Tips from an Avon Representative: How to Make Sales when You Have Never Sold Anything Before in Your Life

Often when you need some extra money, you might consider working for a company as a sales representative. Some companies known for this are Avon and the Avon line Mark, which is geared towards college students and teens, as well as Tupperware, Mary Kay, Amway, and many others. The premise is that you sell products to your friends and family and even strangers who are familiar with a brand name but at this time do not use the product often enough that they already have a representative that they work with. For some people, this is a very lucrative part time job. For others, they only submit their own orders. If you have never sold anything before, it is important to learn some basic representative sales tips so that you are one of the representatives that makes a profit.

Remember the goal that keeps you motivated. It might be paying for school or saving for a car, or some other goal. Remember that this job gives you flexibility, but does not mean it will make you money without some structure. You may need to supplement your income in some other manner at first since you will not have lots of contacts in the beginning. Be prepared to not make much money when you first start out.

Start out with your friends and family. You may already know some friends and family that use the product you are selling, so even mentioning how you are paying for school or working part time while you stay home with your child may result in some sales. If it does not, ask them if they know anyone who uses the brand that you sell, and that you are available for referrals if anyone needs new product. Keep careful track of what information you find out casually, such as if you recognize someone using certain products in the line (such as using a lip gloss from the line will likely be someone who needs to restock frequently, whereas someone who uses the fragrance might be less often).

Consider your sales market base. Do you belong to a Church or a group or a school with a small news bulletin that will allow you to take out a small ad? If you sell Avon or Mark and are local to a certain group or school - then other members might be more likely to purchase from you since you are in the same group or Church. Create a flyer and find as many places as possible that you can hang it for free including libraries, your school bulletin board, your town community center, coffee shops, local stores, and the like.

Avon and Mark allow someone using their website to type in the representative ID number so that rep gets credit for that order. If you belong to chat room an online user group and have known people for a while, consider asking for people to use your representative number when placing an online order. If someone says that they place all of their orders online, ask if they already do so with another representatives' number.

Be generous with samples when possible. Also be generous with your representative name and number when possible so they remember where they got the sample when they want to order.

Pick something from the product line that you can get excited about. If you are a stay at home Mom, you likely are not so in touch with what teens might want to wear to clubs. If you are a teen, you may not best understand the cosmetic choices of a stay at home Mom. However, some areas everyone likes such as bubble baths or yummy body cream scents. There is a reason that vanilla scents are so popular and some of the lines that feature items that smell like baked goods. These are often popular with all age groups. If you sell cosmetics, keep up with beauty magazines to know the little makeup tricks or what will be hot next season. Read articles on the latest scents - researchers constantly jump between vanilla, pumpkin and cinnamon as the scent that men find the most alluring - try to know little facts that might appeal to your market and direct them towards making a selection. So pick something that you like that is likely to appeal to others as well, and be enthusiastic about it. If you do not care or look as if you think the product is not good, then your customers will not get excited enough to purchase. You do not have to be a hyper tele-a-thon level of excitement, and you do not have to look like you love every product in the catalog, but maybe a few products you really like in the line. Try to try the new products so you can make a recommendation. Don't just push the product that will make you the most money, it is very obvious the customer. Stick with what appeals to them and what their needs are and perhaps mention an additional deal casually without being pushy. If someone wants to try the new anti-aging product, they will generally mention they are looking for something of that nature. When someone knows they can trust you to sell them what they need, they will likely make a point to give you more of their business in the future.

It is often the hardest to bring up the subject of money and cost to close the deal. You are not a volunteer worker, you are at work, so just be up front and state the cost. You will never get to the sale if you do not just state the cost and proceed to the order form to process the sale.

Following up the sale - no matter how big or small - is the most important part. Avon and Mark and most of these companies spend a lot of money on advertising, so people likely already know what they want - they just need to remember YOU when they want it. If you call them a week or so later and ask them how they like the product, they will remember you. Whether you write or call them, make sure they got your card for when they want to re-order or get another item in the future. Ask them if they would like to be alerted to sales on that or similar products in the future.

Keep good records of people who have purchased from you and build a database of contacts. Consider contacting these individuals with sales, promotions, and new items. It is more important to build this base of people than it is to make any one particular sale. This base is what will move your part time work into a more profitable job for you. Even the world's best sales people are not afraid to ask other sales people why they are successful. So do not be afraid to ask.