Avon Hints and Tips (Part 3)

jane130

It doesn't sound right that you have to pay the full amount up front but i am new to this so don;t know exactly how it works.

just checked my invoice online and it looks like everything was in stock aswell as the one thing I didn't get last order which is fabby for me as I had lots of new customers this campaign and I don;t like disapointing them especially right before christmas - just have to hope avon get it right now.

yummymummy85

Hi, I'm thinking of becoming an Avon Rep as I need to bring in some extra income but I need to be flexible around my children (19 months and newborn) - going back to work would be pretty much pointless as I'd probably end up paying more in nursery fees than I earn!
Is there a way of finding out how many other Avon Reps there are in my area? I tried Usborne Books after having my first child and soon after found that my local area is absolutely saturated with Usborne Reps so it was very very difficult to achieve anything with it apart from a load of stock that I can't get rid of.
Also, what is a realistic income that I could expect from doing this?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

strawberryberry

how can i find a rep in my area i hve loked on the site but cant find a link.
The google info i found was for a usa connection but has no uk link ?
any help please ( i dont really want to order on line cos of the delivery cost i am not at this moment ordering enough for free del and the rep may as well get the commisssion )

pugsley_h

strawberryberry wrote: »

how can i find a rep in my area i hve loked on the site but cant find a link.
The google info i found was for a usa connection but has no uk link ?
any help please ( i dont really want to order on line cos of the delivery cost i am not at this moment ordering enough for free del and the rep may as well get the commisssion )

There is a section on the website to fill in and submit, and then they pass your details on to the local rep. This is the link:-

https://www.avon.uk.com/PRSuite/needARep.page;jsessionid=0001Jgvuw7z0WXvWuxL1WveTmvz:14c4npckc

Or maybe one of the Sales Leaders on here might be able to help...if they can, they will reply - they are a friendly lot on here!

lozza1985

It is unusual to have to pay for the entire amount of the order, especially with it being your second order. However, I think they have some right muppets working in credit control at the moment, as had a problem getting my MILs order released (shes one of my reps), they kept saying she had to pay the entire amount in order to get a small additional order released...this additional order only came to £30, and we paid £35 of her account to show goodwill....but no they still wanted the rest of her balance being paid - was ridiculous as she was well within her credit limit, but it was just because they saw it as a "second order" they wouldn't send it out....

anyway back to the point lol - credit control are a bit stupid, the only way around it I can see, is to cancel of your order, and to only submit an order of say £200, and then put an additional order in once you receive that of the remaining balance. Having said that - obviously not ideal as means you will have customers waiting a while for some bits......you could pay by credit card if you ring up and pay over the phone, and then by the time you receive your bill you should have collected up enough money to pay of your credit card bill....but again not ideal....but I can't see any other way around it unfortunately, as Avon can be so strict sometimes, which is understanding for a first order (as a lot of new reps go to debt) but for a second order!!!

beckylewis1983

I emailed Avon last night and they got back to me saying that I only need to pay the £220! Im so relieved!!!!!!! Thanks everyone for your help too!

Elliebee_2

:rotfl: I don't know! I turn my back for a few days and come back to find you've all moved! I guess we're a victim of our own success

For those of you doing your first Christmas, yes, the orders will definitely decrease after Christmas, but don't panic as prices are so good in brochure 2 that I've found that I still easily achieve HOV (might be worth a prize draw or something though if you've got any 'freebie' stock).

As it's a new thread, I'm posting my hints & tips in case they're of help to anyone:


HINTS & TIPS

 When packing up your orders, put each Avon paper bag, new brochure, and any samples or gifts into its own carrier bag (recycle supermarket ones or buy cheap ones on the market). Write the name, door number and cost on the outside. This makes it easy to handle several at one time, as you can loop them on your arm, leaving your hands free to handle the money, and also keeps them dry in wet weather. Of course, for the bigger orders, you can use an Avon carrier bag!

 Each campaign, do a simple spreadsheet showing door number, name, and amount to pay, with a column to tick when delivered. Makes it easy to see what is delivered and what not. I also do totals showing the amount to collect and the amount to pay Avon, the difference being your profit (easier when it comes to the tax return!).

 At Christmas (although you could do it any time of year), I gave everyone who’d ordered, a sachet of hot chocolate and a mini Kit-Kat as an encouragement sit down and relax while looking at their brochure. I plan to repeat the idea for the occasional campaign, by just buying some fun size choc bars to pop in the bag with the order. Word of warning though – do warn people that it’s in there in case of kids or dogs who might get to it first! For the same reason, NEVER put them through the door.

 When I give mystery gifts, I wrap them in cheap coloured tissue paper (Poundland do a pack which lasts ages) and seal with a small foil sticker – makes them seem more special and lets people know that you didn’t just put in an extra item by mistake!

 On the bottom of the ticket showing which day you will collect the brochure, put a section for people to keep if they are ordering, saying something like ‘your Avon order will be delivered on ***** ‘ Then do ‘amount due £………’ so that they can write in the value of the order. Most people won’t remember to keep them, but at least there is no excuse for not having the money ready ;-)

 When there are sale brochures, open the bags carefully as they are ideal to re-use for delivering books to under-cover areas such as flats.

 Use pencil rather than ball-point to fill in your calling book. It writes in any weather and doesn’t have an issue with greasy or wet pages! Always carry a spare though – you’re bound to drop it at some stage!

 Send a group email or text to remind customers a day or two before placing an order.

 Write the expiry date on each brochure (or print labels). If a customer finds an old brochure, then she’ll know whether or not she can order from it. I don’t put my name on books as the expired ones end up at the tip, and I’m concerned they may be viewed as ‘commercial waste’, so would rather they are not traceable.

 Slip your orders for each campaign back to back into a display book (the sort with clear plastic pockets inside). It makes them much easier to deal with when you come to sort out your delivery.

 When packing orders, start with the smallest or most obvious and work up to the larger ones. By the time you get to the very complicated ones, you will have less to sort through! Don’t spend ages looking for an item you can’t find, but put the order aside – you’ll come across the item by accident eventually. Always have the relevant books to hand so that you can check what you are looking for; I’ve wasted many an hour looking for the wrong thing!!

HTH

Elliebee_2

.....and also, for the same reason, my Sales Promotion Ideas:

AVON SALES PROMOTION IDEAS

• Offer a mystery gift for orders over a certain value (you know your own area, so pitch accordingly). Gifts can be bought from clearance, cheap items from HT or a regular brochure, or freebies you’ve acquired by creative ordering. Wrapping the gift in cheap coloured tissue paper and sealing with a foil sticker makes it seem more special

• Prize draw. I enter every order I receive in a particular campaign and give a prize of a goody bag of cheap/free items.

• Hunt the sticker. Tell your customers that there are stickers hidden in the pages of some of the books – find the sticker, attach it to a completed order, and they win the prize written on it. Items only need to be small as they’re something for nothing after all! I use the smallest size of post-it note and put them right into the fold of the book at around page 170. It’s a good idea to put a small mark of some kind on the back of the book so you know where the stickers are if you want to find them. I put out 8 last time, and only had 2 claimed but I think more people had looked through their brochures in response to the ‘Are you a winner….?’ headline on the collection ticket.

• Ask your customers to let you know what is their favourite Avon product, and why, and offer a small gift for any you use. You can then compile a flyer headed something like ‘Love it…..’ with the quotes you receive. I don’t give the customers’ full names – just first name and area.

• Around Christmas time, pop a mini chocolate bar and a sachet of hot chocolate into the bag with your customers’ orders. Add a note suggesting they have a break from the Christmas rush to look through their Avon book. Don’t forget to warn them there’s chocolate in the bag though, in case of inquisitive kids or dogs!

• Offer a reward if a customer introduces other people who order. I found it best to keep the incentive on an informal ‘ex gratia’ basis though. If you say something like ‘20% discount on your next order’ then it’s open to abuse, and difficult to keep track of. For customers who work really hard on my behalf I give them either a very small gift or a discount most times. I have one lady who got orders worth £138 last time – she had a gift last time and will probably get a small discount off her own order next time round.

• Perfume samples. Do a write-up on your selected perfume (cadge wording from the brochure!), leave a space at the left-hand side and use a glue dot to attach the sample. You could offer a discount if people order by a certain date.

• Go through your brochure & find all the free items then do a flyer headed ‘Free Stuff in brochure **’ Just do a brief description of the item and page number(s), ie Mascara p5-8 (don’t forget the BOGOFS too). Everyone likes a freebie!

• The best incentive of all is reliability – always be there when you say you will. No-one wants to spend all day waiting for the Avon Lady!

My thanks to all the people who’ve helped me over the past couple of years – these ideas are the result of many brains being picked!

Kirst1710

Hi!

I just got an email saying i had achieved Level 2 in the sales incentive thing! (im easily pleased )

And a quick question to you cleaver people...

If i want to buy some demo products (the new Mega Impact lipstick) can i only buy one or one of each colour?

Kirsty x

lozza1985

beckylewis1983 wrote: »

I emailed Avon last night and they got back to me saying that I only need to pay the £220! Im so relieved!!!!!!! Thanks everyone for your help too!

Glad to hear you didn't have to pay the whole amount! For your next order, you should be fine, as your credit limit increases each time (don't know how they work it out exactly) - but the gist is, the longer you've been with them and the more reliable you (ie you pay your bill before submitting your next order) then your credit limit increases.