Are you making money with your Avon business?
Are you making as much money as you’d like to?
If you’re not making the money you’d like to be making with your Avon business, there’s almost always a solution!
With Avon, YOU are in control of how much or how little you sell, which means that YOU get to determine how much money you make! You’re the boss!
If you’re not making the money you’d like to be making, then why don’t you give yourself a raise?
In this blog post, I’m going to explore the most common reasons why you may not be making money with your Avon business, along with solutions that you can put in place right away to change that.
Six Reasons Why You Might Not Be Making Money With Your Avon Business
(and solutions to change that)
Reason #1: You Are Your Best/Only Customer
Solution: Find Some Customers!
Now, don’t get me wrong… It’s totally cool to be one of your best customers. (I’m certainly one of my best customers!)
There are also a number of benefits to personally using Avon products:
- It’s the best way to get to know the products, which better prepares you to share them with others.
- You turn yourself into a walking billboard, which can be a fantastic way to advertise the products and find new customers.
- You get to enjoy a discount on all of your purchases.
- Your personal purchases count towards your sales, which can help you to reach higher earnings levels.
Part of the reason you joined Avon is probably because you enjoy Avon products, so go ahead and enjoy the perks of shopping from your own business, BUT if you want to make $$$ with your Avon business, you’re going to need some other customers too.
So, how do you find more customers?
There are countless ways to find new customers, both locally and anywhere across the United States. Start by making a list of everyone you know. (Remember that you are not limited to people who live near you.) Once you’ve got your list, start personally reaching out. Offer brochures and samples to the people who are near you. Mail a brochure or send a message with your web store link to the people who do not live near you. Add a personal message about an item you think they’d enjoy! Then, (and this part is important) follow-up with everyone you’ve reached out to a few days later, to answer any questions they may have and collect orders! If there’s nothing they’d like to order this campaign, reach out again next campaign or the campaign after that.
Try a few of these other ideas for finding new customers:
- Pass out more brochures – keep reading for more about brochures
- Give each person an extra brochure to share with a friend – offer a thank you gift if they bring you an order from a friend
- Leave brochures in waiting rooms, laundromats, community rooms, etc.
- Ask local businesses if you can leave a few brochures
- Use AVON SOCIAL to promote your business regularly on Facebook
- Set up a business page on Facebook – actively engage with people who like the page
- Do a vendor event
- Host an Avon party
- Utilize the 5×5 strategy of connecting with 5 people, 5 days a week about Avon
- Advertise – put an Avon sign in your yard or a decal/magnet on your car
Most importantly, be consistent and persistent! It takes time to build a customer base. You will need to connect with most people multiple times about Avon before they order. Don’t give up on trying if you don’t get instant results from the things you try. Everything you do makes a difference and it can all add up to big results if you are consistent!
Reason #2: You’re Only Ordering One Pack of Brochures
Solution: Order More Brochures (then get them into hands)
Brochures are our most valuable sales tool. As a basic rule, the more brochures that you put into hands, the higher your sales (and earnings) will be!
If you had a store, would you only invite 10 people in to browse every two weeks, knowing that not all 10 will make a purchase?
If you’re only ordering and passing out one pack of 10 brochures, you’re limiting your potential sales. With only one pack of brochures, it is challenging to collect enough in sales to make a sizable profit. If you get more brochures into more hands, then follow-up (keep reading for more on follow-up) to answer questions and collect orders, your profits will easily cover all of your business expenses and leave you with real earnings!
Remember, brochures get less and less expensive, the more you order. Spending another couple bucks on brochures can make a HUGE difference on your earnings.
Check out these two scenarios:
SCENARIO #1 – You pass out 10 brochures (at a total cost of $6.49). Let’s say that 2 out of those 10 people place an order. Let’s say that between the two orders, you have sales of $75. That puts you at the 20% earnings level. That’s $15 in earnings. After accounting for the $6.49 you spent on brochures and the portion of shipping that wasn’t covered by the 75 cents order processing fee you charged the two customers, you’re not left with very much.
SCENARIO #2 – You pass out 50 brochures (at a cost of $15.09). Let’s say that 10 out of those 50 people place an order (the same proportion we used in the first scenario). Let’s say that between those ten orders, you have sales of $375 (also the same proportion as in the first scenario). Now you’re at the 35% earnings level. That’s $131 in earnings. After accounting for the $15.09 you spent on brochures, you’ve still got a good amount of money leftover!! And with 10 customers, most of the shipping cost will be covered by charging each customer that 75 cents order processing fee!
Do you see how spending a little more on more brochures can produce A LOT more in earnings?
Reason #3: You’re Not Following Up
Solution: Always Follow-up After Passing Out Brochures
After you pass out brochures, are you simply waiting for the orders to roll in?
If so, you’re leaving money on the table. If you don’t hear from your customers after you’ve given them a brochure, it does not necessarily mean that they don’t want to order. Perhaps they just put the brochure down and meant to go back to it at some point. Your customers are just as busy as you are. They are not keeping track of your Avon order schedule. If you want to maximize the value of every brochure you pass out, follow-up with each and every person you’ve give a brochure to a few days before you will be submitting your orders.
Follow-up does not need to feel pushy or “salesy”. It can be as simple as a friendly message to say, “I just wanted to check in to see if you have any questions about the items in the brochure I gave you. I’ll be placing an order on ____________. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like and I’d be happy to add it to the order for you! The ________ on page ___ made me think of you!”
The more personal you can make your follow-up, the better! Get to know your customers and what products they enjoy. Recommend items, let them know when items they love are on sample, and offer samples of other products you think they’d love!
Reason #4: You’re Not Collecting Sales Tax or Order Processing Fee
Solution: Be Sure to Calculate Customer Totals Correctly
Avon allows us to collect a 75 cents “order processing fee” from each customer. The idea is that if we collect 75 cents from multiple customers each campaign, it will add up to mostly or completely cover the shipping fee you are charged on your order. If you’re not collecting this fee from customers, it’s coming out of your earnings. Be sure that you are charging each customer this fee. (Some representatives choose to set their own fee slightly higher than 75 cents.)
Also, be sure that you are collecting sales tax on each customer’s order. Avon automatically adds sales tax to your total order, but you should be charging each customer their proper share of that.
For a guide on how to calculate your customers’ order totals, click HERE.
Reason #5: You’re Not Utilizing Your Web Store
Solution: Start Promoting Your Web Store
Every representative has a FREE personal web store. Customers all across the country can shop your web store and have their orders delivered directly to them. Customers pay Avon directly, Avon processes and ships the orders, YOU get the earnings! EASY MONEY!!
If you don’t feel confident about promoting your business online, go to AVON U and do the Social Selling Simplified course, which will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to effectively promote your business online. HINT: Posting your web store address occasionally is not enough to bring in the orders.
Also, be sure to check out the new amazing tool, AVON SOCIAL, which has been developed to make it even easier to promote your business online! You can access Avon Social from the main menu on youravon.com
Reason #6: You’re Treating Your Business Like a Hobby
Solution: Work It Like a Business
One of the great things about Avon is that it is incredibly flexible. If you joined Avon as a hobby, then awesome – Go ahead and enjoy it as a hobby! You’re the boss! Just remember that most hobbies don’t come with a paycheck.
If you want your Avon business to pay you like a business, you need to work it like a business. How much or how little you work it is up to you, but ultimately your earnings will be a reflection of the work you put into it.
So, what’s the difference between working Avon like a hobby versus working it like a business?
An Avon hobbyist passes out a few brochures, maybe posts occasionally on Facebook, orders for themselves, along with any orders that happen to come in. An Avon hobbyist enjoys the products, but likely isn’t putting too much time into generating sales, actively trying to find new customers, or learning how to grow their business.
A business-minded Avon representative takes deliberate steps to generate sales (and earnings) each campaign by seeking new customers, getting brochures into new hands, consistently promoting their business online, following up with customers, and participating in webinars or other training opportunities. A business-minded rep thinks about things like earning levels to strive for goals which can maximize their earnings. A business-minded rep looks for ways to maximize the value of their investments in things like brochures and samples to grow their business and increase their earnings.
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If you’ve read all the way to this point in the post, I’m going to assume that you are interested in making money with your Avon business.
It is very possible to make good money with your Avon business! If you’re not making money (or as much money as you’d like) with your Avon business, consider whether one (or more) of the above reasons could be to blame.
Perhaps your actions have been more in line with a hobby than a business?
Perhaps you’ve been limiting your sales with only one pack of brochures?
Perhaps you haven’t utilized your web store enough?
Perhaps you haven’t taken enough steps to seek new customers?
If any of those are true for you, the good news is that you can make a change! You’re the boss, which means that you are in complete control of your success! Now get out there and make your success happen, beauty boss!!
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