~Avon Hints & Tips (Part 6) ~

I,_Geek

Hi missminx, been reading about your situation over the past couple of days.

- since your SL has said that no territory in the area has been allocated, then the school has stepped over a line by doing a mail-shot on the whole village. I've heard the occasional remark on Connects saying that leaflets (not brochures) outside your territory is okay, but there were lots more comments saying absolutely not. When you start repping it makes sense to use the resources and links you already have, including the ones from your business, but even so you have to follow the same rules as any other rep. Must admit those rules can be a bit vague from Avon...

- I don't think it's an overreaction at all to find their choice of wording "Avon school" and "Support the school" a bit much. "Manipulative" sounds too strong a word, but it was the best one I could come up with! It plays on the conscience of residents.

- Avon are also vague on tax issues, but is this an area where the school could be doing something wrong? I presume a member of staff or a parent has signed up as an individual rep, rather than the school itself? Of course you can run a separate business or shop and be a rep at the same time, but I don't know whether you'd class a school as a business or not (at least a state school anyway). I guess the school is classing their Avon income as fundraising? Schools may do fetes and car boot sales ad hoc, but running a business year-round seems different.

- Could you SL not know who the rep is if they live a few miles away and got signed up by a different ASM - if you're close to the border between two Avon areas? If SL can't find out anything the ASM should be able to find out. You could casually ask the school who their rep is - pretend to be a customer - then pass the name onto the ASM to get things sorted.

missminx

Good thinking ladies! Thank you for the ideas. I will try and find out who is actually doing it if at all possible.
Very peeved at the minute, especially as my family has supported the school for more than 25 years in various ways. The only thing I can think of is if it is a teacher who lives outside school catchment and is bringing it from their area iykwim.... which I think is very naughty... the staff room, fair enough as they are work colleagues.
mmm need to stop thinking for a bit and relax while grumpy teething baby is having a nap, and prepare for my delivery The local pub are fab for supporting me, so will ask to put my shiny new leaflets there when they come too. By which time that will officially be my territory too

Mummyof2girls_2

Warning long post / rant!

I had bit of a difficult time this Campaign. I was allocated territory in town, of 90 houses, when I first started Avon. I have to drive to these roads. I have been canvassing every house since June and have managed to narrow it down by 10 houses to 80, these 10 replied to my slips saying they were not interested or already had a rep.
When I went to collect my books last week two houses informed me that the old rep had returned and started dropping books again, so I queried this with the asm who said that "No its your allocated territory, but its just this time of year when reps poach on others, get in contact with her." Which I did, although did think the asm should have contacted her really.

Well this rep was awful! I was just politly calling and said it appears as though we are canvasssing the same area, when she just laid into me about being her area, she can do what she wants and go there when she wants stay off her roads or she will be in my area stealing my customers, i shouldnt go there blah blah blah.
I was so upset, as I hate it whn people shout and yell! I tried explaining that I was allocated the roads in May and had been canvassing since June, had put slips in asking if anoyone already had a rep and was only following what my asm had given me etc. But she just far to into her rant to listen. So I called the asm and told her the conversation hadnt gone well so asm called her to find out what went on.

....................... anyway cutting a long story short this lady called me again that afternoon, informing me that the asm did call her but she had still taken my books & orders that were left out that afternoon as they should be hers and she would continue to take anything of mine (ranting and raving again). Asm called her again and told her she must never call me again & she must stop cherry picking what she wants to do & when. (Lady hadnt been ill etc just not bothereing to do her roads).

My friend lives down one of these roads & told me that this rep frequently took orders and would deliver two/three months later & would get really cross if you no longer wanted it etc!

Anyway, asm has told me I am keeping my customers (I have 10 down there who have ordered nearly every campaign since I started in June) but will knock for their books in future. Had to call / text my customers to explain. Two of my customers had placed orders in the books that the rep took of mine, so they have redone their orders with me & said they will tell her to take it back if she turns up with it. Dont think they were very impressed with her taking my books!

Throughout I was so polite though saying to the customers that it was up to them if they wanted the old rep or me, as its not their fault this is happening. (Even though I was so cross at this woman!)
Really upset me that someone could get so angry & not listen to anything I was saying, I am very reasonable & was just going to say I would only continue with a couple of the houses there as they are friends!

Now have a little bit of new territory, still have to drive there but feel like im starting from scratch! My territory is awful, bits here, there and everywhere!

I have £150 of orders so far but lost a few books to this rep and this really put me out! Dropped 45 books yesterday, 6 regulars & the rest of this road dont normally even look, but you never know! I am well down on my last campaigns orders!

P.S. Thanks Lozza have used your expired book leaflet ready for all my old books, fingers crossed!

I,_Geek

Kittenclaws - completely agree that the need to get more and more reps doesn't really do anything for the brand (must do wonders for their figures even after taking into consideration reps who do a runner with goods - admin fees, books to buy, stationary, samples, demo products).

I kind of agreed with a SL on Connects who was saying they wanted to see CVs and do an interview. Sounds a little extreme but new reps who want to do their best sometimes have to work against a previous rep who gave up after a couple of campaigns, which in turn might make the new rep think it's not worth it.

I know the whole point of Avon is that it's self-employment and you can run it how you like, but since we're all labelled with the Avon brand it's hard not to be effected when some reps run things very differently to others. I was lucky that I could expand my territory, but it would have been really frustrating to know of streets that aren't served or are barely served and not being able to reach the potential customers on them.

I mean no offence to anyone who posts on here or reads the thread and is thinking about stopping Avon soon after starting. The fact you're on here means you want to make a go of things and if you're frustrated by lack of territory/cautious customers then you're effected by "quantity over quality" problem.

I found that all the talk of the big earners went right over my head - both when signing up as a rep and discussing SL. It just seems impossible that there's room for more top earners with hundreds/thousands on their team. Avon may have to sell the idea of being a rep to you, but not being realistic again gives new reps a sense of false hope.

Oh dear, that was bleak! I really enjoy doing Avon but I'm relatively problem-free compared to others and if/when I do SL I'm going to be realistic about what people can expect.

Aesop

(((((((((((((mummyof2girls))))))))))))))))))))))

all I can say is my customer base is spread out all over the place now, due to me picking up customers in different places, through contacts, etc and I don't have a car, so am struggling to get around them all. I can give them e-brochure link, but some like book in their hand to read, so would I! and then i still have to deliver to them. better get on still trying to sort out my stuff for party tonight :eek: anyone tried to do the basket yet? am raffling mine off tonight, but am trying to find all the bits in the different boxes!

cheltenhamgal

Morning, everyone

Have any of you ever had a "Facebook" sale, I was wanting to get rid of some excess stock so thought I could do a £1 per item sale on FB. Do you think I should photograph each item or just list them ? Any ideas welcome

Aesop

melvis has done a FB sale. Have a look for her on this thread, she has a link to her FB page. GL with yours. If I don't sell all my stock after this party and 2 xmas fetes, will be doing the same rather than trying to send it all back to Avon.

I,_Geek

Mummyof2girls - hmm, don't know why your ASM didn't call the other rep to start off with either. At least they did mediate between the two of you and rightly told the other rep to back off (of both you and your street).

Your story's another example of a rep running their self-employed business how they like, and not for the benefit of customers, and then you have to pick up the pieces when you start the street.

At least if people keep books inside for you, you won't be wiping down bags - there's one positive outcome! I've got a big pile to do

Good luck with things - hopefully on the street that the other rep was on neighbours will recommend you to each other. Am I right in thinking that street is still yours?

I,_Geek

Pictures from e-brochures - you can bring up the brochure page you want the picture from, press "print screen" button on your keyboard, then open an image editor like PhotoShop. Create a new file the size of your computer screen (if the option "clipboard" is listed under sizes, choose this and the size of the image will change to your computer screen automatically). Once the blank file is open, press control and v to paste the image of your computer screen (it'll be an exact copy with the start button and everything). Then crop the image.

The image quality in the e-brochures aren't great so it might be worth doing an image search, as already suggested, just in case.

Aesop

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