Avon - One Stop Selling?

MarsdenCuckoo

Was going to add this to the existing thread but wanted to add a poll so think I need to start a new thread. (Sorry, if wrong.) This subject matter may even warrant a new thread anyway so here goes.....

Just been reading the Avon website and it encourages One Stop Selling (or something), which if I understand it correctly is where you give your customer the next catalogue when you collect their order. My upline manager also advocated it too but I felt it was too 'pushy' i.e. expecting people to be considering their next order before they'd had their current order delivered. Can see there are advantages and disadvantages i.e.

One Stop Selling means your customers always have an Avon book to hand:

Advantages - they can show to any visitors, they may order more and they have the opportunity to look at it longer (whether they actually would is another matter) and, of course, you only have to visit your customers once every campaign. (Some of my customers manage to lose the book if I leave it for more than a few days hence why I'm not convinced.)
Disadvantage - Reps need to buy more books as you need a book for every single one of your customers

The way I do it is to give my customers the next catalogue when I deliver their order (some customers have been pleasantly surprised re. that :rotfl:) and then I go back 3-4 days later to collect the book/their order. The books I then hand out again to other (potential/new) customers in that vicinity.

Advantage - I don't need to buy as many books
Disadvantage - I have to visit each customer at least twice in every campaign (I do have lots of time on my hands so in my case that could also be an advantage i.e. extra exercise!)

Just wondered, how does everyone else do it?

Christine

MarsdenCuckoo

Bump - 30 views but only one other person (than me) voting???? What's that about and/or what am I missing????

laverne_2

Just been reading about this tonight as well! Seems a bit pushy to me also although I can see the advantages just don't think I will be doing it! Would be good to hear if any other reps use this technique and if it works for them

borders_dude

It might be pushy but if it generates more sales then fair enough, although that needs to be balanced with the cost of buying more books! So more sales might not lead to a greater profit.

MarsdenCuckoo

Thanks for the comments. Realise that it's each to their own and what works for one may not work for another but will be interesting to see what other reps actually do.

My own initial personal reaction was that it may not actually increase the size of the orders anyway (although maybe that's my own 'pedestrian' nature coming to the fore). In my mind, I wouldn't think about ordering anything else until I'd received and paid for what I'd already ordered i.e. I sense that people 'have a budget' that they're prepared to spend per campaign so there is a risk that 'the budget' may end up being split between the two campaigns rather than knowing that their order's been paid for, leaving them free to spend their 'budget' again on their next order.

Yes, I can see the advantage to the rep (I sometimes go back three times to a customer to make sure I collect the book/order, which is time-consuming) but not sure a book would survive a full three weeks in some of my customers' houses. Last campaign I found a recycling bin to put what only 4 days before had been a brand new brochure rather than let it 'contaminate' the rest of my books! (The book actually smells when it comes out of the house. Yuck! But, so far they've ordered from every campaign and given me two new leads, which led to another two.)

Christine

MarsdenCuckoo

Wonder if this method is more popular with Sales Leaders and/or President's Club Members i.e. when the books get cheaper? When DO the books get cheaper btw - for SL, PCM or both?

Christine

asha11

Once stop is a complete waste of time! the books just get wrecked or the customers have had the book for so long they forget to order!

One thing that does work:
order every main customer a book, let them keep the book for no more than seven days ( this way if they order between 1-3 days they can show a friend within the seven days) collect the orders, re-use the books to find new customers! Mean while I have extra new brand books (because not every customer needs a book, main customers show friends) to find new customers!

It helps me, because am not waiting on my main customers to return the books so I can find new customers.

gettingthereslowly

I didn't like the idea of one stop selling when i started. I do the same as the op, give customers the next book with their order and then recanvass others with any remaining books. I think three weeks with a book is too long and it does feel a bit pushy.

magicgirl

nope - not done it. have thought about it mainly cos the customer can work out deals for themselves but i only have a handful of customers, mostly mates so not really wanting to be too pushy. i will be upping the game after xmas when my studies are on break and i have a bit more time. I work an office job too but we are not allowed to sell at work (ppl do but i choose not to.) I have a few ppl on a social site that order thru me now and then. I post their order which mostly gets set off during my tax return. I don't earn enough to pay tax on it but it is enough to keep myself ticking over when i am feeling poor/skint etc and the excess is all helping towards my wedding which i am saving for.

MarsdenCuckoo

Thanks for the comments, guys; keep them coming please.

For the time being I'll definitely just keep on the way I'm going; I only leave a book from Friday to Tuesday or Tuesday to Friday or Saturday, unless the customer says they haven't had chance to look and would like to hang onto it longer. One of my best customers this time has actually kept the book for the entire campaign and I still had to give them two reminders (one phone call and one email) that I needed details if they actually wanted an order! Strangely enough, their order this time is the smallest one they've given me so far so it seems the longer they have the book the less they order..... (and I still haven't got my book back to generate more sales in my back campaign to my F&F :rolleyes: )

Christine