This week Debbie Davis, 29, from Sunderland, was named the most successful Avon lady in Britain, having made £7m for the company over the last five years. Last year she earned £250,000, and now oversees 2,800 other Avon employees. Here are her tips for selling success:
• Befriend your customers. When I first started selling Avon I wasn't confident, and instead of knocking on doors I used to just push the brochure through the letterbox and leave. But you build up customers and get to know them by seeing them face-to-face. I've known some so long I'll go in and have a cup of coffee. If people are rude to me I don't respond nastily, but I don't go back.
• Get your catalogues out to as many people as possible. Some people just want to sell to friends and family, but now all sorts of people want to buy Avon. Especially at the moment with the credit crunch, people don't want to go into the town centre and spend money – they'd rather order from home. One in three women order from Avon, and the other two don't have access to a catalogue, so we're trying to find more reps.
• Give out samples. I'll often put a sample in with an order if I think it's something the customer might be interested in. That way they can try before they buy.
• Demonstrate. One of the main things for me is demonstrating a product before it comes out in the catalogue. If it's a perfume I'll take it with me in my handbag so they can smell it, or if it's a watch I'll wear it, and I always wear Avon makeup.
• Know what your customers like. I keep a check on all my customers to see what they are ordering, how many and how often, and then I'll get in touch and let them know if there's a new product I think they might like to try. We've got a new mascara at the minute that comes in three different thicknesses, and one lipstick that comes in seven different shades, so if I know you buy a lot of lipstick or mascara, I'll let you know it's coming in, or I'll say, "Oh, have you seen this lipstick . . . ?"
