From Ding, Dong to Click, Click – Myths and Truths about Selling Avon Online

In 1886, the first Avon (then known as “California Perfume Company”) representatives sold fragrance door-to-door.

10 years later, the first printed brochure of the company’s products was issued.

For many, many years after that, Avon representatives traveled door-to-door within their assigned territories, distributing brochures and samples to collect orders.

With the dawn of the internet, a new way to sell became available to Avon representatives. Assigned selling territories were removed and representatives became free to sell Avon anywhere across the United States, using the brochures or their online stores.

That brings us to the current day…

In 2020, all Avon representative have the best of both worlds. While we still have our beautiful tried-and-true brochures, all Avon representatives also have state-of-the art online stores (which customers anywhere across the United States can shop from 24/7), along with an incredible social media tool (Avon Social), digital brochure link (with easy sharing features), and dedicated training on how to promote our businesses online. And all of those digital tools are FREE for reps to use to connect with customers all across the country!

Our online stores and digital tools offer us unlimited potential, but it’s up to us to turn that potential into money in our pockets!! 

 

 

Check out these FIVE common MYTHS or misconceptions about selling Avon online, along with some TRUTHS and clear ACTIONS you can take to grow your online Avon business.

MYTH #1: My online business will grow quickly and easily.

TRUTH: Building a successful online business takes time. Have patience, young grasshopper! 

WHAT CAN YOU DO??

You CAN build a successful online business, but it will take time and consistency. Whatever you do, don’t give up before you’ve given yourself a real chance to succeed.

• Play around with different tools and strategies.
• Try some of the other ideas presented in this post.
• Experiment until you find the strategies which work for you!!
• Do the trainings available in Avon U Training.
• Join the Social Selling by Avon Social Facebook group. (Check out the “UNITS” section for some very help videos related to selling Avon online.)
• Follow the Avon U Representatives Facebook page for more training.
• Don’t give up – You can do this!!

 

MYTH #2: People who are interested in Avon will start ordering as soon as I post my online store link. (ALSO A MYTH: If they don’t order, then that means they’re not interested in Avon.)

TRUTH: Most people don’t order the first time they see a link. It often takes consumers (of any product or service, including Avon) multiple exposures to new products, in a variety of formats, before they are ready to take action.

WHAT CAN YOU DO??

Most people are NOT going to order the first time you post the link to your online store, or the second, or even the third… In fact, if all you’re doing is posting your online store link, the orders may not come at all. You need to show your customers, in a variety of ways, the products that they can expect to find when they click the link to your online store. Repeatedly give your potential customers a taste of what you have to offer. Use lots of different methods to showcase the products you’re selling. Make them curious enough to click the link, and just keep promoting even if the sales don’t start flowing in right away. Remember, time and consistency are your friends!!

A few ways to show your potential customers what you have to offer:

• Facebook Personal Page –  When promoting Avon on your personal page, give your posts a personal twist. Post things like Before & After pics which show the products in use, personal reactions to the Avon products you’ve been using, pics which show you wearing/using the products, and pics seeking opinions such as “Which necklace goes best with this outfit?” (Keep reading for more tips about using your personal Facebook page to promote your business.)
• Facebook Business Page – This is your digital storefront. Fill it up with tons of product pics from Avon Social. Occasionally share posts from your business page to your personal page. (Keep reading for more tips about using a Facebook business page.)
• Email – Each campaign, send all of your potential customers an email, which showcases a few products and highlights the best available deals. Provide the link to your digital brochure for people to browse and let them know how they can order (online or through you).
• Text/Message – Send potential customers a short message to tell them about products you think they will love. Texting can also be a great way to share your digital brochure link.
• Wear & Share – Make Avon a part of your everyday life by wearing and using as many of the products as possible. Avon jewelry can be an excellent advertising tool and “compliment catcher” which opens the conversation about Avon. Gradually switch over your personal care products (shampoo, skin care, body wash, deodorant, lotions, cosmetics, etc.) to Avon, so that you’ll become a walking billboard for your business! (Bonuses: You’ll enjoy your discount on all of your personal purchases. Your personal purchases will boost your sales, making it easier to earn extra rewards, incentives, and sales achievement levels. There’s no better way to get to know the products you’re selling than to use them yourself!)
• Brochures – Brochures are a tried-and-true sales tool, which are very effective at generating sales. Online customers love printed brochures too. In addition to your digital promoting, order and distribute printed brochures. You can even use a service such as http://www.campaign-mailer.com to mail brochures to people who are not local.

 

 

MYTH #3: I can’t be successful selling Avon online if I don’t know a lot of people.

TRUTH: Building a successful online business is all about making new connections and building relationships. Don’t worry about how many people you currently know. Think instead of the people you can get to know as you grow your business.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you want to build a successful online business, get to know more people, listen to their needs, and stay alert for opportunities where you have an Avon product which may meet their needs.

• Join Facebook groups which are interesting to you (hobbies, local community groups, common interests). Be an active participant in those groups. Let people get to know you. Listen to the other members. Build relationships. Stay alert for opportunities to share Avon when it’s the solution to someone’s needs. (DON’T join a bunch of groups and start posting your link everywhere – that is NOT the way to get sales.)
• Post frequently on your personal Facebook page, but this part is important… Keep the posts on your personal page as PERSONAL as possible. Your friends and family members want to connect with YOU. If your personal page becomes a constant Avon ad, they will tune you out. Post about the things which make you tick – your interests, your kids, your pets, funny experiences you’ve had, favorite recipes, a delicious meal you ate, a fantastic movie you watched… Then, every so often (a couple times a week, perhaps), post something related to Avon, but again… Make your Avon-related posts as personal as possible – pics of you using/wearing the products, pics asking opinions on which lipstick shade looks best on you or which Avon necklace compliments your outfit best, comments about the new skin care product you’re obsessing over and how it’s changed your skin.
• Create a FREE Facebook business page for your Avon business, and post on it REGULARLY. Your Facebook business page is like your digital storefront. That’s the place that you want to regularly and consistently show potential customers the products you have available to order. Use Avon Social to post product pics (once or twice every single day). Share your own personal insights and comments about the products whenever possible. Post personal pics which show the products in use, along with your testimonials. Post tips and tricks related to the products too – Avon Social has a variety of great tutorial videos which you can share. Every so often, share a post from your business page to your personal page, and invite your friends and family to like/follow your page. TIP: You can schedule your posts through Avon Social up to a month in advance, so if you don’t have time to post new content every day (or are afraid you’ll forget to post), carve out a bit of time once a month or once a week to preschedule your posts. That will ensure that your business page is always hopping with new content!
• Use the MY SWEEPS feature of Avon Social to promote the sweepstakes opportunities which Avon regularly offers. With “My Sweeps”, every representative has a personal sweepstakes link (which you’ll be able to find in Avon Social). Avon runs the sweepstakes, provides the prize, and selects the winners. All you need to do is share your personal sweepstakes link (using the beautiful images provided to us in AVON SOCIAL) to invite people to enter for a chance to win. Anyone who enters the sweeps through your link will show up in your “PROSPECT CENTER” in Avon Social, along with their contact info, so you can follow-up with your new potential customers. TIP: If desired, you can “BOOST” your business page posts on Facebook to attract more potential customers, outside of the people you already know. Boosted posts are paid advertising through Facebook. It’s pretty easy to set up boosted posts on your business page. (Check out the “Units” section on the Social Selling by Avon Social Facebook page for more tips and info related to boosting posts.)

 

 

MYTH #4: Online sales are not as personal as face-to-face sales.

TRUTH: Building a successful online business should be just as personal as building a face-to-face business. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Finding and keeping loyal online customers is all about building relationships with people, getting to know their needs, introducing them to products which meet those needs, ensuring that they’re happy with those products, then introducing them to complimentary items they may also enjoy!

• Look for ways to make new connections with lots of new people.
• Be social and allow people to get to know you.
• Get to know other people and listen to their needs.
• Get to know the products you have to offer, so you’ll recognize when you have an Avon product that meets someone’s needs.
• Check in on your customers to offer help with selecting the right products.
• Send personal thank you notes to your online customers.
• Follow-up after their purchase to see how they liked their items and perhaps recommend a few other things they may enjoy.

 

 

MYTH #5: My customers don’t like shopping online.

TRUTH: The percent of Americans who shop online continues to rise year after year. There’s a good chance that your customers, regardless of their age, are more comfortable shopping online than you think!

WHAT CAN YOU DO??

Offer your customers options for how they shop. Share your digital brochure link for them to browse, and then when you do your follow-up (the fortune is in the follow-up), let your local customers now that they can either place their order online to be delivered directly to them OR give their order and payment to you for your to submit to Avon and deliver to your customer. For customers who are too far to deliver, ask them if they need any help with placing their online order. Offer to walk them through the simple process until they’re comfortable!

P.S. All of the images in this post came from AVON SOCIAL! If you haven’t checked out Avon Social yet, now’s a great time! Click HERE for a video tutorial I made, which introduces the basics of using Avon Social.

Want even more sales?? Collect orders using the brochures too! Click HERE for the step-by-step process of selling Avon using the brochures.