Day 212 - Start as Avon Area Sales Manager (permanent job!)

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 salahary 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 :)

3000+ hits on the Sales Leader Blog

YAY - I've been writing this blog since I wanted to be a Sales Leader, it has taken me all the way through the TSL (Trainee Sales Leader) stage to where I am now, which is an AVON SALES LEADER.

I am happy to be getting so many views to my blogs, I think my other blog had something rediculous like 117 this morning (and it's only 8.15am now!).  This is all good news :)

I currently have a full time job doing something else (yes just started back at work) AND
I have a team of 31 Avon Representatives based all over Essex.

So, I am easily reaching my first goal which was to have 5 active reps, personal sales of £150 and group sales of £989.  This I need to keep doing to hold my status, I have already received the bonus for keeping this status for three months, so am fairly confident I will keep it!

My next step up the ladder is ASL - Advanced Sales Leader - I have enough Reps (15 required), I have enough personal sales (£220 I think).  I have enough group sales - £3970 (or thereabouts)... but I NEED 2 active Sales Leaders in my team.

I have recruited a couple of potential sales leaders, however, now that I have taken on this new job I will have to do some serious planning to make sure that they get up and running, active and up to Sales Leader level asap.

Still loving AVON - today wearing VIVA Pink nail varnish and the Empowerment Necklace!!!

Sales Leadership + Full Time Day Job

So, tomorrow I will start back at work in a full time job and still continue with my AVON Sales Leadership.

I think it will all roll on just fine, I have the support of my area managers (old and new), I have trained my reps up so far to be as self-sufficient as possible - and I am ready to deal with anything that comes along as and when that happens.

I think it might be a little difficult to do any recruitment, or at least to do as much recruitment during the first few campaigns of having a full time job, but hopefully my area manager will take out one or two of my "wannabe-sales-leaders" and get them up and running - which in fact would work out fabulously well for all of us, for me, for my reps who want to grow and for my area manager to meet her targets.

Day Off for Sports Day

What a lovely lovely SUNNY day it's been for my daughter's final sports day at primary school.
Had a really nice picnic together, Daddy and Grandma came too and we sat with some good friends of ours - couldn't have asked for more :)

Oh - And my daughter is BLUE Team, and the BLUE Team won - YAY!

AVON works very well for me, able to work flexi-time :)

2 new Avon ladies today

Of my three appointments booked today -two went ahead exactly as planned .

One cancelled - which is ok and I have learned that it is quite normal.

One of my ladies is completely set up and raring to go - probably already started - the other would like some territory in her village and u am waiting for the area manager to tell me if there is anything free that u cannot see on SMA.

All good - home by 1pm having been to ASDA and got out to do a bit if gardening :). Lovely sunny day :)

1hr out = 8 appointments + 2 leads

A really productive hour of prospecting in and around a local high street yesterday - I got 8 appointments booked and two leads... Really happy with that!

Just used the 5 day challenge approach (i had seven bags prepared) but didn't even need to offer It as a challenge - just gave it to them to get started until I come to do the appointment ;)

So after that I treated myself to a break - pot if tea and some yummy cake with a friend and a lovely catchup in a local cafe - in fact much brighter and calmer than Costa and cheaper too - then popped to see Mum and sat in her garden for half an hour!

Great to get the work out of the way and have time to play- especially on a sunny day (that wasn't meant to rhyme but it does ... Hey!)

How to assist my team and their ordering...

So part of my role as a Sales Leader is to help my team to grow their orders and to get them online in time.

I have a list of who is on what mailplan, as different areas have different mailplans and different mailplans are on different days - this information can be found on the AVON website.

I try to text/email or call all of my reps a couple of times during the campaign, but definitely do so a few days before the order is due to find out how they are getting on and if there is anything I can do to help them.

I make a list of expected orders and those expected to miss an order this time (due to holiday or work committments, this happens).  Then I call/text/email them the day before as an extra reminder and ask for their total (if they have it).

Then on order day, I wait and watch the orders flood in on my own AVON portal.  I make a note of anyone who is missing by say 8pm on the day of orders and send them a little message to see if there is anything I can do to help.  Usually there is a perfectly normal reason why their order isnt on yet - like the children are still up, or they are still waiting for one etc, but on the offchance that their internet is down and that they may need some help - I like to make contact.

Normally by then I have a fully comprehensive list of who is ordering and who isn't.  I have an idea of approximately how much they are ordering too, the chance to remind newbies to order their brochures and a chance to congratulate all of my ladies and men for placing their orders too.

If there are any hiccups, using this method I am able to identify them pretty quickly and be on hand to help sort them out.

We have had a an accidental order gone in as an additional instead of regular order - that got fixed.
And another time when a rep nearly hit her target, submitted then found one order hadnt been added on - that didnt get fixed (as it was not brought to Avon's attention quick enough) - she just earned the lower commission level on that occasion.
Whatever happens, I do try to help :)

I have an AVON MAN on my team :)

YAY!

I want my team to be up and coming and we now have an AVON Man on the team - welcome to James :)
I think he will be great.

After all, there are always ladies in car show rooms to sell things to guys, so why not have a man selling us the things we like too - I hope he will have loads of fun, meet some interesting ladies and perhaps he will enjoy it enough to take the leap into Sales Leadership within the team too.

I've read and watched (and I think posted on here?) a few great articles about one or two leading UK Avon Men.... so go James, catch 'em up and don't forget to mention Essex-Reps when you do!!!

5 new reps in one week!

I am well on the way to getting my goals. I am plodding along but I do remember the hare and the tortoise, I am plodding but I am building, cementing, sure-footed enough to hold my position at the top when I get there :)

 This week I have recruited 5 new representatives, in fact I am hoping that 3 of them will be sales leaders and grow with me in the journey. I have had my eyes on the next prize of Advanced Sales Leader where I will need two Sales Leaders and 15 Representatives for a while.

 I have the 15 reps but I will need two sales leaders. Me being me, I have started to look at the level above....

Business Development Bonus Earned £100

YAY!  Just got my statement for Campaign 10 and have earned the £100 bonus for staying a Sales Leader for my first three Campaigns (at least thats what I think its for!).

Happy Bunny :)  It is a good incentive when you're getting a bit extra paid into the bank.  I like the way that the Sales Leader payments - ie the commission on my downline and my Bonuses get paid directly into my Bank, not onto my AVON account.  It keeps the two parts of my business slightly separate, more manageable, and now as a Sales Leader it means that something is actually going into the bank for this work.

Recruiting Sales Leaders

Today all three of my appointments are potential Sales Leaders.  They have all expressed interest in the Sales Leadership scheme and I think they could all cut it too!  Each of them seemed enthusiastic, motivated and willing to put in the time and effort required to get the ball rolling.

Going for the Triple :)

For the first time ever, I have recruited three separate people in one day all in separate appointments, yes the leads were from my Area Manager (thank you!), I have had to follow them up, prepare, appoint, get their POBs on my Essex-Reps site, explain it all, give the books and am really really pleased to have managed 3 in one day!!!

Double Whammy

It's always quite exciting to get a pair of friends or a mother daughter team signed up -providing they actually get started and didn't talk themselves out if it before that, they seem to bounce ideas from one another, have a but if competition among themselves and generally they gave fun and their sales are pretty good :)

Signed in a pair this week, but am waiting to see if they will have the vavavoooooom :)

SWSWSWN

This is a sales ethic:
SWSWSWN
Stands for....
Some Will - Some Won't - So What - Next.....

Out and About Recruitment

Fab Day - met with my Old Area Manager, with whom we have a good bond and work ethic...
We work while we chat, mostly planned around what we are going to eat :)

Cruised down to Southend, had a nice coffee, she drove us around for a bit looking for some leads, got a couple of leads, then met a couple of ladies who wanted to join, took them to KFC and signed them on (on their way to bingo!)

Easy as a family bucket for dinner!

Recruitment in the sun is much more fun

Since the sun has been shining, I am finding that people seem much more approachable, they are prepared to chat and listen and hence more prepared to consider taking up my offer of the 5 day challenge or to consider joining AVON with Essex-Reps.

Internet Advertising Begins to Pay Off

I know it can take some time for internet advertising to really kick in.  I have been building websites for nearly 20 years and I tend to say to clients not to expect too much from a website within the first six months.

I cannot say that I get a huge volume of hits to my website www.essex-reps.com - but since I did the map recruitment pages and have been advertising for jobs in specific areas of Essex on other people's more established free advertising sites I have been waiting for someone to sign up this way.

Sure enough - tonight - that has happened!! I have an appointment tomorrow from an online advert that I put up just two weeks ago.  I have put up about 12 more tonight and will continue to grow this number - "work it if it works !!!".

Prospecting with the '5 Day Challenge'

Out prospecting today and within one hour managed a sign up, gave out four '5 Day Challenge' bags (which might mean some appointments on Monday) and another lady's number who might join when she is back from her holiday.  A very productive hour!

The 5 day challenge consists of an AVON carrier bag containing 5 brochures, some order forms and a prospecting card with my details on it.

Ask the prospective Rep (basically any likely looking female) if she would be interested in earning some extra money selling beauty and make-up products?  Do the usual sales talk including the ultimate line "Would you like to take the 5 day challenge?".  Then continue to explain you'll give them the bag to work with, 5 days to get as many orders as you can and you'll give them a call on Monday to see how they are getting along and to sign them up.  There is no obligation to join Avon, but they will have had a taste of how it is.  It may be worth adding that this is probably going to be the hardest they will have to work to get the orders because a) they'll only have 5 days, normally you get 3 weeks b) when they are officially signed on they will have an online brochure to use as well to share on facebook, email, text etc and c) it may be possible to assign them some territory, a street or area that they can drop books to.

It works - it really does - the 5 day challenge proved to be good today - if just one of the four signs on, it will have been worthwhile :)

Great idea from my new Area Sales Manager - whom I met today and she's lovely.

10,000 Hits to the 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.

AVON Wall of Fame

On achieving Sales Leader status, you receive a pin badge to wear stating you are an AVON Sales Leader, a certificate - AND you get your name listed on the Wall of Fame!