Thank you for taking the time for this interview!
We've
'known” each other a long time! Well over a decade! You awere voted a
Make Up Mavern, have always been a consistent high seller with Avon, and
have always been generous in sharing your experience and knowledge!
Will you tell us about your accomplishments with Avon?
I
made PC six months after starting with Avon, just about 32 years ago! I
made HS the next year and RC the following year. About 15 years ago I
was a part of the first Representative Advisory Panel and
coincidentally, was a part of the last one about five years ago. I was
also selected to be a Certified Beauty Advisor Trainer about ten years
ago and for five years I travelled primarily on the East Coast, training
representatives in beauty and color, among other things. Last year I
became a Makeup Maven for our division. I really enjoy sharing my love
of makeup (and skin care) with others!
I remember a great deal of what you taught us in your Yahoo group on skincare and Avon color!
Which brings me to the point!
I
recall once you told me that you sell primarily skincare, cosmetics and
fragrances because those are the products with the highest commissions!
How do you promote those products each campaign?
I
always check out the brochure ahead of time to see what’s on sale. I
buy samples and often give out three to each customer…one in each
category. If there’s a big sale on a particular item, I’ll often sample
it to everyone.
Do you give skin care consultations? What tools do you use to give skincare consultations?
The
most important thing about consultations is to listen to what the
customer has to say. In skin care, my first question is always “What’s
your main area of concern?”. Then I go from there, helping her choose
the item(s) that will best meet her needs. I don’t have any tools, per
se, other than my knowledge of the products and what does what best!
Do you give color consultations? What tools do you use to give color consultations?
I
do a silent color consultation on every person I meet. I always look
at her, determine which colors might look good on her and then mention
that I sell Avon. With my regular customers, my knowledge of warm/cool
really helps me help HER choose the right colors. My customers know
that I won’t steer them wrong, and rarely have a return because a color
isn’t right.
How do you sell fragrances?
I’m
very allergic to most fragrance, so I mostly sell it by sampling. If a
customer really wants to try a scent for a week or so, I gladly order
it and let her try it for two weeks and then either get the money or the
product back. There are a lot of tricks that you can use (cotton balls
in a baggie, spraying your money etc) but I stick mostly to samples.
Do you prospect for customers using your vast knowledge of skin care, color and fragrances?
I
do, but it’s a fine line to walk. Sharing without seeming pushy can be
difficult. When I meet someone, I always tell them I’m a makeup maven
and that my manager calls me her skin care guru! If they need help,
they know where to find me. My business cards mention that I’m a skin
care and color expert.
Do you have a favorite product that you promote?
Genics.
It’s good for all ages and really gets the job done. I love how it
feels and it really helps all ages “fix” what’s wrong!!
What advice would you give a new representative?
Educate
yourself! Read and learn. Talk to people who are successful and ask
them for advice. You can never know too much about your products!!
What
advice would you give an experienced representative to build their
customer base and increase sales using skincare, color and fragrances?
Make
your goal this: sell skin care to every customer. Make sure you talk
with every single customer about skin care and then offer samples to
meet the needs they express to you. Color is a bit more difficult
because you need to understand the difference between warm and cool in
order to recommend the right shades. Even in this day of anything goes,
at the end of the day, every woman wants to look her best, and helping
her choose her “everyday look” is very important. For fragrance, make
sure you know the basics of each scent. For example, if you have a
customer who HATES musk, make sure you know where to find the
ingredients and know which scents have the least amount of musk. Again,
education is the key!!!
Chris Sheely, UL, Rose Circle
Makeup Maven
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