I know what you are thinking – oh my god Avon – how old is this woman 103? Well no I am 32 and I have been selling Avon for over 5 years and I have made a lot of money for very little time and to be honest now I love it.
It all started after I had my first child. He was about 6 months old and I loved being at home with him but I must admit the only thing I missed from work was the people. I used to work in an advertising agency where there were 300 people in the office so it was a bit of a shock to only see my son Charlie and my husband some days.
The Beginning
I was looking through the local paper one day and there was an advert for Avon so I decided to phone the number. I spoke to and Avon Area manager and she said she would call in when it was convenient for me to have a chat and see if I wanted to become and “Avon Representative.”
She came around a few days later and explained to me how Avon works and how I can earn as little or as much as I wanted. It was all to do with the amount of effort I wanted to put in but there wasn’t anyone breathing down my neck telling me to start selling more. What appealed to me most was the fact that there was no initial layout. So many of these home-working schemes involve buying a “welcome pack” and having to lay out up to £100 before you even start.
After I had agreed to sell Avon she gave me some brochures, order forms and a full booklet on how to fill out the forms and how to get the most out of your allocated area. She asked me if I just wanted to sell to friends and family or if I wanted an “area”. I opted for an “area” as I wasn’t sure if my friends would be interested. I was allocated a road just around the corner from me. Even though I drive they like to get you to deliver to a local road because it makes it more convenient for you.
All the information I needed was in the pack she left with me but she also gave me her phone number to make sure that I could call whenever I needed help. She phoned me after my first order to see how I was getting on and to congratulate me on a good first order.
So how do your do it?
Right so you are armed with your brochures and your order forms and you hit the streets (well your allocated area). What next? Well I didn’t want to leave a book at every door because I thought that was a bit of a waste of time. What if that person really wasn’t interested? It meant that my brochure was tied up with someone for 2-3 days and it could be out there with someone who actually wanted it. So I took the time to knock on people’s doors in my road and ask them if they were interested in looking at the book. Yeah sure there were quite a few “no thank-you” but there were also a lot of people genuinely interested. So I left my books with them for 3 days and called back to pick them up. I couldn’t believe it – so may people ordered products. My first order was over £250 just from my area. I also gave books to friends and family so all in all my first order was £300.
Once you have done this initial ground work you then know who wants a book and who doesn’t so you don’t waste anyone’s time especially your own.
I then had to fill in my order for which is so simple. They supply a booklet and you shade in a small block for each product you want – a bit like a multiple choice exam paper. Then you take this order form to a collection point (by the order date), which is usually a house near you. Or you can order on the internet which is so much quicker and it give you two extra days to get your order in.
You then get the items delivered to your door. You them bag up your orders and deliver the goods.
What are you selling?
Well apart from perfume, face products, hair products, body products, aftershave and make-up, Avon also sell toys, and gifts for both men and women. I won’t list them all but here are a few of my favourites.
Botanisource comforting Moisture Cream Day/Night Creams Hydrating mask Warming mask Anew Eye Serum Triple Lip conditioner Face lifting foundations Mirror Shine Nail Varnish Aqua Citrus Shower Gel Replenishing shampoo Revitalising Conditioner Mousse Pur Blanca Perfume Kids Range of shampoo, conditioners etc. Toys Gift ideas And so much more…….
So how much did I earn?
Well an Avon Representative earns 20% - 25% of anything they sell. So if you sell £100 of products you earn £20. As soon as you order over £132 it goes up to 25%. Not bad for something that takes just a few hours every few weeks. In order to obtain the commission you have to order over £72 of products but in the five years that I have been selling Avon I have never been unable to reach my commission stage.
I must stress you should not give your customers their orders unless they pay you on delivery. I have a policy that I do not take a cheque for anything less than £10.00. But to be honest for my first six months I only accepted cash because it was easier. Now I know my customers I can accept cheques and leave goods and pick up the money later – but I know them all now and I wouldn’t have considered doing that at the beginning.
Earning more
You can now sign up friends to do Avon and have them work for you. For every order they put in you earn a commission on thier order.
You can also ask for more allocated areas, ask friends to take their book to work or take it to other place like your local mother and baby group, shops etc.
You can also back order from the previous brochure – so you can sometimes order products cheaper meaning that you make even more money on the customers order.
There are also While Stocks Last offers and a demonstration book where you can order goods that will appear in a brochure in the future.
Yeah right but what about the hidden costs?
Well I wont lie to you there are costs but they are not hidden and they are not big. There is a £15 admin fee to start up but this includes your first two sets of books and is split over your first two orders. All your order forms, return books, calling book, and basic stationary is free. Brochures are charged for but the more you order the less they cost. Here is the full price list:-
I always order 8 packs and sometimes 10 or 12 packs at Christmas time. Promotional brochures are free such as Christmas or Easter brochures.
Bags to pack your orders in are also charged for at the following prices:-
Small bags 45p (per 50 in pack) Medium Bags 65p (per 50 in pack) Large Bags 99p (per 50 in pack) Small Carrier Bags 3p per bag Large Carrier Bags 6p per bag
But you don’t have to get these every time because they do last a while. I only ever order plastic bags at Christmas time because that is the only time I get very large orders to pack up.
There are also samples to order if you want to but they offer special sample packs sometimes so you end up with 200 samples for £5.00. I often give samples away with an order as a thank you pressie – and it works because I usually get an order from it.
Returning Products
If a customer doesn’t want an item then they return it to you. You then fill in a form in the returns book. You then put the form with the package put a returns label on the package and give the whole package to your delivery driver the next time he comes to you with a delivery. The driver returns it to Avon and they credit your account.
Avon also have a no fuss returns policy so there is never a problem with returning any item however long the customer has had it.
So why is it so good?
Because it fits in with your lifestyle. I now have two children and I still have plenty of time to fit it all in. I used to put my child in the buggy and off we would go delivering books. Its good exercise and takes very little time. I do make deliveries on my own (hubby has the kids) so that I can concentrate of getting the right payment and making sure the customer gets the right order.
So give it a try – you can contact me on 07949860955 or you can leave me a message in my guest book and I can recommend you. My website is www.avonrecruitment.co.uk.
You can also ask me any other questions that you want as well.
very helpful
very helpful
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