I'll know if I'm on the right path or not. Fast Start is pretty handy because it breaks it down for you to some extent, but you also need to think in terms of how to make it happen. For example, if you want your first downliner by SLLOA 6 you really need to tag someone at SLLOA 3, preferably 2 in case 1 doesn't make it. And then I set myself targets like 3 sign-ups this week, and even daft ones like 2 postcards up in shops today, or 20 brochures collected and redistributed today, 2 calls to team members to see how they're getting on and give them some encouragement... that kind of thing. Luckily, I'm hyperactive at the moment. I know that my wave of enthusiasm could disappear, so I'm trying to keep it going and make the most of it before it goes!

I'm not sure what advice I can give you about confidence really, but I do remind myself of a few things if I start to lose some confidence. And yes, they sound twee and american, but actually it works for me!:
1) If I do mess up, the new person doesn't know any different. As far as they're concerned, I've told them what I'm supposed to. And really, what can't be but right anyway. So I forget to tell someone something? Oh well, I'll call/text/email them to tell them!
2) I'm not trying to 'sell' the opportunity, or ask them a favour. I'm offering them the opportunity to earn some extra money and/or start their own business! If they don't want it, someone else will.
3) Rejection/postponement/generally being messed about really isn't a personal thing. How can it be? They don't know me! All 'no' means is that I can move on to someone who might say 'yes'.
4) It might feel like standing in front of Tescos or knocking on doors is a dumb way to find people and nobody's ever going to say yes there. But I was recruited from outside Tesco and my soon-to-be first downline I found when I knocked on her door. So it can work
5) I always tell my prospective sign-ups, look, I've only been here 5 weeks and and I'm already training you. That's how easy the job is.
6) I read all of those testemonials that are all over the training guide and the website. I asked myself what was so special about those people. Not being funny, but they're nothing special. They just worked really hard. If they can do it, I can do it, and my new recruit can do it. As long as you really want it, you can do it. There wouldn't be a fast start bonus for achieving senior exec by SLLOA 18 if it was impossible, but there wouldn't be one if it was easy to achieve, either.
7) Do talk to people about what you do, if they ask. I recruited one person from the queue at the bus stop, and one when she asked me the time as I was delivering. If they ask you if you do Avon, it's not really a yes or no answer. Why would they care whether a stranger does Avon or not? What they're interested in is the products, or what the job entails, or whether they could do it.
8) Don't get bogged down by what you 'should' be doing, or what the tiny details are. Just do it! You'll find what works for you soon enough. I came so close to getting bogged down by reading what everyone else thought I should do. Reading all that's fine, but remember that trying it your own way is just as constructive
9) Make the most of it if people offer you help. If your ASM offers to prospect with you or meet to see how things are going, if an old hand offers you tips... take them up on it! People love to feel helpful and valued, and they'll carry on offering you help!
10)...but don't rely on them. It's YOUR business, so you have to get yourself confident enough to canvass and prospect on your own, try a new idea to see if it works on it's own... if it doens't work, who cares? Usually all it's cost is a little time. Try something else!

Anyway, that was a ramble, and probably makes me sound like an Avon psychopath!!! But basically, if other people can do it, so can I and so can you. It's just down to how much you want it and how hard you'll work for it. And you do want it, and you're working for it, so you're halfway there even if you don't always feel like it.

Just wanted to ask - what sort of permission do u need to stand outside tesco - or stand on a high st or outside a shopping centre- or outside a school etc???

Larumbelle

Mikiki, if every person who'd cancelled and messed me around had actually signed up, I'd have about 25 in my team by now! I have taken to getting them a coffee and signing them up there and then, if possible. Either that or turning up on their doorstep so they don't have a chance to wriggle out of the appointment! Good luck with this evening, your first sign up will be really scary, but after a couple it will start to get easy and it will just flow. Try and have a little chat first so you get to know the other person and it will put you both at ease a bit more too. Remember, if you do anything wrong the other person won't know any different anyway!

Pippa, I work on the assumption that I'll go away if they ask me to, but so far that's never happened! I don't stand right next to the door or anything. And I tend to speak to people rather than hand out leaflets or anything, so unless someone was really looking they probably wouldn't even know I was there!

Penky, they'll invoice you so that you pay for the most expensive, get the next most espensive free, pay for the next most expensive after that, and so on. So don't worry - if anything you'll end up up a pound or two!

Pinzy

Day 1 - no word back from Avon!

Did however speak to mum, who used to be an Avon lady. Told me she loved it but told me I wouldn't make any money!

Pinzy

Exqueeze me... what is "SLLOA"?

Pinzy

Sorry... another question!

I've read in a few places that when you get your delivery, some items may be missing because they're out of stock, but you still get charged for these by Avon. Trying to recoup that money is apparently quite a palava.

What's the skinny?


Thanks ladies

Elliebee_2

Pinzy wrote: »

Sorry... another question!

I've read in a few places that when you get your delivery, some items may be missing because they're out of stock, but you still get charged for these by Avon. Trying to recoup that money is apparently quite a palava.

Hi Pinzy

I've been 'Avoning' for a year, and that has never happened to me. You only get charged if they send an alternative, but if it's not suitable you just return it on your next campaign. With the new website, it will be even better, as it shows 'out of stock' items before you place your order so that you can go back to your customer to ask if they would like an alternative. I've actually left a couple of OOS items on my order to see what happens, ie whether they'll send an alternative.

For 'newbies' out there - C16 has a free handbag with a £15 purchase from the make up pages. Don't forget to add up any 'over-runs' (if a customer orders £20, you have £5 towards the next free gift which you can then keep for yourself or for prizes) :j

Perhaps we could start posting hints and tips for each campaign as we go along? If, for instance, you notice something which is cheaper in the previous book, then post it here in case other people haven't noticed :hello:

jo1981_2

aaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhh!!
I'm so angry, my ASM said he would drop books round to me yesterday so I can get started on campaign 15 (only 10 days late the w%&$#@ and after me chasing for over a week) and he didnt. Head office haven't got back to me with regards to the email and what was supposed to be a bit of fun extra money has turned into me being really frustrated! Does anyone have a contact person that I can email about this that will actually do something. Would love to call the fast trak line but 0845 numbers dont work from my office phone!!!!!!!!!!!
Any responses mucho appreciated!

Pinzy

Day 2 - have been contacted by lady from Avon, asked if I wanted to do door-to-door, said I'm not sure yet. Set an appointment for next week for a visit.:cool:

Elliebee wrote: »

Hi Pinzy

I've been 'Avoning' for a year, and that has never happened to me. You only get charged if they send an alternative, but if it's not suitable you just return it on your next campaign. With the new website, it will be even better, as it shows 'out of stock' items before you place your order so that you can go back to your customer to ask if they would like an alternative. I've actually left a couple of OOS items on my order to see what happens, ie whether they'll send an alternative.

Thanks Elliebee

Penky

silvercharming wrote: »

Mikiki, if every person who'd cancelled and messed me around had actually signed up, I'd have about 25 in my team by now! I have taken to getting them a coffee and signing them up there and then, if possible. Either that or turning up on their doorstep so they don't have a chance to wriggle out of the appointment! Good luck with this evening, your first sign up will be really scary, but after a couple it will start to get easy and it will just flow. Try and have a little chat first so you get to know the other person and it will put you both at ease a bit more too. Remember, if you do anything wrong the other person won't know any different anyway!

Pippa, I work on the assumption that I'll go away if they ask me to, but so far that's never happened! I don't stand right next to the door or anything. And I tend to speak to people rather than hand out leaflets or anything, so unless someone was really looking they probably wouldn't even know I was there!

Penky, they'll invoice you so that you pay for the most expensive, get the next most espensive free, pay for the next most expensive after that, and so on. So don't worry - if anything you'll end up up a pound or two!

Thank you, thats good knowing that then.

Still not heard from area manager and she didnt provide me with an email address so it would seem I am stuck with the roads I have been given and wont get any more

Thanks for all your help though guys, this thread is really helpful!

x