~Avon Hints and Tips~(Part 5)

Elliebee_2

cutiepieabf wrote: »

Hey guys,

Well, i have completed c15 and am now rearing to go onto c16. Managed to get £156 of orders for c15 so not a bad start to my Avon repping! It was just like xmas when my boxes arrived and i got to finger all the lovely prizes inside! i'm such a kid.
What was more fantastic was thanks to the hints and guidance on this thread ALL of my customers were there yesterday when i delivered and they ALL had their money ready!! This was because as i collected each book i checked if there was an order and if so i put a note through the door saying what their total was and what date i would be delivering their order. It worked a treat! They were also asking about the next book so here's hoping i continue to be a reliable avon lady and they become reliable customers! :j

Taking c16 books out to my new customers today and canvassing a new road.
Had a couple of territory issues which i am hoping are not going to be a problem on any of my other roads. Two houses on different roads have told me they already have a rep.. apparently there is another rep based around here but she is either canvassing roads not in her territory or my ASM has just given random territory and not kept a good record of it <confused smiley>. I also haven't done my F&F yet (mainly as i dont have any family up here but my other half does) but i will take a couple of books into work when i'm back next week (oh yer i have a week's holiday!!:T) and i also asked in Somerfield across the road if they have a rep and was told that they used to but havent had a book for a while - i was thinking that perhaps i could get one girl who i speak to often to collect the orders for me and give her £5 off her own order for the trouble. Do you think that would be ok?/Enough?

One quick question - when you give customers a copy of their order form, do you give them the top or bottom copy? i gave them the top copy this time but wanted to see if there was a certain way we are supposed to do it?
Also while i remember, my SL gave me an old HT so when i made my c15 order i had not seen the c17 HT. However, they sent one with my order last Fri... can i still order from HT c17? i think someone said that you can but stuff would probably be out of stock - is that right? i wanted to get the xmas party pack for £30 but it'll probably be out and isnt in the c18 HT.

Thank you.

Its a good idea to reward customers for getting orders from other people, but I found it was much better to offer a mystery gift. That way you can adjust the gift to the value of orders received, and if you wrap it in coloured tissue paper and seal with a foil sticker it looks quite special.

I found that giving a discount, even a percentage, was a bit of a minefield and open to abuse too

I,_Geek

Kitten_Claws wrote: »

While I understand that ASMS cannot account for every rep - I think two reps in one road is more than a bit much to contend with and it is up to AVON to put measures into place where such data is at least available.

I don't understand why the system is so hard to regulate, either. I was given a road when I started (by an ASM) that I was re-given a few weeks later when I asked for more streets. The other roads I started with were marked as mine quickly (I heard there was a delay between your first meeting and roads definitely becoming yours) so I don't know why one was left off. I've done 3 roads now that other reps already did. Either they hadn't told Avon - so fair enough according to the official map they're still free - or they had told their ASM they were doing them and the system didn't get updated.

ASMs should be checking in on reps a few times a year to get a list of streets they cover as territory. It would also be a chance for reps to have streets removed because they're not doing any business there or it's too far away, etc. The SL I saw at my last appointment said there was a computer, but the ASM only had access to it for a set length of time. It didn't seem the most practical way of controlling territory - not like a secure online database that can be accessed from any computer, which is what I imagined it would be.

I agree that when problems occur it looks very unprofessional, and as the rep you're the face of the company so you have to apologise for things out of your control.

Kitten_Claws

Hi I Geek.

Well it certainly doesn't inspire confidence. I would hate to think of 'recruiting' others only for them to be in the same position. I was raring to go too - I have prepared really professional ads to appear in my magazine. I don't think a little clarity is too much to ask for really and i am surprised they operate in this way. My ASM is a really nice lady and i understand she has a heavy workload - but as ASMs, I feel they should be applying pressure to those upstairs.

Obviously the internet and the advancing communications have impacted on 'territory' - but it's up to AVON to keep up with that imo.

I,_Geek

I don't envy sales leaders having to make sure their reps don't give up while not being able to manage territory themselves. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that SLs have to ask ASMs for territory for their reps just like a rep does.

Kitten_Claws

yes thats my understanding of it and another reason, I'm putting the SL thing on hold. I'm really quite tenacious by nature and I will do my best to build up my own territory though. Do you know I Geek, if I can advertise outside my area?

joyfull

I tend to think it's in Avon's interest to have a large turnover of reps as they make money out of new reps. If they really wanted to, they could 'police' the territory thing much more efficiently. This issue causes so many problems for all reps I'm amazed something isn't done. It's hard to watch new and enthusiastic reps come onto this forum full of great ideas and watch as their hard work is wasted when, surprise surprise, someone else is covering (cherry picking) their patch.

Avon - Sort it out.

cheltenhamgal

chasingsunshine wrote: »

Did you get hold of any samples? I've just had some delivered if you still want one?

Hi Chasingsunshine, No I haven't. One would be good I have bigged the new perfume up so much to her ?

lozza1985

Some asms are strict on territory - my new one if which is great. The old one left things in a mess though, telling people they could do x street but not saving it to their account. One of my oh streets was saved to him, and old ask said it was someone roses and had been for ages - I asked if shed have a word as noone there gets a book from anyone except him, and there'd been no complaints about us being on someones territory. New asm did check, and the rep was only doing f&f now (which I'd figured) but the old one couldn't be bothered. You could recruit out of area, not all asms are that bad at territory. I used to work out of area due to my manager, now I'm happy to work locally as my new asm is fab.

I,_Geek

Kitten_Claws wrote: »

Do you know I Geek, if I can advertise outside my area?

From what I've read on Connects it seems okay - advertising is just another way of asking people if they'd like to see a brochure. My advertising has been some free listings online and I'm about to put some A4 posters up around the village in the newsagents and I'll try the community centre - anywhere free, basically. I saw a few other reps on the free sites I signed up to. Facebook could also be considered advertising and that can be viewed by people outside your territory.

I've just been careful with my wording so if another rep sees a poster they'll see I'm not trying to take existing customers. If a rep hasn't re-canvassed in a while it's not my fault if a customer is unaware a rep serves their street and decides to contact me.

By area do you mean your territory or the much bigger area covered by your ASM?

Please someone jump in and correct me if what I've said about advertising is a load of a**e! I don't want to say something's okay then get someone into trouble.

joyfull - yep, as soon as I heard that ASMs get commission for each rep signed I realised it was in their interest to have quantity over quality. Do the reps need to hit MOV or submit an order (any value) for ASMs to make their commission or do they get it for the sign-up alone?

I've been very cynical about the need to buy lots of demos and samples (encouraged in HT and by some people on Connects). I know if you're doing parties full-size items are great, but I can't imagine lugging demos around with me on rounds. I've taken a couple of perfume and lipstick samples for myself and wear them when Avon-ing. I'm also going to get the infinity symbol necklace and a few other things I need this campaign, but I'll pretty much only be buying things I like and would use anyway so I can still get to know Avon products and give genuine recommendations without spending unnecessarily. Still no sale from a sample yet!

joyfull

I Geek, don't know exactly how ASMs earn commission - it would be interestng to find out. Anyone know?

I've never bought samples, demo stuff and the like. I've kept it very simple and maybe missed out on more orders, who knows...

Many customers associated Avon with lots of freebies (as in days of old). I've re-educated them and they understand it would come out of my profit. I concentrate on giving them a friendly (nothing too much trouble), very reliable and professional service and they reward with loyalty.