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!

Essex-Reps Website update with Essex Map

Today I have updated the Essex-Reps recruitment website with a fabulous clickable map of Essex and a recruitment page for each main area (64 in total phew!).

Here's a screenshot of the map page - you can view the whole thing at:

http://www.essex-reps.com/avon-jobs-in-essex.html

Keeping in contact with my Team

As i grow into my role of Sales Leader and strive for the next level, I would say that 80% of the role is about communicating with my team, talking to them, motivating, being there to answer questions and generally keeping in touch.

Today I will call my new Rep that I took on on Thursday last week, and another who I haven't had a chance to get a good catch up with for a few weeks except by text - I will also call done if my leads, confirm an appointment to sign on a rep tomorrow and have coffee with another lady who is interested to join later this month.

So it us all about the communication, building those bonds and strengthening my own teams communication with myself and their customers.

Sales Leader - Training and Development

WOW - A morning of training with my Area Manager...

Macdonalds, Coffee, Laptop, Sales Leader Report and a lot of listening. Cannot blog tonight all the useful things that I have learned and been shown today - must say a huge THANKS!

And to reiterate (mainly to myself) that one of the main things I learned today was to LISTEN!

We talked about a lot of things, which I could explain in detail, (and will at some point) but I am a bit tired to do it tonight - here are some of the topics we touched on:

Daily Plan Template
Sales Leader Training Academy Tracking
Keeping in contact with my Reps
TSL Checklist
Business Development Bonus
PATD (prospecting, appointing, training, development)
Q&A Documents
Sales Kit
Order form idea
Sales Leader Dev Tool
ALM
Time Management
Coaching
Listening
Achieve Meetings - 48hrs
Promoting Demos
Brochures in advance

And a lot more too.....

First Real Campaign as a Sales Leader

Tonight I've watched and waited, waited and watched as a dozen representatives in my team put their orders online.

I have kept in close contact with all of them over the past five days leading up to "order due date", just to check and help them to reach their targets, to make sure that they will be placing qualifying orders.  I want them to make money, I want them to be happy and stay with AVON in my team.  Me earning commission from their sales is secondary to this, as without enough Representatives in my team I won't remain a Sales Leader.

I have worked hard to get to this level, its the first rung on a pretty long ladder that I intend to climb up - I will work as hard as it takes to stay in touch with my new representatives, keep growing my team over the next few campaigns and achieve the next level ASAP!

Sales Leader Badge and Certificate

I have received my Sales Leader status and with it a Certificate and Badge have arrived in the post - pictures to follow...

Plan a "Planning Day"

Today, as directed by my Area Manager (who has in fact taught me nearly everything I know about AVON)...  I had a "planning day".

This has been superb, a chance to put my business in order and work SMART.

I've caught up with all the active Representatives on my team and the newbies.  As well as asking how they are getting on and if I can offer any help, I have asked them quite directly:

2 new recruits all by myself!

Yes, I feel like a sales leader now!  Flying SOLO as it were!

Last week I sat in the park for half an hour and spoke to three people about AVON, took two of their numbers and followed up with a phone call to arrange appointments.

Today I met both of them - separately, they're not in the same area and they don't know eachother (yet!).
I signed them both up!

Feel quite chuffed - thats two new members to my ever growing team and I am really proud because:
- I got the leads
- I chased them up
- I recruited them

Back on Track - Boost Recruitment

YEP - A four day week after the May Bank Holiday and this week, in fact tomorrow, I really would like to recruit 4 new Sales Reps.  I have a couple of pre-bank holiday weekend leads to follow up, one refer a friend and also a customer who is interested in joining, it is just a question of whether I can sell it to them to commit tomorrow, or even this week!

My Sales Leadership skills still need to be perfected into a winning formula and I really need to get my time-management skills into play also, to allow myself the right amount of time on the street, following up leads on the phone and actually doing appointments.  It doesn't tale long to do any of these things but I need to get into some better planning habits!

Well..... thats it, the night before the recruitment boost and I am all set, flyers with my information on them, my notebook with the leads phone numbers, and a pen to take some more, the boot is full of brochures and recruitment packs... I FEEL READY!  Bring it on!

Puncture Postpones Play!

They say that bad things come in threes - well that's what happened - left this morning with 2 sign up appointments booked for 9am and 11am and 2 string leads...

8.30 - text came to cancel the 11am (might rearrange after the weekend)
8.45 - confirmation call for the 9am proved a non starter as she can't join my team until the end of June
9.00 - decided to go into town and do a bit if recruitment regardless - and got a blinkin puncture!!!

So that was the three (hoping today can get better from now on!)
Called RAC, got a spare on, currently at the tyre garage replacing it - should be back on the road by 11am.

Think I might need a coffee stop off now lol! One good thing was it has given me a chance to check my brochure supply whilst emptying the boot!!

Prospecting with the Area Manager (s)

Today was great, my Area Manager picked me up from our usual place and we went out prospecting.  She was training another Area Manager too today, so we had extra company.

First stop, Maldon, parked in the high street and the first young lady we approached was interested in becoming a rep, so we all went to Costa to talk about it further, signed her on and dropped her home with her books!

Ordering Books for Recruitment as a new Sales Leader

So, I've qualified to be a Sales Leader and I will be supporting myself pretty soon...

At the moment I'm on Campaign 9 (have recently recruited some Reps and have about 80 Campaign 9 brochures free to recruit approximately 4 more, should the chance arise)

AVON ASL - Advanced Sales Leader is my next target

So having reached Sales Leader status, I am all set and firing ahead towards the next goal of "Advanced Sales Leader".

What do I need to do to get to that level?

"Officially" Qualified as an AVON Sales Leader

YIPEE and Phew... so it's taken just over 3 months to get here and I am now " officially" an ACTIVE Sales Leader!

What do you need to be an ACTIVE Sales Leader?
I needed 5 orders and group sales of £888 and personal sales of £148 -  I am happy to announce that I have succeeded and exceeded that target - YES!

Communication is key

I was completely new to Avon and to Sales three months ago... So Avon Sales Leadership has meant learning some new skills - I do love a challenge, so it's been good and I'm sure I still have a lot more to learn to enhance my position too.

One of the key skills required is good communication. I am friendly, bubbly, passionate and generally I do get on with most people - so that part is ok.

I need to work on ASKING OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS and LISTENING which will help me to get to know my team better and then in turn I can offer them better support with their sales and customers and the way they work their Avon journey.

Also to get leads and follow them up - it is much better to TALK TO PEOPLE - better than texting - it's immediate and more personal - it's two-way.

Today with all the above info in mind I decided that in order to progress in my own journey as a good sales leader I need to get a blue tooth wotsit for using in the car and upgrade for unlimited calls to mobiles and landlines. This way I can be using all my spare car time much more smartly (of which I have quite a lot - school runs, shopping trips, driving to and from appointments etc).

I looked around some other provider's deals and then rang Orange, mybiwn provider. For just £6 extra a month (so £26 total) I can change my situ with my current provider - get unlimited calls, unlimited texts, some gigs of downloads, free wifi AND an iphone4!

This is great because it also means I will be able to sign up my newbies on my own phone completely hassle free. My Area Manager has been brilliant coming with me to some appointments, but as she is going to another area in a month I need to be ready to survive 'route seule' (French for all alone) - I will have a new AM but I need to get to know her and I'm sure she will be busy to begin with.

Outcome of my decision: Again - VERY happy bunny - building my business and getting a new phone and all that free friend and team talk - woohoo!!

Good Customer = Good Representative

Today I have signed up one of my star customers as a Representative in my team.

The thing is, she would only need to find a few customers to be getting her 20% discount and then a few more to reach her HOV and get the 25% discount.

I gave her a call and suggested it, she was really pleased, as she had been thinking about joining AVON - so I jumped right in and went round with my Area Manager and we signed her onto my team today.

Not only that, I have set her up to start in this Campaign (which would mean submitting her order on Monday) and she will hit her 20%, because I have given her a few houses with existing customers, for whom I already have orders... including her own order she just needed to find £6 more of custom to get to the MOV!

I am happy and so is she - a great sign up and a good start to the weekend! Two appointments booked for Monday morning and one for Tuesday...

Recruitment Boost

For two days (one hour yesterday, and a couple of hours today) I have been out and about 'prospecting for potential AVON Representatives, ladies who would like to join AVON....

It has been fun - I've managed to get 11 numbers and already made three appointments for sign ups from that (in fact one if the ladies has already signed up this afternoon).

This is the incentive that I needed to see and feel my team growing - hopefully by the end of next week (by putting in just an hour a day) it will have doubled my existing team :)

Very Happy Sakes Leader Bunny!!

Send in the Official Sales Leader Agreement

I have taken the plunge printed, filled out, scanned and emailed back the official Sales Leader Agreement today - they say they will deduct the £25 from my account and AVON sent me a welcome email - I'm not sure if this means I am official - I'm pretty sure I still need to qualify with 5 orders and group sales of £900 ish...  We shall see - I await the fireworks and celebrations of moving up a level (Officially!)....

AVON Refer a Friend Incentive Scheme

There must be some mileage to be had in the "refer a friend" scheme.

So, basically, if I get someone to sign up at the moment, then they refer a friend, the first sign up will get £70 of AVON products to do with what they wish (resell, xmas presents, for themselves, whatever they wish....) - have to work on this.

Prospecting for AVON Leads

A couple of hours spent trawling around looking for potential AVON Representatives, resulted in one number of a lady who thinks her daughter "might" be interested and a sign on from someone who wasn't sure, but has since texted to say she doesn't really think it is for her.

Really need to get to grips and find the key to successful recruitment of AVON Reps.

Quite sad to be losing my ASM

I've had a good start with AVON because I was signed on by a fab Area Manager who has helped me tons along my AVON journey so far. She has supported me exactly how you would want to be supported, she has been there fore me when I've misunderstood, when I've got it wrong, when I needed some boosting, some extra ideas and motivation. She has been fab and I'ma bit sad because she is going back to her old area.

Recruiting AVON Reps from another Area

Today I learned a valuable lesson whilst recruiting a representative from another AVON Area:

I am area 484 and the potential new rep is in area 482. So I turned up with Campaign 8 and 9 brochures all ready to get her started, only to find that in her area they are already on Campaign 9, in fact that finishes tomorrow!!

I learned that I should have checked online what Area and therefore what Campaign and what due date she has before I go there with the wrong brochures!!

Support your team of AVON Representatives

Although I am still a TSL - I have a few Representatives that I have recruited and felt it important to find out how they were getting on and support them when necessary.

Today I visited one of my Reps, who although has been doing brilliantly, I could see that with a few simple suggestions or ideas, could excel and perhaps double or triple her orders.

I went along and spent about 45 minutes or so having a chat and passing on some of what I have learned along the way. Here are some of the things I mentioned...

Deliveries for Customers and Reps

Today was area 484 delivery day for Campaign 7. As usual I was happy to receive deliveries for some of my own Reps and a couple of others that my Area Manager asked if I wouldn't mind...

So the doorbell goes at 8:10am and Avon Delivery Guy brings in 5 stacks of brochure packs and 10 AVON boxes and a stack of nice bags! I had a chat with him about coming a bit earlier and next time he is going to come at 6am on his way past - which suits me fine, as I will be up for school/work most days - I said as long as he doesn't mind meeting me in my ONESIE LOL!

Customer Loyalty Cards for Essex-Reps

YES - Poppet and I got down to some serious Easter Holiday Art and Craft and we created some beautiful Customer Loyalty Cards which I will roll out to the Essex-Reps team in due course.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE FINISHED RESULTS

I am very happy about how they turned out - A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER!!!

How does a Sales Leader check her team's orders?

By loggin into your AVON account, you can click on MY OFFICE and SELECT A REPRESENTATIVE - from here you can check into each Representative's Account, see their order and details whenever you need to.

It isn't a nosy thing, sometimes you may need to do this to help your team, for example:

I had a query from one of my Reps that she thought she had paid and then AVON called to say she hadn't, I was able to see on her account that the payment had not been received, and then also able to confirm to her when it showed as PAID, putting her mind at rest.

And, when I wanted to see what my total Group Sales would be to work out if I have made it to Sales Leader level.

And, when one of my Reps realised she would not be back in time for the delivery... ok that one I still need to sort out - I will give AVON a call in the morning about that!

But - you see as a Sales Leader, it is quite important to know how the team are getting on, then you will be able to help them get better at what they do and improve their own earnings.

How do I become an AVON Sales Leader?

This Campaign, fingers crossed, I think I have made it, so I have the answer...

First, you join AVON as a Rep, if you are in Essex you would gain by becoming an AVON Rep in my team: essex-reps, because I will give you lots of support and incentives along the way.

It's easy to become an Essex AVON Rep, the product is easy to sell, as people all over the world DO love AVON.

Then, once you've got to grips with selling, you become a TSL - a Trainee Sales Leader (which is what I still am at the moment) and you start recruiting your own team. Once you have 5 Reps in your team, they all make an order on the same Campaign and your total group orders (this includes your own order) comes to £888 or more, then you will be eligible to become a Sales Leader, which is when you will start to earn commission from your team and start to work your way up the avon ladder.

Hey presto - you will be a Sales Leader - and if you are with essex-reps, you will still have my full support.

Some people take years to decide to become a Sales Leader, some people never decide to switch and some people make it up the ladder very quickly. Your AVON journey is totally decided by YOU!

Orders due Team Essex-Reps

Back from a lovely Easter break on the day after our area's orders are due in...

So far so good, a small hiccup for one rep on my team who thought she had paid her previous order but hadn't actually paid it - thanks for the super support from my Area Manager guiding me through this problem.

Apart from that, everyone's on track and team Essex-Reps might just make me a proper Sales Leader on this Campaign. I do hope to hit the target, but will have to wait until later this week to see if everyone's orders add up to reach my goal.

Had some good ideas whilst away about recruitment, marketing, getting people on my POB, free gift incentives, newsletters for the team....

There just aren't really enough hours in my week for the Essex-Reps Empire I have built in my brain! Lol

Helping my Reps to Pay for their Order

Just a 2 minute email to one of my New Reps today on "How to Pay AVON".

Normally I pay the cash into my bank and then pay online with my debit card (they will give you a payment reference number which you should keep a record of, just in case of any problems),
OR
you can take the GIRO slip at the bottom of the AVON invoice and pay the cash directly into the Post Office or any branch of HSBC and that works just the same - keep your receipt, just in case of any problems.

Added Beauty Tip Videos to my website...

YES..

I have added Beauty Tip Videos to the www.essex-reps.com website

AVON Makeup Lessons
AVON Skin Care Videos
AVON Nail Idea Videos
AVON Hair Colour Videos

I'm hoping that this is helpful for my team to look great every day, and to help them love AVON, and also good for customers, (who may be potential representatives at heart!) and generally great for anyone who wants to know how to make the most of their AVON products.

I have learned a few tips and got a few new ideas of things to try out myself.

Training for me and my SLs planned

My Area Manager has prompted a training session for me as a Sales Leader. I have invited my two Sales Leaders (well Reps that want to be SLs) and another two Reps that may or may not be interested. I am looking forward to it.

I'm doing fab as a Rep myself, am motivated and enthusiastic and producting great sales, but I'm not so great at getting leads and appointing Reps, so hopefully this training is going to give me the ummmph and motivation I need for that part of things.

Expanding the Website: Beauty Tip Videos

I wanted to get a few beauty tips myself and found that AVON have some fantastic videos of how to do great makeup, nails etc, they explain their skincare range and in what order to use the AVON products.

Whether a Rep or a Sales Leader, surely it has to be important to know the product and use them well - so I cleansed my face and applied one of the ANEW products before starting a few pages on my Essex-Reps website for "beauty tip videos" - all will be uploaded later in the week - in the mean time I am having "fabulous lips" and great "skin-care" advice all to myself (and the thousands of other YouTube viewers! LOL

Love the AVON Nail Decoration Tool

OK - this is my Sales Leader blog and I should be filling in how I have got some great orders for the streets I have been "warming up" and have spoken to the ladies that ordered, in hope that one of them might jump at the chance of being a rep for their street and me giving them the orders for their first earnings (without actually having to work for them...) - so far no takers, though I am not one to give up easily and will keep on trying.

In the meantime, my order came today and I also had one of my team's orders delivered to me as she would be working. She came to collect it this afternoon and we had a lovely catch up, partly about AVON and plenty about life, she is already becoming a good friend - AVON has opened doors in so many different areas of my life - I really enjoy it!

And this evening I had a chance to diddle with the products I had bought for myself, one of which was the amazing Nail Decoration Tool.... Here is how I got on!!

Lead from Gumtree

YIPEE - Another lead from Gumtree, must NOT let this Lead go cold (leave her too long without contacting her)... After a quick phone chat, I am now waiting for her to sign up online for me, waiting for my Area Manager to give ma starter pack and then I will get her on board asap...

484 Team Orders in...

All good, my three newbie Reps from 484 for this Campaign have successfully submitted their orders and I will await my other Rep from out of the area to do hers later this week. Two of my Reps don't seem to have an order, so really must get out recruiting as I won't make SL status without 5 active ORDERS! It's all ok though - for my first few weeks in AVON as a Trainee Sales Leader - I have trained and I have led, and I have been trained a bit too - going ok!

Checking on my new Reps/TSLs

So, Sunday before order day.... a quick check (text and phone call) to my newbies, to make sure that they are all set to put in their first ever orders tomorrow - dropped off the Campaign 7 books to one of them to give some time for preparation also. One has definitely reached her MOV, the other has yet to add up her orders and may have reached it. All Good!

Variety is the spice of life!!!

So today was a real mixture of jobs that I fitted in around my life (as you can when you work for yourself!).

The day started with a school drop off, then a bit of prospecting, got a number for a potential rep to see next week and gave out a few cards to some people who werent really convinced enough to give me their number yet.

Then back to school to enjoy a lovely Mother's Day Assembly. Into town after for a bit of a mooch, it was raining and I was quite prepared to do a bit of prospecting, but to be honest most people were rushing to where they were going as the weather was so awful, so I just bought a few bits and headed off to my sign up.

Drove a little distance, as I am trying to get some reps who might be sales leaders a little further afield, then I will be able to give them leads that come in from that area - signed on a lovely young lady who was very enthusiastic and I think she will do well. She is from a different AREA code to mine, so the area manager said she could drop round some books for her (which is great), her order isnt due in until Thursday and she already has some interested parties (which is also great!).

I hope to get back and see her at the end of next week to see how she is getting on!

Then I did a bit of food shoppibg, picked my daughter up from school and had a cuppa - then I spent half an hour with one of my new rep/sales leaders, walking around and picking up soggy brochures with her!

She seems quite happy that she will at least hit her HOV on this campaign as has quite a few friends and family making orders in addition to the few streets she has managed to canvas.

So, I have more than my 5 reps, if they all make orders this campaign and we manage to net the £900, I will go up a level... I am uncertain that we will manage to make it, but positive that I am putting in my best to try and get there!

I have lots of brochures (also probably soggy!) to collect tomorrow from my area and a new area that I have been "warming up".

Sounds like I did a lot today, but in total it was just under two hours work on AVON.

1 + 1 Sign up

I had a sign up today, and I have another booked for tomorrow. I am finding the 'getting leads' part of it a little tricky... though I strongly believe that's because I've not really been in sales before, I'm not used to it and I have to learn the tip and tricks to get really good at anything. So basically - I won't give up!!!

Even though it's a little slow going, I have set myself three times tomorrow (each one hour), when I intend to get out there and find some wannabe representatives - if it's dry, they may be in the park, if it's raining I might have to hang out in Costa!

Now off to have a bath a read the one minute sales manager!

Pulling out all the stops....

I really would like to make it to Sales Leader on Campaign Six, I have five Reps but they're not all active yet, so I really need to recruit another couple and get them to put some orders in for this week! I know I'm pushing it !!

Pulling out all the stops - I put up 5 more adverts online, have been out and about approaching likely prospects, have an appointment pending and a few friends to ask...
Watch this space!

Out Prospecting

Prospecting: Looking for potential new Representatives, having a chat with them and giving them some information to get back in touch and hopefully taking a phone number so you can talk to them and sign them on as a Representative in your team.

So, today, I went out with my area manager, armed with some prospecting cards (AVON cards filled out with my contact details).

I was out and about with my Area Manager - and we had a bit of a chat and a bit of a giggle while we were out - it is always a motivating experience and I always learn a lot, even if we don't always do what we set out to do, I always gain some extra knowledge about being a better Sales Leader - so it is always good to be with your Area Manager, out prospecting for the day.

We didn't have a great deal of luck today, though one lady, who we found in the local swing park chatting with a couple of other Mums, when approached, she was quite interested to "earn a bit of extra money" and I got her number to give her a call.



The art of prospecting is driven by 'open-ended' questions. Do you live round here? Do you get AVON at the moment? Would you consider being a Rep?

If the prospect responds with any of the common questions/answers the way forward would be...

-"I don't have much time" - answer with "How long to do you think AVON takes?"
-"I've got kids, so I don't know if I could manage it" - answer with "Thats great, do they go to activities? Do you wait around with other Mums? Do you meet up with other Mums? Do you walk to school/nursery?" etc
-"I've tried AVON before" - answer with "oh, who was your sales leader?", "did you sell to friends and family or did you have territory?", "How many brochures did you put round?"

Listen to the prospect and their lifestyle, try not to tell them all the details there and then at the initial discussion, try to get their confidence enough to phone them later and make an initial appointment to meet. Too much information in one go and it's likely to be met with a bit of a negative, with too many things to think about and take on in one swoop - tried and tested is leaving them curious enough to want more...!

Day Off - Birthday Pamper Time

Yep - working with AVON means I can choose my time off - and, as it's my birthday (21 again obviously) - I am having a well deserved chill out day - involving quite a lot of cake and a few other relaxing things too...

Training for my TSL / Reps

So, on Saturday I had a busy day, taking my new TSL's out, individually to show them the ropes, inspire them and get enthusiastic about AVON.

No big deal, but just getting the brochures prepared and posting out, walking round their route for the first time, talking about the opportunities ahead and what they want out of it.

It gives me a chance to get to know my own team members better, for them to know me, for me to see what they are like and get an idea of how they like to work and what kind of things will work best between us etc etc.

This weekend was the first time I've done this, and they are both lovely, one is running along with AVON already and I can see she has already grasped it all really easily, the other is going to need a little bit more encouragement to get her started, but an intelligent young lady and I am sure soon enough, after a little confidence boost, she will be flying along too.

I allocated their territory, as I say, I walked the beat with them (so to speak) - to make sure that they knew where it all is, and we talked a little about prospecting, so hopefully I can meet them both during the next week or so, to actually DO a bit of prospecting.

Really hoping that they both hit their MOV or HOV this Campaign as it is a great motivator.

Target One - Sales Leader - Nearly There

Well, I am nearly there to be a Sales Leader - just need to motivate my team to hit their sales and get a great group total.

Have really got excited after last night's meeting and put a lot of effort into planning how I can work with my own Sales Leaders, helping them on their AVON journey.

Further training with my own Area Manager next week will be great for me to learn a bit of proper sales techniques (like listening skills!) and asking open ended questions to my potential and existing REPS & Sales Leaders to find out more about them, who they know and how they will be motivated to reach their own targets and help them achieve their own dreams.

I am happy that this is a WIN-WIN business, with customers loving their products, reps enjoying getting out to meet people, Sales Leaders etc also very passionate about what they do. It really feels like a fellowship - an AVON family.

My latest sign on, was a Rep on Wednesday but after our meeting last night is now a Sales Leader, cooked a really fantastic lunch today - Rice 'n' peas and Jerk Chicken - heavenly. She is already my favourite!

Tonight I am happy for my team, looking to expand it as quickly and professionally as possible - keeping with the friendly start that I've pounced off with already though.

Loving Working for AVON so far... and that's not even counting the pennies, just the structure, the set up, the support, the help given, the way it really does change people's lives.

AVON Sales Incentive Meeting

Well that was a GREAT NIGHT!

Invited by my Area Manager to come along to an incentive evening for Sales Leaders, I picked up my new Rep that I had signed on yesterday and trotted off to the Holiday Inn for a really inspirational evening - for anyone who hasn't been, I could definitely recommend it!

The format of the evening was a coffee in the reception, followed by motivating presentations and discussion from various levels of AVON ladies, from a newish Sales Leader, to a Senior Executive Sales Leader (who is earning a whopping salary from AVON after putting in the effort to build her team over the years).

Sales Tips, Sign up tips, Product Demonstration Tips, plenty of ideas and tips were discussed alongside the main point of the incentive meeting, which was to offer all the sales leaders, from my level Trainee Sales Leader, right the way up and INCENTIVE to work for points, which will ultimately (if reached) gain prizes over the course of the next three campaigns.

I am really full of great ideas of how to increase my sales, to turn customers into reps, get new reps, turn reps into sales leaders and get them motivated to help their crew too (ultimately maximising my own group sales and becoming a super dooper AVON Lady!).

Really buzzing about the evening. My new Rep also felt the vibe, and has changed her mind already and decided to be a Sales Leader - which is fantastic news for me and my team:)

I can see that the future earnings and opportunities if I work at this AVON business really are unlimited, I have met people tonight who are the living proof that AVON can give you a very nice life and you can earn a lot of money at it. I want to progress quickly through the next level of Sales Leader and aim to be an Advanced Sales Leader within the next two campaigns or so...

I can also see that if I work this properly - it could just be the opportunity I have been looking for - and it doesn't even feel like work!!!! GREAT STUFF!

Prospecting is Easy and Fun

OK - so I finally got a bit of time out with my Area Manager to do some prospecting - and it is exactly as I said in the title - EASY and FUN.

AVON is not a hard-sell - people want to buy beauty products and enjoy making themselves look good, it is a well known brand and most people have bought some at one time or another, so asking people if they are interested in becoming a REP and joining the team isn't difficult either.

Just getting a little bit of confidence to launch into the first conversation made me feel nervous, for about 10 seconds, then I was away - couldn't speak to enough of them!

Introducing myself as "working for AVON", asking if the person lived locally, then asking if they were interested in being a Representative for AVON themselves, do they have a little free time or would they like to earn some extra money and if it was a "no", do they know someone who might be interested - passing on the card with all the details of how to contact me and join the team, then off to find another potential rep - or PROSPECT, as we call them.

I easily approached more than a dozen people in 45 minutes, of whom one already worked for AVON and more than half of the others thought they might be interested or knew someone - sister, daughter, friend etc... I will have to see what happens now, if the sign ups come rolling in from my website link or the calls come in on the phone.

The only thing I think I could have done better was to take their phone number, or to actually fix an appointment with at least one of them to come around their house and do the sign up - I will try to achieve this next time.

TSL to SL Goal

To get from TRAINEE SALES LEADER to be a SALES LEADER I need to meet the following criteria:

I need to have signed on 5 reps who each put in an order which as a group totals to a minimum of £900 and I need to be achieving minimum personal sales of £150.

Then the next level is to be an ADVANCED SALES LEADER which requires:

My personal sales total of £220, 15 orders to be placed in my direct team, 2 qualified downline sales leaders, (each meeting their personal sales target of £148, and their team to be selling £888 as a group) - my group sales target of £3,920.

I like to know what the next step is... am still striving for STEP ONE - SALES LEADER!

ANOTHER New Member of my Team

Don't want to sound too samey - but wanted to "blog-share" my happiness!!!

I am very pleased to have appointed another new member to my team tonight. A lead given to me by my Area Manager of a lady who lives close by. She was fab, in fact I have a feeling we will become good friends.

I was hoping to have gone out prospecting with my Area Manager today but LIFE happens and we've postponed, fingers crossed it will be tomorrow.

So my team now consists of 4 members + me. Ideally I would like to have a hundred or so - AIM FOR THE STARS (is one of my favourite mottos!)

A New Member of the Team

Following my recent brochure drop mentioning my website www.essex-reps.com, I've had a sign up and went off to appoint her officially this evening.

I've got her started on friends and family, AND all her friends from college too... she will be given a bit of territory later in the week, but seemed quite enthusiastic and I think she will do well - AND she is local, which will make my job to help her much much easier.

Thanks to my Area Manager, I have another appointment tomorrow evening to appoint another member to my team too.... This week is turning things around quite nicely.

Appointments in the pipeline: Friday - Clacton, Monday - Chelmsford, Still outstanding Chigwell and Romford - and this is before I go out prospecting tomorrow! Quite pleased to be expanding the team.

My Website is Ranked 10th in Google

Not a bad start, seeing as it's only been up a week - my website www.Essex-Reps.com is already ranked 10th on google.

When I search for "Avon Essex" or "Avon Reps Essex"

I've only just started to market it a bit, so it's a real pleasure to know that I have some great marketting skills for my website - let's hope the AVON customers come to me as easily.

Got my first sign up from the website today - so another great start.

Next goal would be to make it No.1 when you type AVON!
LOL I wonder if that is even possible??? I know that I am going to try though :)

Following up Leads

Spoke to my ASL about having a day out prospecting - and we will sort it out.

In the meantime I have several leads that I need to follow up and have been phoning around trying to make appointments to see them all this week.

So far I have one booked in for tomorrow, and one for Friday, 3 others I'm waiting to sort out the date and time, though hopeful that two will be on Thursday.

This hasn't taken me long to sort out (about 20 minutes of phoning and texting).

I am still getting replies from my GUMTREE advert, though actually noticed a better, more informative advert on there today (which I may have to steal a few words from!).

AVON Men Wanted

I've just been inspired to recruit some guys into my team - this guy Michael Furniss looks like he is having a great time as an AVON Rep.

Over five per cent of the UK’s Avon army is now male – up from 4.1 per cent in 2010 – and the trend is set to rise dramatically this year.

Personally I think it is a great idea, generally speaking Women sell cars (because we can turn on the charm), so why shouldn't Men sell make-up - I am sure they can use their charms on us women and get some great sales.

Calling all men www.essex-reps.com need you now!!!!

Read the Newspaper Article printed in the Sheffield star for yourself

New Lead/Sign up from my Website

YAY - just about to go to bed, when I noticed I have a new Lead who has signed up from my website: www.Essex-Reps.com

Was just starting to feel a little disheartened about AVON and bingo - one of my lovely slips of paper that have gone out with my books, asking for REPS in my area has worked :)

I have a meeting with my ASL tomorrow, so will need to ask her to guide me in the right direction to get 4 newbies signed up... two from further afield: Romford and Chigwell, one lady from Chelmsford and now one on my doorstep.

Good News Comes to those who Wait!

Need a day out prospecting

I have spoken to my "Inspirational" blog friend... and I come to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to get out and have a day of prospecting with my ASL.

As I understand it we would approach people and get some leads of ladies who would like to join my team - which would be great.

The existing members of my team aren't fairing so well, so it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and reading between the lines my leads aren't going anywhere (as per my previous worry in a previous post). It just takes some people a little time to decide whether doing AVON is going to be the thing for them or not.

One of my Inspirations....

On my first week as a Sales Leader, I made friends with another NEWBIE and I am loving her blog...(which apparently I inspired her to write!)

My Avon Journey

Brochure Hiccup!!!

Uh-Oh- I seem to have managed to order Campaign 7 brochures instead of Campaign 6 - oh no!!!

So I wanted to give my REP some brochures, like 40 or so, but I just don't have them to give, I've got none for me or any recruiting either - OH what a mess up.

I have learned a valuable lesson, one which I won't repeat, which is that you must be SURE what campaign you are ordering brochures for. Now I am all prepared for the next Campaign - I have 120 Campaign 7 brochures, all set, but none for right now.

My lovely Area Sales Leader is going to bail me out with 20 - thank goodness, but that is barely enough to give out to my own customers who have made an order in Campaign 5, I will have to wing it to get some recruiting done....

One Rep Resigns

Well, I have had a fab few days off - as you can choose to when you work with AVON.

Though while I was away I did have a little REP trouble...

Well, my existing team (as a Trainee Sales Leader) is only two REPS and this is what has happened:

REP ONE
- already works as a hairdresser and is quite liking the AVON idea, though she didn't have many customers in her first week or so, she is thinking of giving it a better go in the next campaign and doing her territory a bit better too, so she is convinced that she would like to continue.

The only problem might be that she would have to pay 40% tax on a second income (as she is already self-employed). Now, we are hoping that because AVON products are essentially linked and are HAIR and BEAUTY products that perhaps it can be included in her existing earnings and be taxed at the normal rate. If anyone knows the answer to this - please please let me know, so that I can help her - she will in the meantime get onto the Inland Revenue to see if she can get it agreed from the top.

REP TWO
-Seemed like she needed a bit of extra coaching from the moment that she joined me. She put the books round (with a bit of help), and then has now informed me that it isn't going to work with her current benefits and that she is too scared of losing her money from the government, so despite getting an order from a customer, she has returned the order and resigned! (I think this is probably the shortest REP-LIFE in the history of REPS...!!!)

Well, as a NEW TRAINEE SALES LEADER, I will just have to follow up the new leads that I have and not take this as a bad start... just accept that it isn't going to be handed to me on a plate, that my website will start working soon, that I will have to TRY HARDER :)

I am having a meeting with my own Area Sales Leader tomorrow, so hopefully she will have some tips for me ... and maybe some LEADS too :)

Awaiting sign ups - where are my LEADS?

I have done a bit of marketting this week, small flyers went out with my brochures, I spoke to about 20 people that I just saw around and I had advert on GUMTREE. I have the new Website up which really promotes being an AVON Rep or Sales Leader...

Now where are my sign ups?

I am quite impatient! I want to promote the website more to the Search Engines to get it ranked better on Google, though I do know that is going to take a bit of time to happen...

My instincts are telling me that I should have had more people sign up and appear in my LEADS list by now - it just seems a bit fishy that there aren't - and when I have an incling, I can usually trust my instincts to know I am right and something is up...

Is it possible that someone could be taking my LEADS?

The investigation begins...

Plan to Succeed

I'm going to spend a bit of time working out how to make this Sales Leader Stuff really kick in and get to know the best positive ways of building a great team. I have already got a couple of Reps on board and have 4 or 5 more leads who are waiting to join me.

This is good, but my business head says I could to be recruiting in a efficient and organized fashion. I've only been with AVON a short time, everything I have read about being a REP and all the great advice I have taken online and from my Area Sales Leader has been fab and I've excelled with that - now I am ready to take the next step and be FAB at being a SALES LEADER...

Can't wait to go out prospecting with my ASL - that will give me a boost I am sure!

In the meantime I have found some good stuff on AVON's Website that I will be reading up on, and of course reading the discussions in the Sales Leaders part of AVON Connects.

Everything is in place - I now need to execute the PLAN OF SUCCESS!

Training a New Rep

Just off out to help a new Rep get started - that is the kind of support that Essex-Reps and any sales leader can give. I will just pop by and help my new Rep to bag up the brochures with order forms and collection slip and pop them through a few doors with her. I will walk around and show her the roads she can cover and how the little black calling book can be of use.

AVON Sales Leader Inspiration Video

Watch this video for some fabulous inspiration and encouragement in your journey as a Sales Leader. I always say if you want to drive a porsche listen to the lady who already drives one...

www.Essex-Reps.com - the website is UP!!!!!

Very excited to announce that my new website is up - I would love to say it is finished, but I keep thinking of fantastic things that I could add and diddle with!

It is not essential as a Sales Leader to have a website as AVON already provide you with the Personal Recruitment Page and the Personal Online Brochure, but I have big dreams and with that I think I probably need to put in BIG EFFORT and as I build websites by trade it is not an issue to me to put up a site to recruit more members for my team.

To go and view the site direct - there is a link in the top corner of the blog or you can click here - www.essex-reps.com

I am hoping that when I speak to people about AVON Sales Leadership or becoming a Rep in my team, they can go to the website and read about it and think "YES, That is what I want to do!".

Every good business these days has a good website and I am to make this business work!

Boost Sales for the New Reps

Today I have been able to give my new reps their official territories, and hand one of them some more brochures to help with covering that.

I have sent a couple of texts and been at the end of the phone when they needed me (barely at all!).

Working hard on the new Website, which is for me to pull all my online recruitment together in one place - hope to launch it later this week.

My first Rep appointment - "toute seule" (alone)

As a Trainee Sales Leader it would be early days for me to go and appoint a new REP or Sales Leader by myself, but needs must!

My Rep had to cancel yesterday and my Area Sales Leader was really busy today, so having done one meeting with her on Tuesday for training, I said this is a friend I am appointing next, she is really bright and it will be ok for me to go along with the start up bag and brochures to explain and sign her up alone if need be. SO I DID IT!

I didn't need to explain everything in as much detail as I would on a normal first meeting because for one, I know her really well and secondly she was round on Sunday looking through my own AVON bits and bobs and had a very good idea of how it all worked.

I took a copy of my notes (that I had put into a previous blog), my Area Sales Leader came by with the start up bag and the brochures and gave me a quick coffee prep-talk before hand and off I went.

It was a breeze! In fact trying to arrange appointments whilst in training, ie making sure that the new REP is available at the same time as the ASL can sometimes be quite difficult - to get all three of us in sync, so I actually can't wait to be flying-solo!

Giving the new REP a Territory

I learned today, that when I have a REP all signed on in my LEADS section - I should not appoint them until I have assigned their territory - otherwise it will involve my Area Sales Leader having to phone or email round to sort it out afterwards!! (oops! and thankfully she is very forgiving!)

What I should have done was to log in before I had clicked "appoint" on said Rep from my Leads section or during that same hour or so would have been ok.

And then in My Team Office, I click on Spatial Mapping Application (SMA) and look on Territory, Click REQUEST TERRITORY putting in their name and postcode to find and assign an area.

SIMPLE REALLY - or could've been had I not ran before I could walk!

Requirements for REP to sign up...

To sign up to AVON:

A REP must be over 18 and have the ID proof.

They do NOT need to have the internet (see my post in my other blog).

They do NOT need to come off of Jobseekers allowance (see my post in my other blog).

They do NOT need to have a bank account (see my post in my other blog.

Most people would be eligible to sign up as an AVON Rep or Sales Leader.

Sales Leader Training Appointment

So, the first Day of Training went ahead today as planned:

I met my Area Sales Representative in the new Representative's street and we knocked together.

I have made a brief list of what I needed to remember and I am sure I may have missed out a few bits, but tomorrow I will be able to perhaps put it all down in even more detail.

So this is the list of what I need to remember as a Sales Leader, when I am going to visit a new REP or Sales Leader joining my team:

- Arrive at the address on time, looking smart
- Ask the New Rep for their ID, must see some photo ID and/or proof of address ID(passport or Driving License, Jobseekers letter, Child Benefit letter, Bill or such like) - This is not to take a copy or note down any details from it but as proof that this person lives at this address and is a UK resident.
- Log on to my AVON PRP and click on 'Join as a Representative', ask the REP to fill out their details on my sign up page - we are allowed to fill this out on their behalf but the REP must click SUBMIT.
- Ask the REP to click SUBMIT.
- Now log on to my team, in my LEADS section, click apoint, fill out the extra questions, write down the New Rep Account Number in their black book and log out of my account.
- Look up the territory (the area that will be assigned to this REP - [THIS I WILL DO IN A SEPARATE BLOG POST]
- Introduce - "AVON is an American company who have changed many women's lives over the years, not only in working for them but they actively do work against domestic violence and for breast cancer research"
- Explain - we look at the three stages BELIEVE, ACHIEVE and EXCEED

- Using the 'Believe' brochure, run through the brochure explaining it, how x amount of reps are working and that these are award winning products and they are AVON's own products and about the 100% money back guarantee etc.
- Today, first appointment "We are just here to set you up with your area/territories and set you up with your brochures and order forms. Another day we can come back and talk more about how you can build your team". Give them the welcome pack of everything.
- Explain how the £15 sign up is charged over the first two campaigns commissions (£7.50 each)
- Explain that there is free delivery on all orders over £10.
- Explain the 25% commission on sales orders totalling £150 or 20% on over £80. At this point it is also worth mentioning that if you do choose to become a Sales Leader and build a team you will be earning 12% of their commission too.
- Run through the ACHIEVE brochure, explaining INVITE, INFORM and INSPIRE... that AVON has been around for 128 years and it is the No.1 Direct Marketting Company etc.
- Fill out with the REP "What would you like to achieve?" (Ask them to imagine making £50 extra a month and what they would spend it on. Also fill out the "What are your dreams?" (Ask them to imagine what they would do wit

h an extra £1000 a month.
- Ask them to think of some people they could invite and to work on that list, and fill out "My Plan to Achieve with them", including the table with Campaign, Order Limit and delivery date, account number, Sales Leader Name, contact number etc.
- Show the REP the order forms and the little black book to keep a track of what brochure has gone where etc.
- Show them how they will put their order through when it comes, explaining that it is worth getting on the Website because there are tons of extra marketting tools, training videos, the AVON Connects community and plenty of extra help and advice on there.
- Leave them with all of this, answer any questions and if possible fix a time to come back for the next meeting with them.

Typed out like this it seems like a lot to do, but actually - it takes the hour that you have planned and no more. It is all there in the documents provided in the AVON Pack - just a question of running through it with the new REP.

I have another Training Appointment like this tomorrow, so will be sure to add in anything that I have missed and probably add the search for the territory section too.

It feels good to have got started - and 3 members in the team alraedy :)

A Sign-up from the Internet Advert

Great Stuff, in addition to the two memebers who I will be visiting with my ASR (Area Sales Representative) today and tomorrow, I have had another lady who applied to my advert on the internet and has been to the link I gaver her and actually signed up.

This is great news, she is a little distance from me, but I have telephoned her and let her know that I will be coming one day next week to do the start-up appointment with her.

FAB!

THREE NEW TEAM MEMBERS AND COUNTING!!!

Sales Leader Training starts here

Yes, I have made the appointments to take on my first TWO reps. I have an appointment tomorrow and another on Wednesday. The first REP was a friend, see previous post. The second was a lady who replied to my online advert.

All I have needed to do is let my Area Sales Representative know, book the time of the appointments with the new Reps and then send their addresses to my ASR.

She will be bringing me everything I need to get them signed up (ie her laptop with a dongle) and the starter packs/brochures/order forms etc.

I will dress smart, well not jeans anyway, take a pen and paper to take some notes of what she does and in what order, as it won't be long and I will be on my own doing appointments. In fact, I may already have another potential one for Thursday!

It's also been a good day as a REP myself today (click here and you can read about that on my other blog as a new REP), I picked up my brochures and although there were nearly 50% who hadn't left them out (that's not so great), I did pick up one order for a keen £26.50. A good start to campaign 5!

Appointed my first REP

YES! - Got the ball rolling (so to speak!)

I have a friend who was quite excited to be involved in AVON as a REP and SALES LEADER and I've got her signed on as a REP.

We've just spent a lovely Sunday together with the kids and dinner etc, I showed her what I've been doing to make a bit of extra money and she was really interested and signed up. It will work well as she is a mobile hairdresser and used to sell other makeup products and has a stream of customers around because of all that previous experience.

Now I need to contact my own Area Sales Leader to make the official appointment, have my training (on that appointment) and giver her the start-up pack to get going.

All in all it is only Sunday and a brilliant start to the week!

Leads to Follow Up

Having had some response from friend of friend and mostly from the advert I posted online, I am happy to say that I do have a couple of my own LEADS now to follow up.

It hasn't proved exactly plain sailing so far to pin people down to an appointment for signing up, but I am getting there.

Having never worked in Sales as such (unless you class Ebay as a bit of sales), I am just trying to find the right forcefulness of approach, don't want to be too pushy with people (as it's not in my nature really), however, I don't want people to miss out on this great opportunity and the whole point of my being a SALES LEADER is to get new Reps in my team and to get New Sales Leaders in my team also!

Having been shown the commission and bonuses structure by my own Area Sales Leader I am very enthusiastic and motivated to succeed within AVON.

To top that off, I got back today and my first products had arrived with a free gift (full size as I hit my top target!). ALL GOOD!

Competition makes me thrive!

I am a normal human being, therefore when a fellow Newbie Sales Leader shares her progress with me and I find that she has managed to find 14 reps in her first few weeks - I am not only in AWE - I am now in competition!!!

This is a healthy start for me and will give me a little kick up the backside to get on with it! This fellow rep has become a friend, she has offered me help and so far I have to say I AM LOVING this AVON COMMUNITY spirit!

What I like is that the structure is set up in such a way that you want to help eachother, there is incentive after incentive - it's obviously worth helping people on our own team to grow into SALES LEADERS because it spirals out and becomes even more exciting!

Feeling Very Positive About AVON - So far so good!

First Major Goal as a Sales Leader

I am a Trainee Sales Leader.

My first major goal will be to reach Personal Sales of £150 (which I achieved in the first campaign and hope to grow through further campaigns and more targetted customers, and just increased customers too)

ALSO to recruit 5 Reps into my Team and achieve a total of £888 sales from my whole team (including my own sales).

This is my first target as a New Sales Leader.

Website to Link Blogs Brochure Facebook and AVON

Having just had a great chat with my own Sales Leader, one of my next projects will be to link all my online activities together on one Webpage.

My Webpage will include an introduction, and links to all of my online presence:

ie, MY OWN BROCHURE (the AVON POB)
MY OWN RECRUITMENT PAGE & SIGN IN (the AVON PRP)
My Blog about being a REP
My Blog about being a SALES LEADER
AND My Renamed FACEBOOK PAGE (Renamed to Beautyshoptoday Yvonne Spooner as we shouldnt use the work AVON in the title)

It will also be a place to advertise any special offers and share EVENTS and new deals with my REPS and CUSTOMERS.

I will soon add the URL to my "linking it all together page".
I will program it into a page with a view to buying a single domain name for it very soon.

Facebook for my Sales Team

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):

AVON YVONNE SPOONER

Warning for Visiting Sales Reps

My own Area Sales Rep left my second campaign of magazines with me, on my doorstep yesterday, and they have mysteriously disappeared.

I live on an alleyway, so they can only have been stolen by a passer-by, she said sometimes another REP may have taken them!?!?!?

This was quite frustrating as I couldn't get started on Campaign 5 today.

I wanted to put a note on here - to learn from this - and share that knowledge - that, as a Sales Leader - when we are making visits to our new Avon Sales Reps to drop off the first two campaigns of brochures - it is not a good idea to leave them on the doorstep. Better to text if no-one is home and to find a safe place to leave them, or come back another day.

My Leader is BRILL and she is coming back tomorrow with some more! THANK GOODNESS :)

Internet Advert Brings Enquiries

Great, I have had half a dozen texts and emails from people who saw my advert online and are interested in "earning a bit of extra money for being a makeup and perfume rep" (as I put it). I am in the process of contacting them, trying to speak to them directly to see if I can get them to sign on with me and set up an appointment to see them.

So far I haven't managed to get any appointments set, or any sign ons, but the advert only went up 24hrs ago, so it's all quite early days. AND that was just ONE advert on one site, I think I could find some more sites and get a few of those running over the next week or two.

Online Advertising Recruitment

I had a small advert on a well known free website which offered "extra income opportunities" and have just had a text from a potential NEW REP!

I was a bit nervous, not quite knowing what to say if I called and fortunately (or unfortunately), she was unavailable. So I have texted her back asking her to send me an email if she has a moment and that I will send her some more information.

I probably should get her to sign up on my online PRP and then I will need to contact my Area Sales Rep to come along to the first appointment with me (and provide all the necessary kit!)

QUITE EXCITED REALLY!!!

100 brochures for £11.50

Surely this is too good to be true!

I am still on my second campaign and my sales leader will be giving me some brochures this time, but I have just read that as a SALES LEADER and a memeber of the PRESIDENT'S CLUB, I am entitled to buy 20 packs of brochures for £11.50 - thats 100 brochures! WOOHOO

Oh, just came back down to earth on realising that I don't think I'm a member of the President's Club until I achieve a massive amount of sales in the first 18 campaigns...

Maybe someone could confirm this please?

Getting my PRP on Facebook

I went on facebook and put up a link to my Personal Recruitment Page to get people to be Sales Leaders in my team.

The message on my homepage went like this:

And then I sent a longer message to a couple of my closer friends, who I think would be interested in earning a bit of extra cash - that was a private inbox message and it went like this:

Already the response was quite good and probably will have one sign up from sending out 6 personal messages like that.

How to set up my AVON PRP?

So, you have to log into AVON CONNECTS
Then go to MY PROFILE
Then check the box for ACTIVATE PRP (on the right)
Then fill out some of the details and save

To view your PRP go to MY PROFILE and at the bottom you will see: MY PERSONAL PAGE

Here is mine: My PRP at AVON

What is my PRP?

PRP is my Personal Recruitment Page.

This is where I will get my Sales Leaders to sign up with me when I appoint them. This is how AVON can track who is on my team.

I will add more when I learn a bit more about it!

EXAMPLE: My PRP is here to view

Day 1 - Questions . . . ? ? ?

I have some questions I need to find the answers to about being an AVON Sales Leader...

Listed here are the questions (please return soon for the answers!):

How do I sign someone on?
What are the Steps?
Can I sign on anyone from any area?
Can I sign someone on from a different part of the country?
How will I do this?
What do LEADS mean?
How do I get paid from this?
Can I advertise in any way I wish?
How do I set up my own Sales Leadership Website?

How do I set up my PRP?
ANSWERED IN THE BLOG POST: How to set up my AVON PRP?
And the list goes on!! :)

INFO: What is a Sales Leader for AVON?

What is a Sales Leader? As an AVON Representative I am interested in also doing Sales Leadership - it isn't a role that is full time with lots of responsibility. Basically it is a part time job as an independent worker doing as much or as little as you want to do - obviously the more you put in, the more you will get out of it.. but it's up to you how much time and effort you put in. Both AVON Representatives and AVON Sales Leaders are self-employed. Therefore I can both choose the hours I work. (Phew!) Role: As an AVON Sales Leader I will be promoting the AVON opportunity to others. My role will be to find people who want to earn a bit of extra money as an AVON Representative, I will then go on to recruit them, train and support them as a member of your team.

Cost: All AVON Sales Leaders are also AVON Representatives themselves. If you choose to become an AVON Sales Leader you will be charged a onetime fee of £30, for this fee you will be sent a “business in a bag” starter kit. This includes lots of recruiting tools to get your business off the ground. This fee is also charged to your own AVON representative account. (But not until after you've recruited your first two REPS - so you can opt in and then take a little time to think it over and set out your plan, find some suitable people etc etc).

Earnings & Criteria: As an AVON Sales Leader you earn anything from 2-12% commission from your teams net sales. There are four levels to Sales leadership and the percentage you earn will depend on your Sales Leader level. This bit will take a bit more research and understanding - so I will post about the pay structure again soon.

To opt in and be a Sales Leader - I went back onto the website and did just that, I could've asked the person that got me interested in being a REP - either way it IS easy to get started (officially!)

If you are brand new to AVON and you would like to become either an AVON Representative or AVON Sales Leader, you can apply directly through my website by clicking the links above (I will add them!).