Avon Hints and Tips (Part 3)

denise38

I have a lot of customers who keep a copy of their order so they are well aware of what they have ordered and what they have to pay. I get the top copy and they keep the bottom. I assume that because the order form is carbonated that is the reason why. I bag my books and hand them over with relevant stuff inside so that if they don't have an order they can leave the book outside to save me bothering them. I do 35 people on a Monday night so it cuts my time down and it suits us both as a lot of young children and I don't have to distub them if bathing. I take all the books back and sort them out when I get home rather than take order out after each house as it is too bl***dy cold and wet usually to do it on site. I don't really want to keep a copy of my customers orders for months. I mark down what people order be it make up or SSS so I know generally what they like so realistically they could keep their order.
Off topic how to I thank someone for their post. I have forgotten.

angelsmomma

Homemade wrote: »

Thanks to those who answered......I see what the SL's might be saying to you however in terms of the customer and especially ones who orders a lot the method of leaving a book for me to order from before I have recieved the last delivery is not acceptable. I also think its fairly futile to go around letting customers know what their bill will be before you have had chance to see if their whole order is there. Waste of your time.

Also, your best customers should always get the latest book, so if you are about to start C3.....put C3 book in with the customers last order.....and another point too....if they ARE good customers, perhaps longer than 2 days could be given to browse.

Id also just like to add.....I would not be happy if my Avon lady sent me a text. Yes, by all means, if she has a query, problem or needs to let me know something then phone me but texting is (to me) a very personal thing.

I only text people who give me their mobile number and tell them what I want it for. The people who feel like you give me a landline number. I pesonally prefer texts as I get them free with my contract so it dosen't eat into my commission.

Aesop

Denise, the thanks button at the bottom of their post. Just click on it.

MarsdenCuckoo

Just got back in from trekking the snowy streets to deliver as many orders as poss on foot. (Normally do deliveries by car but it's stuck in the garage and staying there until further notice - a repair would cost more than the commission). As my given territory is at the top of a hill at the far end of town, I contacted as many people as I could yesterday to check their availability......

First port of call, which should have been a quick drop off and collect monies promised to be left in a secret place for me, turned out to be far from.... No monies left, car was there so assumed they were in so I knocked and knocked (dog heard me), noooo reply, even texted them! :mad:

Went on to my next customer, who's always in (she was out but 'luckily' I met her on my way back..... I hoped she'd take, and pay for her order - no such luck; "can you deliver tomorrow pls? Oh, but am not sure whether I'll be in then....." Order was only £5! :mad::mad:)

Next two customers, who had promised to leave their books out, didn't (one was still in bed at 11.30 am); got an order from the next customer (whoopeedoo - £1.75!!); next customer wanted to talk me to death on her doorstep (but at least that gave me chance to see she'd written her cheque out to Avon instead of me :rolleyes:); then I got a phone call from the first port of call to say she was actually in...... Bravo, trekked back, expecting to earn lots of Brownie points because she'd erroneously deducted her 1 x £5 voucher twice from her order but I'd allowed it (I had a spare) - wrong! She 'hauled me over the coals' thinking I'd overcharged her. In her opinion the offer was very confusing - she ordered two items at the discounted price (£1 and £3.50) and then thought she could use the £5 voucher to pay for them in full!!!!:mad::mad::mad:

Some days I just wonder why I'm doing this.......

Rant over! The silver lining is that I was disappointed at the level of orders in my last campaign, am almost hoping they don't bother ordering in this one.:rotfl:

claregre

MarsdenCuckoo wrote: »

Thanks for your posting, Homemade. Your comments re. not wishing to order anything else until you've received, and paid for, your current order are totally in line with my thoughts however the 'modus operandi' you are subjected to is what was recommended to me by my Sales Leader (and presumably lots of others). I ignored her advice in that respect and deliver the next book with the order, going back again a few days later to pick up any further order(s).

Seems to me that - either way - you still have two trips so why aggravate your (potential) customers? I'd be more reluctant to make a 2nd order before receiving the first..... I put that point to my SL but she was adamant that her way was 'best'.

To cut to the chase - if you're not happy with the way you're looked after by your Avon rep then tell her/him so. If they don't take notice, then ask around and choose another rep. :rolleyes:

Oh now I feel awful, as I've just done that with one of my regular customers. Just that this whole 2 week campaign thing, Christmas, snow etc etc has sent me into overdrive - just can't fit it all in, so I'm sorry but I am dropping books whenever I can get - and yes this time I dropped a book which I will collect when I deliver order.

I'll try not to do that again if its really annoying.

claregre

MarsdenCuckoo wrote: »

What do you do when (not if) your deliveries are short? Don't you feel a little embarrassed at asking your customers for the full amount when/if things are out-of-stock?

See your point but possibly it's better doing that once you know the goods have actually arrived with you and just deliver a day later to your customers?

I wait until my invoice is published on line, which is usually a couple of days before I get my order.

lozza1985

MarsdenCuckoo wrote: »

What do you do when (not if) your deliveries are short? Don't you feel a little embarrassed at asking your customers for the full amount when/if things are out-of-stock?

See your point but possibly it's better doing that once you know the goods have actually arrived with you and just deliver a day later to your customers?

I do deliver a letter about a week before I deliver orders (when we are on 3 week campaigns), just a couple of days before at the moment, to remind people how much they owe, and the date & time slot I'll be delivering, and to give them contact details if they need to rearrange. Done this for a year now and it works well for me & my customers - still get the odd one who forgets and doesn't have the money, but most people have the correct money ready for me. I do try and leave it until I can see my invoice online before doing the letters (so I can tell them if something is out of stock) - BUT, for items that are ordered, but mysterisally missing from the delivery, tough lol! I tell them about it when I deliver the orders, and deduct the money from the total then.

I look at it this way - if I didn't deliver a letter at all, people would be expecting to pay the price they wrote on the order form, so if the amount is less (due to missing/out of stock items) then no harm done, as at least their order isn't more expensive!:p

denise38

Cracked the thanks button. Have been using a laptop recently that I am not recognised on. If I log on before browsing the thanks button appears. If I not logged on it not there. Thought I had done something!!!

shindig_addict

Hi MC, oh poor you today, it's really not the weather for it is it? Like I said the other day, seems like a lot of trogging for not much reward but this weather will pass soon and it will seem much better with a bit of sunshine.

MarsdenCuckoo

claregre wrote: »

I wait until my invoice is published on line, which is usually a couple of days before I get my order.

Guess I'm a 'belt and braces' sort of person - not to mention that in my first order from Avon I received, and was invoiced, for an empty box!