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

lozza1985

SadiesReps wrote: »

I really don't understand why you wouldn't give your new team members the possible start??

I always give atleast 40 brochures if my new reps have a territory to cover and if it's more than half way through a campaign offer them the coice of which campaign to start in?

They know how quickly they want to make some money and what time and effort they are willing to put into this great new venture !!
Surely retention is the ultimate objective??!!

yes you would think so - but some SL don't, they think the more reps they sign up the better, whether they are trained as well as they should be is irrelevant. It also seems that some of these SL are the ones that do the best (ie earn the most / the highest rank ) so I guess their theory of adding as many reps as possible must work....however it really shouldn't, and it isn't fair on the reps as it isn't giving them a fair shot at being a successful rep, as they aren't being provided with what they should - books, but also the training, ongoing contact that helps reps do well in the long run.

I think - so long as you know your team is trained & helped as well as you can, that's the best we can hope for, that's one reason I help on this thread so much as so many reps get left stranded, or get their training but then never hear from their sl/asm again, and yet they should be able to ask their sl 2 years down the line - o I have a customer who wants this product but we don't do it anymore what do you suggest etc.

I'm happy to help my team with ideas particular to their customers/circumstances to try and tailor my ideas to their needs (as well as giving general new tips), but unfortunately not all sl do. So I do the best I can on here to help those outside my team who don't have the help/support they need, as this thread was invaluable to me when I first became a rep:beer: as I had practicularly no training what so ever and no contact no matter how much I pestered who I joined with!:mad:

Pips_Mum

Thanks everyone.

I didnt think it was right to get so few books but wasnt sure. I know what you are saying about SLs giving too many especially as I am just F&F, but 10s not going to s-t-r-e-t-c-h!! I have emailed the 2nd SL thats been emailing me asking if I could get some more, I also added that I was really confused as to who I actually went to with a problem as I appear to have 2 SLs????? Oh and email addresses for them both are Avon.com

To be honest if this was my first time with Avon I would not be impressed at all and would feel pretty abandoned. I am glad you guys are all here :-)

lozza1985

Even just f&f reps are entitled to 40 books in total - whether thats 2 lots of 20 or 4 lots of 10 (not that you were given that option!).

Email addresses ending in @avon.com are for area managers (and their bosses - though they rarely email reps in the areas they oversee) - seems strange to be getting emails from what appears to be two area managers....hopefully they'll clarify things for you

Pips_Mum

I thought it was really odd too! Glad its not just me being a bit thick!

lozza1985

Pips_Mum wrote: »

I thought it was really odd too! Glad its not just me being a bit thick!

No definitely not - I get emails from my manager, and sometimes the dsm if theres something running across the divisions - but my husband (who is only a rep) only gets emails from our manager, never anyone else. DSM as far as I can tell, only email sl and not reps - as reps are the managers responsibility.

Sometimes managers have people covering for them (holiday, long term sickness etc)...but then, if they weren't at work...you'd only be getting emails from one of them...Probably turn out to be something simple, but better to check who they are and who you need to contact if you have any issues

MarsdenCuckoo

ASMs do cover for each other and when you search certain postcodes the details of two ASMs appear e.g. 408, which is a large Area so maybe that's the reason.....

On one of our earlier threads the general concensus was that it was better to sign up under a SL rather than an ASM because SLs have more time. Have only just come to realise that SLs tend to come from all walks of life, whereas ASMs tend to come from a commercial sales background so, I guess, they probably have a tendency to assume that what comes easy to them comes easy to us all. :eek: Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth! :rotfl:

lozza1985

Have done my facebook guide....I'm certainly no expert, but it's everything I've learnt from others & figured out along the way....hope it helps some people

kjgkgj

Great where can we find your guide Lozza?

lozza1985

Guide to using Facebook to build your Avon business.

Friends/family Reps.
If you only sell to friends family – Facebook can still be a great way to help build your business – there is an online version of the brochure that you can add to Facebook to let people browse the brochure without actually needing to hand them a copy! This could lead to friends/family ordering from you that you might not have expected. Links are on the first post on this thread.

You can add pictures of new items / great offers to help them spot something they might have missed otherwise and of course to let them know about any offers you’re doing, asking if they know anyone who wants a brochure, or to remind them about Avon’s 90 day money back guarantee (this can be a great sales aid, as it helps to reassure people that they won’t be wasting their money trying something new). Just a quick post every few days can make a huge difference say for instance:


Know anyone who needs an Avon Rep? Then let me know, you’ll get a free gift for referring them, and they’ll get 10% off their first order!

Don't forget about Avon’s great 90 day money back guarantee - it means if you aren't happy with your product (say the shade of foundation) then you can exchange it or return it for your money back! So if there's something different you're thinking of trying - go for it!


Getting customers outside of your network.
Even if you don’t have a territory, you can get customers that aren’t your friends/family – i.e. outside of your network of people you know. Plus, even if you have a territory, Facebook can be a great way to expand your customer base, and to keep in contact with existing customers.


Profile or page?

I usually suggest if you’re going be using Facebook in this way, to create either a separate profile or a page for people to “like”. It means that they can’t see anything personal; you can just put Avon related things on it. Which you decide to do is to up to you – I have both, but then I use my profile more for recruiting and helping my team, and my page is more for my customers. To create a separate profile, just use a different email address to create your account.


With a page, people have to click on and “like” it, whereas with a profile you can add people as friends and they can choose whether to accept it. I personally think a profile is easier – certainly I’ve got more “friends”, than I have people liking my page – although admittedly my page is slightly newer but it’s proving hard to get people to “like” it than it is to get “friends” (who will see anything I post in their newsfeed). I guess as people want to appear popular so they’re happy to accept new friends even if they don’t know them!


Personalise your URL:

You can personalise the URL (the web address) to make it easier to direct people to it, by writing the site on the message box of your order forms, getting it put on business cards, posters etc.



You aren’t allowed to have Avon in the URL – I chose the one for my profile based on my website address so that they match ( www.facebook.com/mywebsitename), and my page so that it shows what town I’m based in as a Rep (www.facebook.com/mytownnamecosmetics). Although Avon doesn’t feature in my URLs, if you search for my name it displays it rather than the URL, so people can still clearly see that it’s related to Avon.



It’s a good idea for your town name/area to feature somewhere to make it easier for people to find your page. To personalise the URL, go to the top right hand side, click the little \/ symbol, then select account settings. Then click onto Username. You can only change your URL ONCE – so make sure you are happy with your decision before you submit it!


Getting friends / likes:

Obviously you need to get people to be your friends/like your page to make using Facebook worthwhile. The most obvious place to start is to get your family/friends to accept your friend request/like your page and ask them to get anyone they know to as well.


Make sure your existing customers have your Facebook details so that they can as well, a good way to encourage them to is to say that you’ll be doing exclusive offers on there that they’d miss out on otherwise – then you can sell any excess stock you have rather than send it back! You could let them know by writing a message on your order forms, or print a little note to put in your brochures.



If you have posters up anywhere you can add the URL to it, on any business cards, even on your calling cards!


On Facebook, there are lots of local “sell, swap, wanted” groups that are for local areas (Derby, Burton, Lichfield etc.), these are a great place to advertise yourself (or your page). Just put something like “If you need a rep to order from, add me/like my page (and put the address for it!), and I’ll get a brochure to you soon”. Do it every few days – it might be you go a few weeks with no responses, but keep at it – it’s free, and easy to do so it’s worth persevering with. I’ve got a number of customers for myself and other reps too, so it does work! If you gain one new customer every campaign that spends £20, after 5 campaigns you’d be getting £100 extra orders than you got before!


I’ve found that the customers I’ve gained through Facebook spend more than my other customers; they love Avon so much that they specifically got in touch with a Rep to place an order. Of course – the more customers you have, the more opportunity there is for you to get referrals of people they know who need a Rep, so even customers who place small orders can be worth their weight in gold!


What to post?

Firstly – keep things professional –, nothing to opinionated (avoid politics!), try and be positive and generally give a good image of yourself & Avon – otherwise why would people want you as their Rep?


The most obvious thing to post is the brochure - links are on the first post on this thread. It means people can browse the brochure without actually needing a copy from you, and also they can add to their order even after you’ve collected their brochure!


Adding pictures of new products, or products that you really love is also a great idea – it helps to get your customers to try something different – cheaper, everyday items like the Naturals range can really help to boost your sales as they are consumable items so they will need to buy more from the next brochure. You can also use pictures to help highlight any offers that you think are particularly good.


A great idea is to post asking your customers to let you know what samples they would like – foundation, fragrance etc – then you can give them samples of products they are actually interested in, rather than spending money on samples for things they aren’t likely to try.



Highlighting Avon’s 90 day money back guarantee is a brilliant way to reassure your customers into trying something new, while it is written in the brochure many customers won’t notice, or if they do, they won’t want to trouble you with returns. Posting reassuring them that you’re happy to return items if they aren’t happy with them can give them the confidence to try something different. Chances are they’ll be more than happy with their order, so it’s great for you and your customers.


Don’t be afraid to post asking your customers if they know anyone who needs an Avon rep – if you don’t ask, they might not think you want to take on customers that aren’t on your allocated streets, even though they might know someone nearby who needs a Rep to order from. It’s good to give them an extra incentive:


Know anyone who needs an Avon Rep? Then let me know, you’ll get a free gift for referring them, and they’ll get 10% off their first order!

The free gift doesn’t need to cost you much – a 1 litre bubble bath looks really generous, but with your discount it’s not expensive and is a lovely way to reward your customer for helping to expand your business – giving them something to relax and unwind with!


Finally, use Facebook to help sell products – it could be items you have been unable to deliver, or items you have gotten for free/cheap. Only sell items that are new. Selling them at a discount means you’re still earning something on them, whereas if you return them you earn nothing on them. It helps to get your customers to watch out for your posts to if they think you have a chance of getting themselves a bargain!

lozza1985

Have added a link to it on the first post so that people can find it again easily