- Write your name and phone number on the order form and ring around the day of collection – place in the brochure and deliver to the customer.
2. Allow at least 3-4 days between delivery of books and collection, as any shorter time will not give the customer sufficient time to look at the book.
3. When picking up your books check that each customer has written their name and address on the order form. This will save any confusion when it comes to delivery.
4. Take a pen and paper with you when picking up your books so that you can make a note of any books not collected, as you will need to go back again the next day, or whenever it is convenient, and if you have not written down which houses you have not picked the books up from, it is easy to get in a muddle.
5. Save all your old books for canvassing new territory. Even out of date books can be reused since offers come and go in all the brochures. If a customer orders a product whilst it is on offer but you cannot order it at that price, do not worry. Sometimes it is worth swallowing a slight loss for the sake of obtaining a new customer, as in the long run you will benefit. If there is a special offer on which can no longer be obtained then you should make it clear to the customer and possibly offer an alternative.
6. After collecting all your books, sort through the order forms and check that they have been filled in correctly, especially their name, and any colour, shade or fragrance required – for example if a customer just puts `lipstick` that is not very helpful to you when it comes to bagging up the order, as you could have dozens of lipsticks in your delivery box – how would you know whose was whose? You can find out by checking the product numbers on the invoice, but that can be rather time consuming. Also make sure they have totalled it up correctly and that the customer has understood that `buy 1 get 1 free` means they get the cheaper one free.
7. Remember that you can not only order from the current brochure, but also from the previous one. So always try to get the best deal for yourself when ordering. Sometimes you can `marry up` different customers` orders – e.g. if two customers both order only one item from a buy 2 get 1 free offer then you can claim the 3rd item for yourself to keep or resell. Also a customer may order something from the current brochure, eg an aftershave, for £8, but it may be £4 in the previous book. If you order it in at the cheaper cost this will go towards the cost of your brochures Don`t forget you are a business not a charity! By constantly checking prices and ordering at the cheapest possible cost, you may be able to cover the cost of your brochures…
8. How to fill out your order form – on your first order form the products from the current brochure are listed on the left hand side. Products from the previous brochure, Link, ‘While Stocks Last’ and any sales aids, such as bags, order forms and ring sizers , (I strongly recommend that you order these), should be listed on the right, under section A.
On the subject of bags – I always save plastic carrier bags, which I get given me in shops. Not ones with `Tescos` or something written on, but plain blue or white ones, or stripey ones (you know the kind!). This will save you money, but you will still need to order bags from Avon.
Your second order form may be different – it might be a booklet type form and in this case you must fill in an oval for every product needed. The pages are in the same order as the brochure pages. Link, ‘While Stocks Last’ and Sales Aids are all listed separately and any products needed from the previous campaign must be listed at the back under section A.
9. Remember to order your brochures for 2 campaigns ahead, and that they come in packs of 5. So if you need 20 books you order 4 packs. If you order 20 you will be sent 100 books!!
10. If this is your second or subsequent order you will need to make a payment to Avon for goods received from the previous order. You can do this in one of 4 ways – make a payment at the Post Office by filling in the Giro slip and getting the postmaster to stamp the front of your order form. Alternatively you can pay by phone, on the internet, or by placing a cheque in the post along with the completed Giro slip. On the back of your cheque write your account number and area number.
11. How to order - you may order in one of 3 ways - by sending your order form off in the post by the Thursday, over the telephone, or on the Internet by the Monday. If you order over the Internet then make sure you click on the little box with the campaign number next to the products if you want to order from the previous campaign. If you have to add to the order do NOT click on `additional order` as this is nothing to do with your main order and you may find that not only will you incur postage but you may lose your commission. What you should do in this case is to ring Avon and speak to an agent. If possible, though, try to place your order all in one go, as although time consuming it may prevent unwanted problems.
12. Additional orders are extra orders in between your regular orders. So if a customer wants something before the normal order date you can order, but a charge will be made for p & p and you can only order from the previous book as the new book will not yet be valid. At the time of writing (11/05) the charge is £2.50. If you order £72 pounds or more of products you will get commission as usual, but if not, then you will forfeit your commission.
13. On the subject of commission, your order must reach the MOV (minimum order value) which at the time of writing (11/05) is £72 to get 20% commission and £135 to get 25% commission. Occasionally your orders may not add up to the MOV even after you have ordered your books (which go towards your MOV as do products from Link, While Stocks Last and sales aids, though you will not get commission on these items). In this case it is in your interest add to the order yourself in order to obtain full commission. I had one rep who submitted an order of £71.50 and she got no commission! For the sake of 50p she would have received £14.40! Don`t let it happen to you….
14. When your order arrives on the appointed day a useful tip is to open the boxes from the bottom- not only will it save your nails, but it will enable you to reuse the boxes especially if you need to return something.
- Check items against your invoice – any missing products should be reported immediately to Avon.
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