Marketing Tips for New Avon Independent Sales Reps.

Getting Started with Avon:

Since this is a direct sales company, you need to start thinking about finding yourself some customers. A good place to start would be your friends and family. At first you might be a little shy with talking about your new business, but you'll get comfortable with it as you go along. If you've got an MSN list, Facebook, Myspace or any other social network that keeps you connected to your friends and family, send a message to them about it.

Word of mouth is the best for getting new customers. If someone likes the service you provide for them they will likely mention it to their friends and family and you'll get more orders.

What is Marketing? The definition of Marketing according to KnowThis.com:

Marketing consists of the strategies and tactics used to identify, create and maintain satisfying relationships with customers that result in value for both the customer and the marketer.

After you've told everyone you know, you'll need to keep working on marketing your business. There are a lot of free ways to do this, including flyers, letters, canvassing neighborhood, open houses, parties, online classified ads and anything else you can think of.

Other Local Businesses:If you know someone who owns a business serving the general public, ask them if you could leave business cards or a lead box with them. You could offer to promote their business as they are doing this for you. Trading business cards or coupons would be something that might be of interest to them. Be creative!

Party/Open House:If you decide to have an open house, you could promote it on Facebook and other social networking sites. Create an event page on Facebook where your friends can RSVP to your open house. You should also send out real invitations for your customers who don't use the internet. Open houses are great for getting the word out about your new business and showing what Avon has to offer. Be creative with the theme for your open house/party: Halloween, Christmas, Easter/Spring, Beach, Manicure/Pedicures(Footworks), Anew skin care.

Fairs/Bazaars/Booth:If you have the opportunity to do one of these DONT BE SHY! Go for it! These are great for recruiting new Avon reps and gaining new customers. Set up your table with things you know people will buy. Do not go crazy with buying too much inventory for these types of events because you will end up taking it all home. Only buy and bring a few good items to show, and sell small things like lip balms, hand creams, and things that are on sale. Set up a gift basket that you will give away in a draw, this will give you the names and phone numbers of people who may be interested in selling or buying Avon. Hand out catalogs to everyone who walks by and be ready to answer questions about Avon.

Canvassing your Neighborhood: There are a few ways you could hand out catalogs in your neighborhood. If you're brave enough you could knock on doors and ask people if they need an Avon Rep. This works great for finding out who is and is not interested in receiving a catalog every two weeks. This way you will save your catalogs for people who are interested and you will be able to collect their contact information to make following up easier.

For the rest of us who are not quite as brave, we have 'What's New' bags! What's New bags are large enough to fit a couple of catalogs, business card, a letter to your neighbours, and even a sample or two. I don' suggest giving samples out to everyone because it is a waste of money if they don't buy anything from you. Create an introduction letter describing your services, your name and why you started Avon to let people know more about you. At the bottom of the letter you could even make a coupon for a percent off or a free gift with their first order. What's New bags are perfect for hanging on door knobs or on the the hand rail of a doorstep. There are laws about putting things in mailboxes so check into that before you use their mail box.

Some people prefer to "Toss" their books onto people's property. To me, this seems like it could look like littering and probably won't work as well as knocking on doors and talking to people.

Email Signature: Always use an email signature! These are really easy to set up and work great for letting people know that you sell Avon. It's also a good idea to use an email signature when replying to people who respond to your classified ads. Here's what mine looks like:

Mellisa Lozinski

AVON Independent Sales Rep

Click here to View Current Catalog(Link to Current Campaign Brochure)

Email your order to me and receive a free Gift!

Fundraisers: Did you know you could do a fundraiser for any group? Fundraisers are a wonderful way to help people earn enough money for their cause and its great for you because you reach many new customers and you could possibly sell enough to reach Presidents Club in a few campaigns. Start by asking around about anyone who is in a group that needs to raise money. You may know other moms with kids in hockey, soccer, church groups, travel groups, schools, day cares etc. Start with asking these people that you know if they'd be interested in doing a different kind of fundraiser. There are many Avon reps who have successful fundraisers. To find out more about doing a fundraiser go to your Avon home page and either find the information you need on the site, or order the fundraiser package if its available.

*Important Tip: Always keep track of who you give brochures to. Make a check list of all your customers, leave spaces to add new customers to the sheet. And across the top of the page write the campaign numbers. Having a list like this will help you keep track of who you need to deliver books to and it makes contacting everyone for orders a lot easier.

Google Maps Listing: Claim your Avon business locally on Google Maps. People who search for Avon in their city in Google Maps will be able to find you. This is a great way to promote your Avon website and get online sales. Go to http://www.google.com/local and you will find a page with a map of the US and on the left hand side of the page click the words "Put your business on Google Maps". From there you will click "Add New Business".

Free business listings are a good place to start. Search for 'local business listings' online for your city. They let you post a business ad on their site for free. Here is an example of a business listing: Click here

There are usually a few options to customize your ad and include your website address and the rest of your contact details. You will also be allowed to write a short 'Blurb' about your business telling people what you have to offer. *Do not use any time sensitive information in your ads such as the Campaign due dates, any specials you may have, etc. It's only OK to put in one of your specials if its one that you will always run, like 'All new customers will receive a free gift with their first order of $25 or more'. Business listings are not like classified ads, they will not expire and it is not easy to edit the information once it is accepted.

Online Classified Ads: Online classifieds are free and they work great for getting customers that are actually interested in buying Avon. You need to create an ad that looks professional and it has to stand out from all the other Avon ads. If you do a search for Avon on a classified site you will see great ads and you will see one liners like "just started avon, if you want a book let me kno" The good ads are the ones using proper English and good formatting. If you have the option of a rich text editor on whatever classified site you're using, put it to good use. Use bold letter and colour for highlighting a special offer or your contact information. If you have the option to use a picture on your ad, always use it. Ads with pictures stand out more and look more professional.

Some good Classified Ad sites you can use(links open in a new window): BackPage, Kijiji,Craigslist, Oodle, Buyandsell.com

Social Networks: Using Social Networking is a fun and easy way to let everyone know that you are selling Avon. Websites like Merchantcircle, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, and others are easy to use and you can easily gain new customers from them! Some of these sites allow you to create special pages for your home business, groups, and more.

Avon does not allow you to sell Avon through any website except the ones you buy through them. Use these social networks to advertise your business or your Avon website.

Avon Website: If you have purchased a website through Avon you can promote it in many different ways. Start by changing all of your ads and business listings to include the web address. Change your email signature to announce E-Parties, Virtual Makeover etc. You can offer them a free gift if anyone orders through your website. Make sure you mention your website in every peice of advertising you do and get new business cards.