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

lozza1985

Another thing that saves me time - instead of filling out on the order forms the day of collection, I have printed out little slips that say 'your brochure will be collected on Tuesday, please leave the brochure outside for collection'. I get quite a few too a page and they last for ages, I print them onto coloured paper to make them more noticeable and just pop them in the bag with the brochure so that they are clearly visible.

Pips_Mum

Yes I do that too Lozza

My slip has my contact details on and says what day I will be collecting, I just used a highlighter to draw attention to the day but next time I have to print some I think I will use coloured paper thats a great idea :-) You can reuse them too so only have to print them every few months.

MADDIELAW

Hi

I was wondering if any Sales Leaders/Area Sales Managers on here, could tell me the Area Sales Manager or any Sales Leaders for Area 311.

I have reinstated my Avon Account recently after a break and I am after some new territory to get started selling again.

Many Thanks

nicki_2

Just popping in to ask a quick question:

I recently had to buy a new printer and I'll be prominently using it for work, but its also for personal use. How would you put it down as a business expense? I also bought an external hard drive to back up all my accounts but it backs up my entire computer so I'm not sure about that as an expense Any advice?

I,_Geek

If something's a mixture of business and personal, I estimate what proportion is business and what personal. E.g. I got a laptop and put the "expense" down as half the price because I thought I used it for 50% business use. After a few months I realised it was more like 85% business so I worked out 85% of the original price. My husband uses his mobile for business and he claims 80% of each bill as a business expense. I spoke to Tax Aid about this and they didn't say to keep a strict diary of use, just to give a fair representation of how much you use something for business.

Since both your expenses are bigger, long-term purchases, they'll go down as a Capital Allowance. It's a separate box on the tax return but the effect is the same: it reduces your taxable income figure. More info here: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/capital-allowances/plant.htm#1

nicki_2

Thanks. When I come to do my tax return (leaving it until September when my daughter has gone back to school) I'll have to remember that. I think I just put it 50% cost and then every other ink cartridge/pack of paper I'll charge as business. That whittles down my Avon balance quite a bit from the £200 that's supposed to be in the business account (I must have about £100 as petty cash/float though!) so my books should balance nicely once I've made this campaigns deliveries (C13 have just arrived this morning ) and paid everything into the bank.

I,_Geek

Don't forget that HMRC has a helpline so what I do is run through the online tax return and make a note of any questions I'm not sure about. Then I ring and run through them. After a few years of doing them it's just one or two questions a time now.

elsbels10

Thanks for all the tips guys.. Also, do you order your books in advance? This will be the first time I have to order them.. is it best to just get C14 or C14 and C15 so you can go straight out with the next campaign after you've put your order in?

Mumtothree3

I have read such mixed reports about Avon, and DH is a cynic about the whole "Avon thing"... I am getting increasingly fed up and ready to ditch the idea before I have even started.. Some of the negative things I have read include Avon overcharging reps, not refunding reps, cost of brochures, returning stock, lack of orders... All of this is fuelling DH cynicism... :-(

lozza1985

If you pm me with your postcode I can look up the area manager for your area