How to start selling AVON

Brochures can be ordered in packs of five on the website, so four packs is 20 brochures, which is enough for one campaign. If you are in Campaign 12, for example, you can purchase, Campaign 13, Campaign 14 and Campaign 15 brochures ahead, so three campaigns ahead. One pack (five brochures) costs £3.65, or 73p per brochure, and four packs (20 brochures) is £5.90 or 29p per brochure. To view a brochure price list and order brochures, click here

Brochures are your “shop”. They are designed well, are colourful and cheap and a new one is launched every three weeks. The photos are very clear and often show how the make-up looks on a real person.

Next, personalise your brochures. A good way to do this is to order stickers printed with your name, phone number, email address and website for the backs of your brochures. Make sure it is a large print that is easy for customers to read.

Introduce yourself to those customers you haven’t been able to meet face to face on your first rounds by writing a short, friendly welcome note to go with your AVON brochure. This shows your potential customers that you are reliable, professional and care about your business and your customers. Ensure you make it crystal clear that you need the AVON brochure to be returned, which is key to keeping track of potential clients. Here is an example to get you started:

Hi, my name is XXX and I’m your new local AVON representative. I hope you enjoy taking some time for yourself to look through my brochure. AVON offers something for everyone: from the latest innovative make-up and skincare to jewellery, accessories and home furnishings.

Please leave your brochure outside your front door for me to collect on DATE. Even if you are not interested in buying any AVON products, I do need the brochure back to recycle!

I understand that you lead a busy life, so to ensure that I don’t bother you again, please put a tick next to the following statement that applies to you:

Yes please! I would love to see another AVON brochure.
No thanks. I am not interested in seeing another brochure.
Thank you for taking the time to read this note. I look forward to meeting you soon!
YOUR NAME x

A word about order forms. To prevent having to write out your name over and over again, invest in a stamp or sticky labels to make this job quick and easy.

Once you have established a customer base, always include a sticky note on the front cover with a product suggestion specifically tailored to their needs and interests when you drop off the latest AVON brochure to your old customers. Stay on top of your customers’ preferences by keeping a database of each customer’s orders and what they are interested in.
Get your new AVON brochures out there!

Now you want to get your brochures out there! Apart from selling door to door (which I will come on to in a minute), there are loads of easy ways to promote your brochures. Keep brochures handy. Keep a few of the latest campaign brochure in your bag or car so you always have one to hand. Hand them out at your local shop, your kids’ school or nursery, the gym, leisure centre, GP surgery, library, the pub… the options are endless. Take a stack of AVON brochures and drop them off at offices in your area, along with samples. Women who work in local businesses generally wear make-up to work every day, but often don’t have time to shop for it. You could offer an incentive to buy from you – such as giving first-time customers a free gift or a small percentage off their order. Let them know you’ll be returning at the same time each week to offer more samples and take their orders.

Going from door to door is the most traditional way to sell AVON and is a great way to get to know your neighbours, make new friends and find out what AVON products work for them so you can make a database of what you know will sell well.

For Reps who do not feel confident in door knocking when they first start, we recommend doing a swoop with the previous campaign’s brochures so it doesn’t matter if you get them back or not. This way the you only has to collect brochures that have been left out on doorsteps.

You can place orders any day in the 21 day of that campaign and back order to the previous campaign. For example, in Campaign 12 , you can still back order on to Campaign 11. This is great for canvasing new roads and streets because if you are using the previous campaign’s brochures, it does not matter if you do not get them back.

Cover your area at least three or even four times to see if it is working for you. Some people may wait until you have been back once or twice before putting in an order and others may only make small orders until they have established a rapport with you. Patience, enthusiasm and a little bit of optimism are key here! However, if you have given it your best shot and are still not getting any bites, then it is best to go back to your recruiter and ask if they can switch your area for you.

Your online shop

Selling door to door is the best way to meet your customers and build up a relationship, but your online shop is just as key to getting your business established. You don’t even have to have a computer – you can promote your AVON business online via your phone or tablet!

Setting up your shop is really simple. Log in to your AVON Representative account and click on the set-up-your-store button. Next, name your shop. All stores begin with www.avon.uk.com/store/ and it’s up you to choose what you want to call it. Make it short and snappy: your name, for example. If you find that your chosen name is already being used, you will have to rethink until you settle on one that works for you.

After naming your store, follow the next steps and save as you go along. At the bottom of the page, click on the button to publish and hey presto! Your store is now live and ready to welcome customers.

Your website will have links to enable you to automatically share your store, store ads, exciting videos and a host of other marketing tools on social media and selling sites.

You will also have access to an AVON website such as www.yourname.avonrepresentative.com. You may also decide that you want your own website, which you can buy through a domain registry. This shows that you have invested in your business and take your work seriously.

As well as showcasing all the latest products, you can use your website to blog on products that you have personally tried and tested, give tips and advice on how best to use the latest make-up and skincare and share the latest in cosmetic trends and developments. You can also show your customers pages from national magazines and newspapers that feature AVON products and make brand comparisons. Your customers will come to really trust your advice and will be much more likely to buy from you if you can show them which products will enhance their lives. And it is not enough to just know the products inside out – if you love what you are selling, your enthusiasm will be infectious.

Another way to promote your business is by publishing a monthly newsletter with new product info, your product of the month, special offers and beauty tips or any other life hacks that you know would help your customer. Customers can sign up with their email address through your website.

Using social media

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are brilliant ways to promote your business and connect with people while you are building up your customer base. And by promoting your shop online, your clientele can buy directly from your online store and you will still get the commission! ​

Like your blog on your website, you can post beautiful, high-quality product images – which works well on Instagram – and campaign videos or even your own tutorials, which would go down a storm on Facebook.
Social media is great for connecting with your customers. Start off by inviting all your friends and posting promotional pics and then watch it take off. Make sure you notice the people you engage with, acknowledge people’s interactions and respond quickly to questions. But don’t bombard your followers – one thoughtfully constructed post a day can be far more effective than endless mediocre posts.

You can also generate a lot of value by paying for “targeted” posts – where you ask Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to use their data to make sure your posts are seen by specific people who might be interested in your business. For example, you could target people in certain locations, in a set age bracket or who have specific interests or hobbies.

When is the best time to post on social channels? Whenever your audience is most likely to see and engage with your great content. A well-timed post can lead to more likes, comments, shares, and click-throughs. You may find that posting when your followers aren’t working – before 9 am, at lunchtime and after 5 pm during the week – is best.

And if you’re already a whizz at social media, you can post to all your social platforms as well as schedule posts using a tool such as Hootsuite.

Other handy hints to help you sell

Use AVON products yourself. The best way to sell a product is to know everything about it. Use your discount and testers to try the product on yourself first.

Ask your customers for product reviews. This is a great way to keep your client base informed about tried-and-tested products.

Share your products: let your family try them out, keep a bottle of hand lotion on your desk at work; take some demos for the mums on the school run.

Wear AVON jewellery, make-up and fragrance: once customers can see it all on, they’re much more likely to snap up a lipstick or bracelet for themselves.

Invest in professional-looking business cards with your contact details and website on one side and a customer reward scheme or discount code for your online shop on the reverse. Share your cards everywhere you go!
Send a thank you card to new customers after they place their first order. This a great way to build customer loyalty and to welcome them to your network and business. Include a business card so they can get in touch with you.

Special offers work a treat: buy one, get one free deals; recommend a friend and receive a 10% discount off your next order; discounts on seasonal products at Valentine’s Day or around Christmas – get creative and use your imagination!

Don’t forget the guys. AVON Men has some great cosmetic lines. AVON has lovely, good-value gifts for them to buy their wives, daughter and mothers too.

Host an AVON lunchtime party at local businesses or at customers’ homes in the evening, with a free gift for the hostess as an incentive.
For more tips and advice on how to sell, have a look at my blog.