Looking to build your Avon business online? Are you focusing on Facebook? Not getting anywhere? Let’s figure out why!
Argh! Can we be real for a second? Facebook is deleting posts from the social media center and the Avon community is going crazy! Why?
Are you in direct sales or have your own small business? Want to know how to grow your business? Learn why it’s important to increase your network.
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How to build home business, how to sell Avon, how to sell Avon online, how to grow Avon business, how to get Avon customers, network marketing tips, Avon sales tips, Avon selling strategies, how to join Avon, how to become Avon rep, how to make money with Avon
Everything has been moving so fast, I didn’t even get the chance to say that I was going to New York (again)! Back in January, I was asked to serve on the 2017 Digital and Social Media Advisory Council. First, I’ve never served in any advisory board so this was just insane to me! I was so excited but then again, I didn’t want to jinx myself lol. Other than my one post I made when I first learned of the role, I haven’t said too much about it.
The life of a beauty boss
Everything has been moving so fast, I didn’t even get the chance to say that I was going to New York (again)! Back in January, I was asked to serve on the 2017 Digital and Social Media Advisory Council. First, I’ve never served in any advisory board so this was just insane to me! I was so excited but then again, I didn’t want to jinx myself lol. Other than my one post I made when I first learned of the role, I haven’t said too much about it. Now that I’m back home from New York, let me explain a bit.
Avon corporate employees and those that oversee the Digital and Social Media Advisory Council invited us to New York for a meet and greet. Of course, everything discussed is confidential so I can’t go into the specifics 😦 — but just be prepared to see some great things coming from New Avon, LLC. I don’t want to sound cheesy and scripted but it is truly an honor to be able to say that my company values our input and is striving to make our experience better.
What happened in NY:
I left for New York on Wednesday. The company had a black car pick me up from LaGuardia airport. He then took me to the DoubleTree Hotel which is literally, right around the corner from corporate headquarters. On the ride there, I was deep in thought. My husband used to travel frequently due to his job. Of course, I never said anything because I didn’t want to discourage him but I always thought to myself: “he must be important”, “this company must be really big” and then at one point, I questioned my own job and level of importance and ability to get to that level. I thought travelling would be out of the question and I’d never have a career that would allow me to see the world. As I rode in the car, I hit the moment of realization. I’ve been on two company-sponsored trips in less than 8 months AND I’m pushing for the trip to the Bahamas. Don’t be blinded by this little ol’ makeup company is all I can say.
I approached the hotel and a nice gentleman met me at the car to open the door. I felt like royalty. I was one of the first to arrive and my room wasn’t ready so I sat at the bar and worked for a little while. This was actually pretty cool. I had four new team members join the team while I was on the plane so this gave me the opportunity to send welcome e-mails.
Once I finished my e-mails, I looked down at my nails and I couldn’t believe I let them go that long! Like seriously — ugh!!! The last time I had my nails done was before Valentine’s Day…smh…I’m so embarrassed. Just reading that makes my soul cringe. Then I realized it was the perfect opportunity. The rest of the team hadn’t arrived yet. I went to Facebook for nail salon recommendations but everyone suggested a place that wasn’t in Uptown. First, I don’t even know what Uptown is but I digress. I guess I was dressed normal because I fit right in. Whenever I asked for directions, they all talked to me with precise directions with exact street names and no turning directions. They’d say something like “oh yea, it’s over on 8th Avenue” or “go to 15th”. I realized I’d never find the nail salon so I opted for a taxi lol
I went to Fresh Nails on 15th but they couldn’t do my nails because I have a protective gel coat on top so one of their patrons suggested a salon on 14th. Once again, completely lost but thank goodness for Google Maps. It was a couple of minutes walking distance so I decided to get in the well-needed exercise. I actually walked right by the nail salon. There’s a pizzeria on the side of it that smelled like heaven! It made me think of my first and only slice of New York style pizza and I got lost in the aroma BUT I didn’t cave in to temptation. Not this time.
I headed upstairs and was greeted by a lady named May. I’m not sure if it was her salon or pure coincidence. She looked at my nails and was surprised to say the least. She was very nice and conversational, explaining that many New York shops do not add anything to the nail because it’s too time consuming. She said New Yorkers like to get in and get out, leaving if the wait is longer than 5 minutes. And I thought Chicagoans were impatient lol Of course, she couldn’t let this Chicago girl off the leash without saying our nail salons and how they do nails are weird lol
My first experience with a New York salon was pretty good. I headed back down to the street and decided that I’d just walk back to the hotel UNTIL I put in the address to DoubleTree and realized it was 2.5 miles away! I called another taxi lol I would’ve walked but the team had finally arrived and I didn’t want to keep them waiting (or at least that’s the story I’ll be telling from here on out). I got to meet some of Avon’s more seasoned representatives and some that I had met from my last trip to New York.
Once again, I was the baby. Each person had been with Avon for over 6 years! I couldn’t believe I got to sit at the table, let alone work with these beautiful, talented women. At 6 o’clock, Avon took us to dinner at the Aperitivo which is right across the street from Avon’s headquarters. The food was delicious and the dinner conversations were amazing. We then headed back to our hotel but we couldn’t pass up the lighting on the building (pictures below).
It was only about 9 p.m. when we made it back to the hotel so we decided to hang out downstairs and chat. We didn’t get to bed until after 1 a.m. and had to be up at 6 a.m. I was so excited that I didn’t think about the meeting — you know, the reason why we were there in the first place lol The meeting ran from about 8:30-3:30, don’t worry, they didn’t starve us. Unfortunately, the end of the meeting meant we all had to go back home 😦 Once again, we had cars pick us up to drop us off at the airport.
My flight back to Chicago was delayed by nearly 3 hours *sigh* so I was stuck at the airport. I was finally able to connect to WiFi and realized two more people joined my team! At least this gave me something to do while at the airport 🙂 One of my team members learned of the delay and offered to keep me telephone company 🙂
Pictures: I didn’t really get to take awesome pictures like last time but then again, that’s because I was too busy having fun lol. Of course, the others took plenty of pictures but I was just too excited for all of that lol I’ll get better pictures next time *wink*
Here are a few pictures:
![IMG_2041[1]](https://chicagosnatalie.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/img_20411.jpg?w=820)
![IMG_1932[1]](https://chicagosnatalie.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/img_19321.jpg?w=820)
![IMG_1933[1]](https://chicagosnatalie.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/img_19331.jpg?w=820)
![IMG_1971[1]](https://chicagosnatalie.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/img_19711.jpg?w=820)
Learn how you can make more money with your Avon business and how to grow your business online.
Have you been paying attention to the direct delivery incentives? If not, why aren’t you? You are missing out on the opportunity to get free stuff! For example, if you have $100 in direct delivery orders from December 17-24, 2016, you’ll receive a FREE full-sized bottle of Little Red Dress Eau de Parfum (being released in Campaign 3, 2017). This could be a great way for you to save money instead of buying it from the What’s New or the brochure. You save at least $15!
I have received so many free items from my online sales such as Wintersoft bundle, Prima and I’ll even receive Little Red Dress as I already have over $100 in online sales! Look out for the Direct Delivery e-mails from Avon and even the e-mails I send so you’ll know what’s coming. Not part of Avon yet? Click here to join Avon today.
Let’s get started!
How to get online sales — online marketing of course but there’s other ways to generate online sales:
Another idea: look at the daily promotional e-mails. If you have an order that you need to place, place it through your online store and use the promo code to get the free items. For example, there was a code to receive a FREE Avon Senses Frosted Winterberry set with an order of X amount. I had some orders that I received off ordering schedule that met the minimum required amount AND one of my customers wanted the Frosted Winterberry set anyway!
Another way to get free stuff: attend your local sales meetings (if available). Contact your local district sales manager (I include his or her name in your welcome e-mail). Usually at the sales meetings, DSMs give newbies or newcomers a small “token” of appreciation. If not, still take the opportunity to visit to learn more about the products and experience them first hand so you can tell your customers about them without having to purchase them.
Now what to do with this free stuff:
So hurry! There’s still time to get a free bottle of Little Red Dress! Get those online sales rolling!
Attention Avon customers: this is also a great time for you to try the new perfume with this awesome offer. As of December 20, 2016 (Campaign 1), Little Red Dress is available exclusively online.
To listen to this blog: Are You Led by Fear or Determination?
Disclaimer: Once again, I’m writing this blog from my iPhone 7 Plus. In no way is this a promo or endorsement for Apple. I am and will always be a diehard fan of the Samsung Note 7, even in a fire 🔥. My purpose is to show you how much you can really do without inconveniencing yourself. My purpose is to show you that if you really want success, you can make it happen. More importantly, don’t feel limited by your current situation, especially when it’s not your final destination.
I didn’t feel like mustering up the energy to reach over for my tablet. Yes, poor me *heavily laced with sarcasm* However, I’ve been having this thought in my head for quite some time and decided to capture it before it’s gone.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again —one thing that I didn’t expect from my Avon business was learning more about myself. I learned not only about my reactions, how I handle different situations, but how I prepare myself. I found out a lot about my thinking process. I learned not only of my desires but my fears which would in turn, control my actions.
One of my biggest challenges and a challenge that I’ve noticed with other reps is the fear of letting everyone down (ourselves included) and even the fear of success. As employees, we can only reach so high before we hit the ceiling. As entrepreneurs, we put a lot of stress on ourselves believing we have to reach that ceiling by a certain deadline — forgetting one simple principle: no one is perfect.
Understand the steps that you take now are for later.
Our fears show even when we’re doing our best to control them because our actions are led by our fears. When I joined Avon in 2015, I didn’t want any success or at least that’s what I had convinced myself. Keep in mind, I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Being mediocre was never an option for me. So when you reread that last segment, scratch your head at the thought of a perfectionist not wanting to be successful. The mind is incredible.
The fear of letting myself down.
I had convinced myself that Avon would just be a fun way to get out of house on weekends. This was the “safe” goal. No major commitment so if I failed, I wouldn’t be the laughing stock at the next family reunion. I could easily chuck it up to being a hobby so no major loss. Even the way I grew my business was for that of failure — by telling no one. I didn’t tell family, friends or anyone else. Even when I first introduced the idea to one of my co-workers, I was very cautious and nonchalant. I didn’t want to be one of the people super excited about a business only to fail. A lot of people do not want to feel as though they’ve let themselves down.
The fear of letting others down.
Just like the unrealistic goals and deadlines, we also have unrealistic expectations for our customer relations. We want everything to be perfect. If it isn’t, it won’t work. If I’m in a position to help others or even lighten their day with laughter, I’ll do it. When things don’t go as planned, I immediately shut down and become discouraged. Examples of when things go wrong: long delivery times, backorder (shortage), wrong item shipped, wrong size, etc. You can’t imagine my heartbreak when I feel as though I’m breaking someone else’s heart, not realizing they are humans as well. There’s been times when I’ve delayed breaking the bad news to them in fear of letting them down and they just throw their hands in the air and say “no problem, just let me know when it’s in.”
The fear of refusing to place another order or even worse— asking for a refund because of something that was beyond our control 😱
Most frequently asked question: what if no one wants to buy from me?
The most simple answer: you’ll never know if you don’t ask.
As I was growing my business, I constantly worried if anyone would respect a younger Avon lady.
The fear of success.
The fear of success has a weird way of combining all fears. If you’ve conquered the fears of letting people down (yourself included), the real challenge is starting. As you grow your Avon business, you grow brand recognition, followers/fans and even those who would love to be assisted by you. You then begin to feel the stress of “what if I let them down”, or “what if I’m wrong” or even the simple feeling of being unqualified.
As my business grew, I asked myself: do I even want to be known as the Avon lady?
I never met younger Avon ladies until just recently. It was always my impression that all Avon ladies came with experience, knowledge and wisdom — forgetting they had to start somewhere.
With more recognition and praise from customers and Avon, my name easily became the center of attention. With more recognition, my brand grew and at in incredibly fast pace. It seemed even if I wanted to slow down, I couldn’t. Because I felt powerless, I wanted to slow down just to prove to myself that I am still in control. Note: I never said this was the correct way of thinking.
I may not be an Avon millionaire but in a year’s time, I’m already halfway through Avon’s Advanced Leadership Program and a President’s Club member (for sales).
It’s not to shame other Avon representatives, but in the Avon world, it’s a major accomplishment. I had Avon representatives from across the country reach out when I made the national list for top 18 recruiters. Some wanted to congratulate me and some wanted tips on how I recruit. I immediately felt the pressure again.
Do I want this type of attention? How can I lead someone if I barely know what I’m doing?
Led by determination.
Looking back on my last two questions, I was at my lowest point. I always valued myself lower and all of the recognition/praise only made me doubt myself more and through me into hyperdrive. I felt as though they were paying into an illusion and there was no way I could ever live up to their expectations.
I fooled myself into believing that value and worth only came with tenure. I slowed my Avon business down because I feared it was moving too fast for me. I think people may call this an Avon mental breakdown. I feared so much. I feared things that were beyond my control and that fear caused me to lose self control.
I negated all of those heavy steps that I had taken in the beginning while chasing the glass ceiling. I’m not sure if other Avon reps hit this point but if you did/do, please let me know. I’ll pray for you and recovery.
Even while taking a step back, I continued to receive a steady paycheck from Avon then it hit me. Aren’t my checks supposed to be more by now? What happened?
I had to take a step back to understand what slowed down my progress — it was me. Nothing changed but me, my thought process, forgetting my motivation and ambition, creating doubt where one never existed and never fully objectively looking at my progress. I ran fast and hard, I crashed and burn. I let myself talk myself out of success.
If you are going through anything similar, understand that you don’t have to continue spiraling downward. You can pick up where you left off.
Once you can rid yourself of fear, you are already on your way to success. Believing you can do it is already half of the battle. Now the next step is to do it.
As I’m reminded of my struggles but more importantly my goal, I work even harder to make this dream become reality. I had to realize that nothing in life is perfect and that as long as I can help others by sharing what I’ve learned in my journey, we are already doing better than our predecessors. As a mentor, that’s what I can do. I don’t have to be perfect but being open, honest and reliable has helped open doors so that my team and I continue to grow.
Now that you’ve finished this blog, I ask: what’s holding you back? What’s the worst that can happen if you are actually successful?
As Avon representatives, we often unknowingly set ourselves up for failure by believing everything is going to be perfect. Then if it doesn’t appear perfect, we deem it as failure and quit. Let me be the first to tell you: there is no such thing as perfection. There’s not a one-size-fits-all model and no 100% guarantee that everything you do will work. As an Avon representative, you will experience many learning curves. There are going to be ups and downs. The key to being able to bounce back from the down is being able to think independently, creatively and quickly. Most importantly, understand: perfection is a myth.
It’s taken some time for me to release this blog. I began writing about 2 weeks ago but kept going back and forth on whether or not to release it. Not sure what you all will think, so I’ll start off by apologizing in advance for the informality of this blog but I want to get real down, dirty and uncut. I am the Avon Lady. I am not perfect. I’ll be the first person to say it and sometimes, I feel as though it’s expected of us.
My face-to-face customers know me. I laugh, I joke and I laugh some more. Of course, I take things seriously but not as serious as you’d want me to be. Life is too short. I’d probably piss you off with my level of cool-headed demeanor, sarcasm and uncanny ability to make light of any situation. It’s hard to display the true me sometimes due to technology and the desire to want to be professional but the truth is, I’m a real person. I do real people stuff and make real people mistakes. Who would’ve thought, right?
Being quite the perfectionist, it’s hard to say that aloud but it’s the truth. I mess up more times than I got it right BUT I learn from my mistakes. A smart person once said that a smart man learns from his mistakes but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Definitely not a man but the genius that said it has a point. Will I continue to make mistakes? Yes, it’s part of the learning process. No one is perfect and I hate the need to seem so perfect on the internet. Do I curse? Yes! Do I drink? Hell yes! Most sales people do. So do you want to get to know me? Here’s your chance to opt out (click here to be taken to my team’s website).
Let’s “kick it” with the Avon Lady for a few. My name has been shown on Avon’s national recognition boards for various reasons and I even helped develop our new business management tool. In August, Avon flew me out to New York. People believe that I rolled out of the bed into this success. I’m nowhere close to where I want to be with my Avon business but I’ve worked my ass off to get to this point — and trust me, it is a lot of ass.
If this is your first time chiming in, I’ll sum it up: in about 8 months, I’ve grown my team over 180 strong in 33 different states and am President’s Club (meaning I sell at least $10,000 in a year). I’m in the top 13% of sales representatives in my district and I’m the #1 recruiter in my district. All of my recruiting is online and half of my sales are face-to-face. I teach my team to do the same and mentor my sales leaders to help them teach their teams how to do the same.
I hear so many people saying that they’re not like me. They can’t do this, they can’t do that. And they act as if I have some supernatural ability or strength. The truth is they don’t want to do this —not bad enough, anyway.
If you really want something, you’re going to get it. Excuses have no room in my little world. People make time for the things they want to do; people they want to see and places they want to go. If Oprah announced she was giving more cars, the lot would be filled in less than an hour!
As much as I want to, I do not work Avon full-time yet. Many people don’t know that. I’ve even had customers unknowingly down other reps that were “trying to be a part-time rep”, not realizing I am a part-time rep. Customers have flat out told me that it’s not possible while commending me for being a “true” Avon lady, whatever the hell that means.
Selling Avon is not hard but it can be frustrating at times if you don’t have the right expectations. This is no get rich quick scheme. You won’t go to sleep Monday and wake up with thousands of customers by Tuesday. It’s just not going to happen. It requires consistency. Consistent efforts yield consistent results. Each day, you plant seeds. Water them and the plants will grow.
This is how I get stuff done:
Each day, I work on some aspect of my business. I don’t spend all day. I devote mornings to following up with anyone that has expressed interest in becoming an Avon representative (takes less than an hour). Shortly after that I reach out to my team and either address issues or show recognition for their efforts. Team Believers is so awesome! Because I’m mainly online, I make sure to schedule my social media post to keep a consistent presence online. I’m not super confusing or complicated. I develop a simple schedule and I stick to it.
I didn’t want to keep you all long as I’m sure you have other things to do. I just wanted to welcome you all to my world and explain the purpose of my Avon Chronicles.
It’s taken some time for me to release this blog. I began writing about 2 weeks ago but kept going back and forth on whether or not to release it. Not sure what you all will think, so I’ll start off by apologizing in advance for the informality of this blog but I want to get real down, dirty and uncut. I am the Avon Lady. I am not perfect. I’ll be the first person to say it and sometimes, I feel as though it’s expected of us.
My face-to-face customers know me. I laugh, I joke and I laugh some more. Of course, I take things seriously but not as serious as you’d want me to be. Life is too short. I’d probably piss you off with my level of cool-headed demeanor, sarcasm and uncanny ability to make light of any situation. It’s hard to display the true me sometimes due to technology and the desire to want to be professional but the truth is, I’m a real person. I do real people stuff and make real people mistakes. Who would’ve thought, right?
Being quite the perfectionist, it’s hard to say that aloud but it’s the truth. I mess up more times than I got it right BUT I learn from my mistakes. A smart person once said that a smart man learns from his mistakes but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Definitely not a man but the genius that said it has a point. Will I continue to make mistakes? Yes, it’s part of the learning process. No one is perfect and I hate the need to seem so perfect on the internet. Do I curse? Yes! Do I drink? Hell yes! Most sales people do. So do you want to get to know me? Here’s your chance to opt out (click here to be taken to my team’s website).
Let’s “kick it” with the Avon Lady for a few. My name has been shown on Avon’s national recognition boards for various reasons and I even helped develop our new business management tool. In August, Avon flew me out to New York. People believe that I rolled out of the bed into this success. I’m nowhere close to where I want to be with my Avon business but I’ve worked my ass off to get to this point — and trust me, it is a lot of ass.
If this is your first time chiming in, I’ll sum it up: in about 8 months, I’ve grown my team over 180 strong in 33 different states and am President’s Club (meaning I sell at least $10,000 in a year). I’m in the top 13% of sales representatives in my district and I’m the #1 recruiter in my district. All of my recruiting is online and half of my sales are face-to-face. I teach my team to do the same and mentor my sales leaders to help them teach their teams how to do the same.
I hear so many people saying that they’re not like me. They can’t do this, they can’t do that. And they act as if I have some supernatural ability or strength. The truth is they don’t want to do this —not bad enough, anyway.
If you really want something, you’re going to get it. Excuses have no room in my little world. People make time for the things they want to do; people they want to see and places they want to go. If Oprah announced she was giving more cars, the lot would be filled in less than an hour!
As much as I want to, I do not work Avon full-time yet. Many people don’t know that. I’ve even had customers unknowingly down other reps that were “trying to be a part-time rep”, not realizing I am a part-time rep. Customers have flat out told me that it’s not possible while commending me for being a “true” Avon lady, whatever the hell that means.
Selling Avon is not hard but it can be frustrating at times if you don’t have the right expectations. This is no get rich quick scheme. You won’t go to sleep Monday and wake up with thousands of customers by Tuesday. It’s just not going to happen. It requires consistency. Consistent efforts yield consistent results. Each day, you plant seeds. Water them and the plants will grow.
This is how I get stuff done:
Each day, I work on some aspect of my business. I don’t spend all day. I devote mornings to following up with anyone that has expressed interest in becoming an Avon representative (takes less than an hour). Shortly after that I reach out to my team and either address issues or show recognition for their efforts. Team Believers is so awesome! Because I’m mainly online, I make sure to schedule my social media post to keep a consistent presence online. I’m not super confusing or complicated. I develop a simple schedule and I stick to it.
I didn’t want to keep you all long as I’m sure you have other things to do. I just wanted to welcome you all to my world and explain the purpose of my Avon Chronicles.
Not long ago, I posted a blog including passive aggressive tips for shy Avon representatives. In the list, I suggested getting a tote. I felt it was only right to show some of the promotional items and list a few ideas so that representatives looking to grow their business could have an idea of simple and easy ways to promote themselves.
True story: while waiting on Chicago’s train system, aka “el”, I noticed a lady staring at me. She never said a word but looked at my tote. I continued to watch her. She then pulled out her phone and began typing and looking at my bag. That day I ended up with an online order! I guess some people just prefer to shop online 🙂
Blog for shy representatives: https://chicagosnatalie.wordpress.com/2016/05/09/tips-for-shy-avon-representatives/
Sales tips for Avon representatives.
What are the hot picks for Campaigns 17 and 18? Watch this video and learn more! Now that you know, set a goal for yourself to sell X amount of the selected items. Having issues? Let your customers know that you’ve been challenged and then see who wants to help!
https://youtu.be/hjsZIV3OuX8
