Saturday, November 8, 2014

AVON - Learn From My Mistakes - Do NOT Give Credit!

AVON Reps - Do NOT Give Credit!

People have been wondering what happened to this AVON Tips blog. I was a top sales leader in AVON with over 22 representatives, and it all came crashing down at Christmas one year after a series of fatal business mistakes. I hope by sharing my business mistakes, other AVON leaders and representatives will not end up in the same kettle of fish that I did.  This is my first post in my "learn from my mistakes blog posts. Despite some warning me not to give credit, I did. How on earth did this happen?Glad you asked.

Giving Credit-Slippery Slope to Business Failure

When I started in AVON, I decided I would not give credit, but despite my best intentions, I found myself persuaded to give credit. 
Whom did I give credit to? 
First it was relatives, who changed their mind after I had placed their orders.
Next it was the babysitter who stopped babysitting after receiving her order that she was going to work off.
Finally it was a networker.

What is a Networker?

Many AVON reps give networkers the opportunity to take AVON orders at their workplace in exchange for free products, discounts, or money. If you are not getting the contact information, so you can follow up with the people they are gathering the orders from, this is BAD NEWS. DON'T do it, no matter how tempting the size of the order is.
Could I have returned these orders? 
If I had the orders, yes I could have returned them, albeit having to pay the shipping on some of the items. 
Unfortunately I made a fatal mistake and gave a networker several hundred dollars worth of items to deliver to her clients. I never got the items back nor the money for the purchases despite repeatedly billing the networker.

Still Want to Give Credit? Try This -

BUSINESS LESSON LEARNED - Get at least your cost, shipping and 10% for your time upfront on all orders.
If you don't have the money to give away, don't expect to get it back. This will save you a lot in friends as well as money.
The credit I gave out was the force that sent all my hard work crashing. Am I angry with the people who did not pay me for the items they received? No, I have chosen to forgive them. 
It was my choice to extend the credit. I've learned from this mistake. I hope if you're reading this, it isn't too late for you to learn from my mistakes.

BUSINESS LESSON - DO NOT GIVE CREDIT
If you're not good at saying NO to people asking for credit, 
  1. Practice writing 1,000 times - I wish I could give credit, but I can't.
  2. Then practice saying 1,000 times - I wish I could give credit, but I can't.
  3. Put your practice to work. Next time you're asked say - I wish I could give credit, but I can't.
What hard lessons have you learned in business?
Watch for my next AVON Business Post.
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