~Avon Hints & Tips (Part 8) ~ Please read first post :)

missminx

eyelinerprincess wrote: »

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I've just applied to be a rep, and it says they will do a credit check. My credit is horrible at the moment (two CC defaults from the start of last year), does this mean it's likely I won't be accepted?

No, don't panic. It's a basic check for proof of identity and to make sure you don't have any outstanding debt with avon. HTH

eyelinerprincess

Thanks, the only experience I have with them is buying, so I don't owe anything.

MarsdenCuckoo

eyelinerprincess wrote: »

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I've just applied to be a rep, and it says they will do a credit check. My credit is horrible at the moment (two CC defaults from the start of last year), does this mean it's likely I won't be accepted?

Agree with MM; stay positive and hopefully your account will be confirmed by Avon in a day or so.

Good luck.

MarsdenCuckoo

allchange wrote: »

Entered my first campaign last night, would have hit HOV, but ended up with 3 red crosses, so annoying.

How often are things out of stock?

As posted earlier, always check for red crosses (and add to your order if necessary) to make sure you hit the next commission level. Not all is lost though, sometimes items with red crosses do arrive (not often, but it has happened). If you have a good upliner, it's also worth contacting them and asking if they can help. It happened to one of my team members last year and I argued the case for her via my SL Helpline and they did allow the extra commission. Seeing as this is your first campaign you may be lucky - worth a try at least.

As for things being oos - depends what mailplan you are in, the earlier mailplans generally are fine but the later mailplans can be a nightmare especially for clearance goods.

dean19

Hi
started Avon last august as a rep and s/l I was wondering what software
people use to keep there accounts in order most people i talk to say get an accountant but they are earning alot more than i am and my accounts do not justify spending the extra money only earning 100-150 a campaign from s/l and nothing from the sales as giving my commision to others for getting me orders my territory only sells £20-£40 every camp due to the old people buying also theres an old rep on there who has moved but has still keep the customers I am working on building my round but am looking for a piece of software to record customer sales and expenditure income.
any ideas

lozza1985

inaminute wrote: »

The end of the year was very sad for us as we had to have our beloved dog put to sleep. Its been a terrible few weeks as we can't get used to not having her around but she had 14 fabulous years on the planet and I hope she's enjoying the big park in the sky with all those other K9 friends that people have sadly lost.

Aww honey I didn't realise, so sorry to hear this but she had a lovely life with you and was well loved which is what you need to remember when you feel sad xxx

bargainsearcher

Thanks MarsdenCuckoo, you really know your stuff! Sorry to be a pain but one other thing. Is it usual to be asked to provide the names and addresses of all your customers? I don't even know them all as some of them are work colleagues of my family members!

MarsdenCuckoo

bargainsearcher wrote: »

Thanks MarsdenCuckoo, you really know your stuff! Sorry to be a pain but one other thing. Is it usual to be asked to provide the names and addresses of all your customers? I don't even know them all as some of them are work colleagues of my family members!

Thanks and you're very welcome; Avon is a learning curve at all levels! LOL

You're not a pain at all, ask away - the only stupid question (as one of my SLs says) is the one you don't ask.....

There are two trains of thoughts re. customers. ASMs/Avon tend to consider them as 'their customers' but my personal viewpoint is that all reps/SLs are self-employed so it's logical (to me) that they own the intellectual rights to that information.

Having said that, a lot depends on the circumstances i.e.:

* If a new rep is allocated a street where you have F&F customers, it's quite common to be asked to divulge the addresses of your F&F customers (helps save time duplicating effort). Due to the Data Protection Act though I can't see that you'd be asked for the names of your customers

* If a rep resigns it does leave customers without a rep. unless they pass that information on - sometimes they pass details direct to another rep but Avon would prefer to appoint a new rep to that street, who hopefully will thoroughly canvass it and find not only the existing customers but also new ones. (From the new rep's perspective, it's not worth taking on that street if the bulk of the customers have already been passed onto someone else.)

If you are progressing in sales though, campaign on campaign, I can't see there's any reason at all for you divulge details of your customer base to your ASM at all. I do suspect that now having the facility to input our customer details on our websites may somehow be connected to Avon wanting access to all reps' customer bases (which is why I never complete it! :rotfl:)

If your ASM asks again/insists on having this information, just be firm, ask why they want it, say you will give it some thought and get back to her/him. Feel free to PM or email me if you'd like to take this out of open forum.

MarsdenCuckoo

dean19 wrote: »

Hi
started Avon last august as a rep and s/l I was wondering what software
people use to keep there accounts in order most people i talk to say get an accountant but they are earning alot more than i am and my accounts do not justify spending the extra money only earning 100-150 a campaign from s/l and nothing from the sales as giving my commision to others for getting me orders my territory only sells £20-£40 every camp due to the old people buying also theres an old rep on there who has moved but has still keep the customers I am working on building my round but am looking for a piece of software to record customer sales and expenditure income.
any ideas

:TGood post, sorry I can't help but look forward to the answer if someone points us all in the right direction.

MarsdenCuckoo

bargainsearcher wrote: »

Hi MarsdenCuckoo, thanks for your reply it is really appreciated. However, I haven't missed an order in the last 12 months and my sales have gone up from around the £200 per camp to around £600. When my ASM rang last week she also asked 'are you covering the whole village', I confirmed I was. My neighbour left a note for the new rep and explained that the village already has a rep, but two customers phoned last night to say they had books delivered yesterday (collection Weds) so she obviously hasn't taken any notice! As this is the second time this has happened in a year I am really annoyed. Could you tell me how I find out who my DSM is as I think she needs to know about this! Thanks again.

Hi again,

Rereading your original post, seems like your ASM is trying to find some territory for a new rep. If there are some streets which are not very lucrative for you even though you have the whole village as territory, it may be better to offer to release them rather than 'fight' your ASM. (You're on a hiding to nothing - best course of action is to work with them rather than against them. ) If you think that's a workable solution then just mention which houses you call at and say you will be keeping those customers as part of your F&F customer base but are happy to release certain street(s).

Hope that helps.

MCx