Tag: new avon representative

Avon Representatives, Make Your Own Samples and Watch Your Sales Grow!

When they try, they buy!

It’s true! When you invest in samples and get them into the hands of your customers (and potential customers), they will buy. Maybe not all of them, but enough of them to make it worth your while. One lovely lady, who is one of my best customers, has purchased 8 bottles of PropoliThera Shampoo & Conditioner, 13 Cucina Hand Soaps, and 2 boxes of Fresh Fiji Detergent so far just because I gave her samples and she loved them). That’s over $340 in sales from sampling to just one customer! And that’s not including all the other stuff she buys (she also loves Avon jewelry).

Avon used to provide a lot of samples for purchase, but since LG H&H took over the company, there have not been as many – mostly just the new products. But does that deter me? Heck no! I’m actually getting BETTER results with my own hand-made samples than I did with the prepackaged ones. Maybe it’s because they’re made with love? ♥

Or, maybe it’s because they’re “deluxe” samples, and my customers appreciate that I took the time to make something especially for them.

Each campaign, I pick one or two special items to sample in each of my customers’ orders. That way, everyone gets the same samples so I don’t have to keep track of who got what. I just keep a running list of what I gave out each campaign in the front of my planner. If I want to sample something that prepackaged samples are not available for, I buy a demo bottle or jar of that item to sample out. I usually feature items that will be coming out NEW in the next campaign, so I will order a demo from the What’s New catalog. When delivering orders, I make sure to mention the new product and that there is a sample in their bag.

Depending on what you’re sampling, you can get all kinds of containers on Amazon in bulk at very reasonable prices. I use the little 1 oz. condiment cups for things like body lotion, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and hand lotion. The fancier little hard plastic jars with colored lids can be used for skin care creams. I also used those for the Jeju Aloe Gel. And then there are little plastic perfume atomizers with lids that hold enough fragrance for a week-long vacation.

How to make samples

It’s really very simple and inexpensive to make your own samples. As I mentioned above, you just need to buy one bottle of the product, and the appropriate sampling containers. The 1 oz. condiment cups are available on Amazon for about $7 for 100 cups with lids. I wouldn’t go any bigger on the cups. In the pic above, I used these containers for Cucina Dish Liquid, Cucina Hand Soap, and Cucina Hand Lotion. They’re also good for body wash, body lotions, Foot Works creams, etc. – you get the idea.

Small hard plastic jars with screw-on lids are great for sampling!

A note about labeling: I recommend placing your labels on the containers before filling them! I use a DYMO Labelwriter 450 printer (which I love to death), but you can use Avery printer labels or even hand-write them on the round labels you use for garage sales. With my DYMO, I print 4 to a label and cut them up into little rectangles that fit even the tiny plastic jars. Some people are more creative and artistic than I am and make really pretty labels. I don’t have a color printer, so my labels are simple yet functional.

I place my labels on the containers and line them up on the table, assembly-line style. I usually make 12 at a time, and then more as needed, but a full bottle will make a lot more than that – probably 3 times more. If your product is in a pump bottle, use the pump to fill several squirts into each container, so that is about 3/4 full, and snap the lid on right away.

Safety First!

Be sure to never touch the actual product with your hands while filling your containers. The Avon Defense Nitrile Gloves are good to use.

If your product is a thicker cream or gel, use a disposable cosmetic spatula (also available on Amazon) to scoop and place the cream into the little jars with screw-on lids (50 for $6.99 on Amazon). Be sure to start with a fresh spatula each time. With the tiny jars, I like to make those all the way full because they’re so small. This is how I did the Jeju Aloe Gel samples.

Perfume Samples

To make my perfume samples, I use the little atomizer tubes I got on Amazon (they were $10 for 30 and came with a little funnel). Since labels won’t stick to these at all, I use little 3X4 inch zipper bags (also from Amazon, $7.50 for 200) and my DYMO LabelWriter 450. The zipper bags also prevent the atomizer from leaking in your customer’s bag. I buy a bottle of the perfume, get my tubes and lids ready, and label my bags. (Now that I look at my picture, I should have added my name, Avon Independent Sales Representative, and my phone number to the labels. The next ones will have that on them! In the meantime, I’ll just add another label on the back side of the ones I already made.)

But I digress. Take the funnel, place it into the tube, and squirt right out of your bottle into the funnel. You can get a lot of squirts in there, but I stop at 20. That’s plenty for them to use for a few days. One bottle of perfume can make A LOT of samples, and you can just keep what’s left to use yourself.

Other Samples

Another idea I had was to make samples of the Fresh Fiji Laundry Detergent Sheets. This is super-simple. One sheet, folded at the perforation, fits perfectly into the square snack-size zipper bags you can get at the store. On these labels, I included instructions for use because how would they know? One box of Fresh Fiji Detergent Sheets has 60 sheets in it, so you can do a lot of sampling. These samples were stapled to the page in the brochure when Fresh Fiji was first introduced.

I’m sure there are lots of other great ideas for sampling, too. If you have one that’s been successful, please leave it in the comments!

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How You Get Paid as an Avon Representative

Help! I’m so confused!!!

(The information in this article is current as of May 9, 2021, and is subject to change at any time.)

One of the first questions many new Avon Representatives have is, “How do I get paid? Of course, that’s a very good question, one that I’ve answered for my new team members many times over.

It can certainly be confusing, with all the different levels and percentages. But it’s really not that bad! Avon has recently changed its pay structure, and it’s now easier to understand than before.

The first thing you need to know is that you are not an employee of Avon – rather, you are self-employed, an Entrepreneur! You are the business owner, selling as an Independent Sales Representative for Avon. This means that you do NOT get a “paycheck” from Avon. You may get checks from Avon, but you are an independent contractor, not an employee. YOU are the boss!

With Avon, you can make money on your own sales, and on your leadership earnings once you start building a team. For now, we will talk about getting paid for your personal sales. I’ll do a separate post on leadership at a later date.

Breaking the sales end down a bit further, you can have two types of sales on which to earn money – face-to-face sales and online sales – and each of these is paid using the same criteria, but you receive the payments differently.

We’ll start with the general Compensation Plan, and then break it down.

As a new Representative, you are starting out at the Contender level, which is up to $4,999 in annual sales. As your sales increase, you will reach higher levels, and with them, higher commissions. Here is a chart showing commission levels for each of the sales levels:

Sales Level	Campaign Sales	Annual Sales	Beauty/Jewelry	Fashion/Home
Contender	<$40	$0-$4,999	0%	0%
Contender	$40+	$0-$4,999	25%	20%
Premier	No Minimum	$5,000	30%	20%
President’s Club	No Minimum	$10,000	40%	25%
Honor Society	No Minimum	$20,000	40%	25%
Rose Circle	No Minimum	$35,000	45%	25%

As a Contender, you must have at least $40 in a given campaign to make 25% commission on Beauty & Jewelry and 20% on Fashion & Home. For example, if you sell $100 of beauty products in a campaign, you earn $25. All of your face-to-face and online sales for the campaign are added together, as well as any personal items and sales tools/demos you buy, so the $40 goal is very easy to reach.

How You Get Paid for Face-to-Face Sales

When you sell products to customers in person, you will want to collect their payment at the time that they order. The reason for this is that you will have to pay for your order up front when you place it with Avon. This saves you from having to put your order on your own credit or debit card and waiting for your customers to pay you back later. Avon does not give new Representatives a credit limit, so this is important! Honestly, I don’t know of any company today that provides a credit limit to its representatives. That has gone the way of 8-tracks and cassettes and big hair. Time marches on.

Once you have your customers’ money, keep it in a safe place separate from your personal funds, so that you can pay Avon when your order is placed. You may even want to open a separate checking account for your Avon business, if you have a bank that offers free checking.

Another option is to take out a special credit card just for your Avon business. Use that card to pay your Avon bill, and you will have a few weeks until the statement comes to pay the balance off. In the meantime, you can deliver your customers’ orders and collect their payments. Just be sure to keep that money separate from your personal funds so you will be able to pay the entire balance when the bill comes – and, NEVER use that card for your own personal expenses. That will help you keep all of your Avon finances separate. It will also make things easier to track at tax time.

Now that I got that out of the way, here’s how you get paid: you will be collecting the brochure price of the products from your customers, plus the service fee* if you choose to charge one (usually between 75 cents and $2.00 per order) and applicable state sales tax.** When you place your order, Avon charges you your discounted price. The difference between what you collect from customers and what you pay Avon is your earnings.

For example, if you sell $100 in skin care and makeup, and $50 in clothing, you earn $25 on the skin care and makeup and $10 on the clothing for a total of $35. Your shipping charge will be deducted from that, and if you order brochures and sales tools, that will also come out of your profit. So, to make a higher profit, you will need to sell enough to pay for your business tools and shipping, and still have some left over for yourself. The higher your sales, the more you will earn in the long run. Don’t worry if you don’t earn a lot right off the bat – it takes time to build a business, and perseverance pays off!

* The optional service fee helps you cover some of your cost of doing business, i.e., bags, brochures, gas for your car, etc.

** Avon bills you for your state’s sales tax on the products you order through AvonNow, and pays the tax to the state for you. You charge the tax to your customers to reimburse yourself, so it’s an in-and-out wash. You do not need to register with your state’s sales tax agency.

How You Get Paid for Online (Direct Delivery) Sales

Now for the easy part! When your customers place their orders online through your online store, you automatically earn money without lifting a finger!

When a customer places an order, you will get an email from Avon the next morning. You can also see your direct delivery orders on the AvonNow Web Office page in real time. You earn your regular commission amount on those orders and are paid two days after the order ships. The commission is added to your Avon account. If you owe any money, it will first be applied to that balance, but if you don’t owe anything, it will be sent to your bank account.

Be sure to sign up for Direct Deposit! It’s the fastest and safest way to receive your commissions (and, later, your leadership earnings). To do this, go to My Account > Get Paid by Avon and enter your banking information.

If you don’t have Direct Deposit, Avon will send you a prepaid debit card and future earnings will be added to that card.

So that’s basically it. As long as your campaign sales are $40 or more, you will earn money! Keep growing that customer base by spreading the word about your business, sharing your online store link on social media, and passing out brochures. Consistency is key!

Pathway to Premier

As a new Avon Representative, you are also automatically enrolled in the Pathway to Premier Program, where you can earn up to $3,300*** and 285 FREE lip balms during your first 8 campaigns – and get you to those Premier Level earnings quickly! Read my post “New Avon Rep? Here’s How to Get Your Business Off the Ground” for more information on Pathway to Premier.

***All new Representatives earned an average of $112 over their first 8 campaigns, but those who participated in Pathway to Premier earned an average of $390 over their first 8 campaigns, based on those who started in Campaigns 5 through 9, 2020 (exclusive of signup and shipping costs).

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New Avon Rep? Here’s How To Get Your Business Off the Ground!

So you’ve just joined Avon – CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW BUSINESS! You have made the right choice! This post will give you a little help getting your business started and hopefully answer some of your questions. Please note that the following information is current as of May 7, 2021, and is subject to change at any time.

First things first! If you haven’t already done so, register your account online:

Go to www.avonnow.com and click on “Register Now.”
Enter your account number and the last four digits of your SSN (if you opted out of using your SSN when registering, you will enter 0000 here). But be aware, if you did not provide your SSN, taxes will be withheld from your future earnings.
Verify your information and say Yes to becoming an e-Representative. This will set up your web store where your friends and family can shop. EXAMPLE: www.avon.com/pammymurphy
Edit your Online store – upload a photo of yourself and add a brief bio. Customers like to shop with a real person!
Complete your profile on AvonNow under the My Account tab.
Go to the “Get Paid by Avon” section under My Account and enter your direct deposit information so you can get paid for your online store sales.

Pathway to Premier

You are automatically enrolled in the Pathway to Premier Program, where you can earn up to $3,300* and 285 FREE lip balms during your first 8 campaigns, and get you to those higher Premier Level earnings quickly! Read on to find out how.

*All new Representatives earned an average of $112 over their first 8 campaigns, but those who participated in Pathway to Premier earned an average of $390 over their first 8 campaigns, based on those who started in Campaigns 5 through 9, 2020 (exclusive of signup and shipping costs).

First Order Bonus! When you place your first order on AvonNow.com, you will receive a full-size Isa Knox Anew LX Ultimate Rejuvenating Serum ($50 value) and a 3-pack of Isa Knox Serum samples. And, if that first order totals $60 or more, you also get a $10 credit towards your second order PLUS 135 FREE lip balms! Think about all the new customers you can get when you share those lip balms along with your brochures!
Mini Milestone Bonus gets you on your way with a bonus of $50 when you hit $500 in award sales during the incentive period, plus a FREE assortment of 50 lip balms (a customer favorite!).
Stepping Stone Bonuses reward you with a $20 bonus for every $200 in award sales within a campaign (order $600 in a campaign, earn a $60 bonus… you get the idea!), up to a total of $500 in Stepping Stone Bonuses.
Milestone Bonuses reward you with a 10% ($100) bonus — plus a FREE assortment of 100 lip balms — for your first $1,000 in total sales during your first 8 campaigns, up to a $500 bonus for $5,000 in sales and a total of $1,500 in Milestone Bonuses.
All Avon.com/online store and AvonNow.com sales count towards Pathway to Premier.

As a new Representative, you will receive commission of 25% on Beauty & Jewelry, 20% on Fashion & Home, as long as your total sales for a campaign are at least $40 (including your order and any Direct Delivery orders). Once you reach Premier Level of $5,000 in a calendar year, your commission will increase to 30% on Beauty & Jewelry, 20% on Fashion & Home. The Pathway to Premier Program is designed to help you get to that higher level quickly!

Reach President’s Club level of $10,000 in a year, and your commission goes up again – to 40% on Beauty & Jewelry, 25% on Fashion & Home!

Training

After you’ve entered the site, you should immediately begin taking the Avon U courses. The link to these online training courses can be found under Avon U Training at the top of the home page. Click on Avon U and then click on Course Catalog and begin with at least the first four courses listed for New Representatives. These short video lessons will help you get on board quickly!

Also, please take the time to read the Policies & Procedures document which can be found on AvonNow under Seller Central > Documents and Resources > Business Policies & Procedures for Avon Independent Sales Representatives. It is very important that you read and understand the company’s policies.

How Avon Works

There are two ways to sell Avon: traditional and online. With the traditional way, you pass out brochures during each two-week campaign. When your customers place their orders, you collect the money from them up front, order the products on avonnow.com (along with any demos, samples, bags, brochures for the next campaign, etc., that you need), and pay the wholesale cost. When the order comes in, you bag the orders and deliver to your customers. Your pay is the difference between what your customers paid you and what you pay Avon for the items (retail price minus wholesale cost).

With the online method, you share your custom URL via text, email, and social media. Your Avon online store website is FREE (many direct sales companies charge a monthly fee for this). When your customers shop online with you, they pay for their order through the website, Avon ships the order directly to them, and Avon pays your commission via direct deposit two days later. You don’t have to do a thing! Beautiful, right? All you have to do is sign up for direct deposit! (If you don’t sign up for direct deposit, a commission credit will be applied to your account two days after the order ships.)

Online selling has its benefits:

1. Avon prints 3.5 million brochures every two weeks, and all of that paper ends up in landfills. Online is much more environmentally friendly.

2. You don’t have to worry about collecting money, driving all over town delivering orders, trying to schedule convenient delivery times, etc.

3. Your commission check lands in your bank account two days after the customer’s order ships.

But, it’s entirely up to you. Whether you choose to sell in person, online, or a combination of both, you will earn money!

Placing Your Order

When taking customers’ orders, be sure to collect their payment up front. Just say, “How did you want to pay for that today?” If they balk, remind them that no other company lets you pay after your items are received. This is important, because you will need to pay for your order online with your credit or debit card when you place it.

Orders are placed every two weeks (or more often – the choice is up to you). Each campaign runs from a Wednesday to 5 p.m. on a Tuesday. A campaign schedule is attached to this email. You may place your order on the day of your choosing within the two-week period, but I would advise you NOT to wait until the last day, in case of unforeseen circumstances like the website going down. Placing your orders early will also help prevent disappointment from items being sold out. Note that you will be charged a shipping fee for each order that you place during a campaign.

As you get customers, add them to the Address Book section in your Web Office. To enter customers’ orders, go to “Enter Items” or “Order Products” on the Home Page, choose your customer’s name from the drop-down list, and enter her items. This way, you will be able to create invoices for individual customers through the Web Office. When ordering your sales tools, demos, and personal items, choose the customer name that is YOUR NAME in all caps in the drop-down list.

Keep Your Store Open At All Times With Brochures

To invest in your business, you will need to purchase your most important business tool every campaign – your brochures! After all, that is YOUR STORE! Keep in mind that you need to order brochures for two campaigns ahead of the one you are in (i.e., when placing your Campaign 6 order, you will order brochures for Campaign 8). Look at the Campaign Calendar on AvonNow to see what campaign we are currently in, and order brochures for the second one after that in your first order. That way you’ll always be ahead of the game.

Brochures Are Ordered in Packs of 10, Not Individually!

If you want 20 brochures, you would enter the number 2 on the order screen. Keep in mind that the more packs you order, the cheaper they are! And the more brochures you put into the hands of people, the more customers you will get!

You should also purchase some “popcorn bags” (white paper bags) in different sizes for packaging up your orders. There are also the nicer shopping bags with handles, which are good for higher-end and heavier items. These are all found in the Sales Tools section of the order page.

In any campaign, you can order from the current brochure as well as the previous brochure.

In any campaign, you can order demos from the next two campaigns’ What’s New flyers. Selected samples are also available for purchase. Representatives can purchase two of each product from What’s New unless specified.

Build Your Own Team for More Earnings

Tell your friends and family about the Avon Opportunity! If they sign up under you, you earn a percentage of their sales too! Watch your income grow with your team!