Quit Hating On Direct Sales

"Stop trying to sell me stuff on Facebook!"
"Direct sales is a pyramid scheme."
"MultiLevelMarketing is annoying."
"I've lost friends because they try to sell me stuff."

There is a lot of hate about direct sales companies. A. Lot. Of. Hate.

All of this negativity has really made an impact on direct sellers, and quite frankly, I'm fed up with it.

A short disclaimer to representatives, especially new reps: DO NOT TRY TO SELL TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! Offer once, say you are doing this thing, and then never "prospect" them again. Continue to offer catalogs, or share new products through email, but do not push them. They will know where to go to get xyz, and you will prevent damaging the relationship.

Here's why everyone needs to quit hating on direct sales: 

I think you misunderstand how supply chains work.

As much as you think it is easier for you to go to the store and buy something there, the product supply chain at your local Walmart is much more damaging than buying similar products from a friend. It won't kill you to help by spending the same dollars with someone you know rather than buy from a chainstore. The profit from buying from your friend goes to helping them buy groceries, pay for heat or electricity, or clothes for their kids. You know where your money goes when you buy from a drugstore? I'll give you a hint, it's not the cashier.

Working retail is an awful experience. The hourly wages are ridiculously low, employees are frequently kept "part time" so that the company does not have to offer benefits to them at any point (like, you know, health insurance), and retail employees can lose their job any moment - especially true if a customer has a bad day and blames that employee.

Let's compare that to direct sales. Direct sales representatives have control over their businesses. The product goes directly from the manufacturing company to the consumer, directly through the sales representative. Would you buy products from a seller at a market stall? or a farmer's market? or a craft fair? It is NO DIFFERENT than someone manufacturing products themselves and then selling those craft products to you, except the products are manufactured by the company, so there is higher quality control, best packaging, and more options.

Even when you purchase products "directly" using Amazon, the original seller does not earn that much from the sale. Amazon gets a good chunk. So, yes, it's a great marketplace online. But Amazon is simply warehouses holding products, just like retail stores holding products from multiple manufacturers. And what, exactly, do you know about those manufacturers? In a supply chain, the manufacturer and the end consumer are incredibly distanced. A product goes through multiple hands and multiple locations before landing in your shopping cart. And every step of that supply chain, people take a chunk of money from the transfer of those goods. So, the more "middle men" involved, the less of a profit everyone makes. It's just not necessary. It's not even convenient.

I *hate* shopping retail stores. They often act like the customer owes them for existing. Whatever happened to the customer was always right? Because it sure doesn't feel like that anymore. On the contrary, purchasing products from a direct sales representative eliminates that costly supply chain, so the "seller", the rep, earns more profit from you purchasing that product. In addition, you have a person, an individual, that you can always connect with about your product, about your purchase. Sure, you can always take something back to Walmart, but have you ever had to stand in line to return something there? And then not have the receipt? Or maybe have to explain why you don't want that product anymore?

Direct to consumer is how mail order companies used to work. It's how many online retailers work now. And it is how individual direct sales representatives work.

You aren't really sure how much of an impact it makes on individuals.

Selling is hard work. It takes investment, skills, and a healthy dose of confidence. Successful direct selling is not easy. It is ridiculously challenging (and rewarding) hard work. Doing so does not reduce someone's credibility. Selling product is a form of income that has sustained for thousands of years. Trading product prior to that.

Direct sales requires product expertise, consumer buying knowledge, and some serious skills in managing a business. People keep referring to it as "entrepreneurship" for a reason. It takes a lot of effort and knowledge. Working from home requires risk, skill and commitment. Plus, to be successful, you have to be a strong communicator, a positive personality, and a whole slew of other personal qualities. Yet, it's viewed negatively? And direct sales reps have lower credibility? Are you freaking kidding me? Why?!

So, when you say you hate direct sales, and Facebook parties, and people asking if you would like to consider buying the products they sell, you are essentially saying to them that they are not good enough for you. Way to judge. So, in order for them to be better, they need to work retail at Walmart? Where their pay is minimal, there are no benefits, and zero chance of future growth. Instead of supporting a developing business owner, who is honestly working to improve their skills, you would rather they take a crap job that pulls them away from their family on evenings and weekends. Or perhaps because they do not necessarily have a college degree, that's not good enough for you? They need to be better people by getting a college degree? It is this detrimental, negative perspective that makes me really frustrated when people say "I hate direct sales."

So, now that I am sure I have thoroughly offended you, go buy your candles at Walmart, and your Cover Girl makeup at the local drugstore. Ask the cashier when the last time was that they had benefits through their employer. Maybe someone is using direct sales to make enough to pay for college classes? Or by a used car so they can drive to a job? Evaluating someone's why for doing direct sales is mean and rude. So, don't buy product, if you don't want to. That is your choice. But stop judging other people's choices. Please and thank you.

Real Earnings with Direct Selling

Direct selling is a real business opportunity with real earnings.

Get Your Negative Out

But here's the truth. If you start poking around about reviews for direct selling and reviews for Avon, you are going to find negativity. There are millions of naysayers out there. Some of their arguments are valid, some are just lies. The honest truth is that you will find negative things said about direct selling, for ALL direct sales companies. There is even an entire website dedicated to hating on Mary Kay. (I refuse to link to it). The bottom line is that there is a lot of information on the internet, there is a lot of inaccurate information on the internet and there is a lot of hate on the internet. I have taken most of that with a grain of salt. I am also a skilled researcher, and I devote my energy to tracking down valid and valuable research about beauty and business before I share that on my website. Business, ALL business, is what you make it. It doesn't matter if you are in a corporate office, selling makeup or making fries. There are business opportunities, but you have to want to do the work. Sales IS hustle.

Make an Investment

Direct selling companies all require an investment. Usually that investment is very small ($100 or less). When you join Avon, the cost to become a representative is $15, and you receive an official Avon starter kit. However, I still say that you should invest a full $100. Why? On what? Here's why: Yes, the starter kit is $15 (you get your own estore website at no cost --- MOST direct selling companies charge their reps for the personalized website), and that includes brochures, what's new, a workbook, samples, and full sized product. That will give you what you need to launch your beauty business. I recommend spending a little more to get business cards for yourself. Town and Country is an Avon Advantage Partner and they frequently have a discount on business cards: 250 free and you pay only $5.95 in shipping and handling. I would also go to a local office supply store and pick out a physical planner and calendar. The better organized you are with time and contacts, the more sales you will have! These typically cost around $20. The remainder of that $100 (around $60 left), you will hold onto. This can be invested in different things, depending on how you want to direct your beauty business. You could: buy samples, full size products to demo, bags to deliver product to your customers, branded signage to have tables at events, a domain name and hosting to run your own branded website*, a dedicated phone for your business, towards a laptop to help you sell online, office supplies to stay organized - whatever will help you run your business best! Yes, Avon's startup fee is $15, but a full $100 is an investment in your business that will contribute to your success!


* Avon does not allow personal websites for the purpose of selling product; your branded website has to be your personal brand and cannot have "Avon" in it.

Focus on Sales

Avon and long time reps will have all sorts of tips and suggestions for you when you start. Buy tons of brochures! Make a huge list of your warm market! Talk to 3 people every day! Use products yourself! Great. If you can start with that much.

I have my own tips for new representatives, and those tips probably conflict with everything you see from Avon and other reps.

Sell you. Look, sales are not about selling product, sales is about selling you. YOU are the product. Seriously. And human nature is to trust the human product before spending money on it. I know that sounds weird, but that's human nature. There have been studies and studies in marketing and advertising about the human element in buying. In order to run a sales business with long term success, ethics and JOY, you need to sell yourself, and NOT your products. My first year selling Avon I focused on - my warm market and products. I didn't earn much. My second year, I am focusing on - you guessed it! - selling ME. Direct selling is network marketing, and network marketing is primarily about building relationships. I don't tell everyone I talk to in person that I sell Avon. I don't even talk about Avon. Crazy, right?! The complete OPPOSITE of what everyone says to do. What I do is develop relationships and work on building trust. The crazy thing is that people are now coming to me. "Hey, I heard you sell Avon. Can I buy from you?"

Grow slow. My tips focus on growing sales at a realistic pace. Creating the network takes time. Like, more than a few weeks. It takes years. During this building time, you may not see a lot of sales every campaign. This is where many reps give up, because they do not see the immediate results. Instant gratification does not a business make. Most "brick and mortar" business take 5 years to see a profit. This may also be true for direct sales businesses. Growth is exponential. I see many successful Avon earners who did not get to their high profit margins for years. If they had given up their first year or so in, they would never have seen the profit they do now! Relish in slow growth, but be realistic about it. Actively work on sales and developing your network. Celebrate pockets of success (right before the holidays and in the spring are typically peak buying times).

Don't buy. Unless you can afford to invest more, do not go over that initial amount you have reserved for supplies and demo products. Spend as little as possible on brochures. Buy only as many brochures as you know you can schedule to distribute. If your warm market is 5 women, only buy 10 brochures and then force yourself to get rid of those other 5 brochures. Do not buy too many brochures if you can't develop that large of a market yet. Don't buy a bunch of supplies, like samples, sales tools or bags. Buy ONE pack of the literature bags. I know they are only .80 but buy them one pack at a time. Only buy sample deals from the What's New if you really love the product and can actively market it to your network. Avoid loading up on samples and bags until you have a use for them. If you do want to start building up samples, start with skincare.  Until you begin having campaign orders of $50 or more, do not invest in any of those extras. The bare minimum I suggest your very first order should be, if you do not yet have any customer sales: 10 brochures ($6.49), literature bags ($0.80), and one recurring future brochure, item 030347, ($0.30). IF the only thing you buy during a campaign is brochures, call the order in and Avon will not charge you the OSF (One Simple Fee). You want to be earning based on sales YOU make, not on product you buy.

Learn product. You can't sell what you don't know. You should spend a good chunk of time learning about the products that Avon sells. They are incredible products and many have a long history. These products contribute to having loyal customers, so do your reading and learn about them. Start with the brochure. READ every single page in the brochure, then expand into the online inventory and delve deep. Learn about the product in depth on the estore, and take advantage of product trainings through Avon University.

Challenge yourself. Sales can be achieved, but it does take hustle. Hustle is making sales related connections, with a sense of urgency, but with tact. In order to be successful at making sales, you need to set challenges for yourself. Small goals, at first, will develop into larger goals. "I will give my brochure to 5 people this campaign." "I will ask 2 people to reorder." "I will make $200 in sales this campaign." This is not a competition with other people; this is about finding the right pace for you, and meeting your personal financial goals.

Finding Those Real Earnings

It's time to show you the money! What are the earnings possibilities with direct selling? While there are different earnings charts for every company, the earnings you make depend totally on you. Your earnings are tied directly to the sales volume you make happen. Your compensation is based on your performance.

If you have a $50 order, your earnings are $10. If you have a $300 order, your earnings are $105. If you have a $1000 order, your earnings are $450. Personal sales are completed by you, so you manage your earnings.

Any sales you complete through your estore earns you 20% of that sale, and Avon delivers the order directly to your customer! Once you earn over $25, Avon will send you your earnings. You can receive this profit through direct deposit, or on a prepaid Visa card.

See How It's Done

There is an elite group of women who have worked hard to turn lipstick into life. These women are some of the top earners for Avon, and they are successful because they HUSTLE.

Top earning representatives with Avon truly know how to hustle. Yet, every single woman does it differently. That is the beauty of this beYOUtiful business: this flexibility allows you to earn in the way that is best for you!

A few of these top earners - the "famous Avon ladies":

• Lisa Wilber has been selling Avon since 1981. Her leadership checks for 2015 were over $250,000.  
  
• Emily Seagren started in 2008 and has focused on selling online. Her 2015 team sales were over $550,000.   
  
• Molly Stone Bibb started in 2004. 
• Lisa Monoson since 2000. Her team of 400+ sells over 1 million each year.
• Theresa Paul started in 1994. She has 600+ on her team. 
• Milagros Garcia joined in 2001. Her checks total over $100,000 a year.

I joined in 2014.

Every single one of these women has been successful with selling Avon because of their hustle. Every single one loves selling Avon. And every single one earns real income by selling Avon products and training others how to sell Avon products.

What I love the most about these women? They are all friends on Facebook, they are accessible to all Avon representatives, and they are willing to help new reps grow their business because they care about successful beauty businesses. This handful of inspirational Avon ladies really make it worth choosing this company for your direct selling business. They are amaze!

I want you to have real earnings, too! Join in!

8 Reasons to Start Your Own Beauty Business

Low Investment

You can start your own beauty business for $15, and you are never required to purchase inventory.

Flexible Hours
Create your beauty estore, talk with new customers and manage sales on your own schedule from the comfort of your own home.

Direct Sales
Avon offers a gorgeous catalog of quality products that can be sold through network marketing strategies.

Powerful Brand
The Avon brand has a rich, successful history, and products can be marketed online through beautiful photography and excellent copy.

Online Marketing
Leverage the internet through marketing and social media to expand and grow your beauty business.

Tools, Training and Support
Avon offers a huge variety of sales tools, business and product training and selling support to help your beauty business soar!

Rewards and Recognition
As you grow your beauty business, Avon provides amazing levels of recognition and rewards to inspire you.

Supplement Your Income
Even if you have a full time career, you can easily supplement your income and create an additional income stream.

Direct Selling Is A Real Income Stream

This is from Wall Street Journal, and explains why direct selling is becoming more popular as well as things to look out for when choosing a direct sales company.

• Avon has reliable products that have been loved by consumers for many decades.
• Avon is an established company; in fact the first direct sales beauty company in the US!
• Avon has a low upfront investment of $15 and you no not have to buy inventory.
• Avon allows success through product sales in person or online, not just through recruiting.

 

Join In

Reasons You Should Join AVON

• New Representatives will get individual support, including new representative tips, assistance navigating youravon.com, sales support, social media networking, business programs and marketing help.
• All Representatives will continue to get personal support from me, updates, and assistance to boost their beauty business.
• You Make The Rules. Full time, part time, from home, online or in person. You decide how far you want to take your beauty business. You decide your personal success.
• You Don't Have To Carry Inventory. This was a huge point for me when I started. There are many direct selling companies that want you to purchase inventory to resell to customers. To me, that just didn't make good business sense, unless I was stocking that inventory in a retail store. I cannot predict what customers will want, the inventory changes frequently, and I didn't want to invest that much of my personal money to start. The startup for AVON is only $15, which provides resources, samples and an initial batch of brochures to get you started. Each campaign, the only thing you need to invest in is the current brochures.
• Excellent Brand. AVON is a well known brand, has a long history of being an American beauty company and the product catalog is amazing in depth and breadth.

When I wanted to start direct selling beauty products and create my own beauty business, I Googled things like "start home business" and "sell makeup". Unfortunately, I wasn't able to join a team. When I self appointed, I didn't know the person I signed up underneath. I still have not communicated with that person at all.*  I want to make sure that does not happen to anyone who is interested in selling AVON or making their own beauty business! I want to make sure you have someone that will support you, help you grow your business, and give you the tools and resources you need to be successful.

*However, I earned 3 out of 4 Just For Us rewards in my first 4 campaigns, started my social media marketing, developed my blog and began making sales all on my own. Part of my success is due to the fact that I have a Masters degree in Marketing. I want to share my marketing knowledge with my AVON team!