Has anyone had experience as an Avon rep? What is the downside of it all? I have not been able to find reliable advice from the Net, so I had to ask my ThriftyFun network. How much money can it realistically generate, what time involvement, what upfront costs? Thanks!
I have a friend who sells...
IF you can build up a good customer base- 200 or so people that will buy from you each year and if you can get about 50 people to order from you each month- you will do wonderfully!! There is relatively little start up cost and if you love the product you will save quite a bit with the discounts and special ordering options etc. This is about all I know- I "sell" Tupperware to get out of the house and buy the best for my kitchen- but it is not a moneymaker. I think given the right customer base Avon would be a much better choice as it is typically consumable and fairly inexpensive to begin with. I would try it out if I were you! What could it hurt? From what I can tell there is no penalty if you don't sell, so enjoy the discount.
I have been an avon rep for 6 years now and I enjoy the chance to be a stay at home mom of 2. The earnings for new reps are 50% on your first 4 campaigns(every 2 weeks ) there after are based on your sales...
Thanks, so far everything I hear is positive, except from people who categorically oppose any job involving selling. Avon's stuff is very nice product, they were the first major company to stop all animal testing even in ingredients purchased by them. They even lend you credit to get you started with product and as you noted the first four campaigns the rep's share is half, great! I'm moving toward just plunging in.
I could post everything I love about being an Avon Sales Rep but then I would be writing a book. The 3 best things about Avon to me are:
1. Working my own hours. I am a busy mom running the kids all over and errands. I get to spend more time with my family and never have to call the boss for time off.
I'll be realistic and tell you there are a lot of down sides to selling Avon, since no one has told you of them. You purchase your own books, supplies, demos. If you have to call Avon it is long distance fees, unless your District Manager can handle your issues. Everything is cheaply made in China, so your customers may return a lot of things that dont look like what was in the Avon book. Items don't come in when they should--you can wait on backordered items for 1-2 months (especially at Xmas). At the monthly meetings District Managers will persuade you to take 10-20 bottles of awful perfume no one wants to buy and you will be billed for them and have the hassle of trying to return.
I sold Avon in college. I love the products, but quickly watched my profits disappear when I bought stuff for myself! You have to be very disciplined and make sure you seperate your profits right away and put them in a bank account. Otherwise, its fun.
I tried twice to become an Avon Rep. It only cost $10 to start, but every two weeks you're buying catalogs, which get VERY costly. The business takes quite awhile to build up, since there's so many reps out there. Then you end up buying many samples. Also, you're responsible for returning the merchandise to Avon that's returned (more money).
First off, I've been a rep for 6 or 7 years (I've lost count). I won't lie to you and say that it's a breeze and you'll become fabulously wealthy. It can be as hard or as easy as you want it to be. But, like many things, "you only get out what you put in." Some things to consider: 1) You have to like the product yourself. How good of a salesperson can you be if you hate what you sell? 2) You have to have tough skin (figuratively speaking). You may have rude customers; you don't have to keep them as customers. You may have customers who just don't like what they bought. Haven't we all? You'll have to take that in stride. Yes, you do have to pay for returns, but that's part of the cost of doing business. Wal-Mart has to pay for returns too, in the form of shipping costs, customer service salaries, etc. 3) You have to treat it as a business, and this takes discipline. You DON'T have to order tons of brochures. You DON't have to pre-order the latest perfumes--I've been burned every time I have. You DON'T even have to go to the Sales Meetings, although they can be motivating. You DO have to exercise restraint.
The main question you need to ask yourself is what you want out of it. Do you want to make enough to live comfortably off of so you can be a stay-at-home parent or do you want to make gas money? Do you want to do it to "get out of the house" and meet people, or do you want to do it to get a discount on your own stuff (nothing wrong with that, although you'll have to submit an order of at least $25 to get a discount)? Some will tell you it's only $10, so you have nothing to lose, but $10 is still $10 that could be put somewhere else if you're not sure where you're going with it. I hope I've given you some food for thought. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at calnorth at yahoo dot com.
I was an Avon rep at 3 different stages of my life and at 3 different sets of rules from the company! I never really 'made money' in the sense that once I deducted all the costs of doing business, especially auto costs, there was very little cash to 'play' with. I was always in the top ten sales reps in my district. Also, I cannot use any of the scented products, but I had no problems selling them because people either LOVE Avon or HATE Avon as a rule. Keep in mind that no matter how many customers you may have, there is a limit as to how much make-up they will be buying. In the old days the jewelry was a much better quality and was an easy sell. Nowadays...not so much. You must be aware of certain laws that apply to accepting checks from folks. NEVER, NEVER take a check that is dated later than today's date!!! Another big issue with checks is that you cannot access all the funds deposited into your checking account until all the checks have had time to clear. You will get zapped with fees for ISF - insufficient funds- and if any of those checks bounce you will be charged for that as well. The other biggie that cancels 'earnings' is having to return to deliver products time after time to people who "don't have the money right now" or just don't answer the door! With the current cost of gas, I know I wouldn't go back to selling Avon even if the rest of the problems could be easily solved unless I could somehow have the customers come to me to pick up their orders!!!
If you have a large clientel, yes it can generate a goodly amount. You have to work it. It doesn't work itself. If orders are not paid for you can be stuck with them and trying to resell. Most times you can return it but it is alot of hassle. I have known a few who were very successful representatives. Personally for me, it was not lucrative. I did not know alot of people where I lived and that played a factor as well. Good luck to you should you embark on the journey with Avon.
In my past experience it was not worth the time and effort . I tried it twice. In my area you can get the same products for cheaper at the store. When I did place a order half of it would be on back-order or they would sent me the wrong order. All of your catalogs , bags and etc. Are not cheap. In my area it was not profitable.
i have been an avon rep 2 different times. the second time which was 2 yrs ago was a mess. i didnt have the customers enough anyway that bought alot every campaign. the manager said she would give me so much help whenever i had a question. i emailed her 1 time with a question from a customer about lipstick. never did i get a question back. even after leaving a message on her cell phone and with her secretary. i stopped selling it.
Well, i have been a avon rep for 10 years. The more you sell the more money you make. On your 1st 4 campaign you earn 50% of what you sell. It only cost you one time fee of $10.00 to start. You can sell for as long as you want or stop when you want. If you want to sign up to sell you can sign up under me and i will be there if you need any help. I love being a stay at home mom of 2 and taking off when I need to. If I can help you just email me and I can get your started asp. bettysavon AT itexas.net
When my son was little I was an Avon rep. I sold to neighbors and later co-workers and friends. But, you are tempted to buy all the cute stuff for yourself. You need to market yourself by buying little samples to give out to prospective customers and/or if they ask for them tp smell scents or see colors or whatever and that adds up. Biggest drawback is that NOW people can order on line directly from Avon. So, you're competing against your own company and they offer great sales. So, I would say, "Take a pass."
Hi I have been an Avon rep going on 3 years now. I am so glad I joined Avon. I am an Advanced Unit Leader and the earnings on my team alone brought in over $100,000 last year. I even won a great cruise to the Bahamas last October! I wish I would have joined long ago.
There is no "downside" to selling Avon. With Avon you can have a profitable home-based business with unlimited earnings potential. Avon gives you all of the tools to become successful for only a $10 start up fee. To see my personal Avon site and learn more with no obligation go to www.TallmadgeAvon.com or www.start.youravon.com and view the opportunity video. If you decide you would like to join my winning team enter my code:"gseal" in all lower case. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Georgjeana
Here is a pic of me and my husband on the cruise
I was in Avon a few years ago. As long as you have a good clientèle, you can make money. I moved towns, and started again, but with the cost of buying brochures, I was lucky to break even. Also, if you do go ahead, do not give goods without receiving payment. This happened to me on a very large order from someone I considered a friend. Needless to say, we do not speak any more, and I never saw a cent. It is time consuming, and you will buy a lot of items because they are bargains, but as long as you can commit to it, it should pay off for you. People here do letterbox drops. A current rep will want you to sign up under them, as they get brownie points for introducing new people. Good luck!
Kim, I too am from Moses Lake:) I've been selling avon off and on for about 10 years. There's a lot of avon reps here. If your just looking for a little extra cash thats great! If your in it for a full time income and looking to get rich, not so great. I love being a rep because I get a discount for myself. You just have to make sure you don't get sucked in and over order for yourself. It can get very expensive, even with the discount. Good luck to you! Renee
I am Karla A new Avon Independent Sales Representative. I am out of Cedar Rapids Iowa. I love Avon. The start up cost is $10.00 and you can make good money. It is what you put into it. I have put in some time and have 3 people under me and have been showing a nice profit. Check out my site at www.youravon.com/karlahoffman and there is a contact me button I would love to explain it all to you! Regards, Karla
I'm an Avon Rep in the UK and I find it a great way to fit around my full time job. There is not minimum period to stay on so what have you got to lose?
All I can say is that there are no "Get rich quick schemes out there that work"! And, AVON is not one of those that promotes that, so, right off the bat, you know you are working with a GREAT company. I have been in AVON for a little over a year, am a Unit Leader. I quit a $60K a year job and couldn't be happier. AVON has allowed me to purchase a new car, travel to visit my grandchildren, and work with people who truly want to improve their financial independence. I hope to promote to Advanced Unit Leader by the end of the year, and my income will increase even more!
This is the best move I've ever made! AVON doesn't sell itself, but through friends, co-workers, family and the internet, you can't lose! Someone in a previous post to you mentioned that you can buy AVON on line and you are competing against AVON. Well, apparently, she didn't want to make her business grow because AVON makes available to each and every representative the ability to have their very own AVON website! Also, another person mentioned how expensive brochures, samples, etc, were, well, they are VERY INEXPENSIVE. You do hav to spend a little in order to make a lot. By having your own website and advertising it on your brochures, your friends and family can order from you, online, anytime 365 days a years, 24 hours a day! And, YOU get the profit!
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I have considered selling Avon, because I love their stuff. I would like to hear any experiences, or feedback, if anyone wishes to share them.
Thank you!
