Day 212 - I started a Permanent Job by AVON :)

Yep, thats how the story continues... who would have thought it could have been such a fantastic journey.

I started in January 2013 as a Representative, quickly decided to be a Sales Leader, and here we are in August and I am working full time as an Area Sales Manager on a permanent salary with AVON.

I have been to the annual conference in the Hilton in Birmingham, all paid for by AVON as my new employer, had a lovely few days learning about our growth and change, listening to the motivational speeches and congratulating the people who have done really well this past year.  Now that we are back I am in training for a couple of weeks and will be out working my area really soon.

I am loving Avon, it really is the comany for women by women and Yes, It has changed my life!

Thanks :)

Day 186 - 6am Await C12 delivery

I have a great arrangement with my delivery driver.

He used to come about the same time as the school run - so back near the beginning I asked if he wouldn't mind coming earlier and now he arrives with the delivery at 6am on the dot every time.

Day 184 - Holiday Orders

I'm off on holidays soon - I did a double brochure run during Campaign 12 - meaning that I put in C12 and C13 with a lovely note explaining what date which order will be delivered....
I've submitted my C12 order and will have just a couple of days to get it delivered and paid before I go away.
I will submit my C13 order this week (as I have picked up majority of the books now)

So, my customers are clear about what's happening, they haven't missed out, and not have and most important - I haven't missed out on my regular extra income either....

The double brochure holiday idea worked a treat - I just need to get back before the C13 delivery date - which is my plan!

Day 170 - The New Avon Make-up

Day 169 - Avon in the Evening

The new job is going fine so far!

Got home from work yesterday, and after dinner I dropped my daughter at guides.  Whilst she was there I had a lovely walk around picking up my books, revamping them with new order forms where required and generally tidying them up, then put them straight back out.

I picked up £50 quid's worth of order's whilst I was out, binned a few old old old brochures that some people seem to have been hoarding... (one customer had the whole collection from campaign 4 up to present LOL!).

All done in time to pop home for a cup of tea, leave early enough to fill up with petrol ready for work tomorrow, and collct little miss from Guides :)

Day 167 - Avon + Full Time Job

So, tomorrow will be the first day of working full time and being an AVON Rep and an AVON Sales Leader and still doing my Ebay - and thats all whilst wearing my housewife-mother-daughter hat.

I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT !!!

I love a challenge, and now that I have the AVON working so well, it will be nice to have that extra challenge going on as well.

I am glad that I won't have to give up my AVON as it has been so nice to meet all my customers and I wouldn't want to lose that.

So AVON has been demoted to Wed evenings and Saturday afternoons, which is plenty of time :)

Day 163 - Campaign 11 Delivery tomorrow morning

Looking forward to the delivery - though I do get a bit worried about.... will it all be here?, will I get it all done etc etc.  I am really not sure why I worry, it is ALWAYS ok...!

Maybe I also suffer from a slight case of OCD (organising-tidiness-whatever), as, while I am sorting out the order:
- I can't stand the mess of boxes and products (even though I love the boxes, they are very useful afterwards   AND I love seeing all the products, the new stuff etc etc and can't wait to use mine)
- I feel a bit clostrophobic for a while and also (I am laughing at myself here) - as I sort out the products I feel the need to line the bags up in street order and each street in house number order LOL!!!

Maybe I am just a bit nuts!  Well that I'm almost sure of - haha!

Day 160 - Nail decoration tool - summer style

Just playing around with the nail tool today - managed to create some sort if magic mushroom look with the accent colour and spotted tips between the sparkle tips lol!!
It's fun and I like it... Despite my husband's raised eyebrow lol!

Day 160 - Ordering from current 1st look and backorder 1st look

AHA - all has been answered.

A few campaigns ago, I was unsure why some of my products had not arrived.  I thought it was because I had ordered from the previous First Look Magazine, but it wasn't.

It is perfectly ok to order from the current FIRST LOOK and the previous FIRST LOOK.

The reason my products hadn't arrived was because I ordered multiple quantities of each - so now I get it !!!!

Brill! Thanks Area Manager :)

Day 157 - The New AVON mascara

After many many years it was about time someone thought if a better way to apply mascara - and here it is....... I've tried it and I love it ...

Day 155 - Labels for Double Books

Ordered some more labels from Ebay - this time just over 3000 labels for £8 (free P&P).
This saves me a huge amount of time when I am preparing my books.  I will be sending out C12 and C13 at the same time this month, to see if I can get some orders in advance of my holiday at the end of July.

Preparing the brochures in double quantity would really be a pen-pusher's nightmare with so much to put on, the order forms, the back of the books and now the website URL too... but with the stickers it is easy and quick.

Day 151 - Double Brochures for Holiday Cover

I am planning a holiday for two weeks in the summer holidays and wanted to know how to get around that without leaving my customers hanging on for their AVON.

I will be sending out two brochures on the next Campaign with the following note enclosed:
----------------------------------------------------

Dear AVON Customer

I will be away on holiday in a few weeks time; therefore, I am giving you two brochures: The current one and also the next.

Please leave both brochures out for collection in the usual way on the usual day.

Delivery Dates:

Orders from Brochure 12 ……19th - 22nd July

Orders from Brochure 13 ……9^th – 12^th August

(or let me know what suits you)

Thank you and happy shopping!

Yvonne – The Avon Lady J

Day 143 - The One Drop Brochure Delivery Order System

For a quicker more efficient round, this Campaign, whilst waiting for the previous order to be delivered, I dropped brochures out to the customers who had ordered, therefore when I deliver their order, I can just pick up the brochure and their next order at the same time.

It means just a few days into the new Campaign, I have done my deliveries and already picked up a few orders, giving me more time to focus on the rest of my round.

My next brochure drops are to the customers who have ordered on previous Campaigns, and then finally to the rest of the territory, leaving those who don't always put their book out for me until the very last ones.

I find this order of showing my brochures ensures that I get the best return on them.

Day 136 - Text reminder to existing customers

Just a couple of days before the order goes in - I like to send out a text to my previous and existing customers (if I haven't had their book back or received an order from them....)  It normally produces between 3 to 6 extra orders.

Day 134 - Legoland

Yes the "work when you choose to" ethic of being an Avon rep means we are spending a day at Legoland!

My Avon earnings have paid for the day out and there's no need to worry about working every day / especially during half term!

Day 133 - 10,000 Hits to my AVON Blogs...!!!

WOW
Since I joined AVON, 133 days ago, I have been blogging as a Rep and then as a Sales Leader and today, the combined hits to my blog have topped 10,000!!  Keep reading and I will keep writing about my AVON journey.

Day 133 - The AVON Leopard Print Nail Tips!!

YEP! Quite liking the new nail tips - easy to do, Black Speed Dry Base, tips on and then some top coat....

Day 131 - AVON on your bike!

Yes, this beautiful weather has brought about a basket for my bike and a lovely new airy way to get round my round.  I think it was quicker than usual, definitely more fun for my daughter and I, we could whiz right up to people's doorsteps to pick up the books, her basket had Campaign 9's and mine the Campaign 10's.

Easy to lift of the baskets when we got back and to reshuffle the books - long may this hot weather last - it works great for my AVON!

Day 124 -Campaign 9 Delivery Arrives

The delivery for Campaign 9 arrives and it's all in hand within an hour and a half. Having done this a few times now, I check each customer's order, find and bag the products and leave them with a new Campaign 10 brochure (not forgetting to make that the total amount to be collected is correct on my list).

This time I needed to look back through last campaign's orders as there were extra products that had been delayed from then.

All done!

Day 122 - Entice customers with my own order

An idea given to me by my Area Manager today was to entice my own customers by showing them a copy of my own order for this campaign.

I have written it out and will resize it and copy it to slip into my brochures before posting them out.

What a fabulous idea to encourage customers to take a look at bargains and new products available.

Day 122 - POB on the back of the C10 book

I have just prepared my brochures for this Campaign and like the little space provided to write the POB (Link to the PERSONAL ONLINE BROCHURE):

Mine is easy to fit in, because of Essex-Reps... my POB is just:

www.essex-reps.com/yvonne

Easy to write, fits in the space and easy for my customers to remember too!

Day 120 - Campaign 9 Order is ON

Today is the order for Campaign 9, I seem to have taken quite a lot less order total than the previous Campaigns, but funny enough a lot of the orders are from brand new customers, who I have persisted with giving the book to and reliably picking it up from right from the start.

I will still make a nice commission and as I am now officially a Sales Leader too (see my other blog about that) - I will make some money from my team too.

There are some lovely products in AVON at the moment, now the next phase is about keeping my existing customers happy, continuing to serve them in a timely manner, giving them some samples and the ideas about the new products, by wearing the demo's or mentioning them when we talk.

I have had a couple of my customers who always show their friends the brochure now and I do get orders from the friends directly as well - which is great.

All in all, my AVON journey has been a great experience - I am continuing it as a Representative and a Sales Leader, I have no intention of stopping - I want to continue growing.

It has given me a purpose, it has boosted my self-esteem, I have learned some people skills, selling techniques and how to keep calm and carry on!

Day 108 - AVON work in the evenings

It's just been a lovely evening to have Mum over for dinner, drop little one to guides, take a stroll around the village with Mum, picking up books and putting them out again.  In less than an hour, we've picked up £50 of orders and re-vamped the books, all out again, campaign 8's and campaign 9's.  I've seen two of my regular customers for a quick natter in the evening sunshine and even have time for a quick coffee before guides finishes.  Job Done.

Lovely to have these summer evenings - AVON work really can fit in around your life!

Day 105 - In the life of an Avon Representative

Wow, 100 days has passed as an Avon Rep and Life is Good!

At the beginning it was sold to me that -"Avon is the company for women by women" and that "your life will change for the better if you want it to".

I can honestly say BOTH statements have proven to be true!

I was getting a bit fed up with job hunting and not getting out much. Since starting with Avon I am out and about all the time (well often). My self esteem has returned, confidence to talk to people and feel worthy again... I am busier and happier than I have been for a while.

In my Avon journey I have met some really nice people, made some new friends and I even decided to make a go of Sales Leadership too - which is almost like creating a new "proper" job for myself - if I work at it, and take the training given, I won't need to go back to job hunting - that will actually be a full time salary!

I started with Avon, hoping to earn a bit if extra money - but it has actually given me do much more than that in other areas of my life... Emotional well being is on the up... Financial security will follow!

Great journey with Avon so far - customer list is still growing every month a this Campaigns sales were over £700!

Day 99 - A few days off

Yep, a few days off of being an AVON Representative.  I like to take that time between making my order and the goods arriving to step back and do other stuff. When I am not "being a Rep" though, I usually have my best ideas of how to "be a better Rep!" lol!

This week I've been ploughing into being an AVON Sales Leader (recruiting some new members etc), doing a bit of Ebay and, most importantly, it is my beautiful daughter's 11th birthday tomorrow - so I have had plenty of stuff to do.

Tomorrow, my Princess will be celebrating her 11th and I will be celebrating 100 days as an AVON Rep!  The huge chocolate cake will be strictly off limits for me, as I am still trying to squeeze into my favourite Armani jeans (amongst other things that have come down from the loft and fitted perfectly last summer!).

Day 98 - Check your books carefully

It's the end of Campaign 8 for my area 484 today - therefore also the end of back-ordering from Campaign 7.

This coincides with my paper and cardboard recycling collection tomorrow, so I thought I would throw out the Campaign 7 brochures tonight.... I took them out if the brochure bags and slipped out the order forms (bags and order forms that looked like they could be re-used can be saved), and the brochures would be ready to put with the 15" pizza box from the weekend and other such recycling...

And lo and behold, folded neatly between the pages were two orders that I had missed, totaling £12 - both from new customers!! Thank goodness I had rechecked!

Day 97 - £100 text orders whilst ironing!

This morning I sat in bed and sent a quick text to my regular customers who hadn't yet ordered for this campaign:

"Hi - AVON Calling! Just a little reminder to take your brochure out in the sunshine and text me your order later today if possible (or let me know if you want to order and I can hang in until tomorrow absolute latest) Thank you! Yvonne x"

Then I forgot all about it until tonight... Whilst I was ironing I received a couple of text orders which totalled just over £100 for the two of them.

I am sure I would not have got these orders without reminding my busy ladies to have a look at the brochure....

Every little helps! Another reminder that what you put in will be what you get out!

Day 92 - How to do AVON Returns

So what do you do when a customer orders a load of stuff then messes you around with their payment? Or if they don't like what they have bought and want to return it...

Answer is simple - don't panic and don't be out of pocket.

This is going to happen from time to time - hopefully not too often. Give the customer some chance to pay, and if they don't come up with the money, politely let them know that you have to pay AVON, so you will have to return the goods.

If they don't like the items, remember AVON has a 90 day money back guarantee (even if it has been used) so you must happily take the items back, perhaps even suggest a better one for the next order!?

Here is what to do with the products and how to send them back hassle free...

Day 91 - The New Look AVON Brochure Widget

Check out my new AVON eBrochure!:

Hi Everyone!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the latest products available in my Avon eBrochure.
Linked VIA the FAB new AVON Brochure Widget

Be sure to click

Day 91 - Extra Deliveries of Missing Items

Today I've combined delivering the extra missing items (or leaving calling cards for the customers to call me) with picking up the odd stranded random brochures that people have left out early or late - picked up 2 extra orders and quite a few brochures (enough to canvas another whole street).

Day 90 - Using AVON Nail enamel

One of the good selling tips as an AVON Representative is to use the products yourself - I love my AVON Nails... Today I've done coloured tips....
Base coat of TEAL Speed Dry
Use Sellotape to cover your nails and leave just the tips
Paint towards the end of the nail with your chosen colours
I used: Speed Dry Suddenly Sunny, Colourtrend Bikini and Colourtrend Mint Ice
Wait until they're dry - carefully peel back the Sellotape and fix with a clear top coat

Day 89 - Reliability & Persistance

The two top factors to being a good AVON Rep are be RELIABLE, go back for the brochures when you say you will, go back again, don't leave them hanging around - it looks really bad if you don't bother to go back for your brochures. The Customers like it if you are regular and reliable. When they call me, I respond. When they text me, I respond. I simply do what I say I will, when I say I will.

And persistance to get my brochures back, this gets me around to more houses each time than before. If the brochure isn't out when I have said I will return, I leave them a lovely note (see earlier posts for the AVON Calling example). If it still isn't left out, I will sometimes knock and ask for it back. I get back around 80%+ of my brochures using this method. After a few times of leaving the note, I find that customers get more into the habit of leaving out the book on the right day anyway.

So that's my best tips: Reliability and Persistance.

Day 87 - AVON for everyone

Yes, even the kitten LOVES doing AVON - coming on my round and helping to sort out the customer's orders, sitting on the books - though her absolute favourite is playing in and sleeping in the boxes - see the picture...

Day 87 - More Missing Products arrive

YES - you heard correctly it's coming in dribs and drabs - another box of missing bits and STILL awaiting a few more! lol

Day 86 - Missing Products arrive

Received at least half of the products that were missing from the main Campaign 7 order. - actually quite lucky that I answered the door as it was early and I was just about managing to incorporate that doorbell noise into my dream when I suddenly jumped with a start and thought - Aaah no, that REALLY is the doorbell! lol - so some of the bits arrived, I called AVON who said they are coming in two boxes - but I got them to list what would be arriving in the second box and they had still managed to miss out ALL the nail decoration tools (8 in total) and two mascaras - Lesson from this is: Always ALWAYS check and DOUBLE CHECK the orders and what AVON say they will send, chase them and re-chase them if necessary!

Day 85 - What code do I use to redirect my POB?

I have had a few people ask me how they can redirect their POB.

First you are going to need a bit of webspace. Look online for a free domain, a free forwarding domain or buy a website very cheaply if you want your own personal domain space.

There are two main ways - one is on the hosting provider search for "Forward my Domain" - and there will be somewhere that you can enter that long POB address to do just that.

What I think is a LOT nicer is to have a small page that introduces you first, then sends you the brochure. The pages are written in HTML - you can google all the important stuff about this or just find a page that has been made for you.

Then, you want to add this line of code in the head of the page:

The number "5" determins how many seconds it will stay for and the URL is the long long link that AVON have given us for our online brochures.

I hope this helps some people who have asked.

Mine is up at: www.essex-reps.com/yvonne where you can see what I mean about having a page that stays for 5 seconds...

Day 84 - My Personal Online AVON Brochure

POB = AVON's Personal Online Brochure

I had already put mine up at: www.essex-reps.com/pob

Then I thought - it doesn't sound very personal - especially to my customers who perhaps don't realise what a POB is... So I have it there and also have it at:
www.essex-reps.com/yvonne

I think the second one sounds a bit more personal, though until I decide, I think I will keep both!!

If YOU decide to join Essex Reps as an AVON Representative - you will be given a free URL with your own name on the end - another great reason to join AVON with Essex-Reps.

Day 82 - www.essex-reps.com/POB

My online brochure is up in a nice short concise URL at: www.essex-reps.com/pob.

All ready for the new brochure 10, where we will be able to write the URL on the back of the brochure - this will fit nicely into that tiny box!!

Day 81 - Campaign 7 Customer Deliveries Begin...

8:10am - Delivery Driver Knocks with Boxes and Brochures

9:00am - Leisurely sorting out Customer Orders with coffee and daughter helping with her Easter Eggs and Kids TV...

Day 79 - Customer Loyalty Cards

A fab day of art and craft with my daughter during half term has resulted in a highly motivated project making Brilliant Customer Loyalty Cards for my AVON.

It was actually my ten year old who said she would love to make them, she took me to the local craft shop where we spent a couple of pounds on a nice stamp, silver ink and some beautiful bright pink card.

She designed the front and back covers on her laptop, I worked out ten squares for inside, used her carefully written wording and there we have the finished results.... Our very own AVON Loyalty Cards.

Day 78 - A week off!! Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!! Had a fab week off and still got my huge 40 customer order in on time!

My area order should be delivered on Friday this week, so I will probably start getting my prepared Campaign 8 brochures out and the old Campaign 7 brochures out to a back order street too....

All set and ready to get back into it :)

Day 72 - Another Representative's Territory

Well, I had a lot of books to collect today, and after the snow quite a few were wet!

None-the-less I did get round to all the streets I had intended to and picked up a lot of books!

Two issues arose - firstly my Area Manager called me to ask if I had been encroaching on another Representative's territory... which I would never do knowingly

Day 71 - Inspirational Local AVON Lady

I love it when I stumble across articles of Ladies who do AVON and have made a success of it, so I always want to share that:

Day 70 - Make 10% Extra Profit on my AVON orders

When you have quite a lot of customers, with quite a lot of product choices, I have found that it is a good idea to prepare putting the order online. Today I have saved approximately 10% - which on the £400 of orders that I have so far this campaign comes to £40 before I even earn any commission.

How?

Day 69 - Re-using AVON Brochures...

45 minutes spent today picking up, tidying up and putting out brochures.... When I pick up, I put through a nice leaflet to those who didn't put them out, then I go back again - this is great and means I get back a much higher percentage of my books (which I can then re-use), ultimately meaning I reach a larger number of customers. So today I went back to some areas I had already left the note to, picked those up and went to a couple for the first time, picking up and leaving notes... then home to reshuffle all the books, remove the orders, rebag them where required etc etc and put them all back out.

Day 67 - Reliable Persistent Collection is Boosting my Commission

YEP - by turning up to collect the brochures, posting reminders, popping back, then driving by for the odd few... I don't tend to lose many brochures - I actually get the chance to take them home, tidy them up and send them out to new customers in other streets on the same day and therefore my customer list is getting bigger and bigger... I'm not finding that I've run out of brochures until the end of the following campaign when the backorder means that brochure would be discontinued anyway.

It is boosting my orders, boosting my customers and of course my commission earned :)

Day 66 - In the flow!

£250 of orders with 2wks to go! = IN THE FLOW!!!

YEP - I've already managed to get £249 (actually not quite £250) of orders and my order date is 1st April.

HOW?

Just being persistent on getting my brochures back, running the backorder on streets that are vacant. I make sure that when I collect my brochures, those customers/houses who did not leave them out get a note from me, I go back again and again as it really doesn't take long and you are only checking a few houses by the last visit or so.

I am making sure that those Campaign 6 brochures are getting reused and I will back-order, I have a good note of who needs 6 and who needs 7 now.

My customers seem to like me being reliable - thats definitely a good criteria to be an AVON Rep - is come back when you say you will, communicate with them all...

So, my target has been met, I have chased AVON today because they forgot to send me my 3 branded stationery items that I should have got through SMART START - my money is paid into the bank and tomorrow I will pay for my order online.

I think I am in the flow!

Day 65 - Sunny AVON is better

Spring seems to have finally sprung - the sun is out - it was a lovely day to spend a few minutes picking up some brochures and dropping them through to another few houses - I think I could really enjoy AVON and the exercise if this sun stays! HALLELUJAH!!!

Day 63 - All Customers' Orders Delivered

Well, almost all - yes, I was darting around my area working my AVON from 9.15 til 9.45 picking up brochures, then from 2 - 3 delivering customers orders AND picking up brochures, then another hour fom 3.30 til 4.30 with a few more deliveries linked in with dropping off a few more brochures.

Phew all done - all the money collected except three customers, one who will collect and two who had texted to say that during the week would be more convenient. Job Done!

I still have around 40 brochures, all Campaign 7, that I just didn't finish putting out today - it doesn't sit right with me to have brochures in my wheely trolley parked in the hallway, especially on a Saturday night, as I can only imagine that this would've been my customers' preferred night to put their feet up, watch a bit of telly and get excited about buying a bit of AVON! Oh well, let's hope they feel like relaxing with their book tomorrow instead - I endeavour to get them all posted through doors early tomorrow - should only take 20 mins or so.

Tired now from my full 2.5 hour day of AVON - HAHA!

Day 62 - Loving the New Nail Tool

The following photo explains everything! I love to mess about with my nails and this has just given me another dimension to do that with! (I haven't even turned it around to do the brush bit yet!) LOVE LOVE LOVE IT - funky fun and easy to use and very reasonable too - it is a MUST have AVON item!!!

Day 62 - Sorting out and making my deliveries...

My delivery for Campaign 6 arrived at 8.30 this morning - which is great because I get the chance to sort it out on the same day and even deliver to some of my customers.

I get quite excited when the order comes, I love to see all the products and often add a few to my own wish list for the next order!

Today I thought I could take some photos of how quickly I could trash the sitting room whilst sorting out my orders!!



It was organised chaos (honestly!)

Each customer's order was carefully picked out from the pile and put into the appropriate sized bag, (taking careful attention to note any "Quantity 2" orders) - then their order was stapled to the bag and a Campaign 7 brochure included also. I line them up together by street so that it is easier for me to put them in larger bags ready for delivery.

Here's one customer's order ready to deliver:

I have 27 in all to deliver, so this time I bought some lovely pink AVON calling cards - I think they were just 63 pence for a hundred and I am using them to leave for customer's who were not home. I already put my sticker on them that gives my contact number etc.

For example: I pop to a street and if there is no reply at a customer's door, I check the box that says "I tried to deliver your order" and beneath there is a section to put a tick in the day that you will come back - I tick "tomorrow" and "Saturday" - then I write down how much there order is for and "Thank You" - and then I post it through - with a note to myself to come back and try to redeliver tomorrow. This is working quite well... I have had a couple of texts from people who would prefer me to come back Tuesday and Thursday, which is fine, at least I won't be wasting any time popping back to them tomorrow.

For the customers who are home, I have a float of change (money) with me and an excel spreadsheet for myself where I can check off who has paid me, who I've left a card for and who might want me to come a different day etc etc. So I just take their money, have a little chat whilst giving them the change and their order and then when I've finished with the customer I mark them as PAID on my list.

It all works fab for me, no chance of mixing up or forgetting who has and who hasn't paid.

Day 59 - £70 for the back-order in one day!

Knowing that we can back order, I keep my current brochures out and keep on putting them out after the order goes in (as a back order book) - mostly offered to new customers, new houses or people that I haven't had the opportunity to give a brochure to yet.

So, on last Saturday I put my Campaign 6 brochures out, knowing full well that I would not have them back in time to put the order in on Monday (yesterday), but that if I gained any orders I would back order on the next Campaign.....

I picked them up from the 30 house street that I had put them around and I was overjoyed to find £70 of orders!!!

What a fantastic start to this new Campaign :)

I put new order forms in, dried the bags, binned the two wet books and put them out again (as I will do for the duration of this current Campaign). I went on and put out my new Campaign books too...
All set to collect on Saturday, when I will be out delivering orders and collecting money :)

Day 50 - 1000 stickers for order forms just £2.95

Great - Spent a few hours laboriously writing out lots of order forms with contact information and sign up as a rep information etc etc - that is now a thing of the past...

I have just found that on Evay you can buy 1000 mini printed labels for just £2.95 including the P&P - I will be getting my wording right and buying them tomorrow !!!

Day 58 - The order has been Submitted - phew

WOW - managed a whopping £350 of sales this month, so am very pleased with being able to yet again bag a huge AVON commission. Put the order through this evening, and ordered the correct brochures!!! Will be excitedly awaiting Friday's delivery :)

Day 56 - Another Great Success Story

Today, I got out early and collected some soggy brochures - brought them home, to find £100 of orders inside - and left them to dry out.

This afternoon, I got out and put my Campaign 6 out to another new street... and picked up a couple of regular customer's orders and stopped for a little chat!

That is me.... but I was really happy to see that there are other people quite local who are doing fantastic in AVON and I wanted to share that - so here is a news article for anyone who wants to see another real AVON success story...
How a new career as an AVON rep helped Vicky change her life

If you are reading my blog, but have yet to take the leap to be a REP for AVON in the Essex area - why not sign up TODAY to join my team.... Essex-Reps

Fill out the simple application form - I will give you a call and arrange to meet up and start you off - then I will provide everything you need (and full support) for the first two campaigns - and I will continue supporting you throughout your AVON career...

And the best bit it... you have nothing to lose because, if you don't like it, you can leave whenever you want to.

Day 52 - Get Stickers for Brochures

Get stickers for brochures and then there's no more endless hours of pen-pushing to fill out the order forms.

I found a company on Ebay who charged just £5.80 (including delivery) for 3000 YES THREE THOUSAND stickers. And thats 1000 x three different varieties...

I had my name and phone number with "Order by Text if you Like" on one.
And two different messages about joining my team and the URL or Phone number on the others - job done, the time it takes to prepare my brochures and order forms has been cut by about 10! Thought I would pass it on!

Day 52 - Just "doing" AVON can be fun

Just a nice normal sunny day. On the way back from the school run, decided to spend 5 minutes picking up books from one area (got two orders), then picked them up from my own street (got another two orders and had a lovely chat with a customer about the senior school that my daughter will start in September). Home for coffee and a few phone calls.

Then, while the sun was shining, 10 minutes in another area putting out books again - this is in one of my new areas.

A lovely day - the warmest so far this year I am sure - nice to be out doing AVON, meeting people, chatting and enjoying a bit of exercise :)

Day 52 - Birthday Time Out!!!

AVON means I can do what I want, when I want and seeing as it's my birthday - I'm thinking to have a bit of a ME ME ME day! Pampering and Relaxation is in order!

Day 51 - Canvas a New Area

I have just canvassed a new area with brochures... I get quite excited as it is unknown territory, the surprise order facter... I like not knowing what you will get out of it - I expect nothing and then when I get any orders I will be pleasantly surprised!

Day 49 - Loyalty Cards for Customers

I have just been to an area meeting and got TONS of fabulous ideas from some really successful AVON Ladies. I would advise all REPS to go along to any AVON Events that they possibly can, as it was such a motivating experience. What inspiration!!

One of the tips I have picked up this evening was the idea of offering my customers a Loyalty Card. I give them the card and they earn points for all the orders that they make - (I will be setting the actual cost and points figure up and will post about it again when I have done so) - but probably, I will give them 1 point for every order they make over £10 and when they have earned 20 points I will give them a £10 VOUCHER to spend with me on AVON products.

Day 49 - More Text Orders

My customers seem to be liking the idea that they can text their orders through as another one came in today - I texted back thanking her for the order and asking if she would be able to pass the brochure on to a friend who might like AVON - so a possible new customer also :)

Day 48 - WOW AVON TV from AVON Connects

Just added the AVON TV Widget to my blog - see it here - the products reviewed and the miracle of AVON products explained - I quite like it...

This is just one of the great marketting tools that I've discovered on AVON Connects - there is a whole world of information on there and some brilliant sales tools and advice too.

Click here for the page where I set up my AVON TV from



PS - I think the auto-play feature could have been disabled - personally I dont like music and videos to auto load when I am on the internet - in fact that is why I have removed it from my right hand navigation and put it into a post instead - I would prefer to click play myself - but all in all it's a nice marketting tool.

Day 47 - Campaign 6 Brochures Out and About

I've got the brochures for Campaign 6, and put them all out to my existing customers - this time I've included the TWO Order forms (as suggested on AVON Connects) - one for the customer and one marked up as "For a Friend".

I also wrote under my mobile number "If you prefer, you can TEXT me your order" - and within 10 minutes of posting the brochures out, I had a text and an order - KA-CHING!

I've also decided to lose one of my areas that was proving to be a pain - keeping the two customers I have managed to acquire but not bothering now to waste all that time with many many houses who don't order and don't put their books out - and this means that my Area Manager has 'officially' assigned me one of the other areas that I had been targetting and have actually GOT some good customers in... :)

Day 46 - Campaign 6 Brochures In the House

Phew - thank goodness for my Area Manager - she has brought me round some Campaign 6 brochures for me and I will be distributing them out to my existing customers first, then redistributing them out to the rest of my territory (and of course my MUM!).

Day 45 - Get More Orders from Existing Customers

Just saw a fantastic post in the AVON CONNECTS and read a line that gave me a good idea to share as a rep...

Put two order forms in with the brochures and write "FOR A FRIEND" on the second form.

Another idea was to offer the incentive of a free gift on orders over a certain sum (say £20 or £30)

Thanks for the tips

Day 44 - All the Money Collected

Well, that's been quite easy really.

I took the orders around to everyone, some were at home on the first visit and paid there and then, one said come back Tuesday please. The others who were not home, I left a slip saying I would be back on Saturday and how much their total was and that it was payable in cash on delivery - and I popped back - THEY WERE ALL HOME AND PAID!

So, I've collected in all the funds, will pay it into my bank early in the week and then make a payment direct to AVON. All DONE :)

My ASL will be bringing me a few Campaign 6 books, after my mess up with the brochure ordering I will need to put them out to my existing customers and then see how many other houses I can get them round to and just do my best.

Day 43 - uh-oh wrong Campaign Brochures

OH BANANAS!!!!

It's all I can say really - I'd ordered 120 brochures, to give some to my new REP and the couple of REPS I'm hoping to recruit and so that I would have a nice big fat amount of brochures to get on and sweep around my territories...

I am half way through bagging them up in preparation for sending them out next week, when I realise that they are in fact CAMPAIGN 7 brochures not CAMPAIGN 6 - aaaaagggghhh!

I can honestly say I hadn't noticed when I did the order that it gave any option of which Campaign we were ordering the brochures for, so I must be a lot more careful in future orders.

I rang my Area Sales Leader to see what can be done about it, if anything, and she was kind enough to say she will bring me 20 on Monday... with only 20 though my area will take me ages... I mean I have more than 20 customers who have orderd on this Campaign, if I leave the book with just those ones how on earth am I going to get the rest of the territory covered??

I was wondering if I could order some more books from AVON, but she said that I probably would have to make the payment for my order (for which I am still collecting money) before I could do that - and as it was a huge order I still have well over £200 still to collect before I could do that, and even then if I do it quickly, they may not send out the books to me for a few days, possibly a week, by which time it will be nearly the end of Campaign 6.

Looks like I may have made a potentially BIG mistake - UH-OH!!! :(

Day 43 - Territory Dispute . . . nearly!

Had a phone call from another REP who had been out posting her Campaign 6 brochures, just after I had been round picking up my late Campaign 5 brochures AND delivering orders. (TO THE SAME HOUSES!)

She wondered who was meant to be doing the AVON for that street, as she thought it was her territory - and clearly I thought it was mine!

We had a nice conversation, no uppety business, it turns out that she had mis-read her own territory and had crossed over into mine as she did not have the whole street, just numbers 32 upwards and I had the area from 1-31 - a strange divide by AVON territories, but fine once we had spoken. She has already put Campaign 6 brochures through the doors of my customers this time. She said she will give me any orders from them (though we shall have to wait and see if that happens). I am just glad that we have spoken and sorted it out.

There was another street that we seem to have a split on also, where she has No's 1-21 and I have the rest.... all a bit odd, but fine once we had worked it out.

She is also new, we've swapped numbers and will probably keep in touch from time to time. ALL OK :)

Day 43 - Orders Arrive

The delivery guy comes to me early with the goods - like 8.30am. Which is a great time to get started. With over 20 customers who had ordered on this campaign, my daughter (on her half term holidays) and I got cracking straight away...

We sorted out all the products into their separate orders and bagged them up accordingly, separating the orders into road-piles around the living room!

We headed out to deliver the orders and pick up some late Campaign 5 brochures I had put out last Saturday to a remaining group of houses. I picked up just one late order and delivered 6 of the customers' goods.

We posted a slip through the doors of the customers who we had deliveries for but they were out, stating that I would be back tomorrow pm sometime, filled out their Christian name at the top and how much they owed, reminding them it's cash on delivery, so I hope to catch some more tomorrow.

Came back, unbatched the Campaign 5 brochures, keeping the bags and order forms for re-use (where appropriate - one smelt of cat-wee - grossssss! that went in the bin LOL).

Looked at the big pile of brochures ready to get prepared for delivery next week... (see the next post for what happened next!)...

Day 42 - Ready for the Rush

I've had a few days off - as you can choose your days and choose your hours.

I am fully refreshed and ready for the products to arrive with me tomorrow and of course the Campaign 6 brochures. I feel quite excited as it is my biggest order so far (I'm only on my second campaign). I have a box for returns waiting by the front door ready to give to the delivery driver when he arrives.

All set and READY FOR THE RUSH :)

Day 37 - Double Orders and High Commission

I did about 2 hours work on AVON. But it has paid off considerably putting myself out this week - I have an order total of £349 :) which will give me a cool £80 in profit - very happy lady on her second campaign!!!

I haven't done anything extraordinary, I haven't done anything that anyone else could do. I have grafted a couple of times this week. I have been motivated and enthusiastic. When it was wet and rainy I didn't get put off or give in.. it just got on with it. If you can work hard you will get paid!!!

- Today, I followed up my blitz by picking up the brochures from the last two drops (once for the stragglers and once for the area I had just visited - and on that second area I left a little note through the door if they hadnt left out their brochure (as before)
- I was happy to pick up more orders :);
- I popped in to say HI to a friend I havent seen for ages who is actually on my round, while I was there she ordered too;
- I got back and repacked my books and put them out to the remaining houses;
- I updated my spreadsheet of my customers and their orders;
- I binned the Campaign 4 brochures, (as I will be backdating to 5 and they'll be redundant now;
- I put my order in;
- I ordered brochures;
- I checked my order, by looking at the view subtotals and putting in each product number to check that my customers put in the right price (one didnt - no problem); - I checked my customers totals on their order forms (don't want to collect the wrong money!);
- and I processed the order off to AVON;

Now I will be having a few days off :)

DOUBLE ORDERS & HIGH COMMISSION MAKE ME A HAPPY AVON LADY!

Day 36 - Half Term: Help or Hindrance?

For most of the UK it is the start of HALF-TERM... how do you AVON Ladies with children find this... HELP or HINDRANCE?

Myself, this week I want to take the little one to a few places and visit some friends, so I have planned it that I will not be AVON-ing much until the end of the week.

If we were going to be here at home, I am pretty sure HALF TERM would be a HELP - my daughter (age 10) loves to come about with me picking up books or posting them out - so an extra pair of hands really - she is very helpful bagging up the brochures and really interested in sorting out the product order, so I think I have to vote it in as POSITIVE.

Blog Readers Let me know what you think?

Day 35 - Brochure Blitz brings Orders

FAB Result from the 100 brochure blitz on Tuesday - a great boost to orders and new customers - very happy! Exceeded my top target of £150 of orders by nearly £100...

So it really is true that what you put in you will get out. It didn't take that long to put the brochures round on Tuesday. And when the rain stopped this morning I got out there to pick them up. I got super-organized and took with me:

- my wheeley shopping trolley bag thing so I didnt have to carry too much;
- a pen and paper with list of addresses I had dropped to (as I didnt want my calling book to get soggy);
- a tea-towel (with the intention of drying any wet ones before reposting them);
- new calling slips to change the existing ones and say I would collect Friday (actually I will collect Saturday, but I find if I put Saturday and went at say midday most people would not have put them out by that time, so if I say Friday it works better;
- And some other slips of paper that said "AVON CALLING - I came by to collect your book today, while you were out.... etc etc" (which I put through all the doors of the houses who didnt give the books back);


I had a right result with lots of orders and actually lots of people had put their books out for me. I went back to the car and set myself up leaning into the boot to dry off the books, change the pick up slips, carefully taking out any orders and replacing those with fresh new order forms, repacked the trolley-bag - this took about 10 minutes.
Then, I went off and posted into the rest of the new area with the collected-revamped books. I nearly got round all of those houses before running out.

So I will now go back on Saturday to the original area, then the ones I put out today and hopefully do another car boot repacking and finish the area at the weekend.

Any orders after this Saturday for me will have to be collected the following weekend as I have a few days off planned, no problem though, I can just add them to my next order.

Got back and felt so enthusiastic that I put my order online on the AVON website (without actually sending it), made a spreadsheet of my customers so far and updated another sheet with the houses I need to call back to etc etc.

All that and I was finished sitting down eating my cheese sandwich with my salt and vinegar crisps by 12:45 JOB WELL DONE! :)

Day 33 - Inspiration for 'Wannabe' or New AVON Reps

WOW - I've been hunting around for some great AVON Videos and I came across a lady called Debbie Davis... watch this video for some REAL INSPIRATION.

Day 33 - 100 Brochure Blitz

YEP, I managed to get some extra brochures today from my Area Sales Leader and a couple of new territories to put them out in... So I went for it.

It took me about 40 minutes to get them ready, writing my details onto the order form, putting that inside the brochure with a slip to say which day I will collect and putting them in sandwich bags (as the weather has been terrible, they would get wet before I pick them up).

Then it took me just under an hour to find the new streets and pop them through the letterboxes. Feels good - now let the orders roll in!

I will be heading back to pick them up on Thursday, then a second round for the people who are a bit late on Saturday.

Day 32 - Orders through my Letterbox!

Great idea, I have had a bit of a cold, hence a couple of days without blogging (sorry!). I put out my brochures, half in my other area and half in my own street, firstly to existing customers (who had previously ordered), then following up with those who actually left the brochure out last time. The response has been good.

As the weather has been quite snowy and wet, what with that and the cold, I though I could try a new thing and put a little personal sticky note on the brochures, saying

"It's me, your neighbour at No.21, please leave the book out on ...... day OR you can pop it through the door with your order when you have finished with it!"

Well, I must say, it has worked a treat! I have had 3 books through the door, two with orders of over £30 each! Thank you neighbours!

Day 28 - Handling Customers with care!

I am still enthusiastic with my AVON and with my customers, but thought I have to blog honestly and say what happens when it happens. This week there have been two slightly tougher, more intricate, challenging customers to deal with.

Customer One,
she bought from the previous Rep, returned the stuff to her before Christmas, having paid for her order in full and had not received a refund. It has taken several weeks (since the first day I started AVON, so 4 weeks) to get this sorted out.

Thankfully, my Area Sales Manager managed to get involved and speak to the previous rep, the customer has got the goods back and now has the product numbers to return the items to AVON with a letter explaining what's happened.

By the sound of it, AVON have been really helpful and from my point of view I have not had to DO too much towards getting it sorted out, only to point my new customer in the direction of AVON and give out a few numbers, be here on the email and offer empathy throughout the process.

I went with the old-school mind-set that the "customer is always right", I apologised on behalf of AVON, I gave the previous rep the benefit of the doubt, without getting involved in any kind of name calling or talking about anyone.. and so it is dealt with!

Customer two,
First of all when she made an order and I went to deliver the products and ask for payment, she had her own idea of how avon worked, as the previous rep had given her the products to try out with a new catalogue and then returned for the order and the payment a few days later. I listened but politely said that on this occasion I could do that, but it isn't how I will be working. I will be bringing the order and taking the payment on delivery. I'm not sure that she really liked that.

So, I called her a couple of days later to see if she had finished with the brochure and would be ready to make payment for the products if I popped by on Friday.

Well! She said that she tried the perfume but didn't really like it, so will be returning that, she had the wrong shade of foundation and will be returning that and isn't sure about the other thing. She said she has ordered something out of the next book to 'try'.

It seems that out of a £26.50 order, she will be returning about £22.50's worth of goods - for which I will now need to do the administration for the return AND will probably lose £5.50 commission.

I am not best pleased by the situation with Customer 2. I will honour this next order, making it clear that payment is upon delivery, which hopefully might put a stop to her 'trying' out the products (on my time and my money). It is a pain to say the least!!!

I know AVON has a 100% money back guarantee, and that is one of the great things, but there is returning something occasionally and then there is taking the ...... HMMM!!!

So - I think I am handling the customers well, but I will not let them cause me a lot of extra work or run rings round me. Customer One needed some help but was very friendly and has taken it upon herself to make most of the effort, just letting me know what's happening and asking me when need be. Customer two, I have been polite and considerate so far, but she is just ONE customer out of around 200 possibles and I cannot afford to spend this much time and effort on her 'trying' stuff out.

Day 27 - Brochures out to a select few

I have only a handful of brochures at the moment, so I have only put them out to the customers who made an order or showed a great deal of interest. I am giving them three days to have a browse and will pick them up on Saturday.

I am a bit concerned that with just a handful of brochures this time, I may have a bit of difficulty achieving my top target of £150 total orders, we shall see....

Day 26 - Question about no Internet

Another potential REP wanted to know if they could join without an Internet connection?

Simply YES, though you will need an email address (which I could help you set up if need be)
Some internet is required to sign on though the sales leader can do this sign up on their own device, asking the new REP to click SUBMIT at the appropriate moment.

As for putting through orders, it is fine for REPS to phone their orders through directly to AVON.

The one thing a REP could miss out on if they don't go on the Internet is all the fantastic advice, training and marketting materials that are available on AVON Connects. Though I would advise a new rep to log on at a friend's house or go to their locally library at some point to have a look around this section.

Day 26 - Question about no bank account

Another REP who wanted to join my team asked if it would matter if they do not have a bank account?

It does not matter. Your AVON Account (Orders) can be paid for in the Post Office or in HSBC.

Day 26 - Question about Jobseekers Allowance etc

I was approached by someone wanting to join my team as a rep, two different people actually, who were concerned about how working for AVON would affect their Jobseeker's Allowances.

The official answer is this, that you should declare all of your earnings that you have - it is NOT the responsibility of AVON to deal with your Tax or Jobseekers affairs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- WOW - I've had such a good response to this question I thought I should post some of the answers from other AVON members and reps who participate in AVON Connects so that you can read all of their advice for yourself...

"You are allowed to earn up to £90/ week whilst on job support. They need to check for themselves."

"- that is wrong its only £5. A week max. Probably best to check yourself. "

"I have a rep who works 1 hour x 5 per week. So if thats minimum wage = £25-30 a week - still needs to be declared though. "

"You do need to declare it to hrmc not matter how much is earned per year"

"I asked someone at the job center as i was asked this question and the lady i spoke to said it very much depends on their curcumastances as many people on JSA have other benifits too. She did say that some people will be entitled to continue claiming JSA or another benifit but my loose out on their other benifits. Her advice to me was ask anyone interested to ask their contact at the job center or tax office and they will assess them on an individual basis. "

"Every person's situation is different and it is up to the applying rep to find out what theirs is. You cannot do it for them. xx "

"i found this out for myself when i first started - direct from the Job Center who guided me in the right direction to get the answer, back then i did 16 hours work with avon and still claimed jsa, which i got the full amount. but after being hassled into going to pertemps every week to help me find work i decided enough was enough and upped my hours to 30 so i was classed as full time and now i get working tax credit. "

""It is £20 per week maximum - though you should check yourself. I have had a rep declare hers however she is getting more than her job seekers so she is sticking to avon!
Depending on their age though there are other benefits that reps may be entitled to so I always advise my reps to go to the CAB after 3 campaigns as the benefits agency allow a grace period. (I re started avon in october and was given a grace period until december however I am on a different benefit!)
But yeah the CAB is better to go to because you can go annonymously (sorry if spelt wrong) and they will give you partial advice.
They will also have to declare it with tax but again they won't have to send out any forms etc until the reach a certain threshold which is again different for peple depenging on how much they get on benefits.
Aslong as your reps do it within first 3 months (information is on direct gov website) they are absolutly fine :) "

"...your income from Avon must be declared to HMRC regardless of which benefits you are on or any thresholds. xx "

Day 25 - Another Day another Dollar

Collected my brochures and although only around 50% had left them out on this occasion (so I will need to pop back and do a bit of door knocking perhaps), I got I nice order for £26.50 from a new customer - someone who didn'd make an order last time :)

I also put in about 10 minutes work tonight making a couple of phone calls as a Sales Leader - you can read how that went on my other blog - CLICK HERE

Day 24 - Appointed a new REP whilst having a day off!

It was a lovely day off, friend over for dinner, kids playing etc etc

Then my friend and I got talking about what we have been up to and...

She decided she would like to join AVON too!

So I have signed her up as a REP in my team...

Read about it here in my SALES LEADER Blog

Day 23 - Meet the Customers

Got out this afternoon for half an hour and collected most of the money for the products that had been ordered on Campaign 4.

I just went around to the people in my own street (which was 8 out of my 10 orders) and everyone except one was in and paid me.

Easy process, knock on the door, they know who you are, they are expecting you, they get their money and pay you. Had a little chat with a couple of them about this and that - nice to get to meet the customers face to face.

I took a float with me (a bag of smaller change, so that it was easy to give the customers the right change and there was no faffing about).

I also put in a nice sample perfume card in each order. The one thing that I could have and will do better next time, is have the orders in AVON carrier bags (which I hadn't realised that we need to order ourselves, but that I will make sure I have in future.

Day 22 - First Ever Products Delivered

Yipeeeee the first box of goodies from AVON has arrived! The delivery driver couldn't find me at first, a 2 second panic as I wasn't home, but thankfully hubby was! PHEW!

All the products came in a neat little AVON box with my FULL SIZE free gift of ANEW Genics Treatment Concentrate (worth about £20).

I did have a little concern for about 2 minutes when it appeared that I might have about 10 eye-liners all the same - then I noticed the shades and the fact that half of them were lip-liners etc etc! Phew!

There's also a Campaign 6 brochure (for a preview glance I suppose), 2 Hello Tomorrow Magazines (for me the REP/SALES LEADER), 2 sales brochures, a returns book (hope I don't have to use that too soon), the actual delivery note and order etc and some more order forms.

Quite Exciting! As it's the first order I didn't know what to expect.. and its here!

I kind of expected they might not put everything in - but it IS all here - great.
I kind of expected that when I placed my order online and it asked how many customers this was for, and I said 12, that they would provide me with AVON carrier bags for delivery - whcih are not in there, so presumably I should have ordered those as extras - not so great :(
But, being new, I will apologise to my ladies when I take the products round, explaining that I'm NEW!

So the next step on this is to deliver the products from the customers and collect the cash, then make a payment to AVON for £121.98 (which is 75% of the total)- the rest is mine to keep :) - it says I have 13 days from the invoice date to pay, so that is plenty of time to get round and deliver the items and collect that cash - I just hope all my customers are happy :)

I've posted out my brochures for Campaign 5, only to the houses in my other area that actually returned them last time - so thats a start on this one!

I have three weeks to get them round to everyone to make my orders, and again I am aiming for a minimum of £150. This first campaign I actually achieved £159 in the end, so not bad for a first timer.

I DO wish that I had more Campaign 5 brochures, after the theft, so far my Sales Leader has only given me 20 and I could really do with 40-60. I will make sure I order ample for my next campaign as it makes my life as a REP a bit easier to cover the whole of my two areas and have a couple left for extra friends and family.

I have been working on my SALES LEADER stuff a bit this week and am hoping to get some REPS onto my team really soon - anyone who's said they are interested - lets set up the appointment together really soon - I'm buzzing with enthusiasm!

All in all its been an A1 AVON DAY!

Day 22 - Facebook Page

I read a fantastic article last night on Avon Connects by Mandy Mathews (an Executive Sales Leader for AVON) and decided that I needed to have a dedicated username just for AVON on Facebook.

So, please come along and add me (click on my name not the logo):

BEAUTYSHOPTODAY YVONNE SPOONER

Day 21 - Brochures Stolen!!!

I thought things were going along too smoothly!

I spoke to my Area Sales Rep today and she had dropped off my second campaign of free brochures when she was in the area yesterday, she left them on the doorstep apparently.

Unforunately I didn't find any brochures, so they have possibly been STOLEN!

I could be quite miffed as I would've liked to get started on putting them all out and about today. I won't be as she is going to call round tomorrow with some more.

And anyway, I utilised the time working on my other role as Sales Leader.

Which you can read about in my other blog..... CLICK HERE

Day 20 - Can I add an extra item to my order?

Apparently SOMETIMES it is possible
But usually it will be an extra order at a delivery cost of £2.50.

I have just had a phone call from a lady who put her book out late and has an order for me. I have unfortunately already submitted my order to AVON. I have read on AVON CONNECTS that it is possible to add an order on a Friday evening or over the weekend and possibly to get it delivered at the same time as your main order (because the packing is usually done the following day between 9am and 5pm). My order was submitted last night (Monday).

Therefore I have decided to put my few remaining books around again this week and submit this late order with any others that I am lucky to pick up. Yes, the customer will end up waiting a few extra days, but doing it this way I may avoid lots of extra £2.50 extra item delivery charges for single bits and bobs.

Day 20 - Questions & Answers

I had a lovely email from a lady who has read this blog and is very interested in starting as an AVON Rep, whilst answering the email, I thought, what VALID questions these are and have listed them out below:

Q: Im thinking to do it myself but not sure whether I can manage to make some money.
Answer: Firstly, I don't earn anything from helping like this, I want to make that clear so that you know I'm genuinely kind and I honestly think it is quite a good programme. Avon IS a chance to work independently so that is the ultimate goal. But you won't ever be on your own as there's me and there's some fantastic community and advice on the AVON Connects website, which you will be a part of. The quick answer - Can I make some money? Yes - as you saw from my last post: I've made £37 in 19 days.

Q I am planning to move to Essex, so maybe I could join your team?
Answer: Yes, whether you are in Essex or not you can join through me. I would be more than happy to come and meet you to set you up as soon as you are ready to be a part of it and get you started, supporting you through the first few campaigns and offering advice as you get further along the AVON path.

Q How do I get my catalogs, will I need to buy them?
Answer: On set up I will meet you with the order forms and between 20 and 40 catalogues - which you do not pay for. I will allocate you a local community (a street or two) to start out with. This costs you nothing for the first two campaigns, I will provide the catalogs and deliver them to you. By the third Campaign (approximately 2 months down the line) you will need to purchase your own books - the costs are going to be set out in my blog post for these questions. Basically £5.26 gets you 20 brochures, if you sign up to be a Sales Leader as well as a Rep (recommended) then you can buy 100 brochures for just £11.50.

Here are the costings for Brochures:

Q If customer does not return your brochure, will you lose money?
Answer: The brochures are yours to keep, so you will have less left over to circulate around to other customers. You won't be charged twice for them at any time. Once you've done the first maildrop and worked out who is likely to leave them outside the front door for collection and who is likely to make an order, you will have less 'lost' brochures on future campaigns. I will provide you a special book to make a note of who leaves it out on time, who orders etc etc.

Q The joining fee is £15 pounds, what if I don't manage to make an order, will I still need to pay?
Answer: The Fee will be split over your 1st and 2nd campaign orders (£7.50 on each one). If you don't manage to make an order, you simply won't be charged. You need to remember that you will need to earn over £78 worth of orders to gain some commission. If you manage to get £148 of orders you will get 25% commission (which is how I managed to get £37). From the commission I have earned, there will be a deduction of £7.50 for joining - this is the first half of my fee. I may also be deducted £2.50 for product delivery (this I am not sure about, but will endeavour to find out!)

Q What about all other stationary? Will I need to buy flyers, testers or does AVON give it to you for free?
Answer: At start up, all you really need to begin is the brochures and order forms (that I will provide to you for the first two campaigns). There are lot of free printable flyers online. If you want to purchase some testers and further stationary items they are available to purchase from the website - I haven't done so yet, haven't really seen the need to. They are quite reasonably priced and would be good for parties.

I hope these answers help any would be Reps, if you sign up through me, I will endeavour to guide you along your AVON path and be there to answer all your niggling questions along the way.

Day 19 - First Online Order Submitted

PHEW!

A bit of a sense of relief - I hit the target - over by £3 actually - and submitted the order to AVON with just 55 minutes to spare before the 22:00 deadline.

It was easy to do the order, I have been entering the product numbers as and when I have received an order during the two weeks, so all I needed to do was to review it and follow the four step instructions. These were laid out in a very simple fashion - Thanks AVON!

I guess my Sales Leader will be in touch to deliver me the Campaign 5 brochures soon, and in the meantime I have a little breathing space to think of some new customers whom I haven't approached and get a little time to look into the Sales Leadership.

Today I have managed to set up my Personal Recruitment Page - SEE IT HERE

I've solved a few of the questions about Sales Leadership too - I will be keeping track of that new project in another online blog - You can read it HERE

Well, for a part-time job, a bit of pin money (£37 commission earned), to meet some new friends and neighbours, to get out a bit more and learn a few things, to make some friends online too - I think AVON is quite fun!

What is an AVON Rep?

Role: As an AVON Representative you will be selling the AVON products from a three weekly brochure to your friends, family, work colleagues, and even on an allocated territory if you choose to sell door to door (post the brochure through and collect it at a later date).

Cost: At the time of joining AVON as a Representative, you will be charged an administration fee of £15 which is charged to your own AVON account, you do not pay anything upfront and it will be spread across your first two orders (£7.50 x 2). The idea is, if you sell enough AVON products this fee will be deducted from any commission you earn.

Earnings & Criteria: The amount of commission you earn will depend on the value of your order. Orders under £80 will earn you 0 commission, orders over £80 and up to £150 will equal 20% commission, and orders over £150 will equal 25% commission. (or similar - as defined by your sales leader at the time of joining)

Getting Started: Once you have applied to be an AVON Representative, either your local Avon Sales Leader or AVON Area Sales Manager will contact you to arrange an appointment. On this appointment you will be given your brochures for your first two orders and any other bits of stationary and information which you may need when getting started.

Easy as 1, 2, 3 - If you want to join - please send me an email to:

beautyshoptoday@hotmail.co.uk

Day 19 - How many times can I re-use the book?

The answer is... as many as possible. The AVON book is one of the main tools to showcase the products, so it is imperative to show it to as many people as possible.

Most of my books have managed to get to two or three houses during the campaign. I've cut it a bit close to the deadline by picking up books today (when I need to put my order in), but it's ok - at least I have managed to get to most of the houses in my area and give them the brochure for a few days browsing time.

How many people return their books?

Well, so far not everyone has managed to give them back. If you read through my other posts you will get an idea, from memory it is around 55% who seem to give them back. This is the first time I am covering these areas and I will undoubtedly use my stats when I redeliver on the next campaign. I will put the books out firstly to those people who gave the book back last time - it makes sense, means I will be left with more books for better coverage to more customers.

How many people made an order?

Well, for a first timer, I have managed to pick up 10 orders totalling just under my second target of £150. (Actually I'm quite tempted to choose something myself for £7 to hit that target!)

Day 18 - Sunday is a day of rest

I reiterate that another great reason for being an AVON Rep, is this time off to spend with family - doing whatever we please!

Tomorrow will be catalogue collection (about 10 mins) and submitting my first REAL order online (about 5 mins) - still need to get at least one more order from tomorrow's collection to meet my £150 target!

Day 17 - Local Customers are like GOLD!

Over the past two weeks, since starting AVON, I have got to know a few of the ladies who live in my street, just by putting the magazine through the door, they've seen me passing and said hi or I have introduced myself to them... which is great, as after living here for a year and meeting barely no neighbours, it has given me the chance to get to know a lot more people!

One of these customers, a really nice lady knocked on the door yesterday to ask for an extra catalogue to give to her sister - which is exactly the sort of extended selling opportunities that I like.

The funny part: It was at a slightly awkward moment, she knocked moments after I had been frying chicken, had just set off the smoke alarm, and was still busy flapping the teatowel beneath the alarm at the same time as trying to guard the newly fried chicken from being eaten by the kitten!

I gave my new friend/customer/neighbour the brochure and will pop by and see her on Monday!

Two phrases spring to mind:
"Fingers in too many pies!"
(RE: door answering/smoke alarm/cat and chicken)
and
"You reap what you sow"
(RE: putting in the effort will bring results!)

Day 16 - 5 orders in less than an hour

So, I started "work" at 1pm, walked around and collected 28 of the 40 books I put out earlier this week. Within the books I got 5 orders! I am now only £7 short of my second (higher) target of £150. (20 mins)

I took the books home, and had a cuppa. (10 min break)

Then I replaced the slip saying I will collect FRIDAY, changed it for MONDAY and took the books back out, posting to the houses in the other half of the street. (20 mins)

I got back and added the orders to my online order. (5 mins)

ALL DONE  :)


MENTAL NOTE TO SELF: I MUST try to make an effort looking into the Sales Leader Stuff soon...

Day 15 - Quick Pick Up

Yep - exactly as planned: I went back to my other area and picked up 10 of the 12 books that I left earlier in the week. No orders unfortunately but it took 5 minutes! Just a few days left to get my order in (officially). I have already added the items on the order and when I worked out my earnings, I chose just about that amount of makeup ESSENTIALS for myself! (hehe) Will see what tomorrow brings - have around 40 books to pick up and redistribute in my street.

Day 14 - Day Off

The great thing about being an AVON Rep is that you can plan your own time and you do as much or as little as you want to - today I've done nothing (on Avon), tomorrow I plan go and collect some of the magazines I put out in my other area - which should take me about 10 minutes!

(If only the weather was that great in Essex!!!)

DAY 13 - Phone Order meets my first target!

This morning I distributed the 40 extra magazines to half of my street (one of the two areas I have been allocated). Just after I got back I received a phone call from someone who was visiting those houses and had picked up the magazine and wanted to make a £30 order - FAB!

This means I have surpassed my first target of £80 and there are still 6 days to go to achieve the higher level target of £150.

I also met one of my new customers in the street, who says she loves AVON and will take the book into work with her to try to drum up some more orders.

I also went back to my other area and picked up a dozen magazines and redistributed those at the same time. All I needed to do was dry off the snow, check for orders (none on this occasion) and put in a new slip stating I will be back to collect them on Thursday.

Now I am thinking I should have a look at the SALES LEADER STUFF - as I have also opted to be a Sales Leader and would like to get that kick started - I feel another blog in the making :)

DAY 13 - AVON Connects

Avon Connects is a group discussion and online social part of the AVON Site which is designed for us Independent Sales Representatives and Sales Leaders to help one another.

It's brilliant! Genius! - Here is a snapshot of the profile screen:

Basically, on AVON Connects you can find out EVERYTHING you might need to know. In addition to all the training, helpful hints etc that is offered on the AVON Website, this is a place where you can get direct answers from people who know.

I wasn't sure about making my first order so I posted a question and within minutes I had two answers to it - here is the question and the replies:

So, thanks to AVON Connects, I have the answer that I wanted a out putting those first few orders on. THANKS :)