Avon

A friend introduced me to her Avon brochure less than a year ago. I knew very little about Avon, other than the company’s fund raising efforts for breast cancer. I was amazed by the variety of products, and being a frugal gal, decided that, rather than purchase from my friend’s brochure, I would buy from myself at a discount.

Advice was plentiful from other Avon reps and articles published in Avon’s own “Representative Times.” The key seemed to be to buy as many brochures and samples as we could afford. We are urged to purchase demonstration products from “What’s New” to show our customers what will be available in the upcoming months. Avon representatives are known for going door-to-door handing out brochures, or standing in front of public buildings and shopping centers in an attempt to publicize their business. I knew that if this was how Avon was to be sold, it was not something I was capable of doing successfully. My limited budget and time constraints would surely hold me back. There were also my own personal hang-ups about talking to strangers that didn’t seem to mesh with the whole attitude of being an Avon representative. It is, after all, a sales job.

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